As soon as there were cars, there likely were car accidents. With no seatbelts, no airbags and many dirt roads, the results could be dire.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Saturday, July 22, 1916:
Car is Overturned and Occupants Injured
Machine Strikes Rock When at High Speed on Oracle Road
A Studebaker car was totally wrecked and the three occupants bruised and shaken up when the machine overturned on the Oracle road, opposite Holy Hope cemetery, yesterday afternoon.
Jesus Fimbres, of North Church street, a local automobile liveryman, was driving the car when it overturned. He stated yesterday evening that he was driving at the rate of 45 miles an hour when the machine truck a rock and overturned. He and his two companions, Polo Mendoza, 128 North Church street; and Felix Ortiz, of South Meyer street, were thrown out of the car. Timbres had his arm bruised but none of the others were injured.
The car formerly belonged to Byrd Brooks and was owned by Cruz Galvian on Convent street. Timbres was taken to the county jail and admitted to officers that he had taken a few drinks during the afternoon. Deputy Sheriff Ezekials investigated the matter and satisfied himself that none of the men were seriously injured.
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The same day, the Star ran a profile of one of the candidates for Pima County Sheriff.
AS A PEACE OFFICER MILES IS A REGULAR
J. G. Miles, Candidate for Sheriff, None Other Than “Rye” Miles
“Rye” Miles, as a candidate needs to introduction to the voters of Pima county, and specially does he need none to the rural population, but for the benefit of some it may be necessary to state that J. T. Miles and “Rye” are one and the same person. He was christened J. T. by his parents but as is the custom among men who live in the wide, big open country, Miles was early given the name of “Rye” and it has stuck—as their tribute to the democracy and simplicity of character of their compadre.
Miles has a record as a peace officer which few can equal. He first came to Arizona—from Texas— back in 1897. As old timers know, Arizona’s population at that time was considered as “gross population” and Miles, as a ranger, belonged to that courageous force which reduced it to the “net population” or people that count. From that time until the present, his record has been absolutely clean and there is no man who can say that Miles has not been a practicer of good citizenship as well as a conscientious and courageous peace officer.
Miles first work as a piece officer after coming to Arizona was as a territorial ranger. That is in itself a recommendation. Next he served as a county ranger in Cochise county. While holding that position he was temporarily incapacitated for horseback riding and was forced to resign, accepting the position as constable at Benson, one of the most important peace offices in Cochise county. For several years Miles has been a cattle inspector in Pima county, which position he holds at present.
If nominated and elected sheriff of Pima county, Mr. Miles will make an efficient, painstaking, accommodating officer and he promises that he will choose deputies only on the ground of their fitness for the exacting duties as an officer of the law.
Bootleggers jeered the detectives who helped make the case against them. All we can say is, the detectives ended up on the better side of the bars.
Detectives Jeered By Prisoners Held For Running Blind Pigs
Roar of Derision Interrupts Court; Baker Guilty in two Cases
A demonstration by prisoners in the county jail against Detectives Tom and Allen Love, who have been instrumental in working up evidence against some of the defendants in Bootlegging cases on the docket of the present session of the superior court, occurred yesterday afternoon during the trial of Charles Phillips and Hannah Phillips, colored, charged with bootlegging.
The detectives were waiting in a room on the second floor of the court house, waiting to be called to the witness stand. When one of them appeared at an open window overlooking the jail court, shouts of derision went up from the prisoners assembled in the court below. The demonstration followed, it is said, when John Baker, who had just been convicted in the second case against him charging bootlegging, called attention to the detective in the window.
The windows in the back of the court room were open and the chorus of jeers that came up from below came near disturbing the procedure of the Phillips case. Several person rushed to the window to learn the cause of the disturbance, some thinking that a free-for-all fight had been started in the jail.
The two detectives were employed by the board of supervisors to ferret out blind tigers. They were assigned by the Thiele Detective Agency, of Los Angeles, and spent about two weeks in the city in the early part of June. They are brothers and near enough alike to be twins. They are young, well-dressed and nice appearing.
Baker was convicted in the second case against him about noon yesterday. He will be sentenced by Judge Frank Baxter, presiding, this afternoon at 2 o’clock and the four remaining cases against Baker will be tried next week, beginning Monday. Interruption of the trial of the remaining cases was caused by lack of a sufficient number of veniremen to form a jury and an extra venire of twenty was called.
The case of the state against Charles and Hannah Phillips, charged with violating the prohibition law, was taken up. The state put on the stand three witnesses who testified to having purchased whiskey from a club operated by Phillips and his wife on South Main street. The case will be resumed this morning when court meets.
A sensational moment came on the second Baker trial yesterday morning when the defendant, John Baker, being cross-examined by Judge John Campbell as to what Gay Alley was, answered that the judge should know as he once, with Benton Dick as once district attorney in Arizona. Judge Campbell declared that was an imputation on his honesty while serving as federal judge in Arizona and hotly demanded what Baker meant and who told him.
Baker responded that someone, he did not know who, told him that Judge Campbell had received #400 for “keeping the alley open.”
He stated that he did not know the man’s name but could identify him. Judge Campbell denounced the imputation as a lie and declared that as soon as he got off the bench he had brought injunction proceedings to close the alley. In his address to the jury he asked them if they could believe such an imputation and several audibly answered “no.”
