Tales from the Morgue: Tarnished badges, Part 1

DEPUTIES KILL 2 MEMBERS OF ENCINAS BAND

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Leon Brothers Attempt Escape from Officers Following Arrest After They Ordered the Deputies Away from Greaterville; Accomplice Wounded

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SHERIFF FORBES VOWS TO CLEAN OUT OUTLAWS

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Deputies Execute Ruse Capturing Men Who Ordered Them To Quit Village and Give Up Their Long Hunt for Encinas

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The climax of the reign of terror which has held the residents of the Greaterville section in its grip for a long time was reached Monday evening when two Mexicans, members of the Leon family, were killed in a battle with deputies from the sheriff's office, and another said to be named Jose Maria, was fatally wounded.

In a pitched battle in a lonely gulch outside of Greaterville Monday night the desperadoes came off second best and paid the penalty of their lawlessness with their lives.

Since the commencement of the recent trouble in Mexico Greaterville has been the scene of numerous murders and cattle stealing. It was a matter of small consequence to kill a man and then slip across the border, knowing that the United States authorities would make no attempt to extradite. In fact some of these criminals have even been so bold as to make Greaterville their headquarters and remain there at all times when the officers from the sheriff's office were not present.

The trouble which resulted in the battle yesterday began about March 1 when Loretta Yanez, a widow aged 60 years, and her nephew, Ramon Barilla, aged 25, disappeared. A month later the matter was reported to the authorities and Sheriff Forbes and County Attorney Hilzinger made a personal investigation which resulted in swearing out a warrant for Antonio Encinas, said to be connected with the affair.

Encinas dropped out of sight but the officers were watching for him and when he appeared a week ago at Greaterville at midnight, a battle resulted when the officers attempted to place him under arrest. About 15 shots were exchanged and it was thought that Encinas had been wounded. He, however, succeeded in getting away.

"Get Them," Forbes Orders.

Sheriff Forbes then announced that he would break up the Greaterville gang at all costs. Deputies Moore, Fenter and Montgomery were sent to Greaterville with instructions to scour the country and if Encinas or any of his pals started anything to get them. The county automobile was sent along and the local office and the men in the field kept in close touch with one another; nobody came or went without the officers knowing of their presence.

Sunday night, while sleeping together in a shack near the village, Moore and Fenter were awakened by having the muzzles of a couple of guns pushed under their noses. Two Mexicans notified them to get out of the country at once or suffer the consequences. Under the circumstances the deputies had nothing to say but Monday morning while apparently leaving they quietly got the drop on the two that had stuck them up the night before and placed them under arrest.

Two Outlaws Killed.

The men arrested were two members of the Leon family and the deputies were warned that arresting these two desperadoes meant their death. They then took their captives and left the village, making camp in a lonely gulch about two miles from the village. During the night the two desperadoes apparently received aid from outside parties and attempted to overpower the officers and get away, but this time Fenter and Moore had their guns with them and the two Leons paid the price of their crimes. Just how Jose Maria was wounded is not known at this time but will come out at the coroner's inquest today.

Decoy Letters Received.

That Encinas is managing the campaign of the outlaws against the officers had been shown in a number of ways. Decoy letters apparently written by the missing woman from Mexico have been received at the sheriff's office and Sunday Sheriff Forbes was tipped off from an apparently reliable source that the missing nephew was in the Oro Blanco district.

Realizing that this might be a ruse to draw the officers away from Greaterville and give Encinas, who is supposed to be in hiding in that section, an opportunity to get back into Mexico Forbes ordered Deputy Montgomery to go to Oro Blanco alone and for the others to get more aid and watch Greaterville closer then ever.

Montgomery scoured Oro Blanco and returned to Tucson at three a. m. Monday for supplies. No signs of the missing nephew or widow had been discovered anywhere around Oro Blanco. At seven yesterday morning Montgomery started back but his machine gave out at the Empire ranch and he was not in on the battle in which the two outlaws were killed.

Officers Attend Inquest.

Last night at seven o'clock Sheriff Forbes, County Attorney Hilzinger, County Physician Pratt, and Deputies Moore and Fenter who had come to the city for supplies and ammunition, went to the scene to attend the coroner's inquest to be held before Coroner Lincoln Robinson at Greaterville this morning. Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Bert Hitch, a brother-in-law of Robinson, is there now.

Two years ago the husband of the Yanez woman was murdered by the outlaw Martinez, or Casanova as he is better known. This man is now in Mexico and for the past two years efforts of every sort have been made to get possession of the widow's cattle which is said to be more than a hundred head.

Word was received from Sheriff Forbes late last night that he had sent a number of men into the hills to round up the rest of the Encinas gang, which had been located, and an extra force of men was also dispatched from here in automobile to aid them. It is thought that the men responsible for the reign of terror will be taken today.

DEPUTIES ARE BEING HELD FOR KILLING LEON

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Sensational Development Follows Investigation of Reported Killing of Prisoner While Trying to Escape Arrest

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Following the visit of County Attorney George Hilzinger and Sheriff Forbes yesterday to the scene of the killing of Juan Leon at Greaterville Monday evening, the commissions of Deputy Sheriff Frank Moore and County Ranger Robert Fenter were revoked and warrants were issued for their arrest. After the return of Sheriff Forbes and County Attorney Hilzinger late in the evening both men were taken in custody and were held at the County jail without bond.

So far as the facts obtained in the investigations of the two officials yesterday, it was decided that they would not be made public until later, and in explanation of the matter the following statement was issued by County Attorney Hilzinger and Sheriff Forbes late yesterday evening.

Statement Issued.

“The sheriff and the county attorney upon an examination of the facts in connection with the killing of Juan Leon are convinced that these facts require judicial investigation and the commissions of Deputy Sheriff Frank Moore and County Ranger Robert Fenter have been revoked and warrants have been sworn to for their arrest for the killing of Leon.

“In view of the seriousness of the charge against these men, and because our investigation of all the details has not been concluded, no further statement will be made by the county attorney or sheriff pending the further examination of the charge. Both the sheriff and the county attorney will cause a searching investigation to be made of the entire matter.”

Sheriff Forbes and County Attorney Hilzinger left for Greaterville Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock in company with County Physician Pratt and Moore and Fenter for the scene of the trouble. They remained at the Empire ranch over night and arrived at the scene of the trouble at Greaterville in time to begin their investigations yesterday morning at 6 o'clock.

No Inquest Held.

No coroner's inquest was held by Coroner Lincoln Robinson, as had been intended, and the officers continued their investigation privately during the morning. They started back in the afternoon, but County Attorney Hilzinger stopped by the way for a time and did not arrive in Tucson until after dark yesterday evening. Sheriff Forbes arrived first, and when the officials had held a conference they decided to revoke the commissions and order the arrest of the two men.

Both Fenter and Moore had been with Forbes after his arrival and immediately gave themselves up.

Only one man, Juan Leon, was killed in the fight. The other, said to be Jose Maria, was seriously wounded and is at present in Greaterville.

No trace has been discovered thus far of the missing woman, Mrs. Yanez, or her nephew.

Deputy Frank Moore has been on the sheriff's force since the first of the year. Fenter was formerly a cattle inspector and was appointed a county ranger more recently.

At three o'clock yesterday morning another force of deputies including J. Camacho, Cattle Inspectors Rye Miles and Leslie Woodell and Charles Roller, left for the scene of the trouble. The party returned yesterday, but the locality has been policed by Sheriff Forbes and no further trouble is feared.