| Ruby Murders | |
| Partof: | the Border War, Mexican Revolution |
| Location: | Ruby, Arizona |
| Date: | February 27, 1920 August 26, 1921 July 13, 1922 |
| Fatalities: | 6 |
| Injuries: | 1 |
| Weapons: | Small arms |
The Ruby Murders is the popular name for three separate incidents involving the deaths of six American citizens near the town of Ruby, Arizona. The first incident occurred in February 1920 when Mexican bandits robbed and killed the two owners of the Ruby Mercantile. A second attack happened in April 1921 when Mexican bandits robbed and killed the store's new owners. Two of the bandits were arrested for the crime, but they briefly escaped custody in July 1922 after killing another two men, which led to the largest manhunt in the history of the Southwest.[1] [2]
The mining town of Ruby was established in Bear Valley during the 1870s and was a haven for cattle rustlers and other criminals for most of its Old West history. Ruby was very small and its one general store was the sole business other than mining. The store was called the Ruby Mercantile, built sometime in the late 1880s, and it also served as the post office when it opened in 1912. In 1914, the mercantile was purchased by Philip C. Clarke, who later built a larger store a short distance from the original. The second building was an adobe structure, the remains of which have been preserved.[2]
The Mexican Revolution erupted in 1910, and the town's proximity to the international border meant that it was harassed by bandits and rebels on many occasions. Rebels loyal to Pancho Villa were active throughout the Mexican territory opposite the Arizona border. The area was one of the hardest hit during the civil war, which fueled the lawlessness. By 1920, the town was declining, but it was still considered quite dangerous; the inhabitants were instructed to be heavily armed at all times. Clarke felt that the area was so dangerous that he kept either a pistol or a rifle in each room of his house and the store.[2]
tragedy is nothing new over there. In the wild and rugged region south from the Atascosa Mountains and the Bear Valley region, there has been always a harbor for a bunch of desperate characters, whose depredations have been felt by American cattlemen and ranchers through many years.A posse led by Sheriff Raymond Earhardt was sent south along the bandit's trail, but they failed to catch up with the suspects.[3] Months passed, during which time very little progress was made in the investigation. Finally, in October 1920, Garcia was killed during a gunfight with Pima County deputy sheriffs near Twin Buttes. Lara was eventually arrested in Mexico and jailed for crimes south of the border, but was never called to answer for his role in the Fraser killings.[3]
After that the murderers turned their attention to Myrtle, who had five gold teeth. First, one bandit shot Myrtle in the neck to stop her screaming, then knocked out her gold teeth with his pistol. She was then shot a second time in the head and killed. Frank's daughter Elizabeth was also grazed in the arm, but other than that the three young girls were left unharmed. The Mexicans left after they emptied the safe and destroyed the telephone. They then rode out of town yelling and firing their guns in the air. When the Mexicans were gone the Pearson girls fled eight miles away to the nearest neighbor. This time when authorities were called for an ambulance was sent from Nogales, which tended to Elizabeth's wounds. Meanwhile, a large posse of citizens and lawmen began searching the surrounding desert. A United States Army biplane from the garrison at Nogales was also dispatched to participate in the search and it became the first aircraft to be used for a manhunt in the history of Arizona. A $5,000 bounty, dead or alive, was also authorized for each of the seven Mexicans, partly due to the fact that the gang was suspected of being responsible for the first robbery.
The men who found White and Smith trailed the outlaws across the Santa Rita Mountains, but they lost track of them near Ruby due to a monsoon. The Arizona public was shocked about this latest double homicide so over 700 volunteers from Pima, Pinal, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties formed posses for the largest manhunt in the history of the Southwest. Initially, Martinez and Silvas evaded the search parties, but, six days after escaping, search dogs uncovered a blood stained file, which put the posses back on the bandits' trail. That same day, Martinez and Silvas were found hiding under some brush in the Tumacacori Mountains, about seventy miles from the site where the two had escaped custody. The two Mexicans were re-tried in court and found guilty again, but the Mexican consul appealed the court's decision and obtained a writ, which delayed the case. Finally, the Supreme Court intervened and the matter was settled. Martinez was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on August 10, 1923. Silvas was put into prison at Florence, but he later escaped in 1928, never to be seen again.[6]
The Ruby Murders have been covered by a number of historians, including Al Ring, Bob Ring and Talia Cahoon in their 2005 history of Ruby, Ruby Arizona: Mining, Mayhem and Murder.[7] Samuel K. Dolan's non-fiction history of law enforcement in the Southwest during the 1920s and 1930s, Cowboys and Gangsters: Stories of an Untamed Southwest, also includes a chapter on the Ruby murders and the manhunts for the killers of the Frasers and Pearsons.[8]