Flagstaff History: Ex-Sheriff shot and killed, manhunt follows

Friday night about midnight, the town was awakened by a number of gun shots fired in rapid succession. The fusillade was made by three Chinamen living at the John Clark place, in the north end of town. Ah Llum, the gardener claims that his house was entered by two white men who knocked down his two partners and tried to rob them. Llum got his gun and scared them away. About one year ago, Llum was robbed of several hundred dollars and he has kept an arsenal in his house ever since.

W. F. Hull and L. H. Tolfree have leased the Hance Trail for a term of five years, at a rental of $300 per year. The trail leads from John Hance’s cabin on the rim of the Grand Canyon to the river, about a distance of seven miles.

The hotel at the Grand Canyon was closed on the first instant and L. H. Tolfree, the manager returned Wednesday to California.

The mill at Challender started up this past week.

Hunting bee trees have developed into somewhat of an industry hereabouts this season. One Prescott hunter claims to cut down 25 trees filled with honey and to have ten more located for future work.

Silver or steel thimbles are only kinds ever to be used. Other compositions of which cheap thimbles are made are very frequently of lead or pewter and their use is likely to result in serious inflammation and swelling if there is even a slight scratch on the finger.

Walter McBride, the shoemaker left Monday night for his old home in Ohio. He intends to remain there.

The court during the week admitted Neal L. Patterson, a subject of Canada and John Berger, a subject of Germany, to citizenship.

100 YEARS AGO

1918: Use a mask when you vote – not on account of the candidates you intend to vote for – but it may prevent you from getting a whiff of influenza in the election booth where so many people have frequented. Ladies should wear a veil.

Ex-Sheriff James C. Lowry was murdered, Deputy Sheriff C. R. Wright was shot through the arm and two others received slight wounds when an attempt was made to arrest a man called Porfidio at Verde on Tuesday night. Lowry died as he had lived, a brave and courageous man whose last act before expiring being to unbuckle his gun and hand it to a passerby saying “Go get that man.” Most of the population of Verde set out on the manhunt. Five autos carrying about eight men each were scouring the country-side in hope of running the man down, but no word of his capture has yet been received.

The local examining board had a busy day of it Thursday making examination of the young men 36 and under who are to be called in the next draft.

The Arizona Central Bank President, Mr. T. E. Pollock has introduced a free War Bulletin service. Each morning about 9 a.m. he receives the latest news. It will now be posted on one of his plate glass front windows keeping everyone in town up to date on the latest war news.

Zane Grey, the author, and party who have been making an extended trip through the White Mountains under the guidance of Al Doyle returned to Flagstaff on Monday by way of Mormon Lake. They registered at the Commercial Hotel and left a short time afterward for the East.

Jim Treagle the cattle buyer, was in Flagstaff on Wednesday. He picked up a couple of carloads of bull for shipment and left for the Seligman country in quest of more stuff.

For Rent: Seven-room furnished house, Close in – modern conveniences. 309 N. Leroux St. Phone 123-R4

Mr. A. W. Wells the Federal Labor Examiner was in Williams Wednesday and says the quarantine there has been lifted and that most of the cases remaining there are well on the way to recovery.

Flagstaff lost several citizens to influenza this week including:

Mrs. Martin who passed away Tuesday afternoon after a siege of Influenza followed by pneumonia. She leaves behind six children, the eldest being 11 years of age and the youngest six months. Mr. Martin is a well-known sheepherder who has made his home here for several years. Services will be held at the Malar Chapel Friday afternoon.

George Chateau, a Canadian and truck driver for the Campbell-Francis Sheep outfit succumbed to the influenza Tuesday night.

Jose Garcia, father of six and car repair employee at A. L. & T. Lumber Co. breathed his last on Tuesday. Service at the Whipple Chapel conducted by Father Vabre,

Another victim of the influenza Jimmy Chaves a Babbitt Bros. employee perished on Monday.

The influenza also took Miss Lula E. Nikell on Wednesday.

County Attorney Wilson who has been contesting his case of the “flu” this past week appears to be recovering.

Mr. Lewis, member of the Biological Survey of the U. S. left Thursday for Phoenix where he expects to join Dr. Gilchrist and to work this winter in Cochise County helping to exterminate rodents.

75 YEARS AGO

1943: Schools will open two hours late beginning on November 5, John Therman, Superintendent.

Joe Pyland brought in the first bull elk on November 1. It weighed 611 pounds.

Sheriff Perry Francis brought in the largest elk so far this season. He got it in the Long Valley area. He is bemoaning the fact that one horn has only one small spur. It has yet to be weighed.

Lineman R. H. Sanders was killed when he fell from a pole. His spur broke away from the pole and he fell to the ground breaking his skull. He leaves a wife and a small daughter who reside in Phoenix.

Wanted: Woman, girl or boy to run errands and buy parts. Apply Wilson Coffin Garage.

Lost: Gold rim glasses – brown leather case – Reward. Call 675.

LOST: Gold ring. Center Ruby - small diamond on each side. Reward 245 J.

The Red Cross will be holding First Aid classes again. Anyone wishing to partake should go to the Red Cross Rooms at 11 North Leroux Street on Wednesday evening at 7:30 to organize suitable times for the new series.

At the Navajo Depot there are 23 men from the Lone Star Ordinance plant at Texarkana, Texas working on special ammunition ordinance.

The new trout rearing ponds at Page Creek in lower Oak Creek Canyon are now complete. The two ponds are approximately two and a half acres in size and it is expected that there will be a substantial increase in rearing to over 150,000 fingerlings per year.

There were 8,241 visitors to the Grand Canyon in October who arrived in 2,299 cars.

We had the lowest temperatures of the season with 11 degrees Sunday night and then 13 degrees on Monday night. There has been some damage to the potato crops.

50 YEARS AGO

1968: NAU President Lawrence Walkup has offered the city the University’s “Brain Power and Man Power” to study the effects of the by-passing of Flagstaff with the re-routing of the transcontinental traffic from Route 66 to the new Inter-state 40. The study will specifically pinpoint what the city can do to offset the effect on our city’s business. “This is a generous offer” Chamber Commerce President James Garner.

Our children are beginning to enjoy the new play equipment that is being put into place at city park, at Murdock Recreation Center and on Route 89 at Mobile Haven. There is a total of 23 different pieces at a cost of $12,000 being spread out among the three locations. City Parks Director, Ken Ingols.

City businessmen are feeling the pinch of the new state tax with which business properties are now being taxed at full cash value. This has raised the costs of both owners and inevitably then leasers of business properties.

People who get lost in Flagstaff wilderness will reap benefits from the airways this year through substantial additions to the Coconino County Search and Rescue Squad’s radio equipment. The new equipment, according to Paul Black, captain of the group’s radio squad, consists of three new citizen’s band two-way radios and a fully-equipped communications trailer that will be the center of communications and connected with the sheriff’s office.

The Chamber of Commerce is seeking persons to assist in two surveys seeking information from some 1,000 households in the city on consumers buying habits and the statistics on the availability of skilled manpower in Flagstaff. The job will require eight hours a day of work, approximately five hours during the day and three at night. Applicants must have a high school education and the necessary amount of insurance on his car. The rate of pay is $2 per hour and includes a travel allowance.

Bill Keaney had election materials distributed by his two sons traveling on horseback in some more remote areas before Tuesday’s election.

There was a “Cool Loser” Trixies Café on Tuesday night. Police were called to 230 East Santa Fe where they found a man wearing only his long johns and brown coat. His explanation “I was in a poker game and lost just about everything.”

25 YEARS AGO

1993: Though most hunters know and abide by the rules, there are enough violators out there to warrant a multi-agency raid last weekend on U.S. 89. Described as the largest such crack down in state history agents from eight federal, state county and tribal agencies caught numerous law breakers off guard.

A road block was set up by the old Cameron Inspection Station on Friday afternoon and by Sunday afternoon over 6000 non-commercial vehicles had been stopped and officers had issued over 50 citations to hunting violators. The unlawful take was loaded into refrigerated trucks and taken to charitable institutions.

FUSD. “NO pass – No play”. High school students who fail classes in two grading periods will benched for two weeks from any extra-curricular activities this spring, athletics director Joe Brown said. "It’s not to penalize them, to me it is to scare the socks off them.” Several top high school athletes were not admitted to NAU because of their poor grades. Some students have been able to slide through high school and this needs to stop.

Who pays the city sales tax? The city estimates that about half of the $6.5 million generated by Flagstaff’s 4 percent sales tax comes from local residents. The 2 percent Bed, Board and Booze tax while also paid by residents, about 72 percent of its $2.8 million largely comes from visitors.

Weary Flagstaff fire fighters returned to The Peaks Fire Station last Thursday evening from charred Southern California where they have been fighting fires for the past eight weeks.

In an effort to boost recycling and extend the life of Flagstaff’s land fill, city officials are picking through dumpsters. Wearing plastic garden gloves Kathy Poindexter, the City Clean and Green Coordinator, has spent the past week foraging through the dumpsters at the Cornerstone Child Development Center taking notes as a part of the city waste management audit. She found that about 25 percent of their contents are recyclable.

There are five recycling bins located throughout the city. The green bins are for newspaper, mixed metal, steel and aluminum cans. Unfortunately they are often used to just toss any debris so there is a lot of contamination. Using a $15,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality the city has created a video in the hope of encouraging recycling.