At Decatur he operated a saloon and pool hall, at least for a time (1876-77), before once again fleeing the law, leaving another body lying face down in the
dirt. By other accounts the outlaw even pulled a short stint as a Texas Ranger. Regardless, it can be documented that by 1879, John Armstrong, now known as Milton J. Yarberry, was in East Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory, as a member of the Dodge City gang.
With associates such as Hyman G. Neil, a.k.a. "Hoodoo Brown," Tom Pickett, Joe Carson, "Big Jim" Dunagan, William (Bill) Goodlet, John Henry "Doc" Holliday, and others, there is little doubt about how Milton J. Yarberry was earning his living.
Surprisingly, Yarberry became the Albuquerque chief of police, but by 1881 he was entangled in another controversy. He and lawman Harry Brown, the son of a prominent Tennessee family, were vying for the affections of a young, attractive divorcee, Sadie Preston. On March 27, 1881, in front of an Albuquerque eatery, Milton Yarberry shot-and kept shooting-Harry Brown. Brown died on the spot. Pleading self-defense at the trial, Milton J. Yarberry walked free.
Three months later, on June 18, Charles D. Campbell died from three bullets fired from Yarberry's sixshooter. Yarberry surrendered to the sheriff and this time was taken to Santa Fe and locked in the jail. At trial the following year, Yarberry again proffered self-defense as his motive. This time the jury paid no attention. It sentenced Yarberry to death,
Yarberry promptly broke jail but was almost as promptly recaptured. On February 9, 1882, the authorities escorted Milton Yarberry to Albuquerque and hanged him that afternoon at about three o'clock.
Sr r'+Gc: MATHER, DAVE; RUDABAUGH, DAVID
YOUNG, WILLIAM (a.k.a. Apache Bill) (1844-1935?)
Bill Young's story is unique, not so much for thrilling exploits as a law enforcement officer as for the fact that he survived to maturity and beyond. For whatever reason, in 1852, when he was but eight years old, Bill Young left his birthplace, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and started down the Santa Fe Trail, and from there went on into Arizona. One evening, camped with a wagon train on the San Pedro River, Bill played and wandered. About 100 yards from the wagon train's protective environment, he was snatched up, placed onto the back of an Apache's horse, and spirited away.
In the Chiracahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, the Apache raiders turned Bill over to the women. There he stayed, working and learning the Apache tongue and becoming Indianized.
By age 10, young Bill was accompanying Apache fighting men on raids, holding the horses while the serious work took place. Four years later, he was an active participant on a raid into Mexico. It was there that life changed again for the war-painted, pale-faced teenager. Mexican soldiers captured Bill thinking he was an Indian; he escaped death only because someone pointed out his light-colored hair and blue eyes. The Mexican forces turned Bill over to military authorities at Fort Buchanan. Although Bill by now had forgotten his real name, Maj. Richard Ewell put the clues together and notified Bill's parents.
During the Civil War, Bill Young enlisted under his mother's maiden name. Eventually mustered out, he next signed on as an Apache scout and interpreter due to his understanding of the Indian language and his exuberant spirit of adventure. Finding his way to New Mexico in 1870, Young left military service and ambled about Tularosa, eventually alighting at Silver City. It was at Silver City that Young, commonly known as "Apache Bill," served as a deputy sheriff for Harvey Whitehill and later for his successor, Andrew Laird. Always reticent about his particular personal exploits, Apache Bill chased outlaws and desperadoes along the Mexican border for years before moving to California, where he died in an Old Soldier's Home sometime around 1935.
YOUNGER Brothers
The four Younger brothers (altogether there were 14 children) were born at Lee's Summit, Missouri: Cole (1844-1916); James (1848-1902); John (1851-74); and Robert (1853-99). They grew up as farmers, but when Kansas Jayhawkers raided the farm and killed their father, they became Confederate guerrillas. Cole and Jim were with William Clarke Quantrill on August 21, 1863, when he pillaged and burned Lawrence, Kansas. Cole even went so far as to disguise himself as an old woman; sticking his horse's reins in his teeth, he shot down a couple of Union soldiers as he galloped past on his way out of Independence, Missouri. Of these two brothers, Jim stayed with Quantrill throughout the Civil War. Cole may have split off and joined other groups.
Bob Younger shortly before his death (Author's Collection)
Following the Civil War, the four Youngers and Frank and Jesse James teamed up and unleashed a long string of train and bank robberies, using their training from their years as guerrilla warriors. On March 16, 1874, John and Jim Younger shot it out with police officers and Pinkerton agents, Jim taking a bullet in the thigh. John shot agent Louis Lull, who in turn put a bullet through John's throat. They both died.
Cole Younger in later life (Author's Collection)
On September 7, 1876, eight horsemen-Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger; Charlie Pitts; William Chadwell; Frank and Jesse James; and Clell Millerdecided to rob the Northfield, Minnesota, bank. Jesse, Bob Younger, and Charlie Pitts stepped inside and ordered cashier Joseph L. Heywood to open the safe. He refused, and the outlaws slit his throat. A teller attempted to escape and was wounded. A Swedish boy scurried outside, and the robbers shot him down.
The gunfire attracted everyone in town who owned a weapon. Clell Miller and William Chadwell were slain by enraged citizens, and Bob and Cole Younger were seriously wounded. The pursuit continued across the countryside. Charlie Pitts went down two weeks later during one of the most intensive manhunts in Minnesota. Bob, Jim, and Cole Younger surrendered. Jesse and Frank James escaped.
Jim Younger in later life (Author's Collection)
All three Youngers pleaded guilty to murder charges and entered the state prison at Stillwell. In 1889, Bob died of tuberculosis. Jim and Cole were released in 1899 but had to remain in Minnesota. Jim tried to settle down and get married, but when the young lady refused his overtures, he committed suicide. Cole sold insurance and tombstones and in 1903 returned to Missouri, where he and Frank James briefly operated a Wild West show. Cole Younger died at Lee's Summit, Missouri, in 1916.
.3ee ANDERSON, WILLIAM C.; JAMES BROTHERS; PINKERTON NATIONAL DETECTIVE AGENCY; QUANTRILL, WILLIAM CLARKE; WELLS, SAMUEL
YUMA Territorial Prison
In 1875, the Arizona legislature approved the construction of a territorial prison near Yuma. In April 1876, the territory laid the cornerstone, and three months later seven prisoners were escorted into the enclosure. Within 10 years, the facility had electricity, a blower to circulate air, and even a library. An adobe wall averaging six feet thick and 16 to 18 feet high surrounded the building; its foundation rested on solid rock. Over 3,000 men and women, most of them desperate murderers, served time here, walking around in striped suits, their heads shaved. They came from 21 different countries, including Anglos, Indians, blacks, Chinese, and Mexicans. A gunman named Buckskin Frank Leslie was probably the most famous. Photographs survive of them all.
It is a popular myth that no one ever escaped from the prison; in fact, at least 26 fled the walls and were never recaptured. The largest single jailbreak occurred in October 1877, when seven Mexican prisoners captured the superintendent, Thomas Gates,
and walked him through the sally port. It ended with four dead prisoners, and Superintendent Gates stabbed so many times that although he survived, he soon retired.
The prison closed due to overcrowding on September 15, 1909. Thereafter, Yuma High School sometimes conducted classes inside the old prison. The Veterans of Foreign Wars frequently met there. The superintendent's home briefly became a hospital. Gene Autry, John Wayne, and other actors made films there during the 1930s and 1940s.
.33ee So. LESLIE, NASHVILLE FRANKLIN
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