The Bisbee Massacre

In December 1883, five outlaws attempted to rob the A.A. Castaneda Mercantile establishment in the fledgling mining town of Bisbee in the Arizona Territory. The robbery was a disaster: four citizens shot dead, one a pregnant woman. The failed heist was national news, with the subsequent manhunt, trial and execution of the alleged perpetrators followed by newspapers from New York to San Francisco. The Bisbee Massacre was as momentous as the infamous blood feud between the Earp brothers and the cowboys two years earlier, and led to the only recorded lynching in the town of Tombstone--John Heath, a sporting man, who was thought to be the mastermind. New research indicates he may have been innocent. This comprehensive history takes a fresh look at the event that marked the end of the Wild West period in the Arizona Territory.

ANOTHER TOMBSTONE IN TOMBSTONE After the O.K. Corral shoot-out in 1881 and the Massacre of '83, Tombstone's pretty boring on Clint Adams's first visit back. But no sooner has he settled in than a local rancher named Hudson is sent to meet his Maker. Turns out Hudson was more than neighborly with the Riggs woman next door, who is also involved with her father-in-law—and her husband's figured them out. And that's where things stop making any kind of sense. But there's one thing the Gunsmith does know: it's all in the family...

Nicknamed the "Queen of Copper Camps" for having the richest copper mining operations in the world, Bisbee also was the scene of dastardly crimes. From drunken shootouts in saloons to strikers clashing with mining executives, the town's past is filled with stories of vengeance and street justice. The aftermath of an 1885 lynching led directly to the establishment of the Copper Queen Library, too late to deter the infamous Bisbee Massacre of 1883. In Lowell, an argument about an alleged affair ended in murder, while the Fly-Swatting Contest of 1912 encouraged a different kind of killing. Author, journalist and historian Francine Powers uncovers the real-life dramas of Wild West Bisbee.

Once the world's richest mining site, Bisbee is now one of the most haunted towns in America. From an entity that screams in anguish in Zacatecas Canyon to the glorious woman that floats through a wall in the School House Inn, spirits lurk around every corner. A firefighter still haunts his beloved Bisbee Fire Station No. 2, saving lives even after death, while a vengeful apparition keeps guard over his family plot at Evergreen Cemetery. Copper mining might have faded, but the memories of those drawn to Bisbee live on. Join Francine Powers, award-winning journalist, author and paranormal historian, as she uncovers the truth behind the old ghost stories of her beloved hometown.

Standoffs, saloons, and sunsets spring to mind when one envisions the rough and tumble early days of the American frontier.

The compilation of this writing in a fictional format was my way of conveying the unquestionable appeal equally to those who are already familiar with Van Gogh as well as to those with less knowledge of art and history. I was always faced with the challenge of finding new ways to inspire my students as a high school art teacher. One way that seemed to work most often was adding some type of adventure to the subject at hand. I invite you to explore the larger-than-life characters from Arizona and Europe from the late 1800s that I have woven into this fictional adventure. Reviews An adventure from beginning to end! Steven has captured the beauty and spirit of the Old Pueblo, its surrounding areas, and what makes it southwest such a treasure. The characters are what make the journey so believable. Well done! (Andy Bastine). I found, while reading Vincent in Tucson, an amazing connection between the historical perspective of his work and a fictional story that connected me to a life (Don Brown; deputy superintendent, Arizona Department of Education). More than a story, its a journey into two artists mindsVincent and the author. It takes a what-if story to a did-it story. You will crave to know more about Vincents life and death (Jodi Smith, art aficionado). Only a very talented artist and teacher could possibly create this fascinating fictional account of Vincent van Goghs time in Tucson, Arizona (Gary Bruner, PhD; retired superintendent, Bend, Oregon public schools). By any standard, one would have to say that, this time, Bye has come up with a doozy (J. C. Martin, Arizona Daily Star book reviewer).

In 1854, the United States acquired the roughly 30,000-square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico from Mexico as part of the Gadsden Purchase. This new Southern Corridor was ideal for train routes from Texas to California, and soon tracks were laid for the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe rail lines. Shipping goods by train was more efficient, and for desperate outlaws and opportunistic lawmen, robbing trains was high-risk, high-reward. The Southern Corridor was the location of sixteen train robberies between 1883 and 1922. It was also the homebase of cowboy-turned-outlaw Black Jack Ketchum’s High Five Gang. Most of these desperadoes rode the rails to Arizona’s Cochise County on the US-Mexico border where locals and lawmen alike hid them from discovery. Both Wyatt Earp and Texas John Slaughter tried to clean them out, but it took the Arizona Rangers to finish the job. It was a time and place where posses were as likely to get arrested as the bandits. Some of the Rangers and some of Slaughter’s deputies were train robbers. When rewards were offered there were often so many claimants that only the lawyers came out ahead. Southwest Train Robberies chronicles the train heists throughout the region at the turn of the twentieth century, and the robbers who pulled off these train jobs with daring, deceit, and plain dumb luck! Many of these blundering outlaws escaped capture by baffling law enforcement. One outlaw crew had their own caboose, Number 44, and the railroad shipped them back and forth between Tucson and El Paso while they scouted locations. Legend says one gang disappeared into Colossal Cave to split the loot leaving the posse out front while they divided the cash and escaped out another entrance. The antics of these outlaws inspired Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to blow up an express car and to run out guns blazing into the fire of a company of soldiers.