By Mick Woodcock
John Marion, editor of the Arizona Miner, regularly reported on disruptions of the peace in Prescott, particularly when it involved soldiers from Fort Whipple. Some of this might be explained by an article in the December 28, 1867 issue where the editor describes an incident from earlier in the week.
“Shooting. – We are one of those who think that a soldier, or any other man, has a right to shoot when he chooses, so long as he don’t imperil life or limb by so doing; but we do think a man should be punished for shooting at random in the streets of a town, on a dark night. Now, on last Tuesday evening, as we were meditating silently, solemnly, and alone, in the Miner office, some valiant heroes from the Post, filled with vim and lager beer, jerked their six-shooters and opened fire upon our den. Imagining we heard a bullet whiz through the roof, above our head, we quickly changed our base, and intrenched ourself behind the stove-pipe, but the firing ceased, and the enemy passed on.”
The article continues with a conversation with the baker across the street who talked with the soldiers in question. The soldiers apparently thought they had been fired upon from the newspaper office and were returning the gunfire. The article concluded with an admonition, “Well, that’s all right, boys, but be a little more careful and sober next time.”
In July 1868, another article titled, “More like Brutes than Men” graced the pages of the Arizona Miner. Once again, soldiers from Fort Whipple were targeted by Marion as the culprits. While not mentioning them outright, his reference to “…men who receive but thirteen dollars per month…” reflected the pay of a United States Army private at the time.
“It is a pity that some men cannot conquer their appetite for strong drink. A specimen of humanity lying in the gutter, dead drunk, with a sluice-head of slushy water running over him, is a disgusting picture to look upon, and this sight was to be seen at various places in Prescott, this week. Beastliness is a sin that should be punished. Why men who receive but thirteen dollars per month and, according to their say, short allowance of grub and clothing, make demi-johns of themselves, squander four month’s pay in one night, quarrel, fight, get disfigured and ruin their constitutions, are serious questions for philanthropists.”
Marion’s problem wasn’t improved when the Miner office was moved to south Montezuma Street across from the Pacific Brewery by November 1868. The Pacific was Prescott’s first brewery and the local watering hole for residents on the south side of town. Owned by John Raible and Phillip Scheerer, it was well known to all.
Apparently, things were relatively quiet until April of the following year when Marion printed, “There has, of late, been a considerable shouting going on here which makes night hideous. We wish that our efficient Sheriff could discover the parties in the act, he would undoubtedly furnish them with private rooms for the night.”
John Marion would continue to chronicle the news of Prescott until turning the paper over to Charles Beach on March 9, 1877. The short article about this transaction indicated it was for “reasons only known to himself.” He would continue to mention the transgressions of the garrison at Fort Whipple, but also had good words for individual soldiers and the theater company from there.
As time passed, soldiers would occasionally be involved in altercations in town, but these became fewer after 1870. Prescott would indeed become the peaceful town that its residents hoped it would be.
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at https://www.sharlot.org/articles/days-past-articles.l. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org. Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-445-3122 Ext. 2, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.