THE CRIME BUFFS GUIDE TO THE
OUTLAW
SOUTHWEST
RON FRANSCELL
WildBluePress.com
Table of Contents
Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
OUTLAW SOUTHWEST published by:
WILDBLUE PRESS
P.O. Box 102440
Denver, Colorado 80250
Publisher Disclaimer: Any opinions, statements of fact or fiction, descriptions, dialogue, and citations found in this book were provided by the author, and are solely those of the author. The publisher makes no claim as to their veracity or accuracy, and assumes no liability for the content.
Copyright 2017 by Ron Franscell
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN 978-1-942266-92-1 Trade Paperback
ISBN 978-1-942266-91-4 eBook
Interior Formatting by Elijah Toten
www.totencreative.com
To Owen
Who will make his own history
The whole course of human history may depend on a change of heart in one solitary and even humble individual for it is in the solitary mind and soul of the individual that the battle between good and evil is waged and
ultimately won or lost.
M. Scott Peck
OLD WEST AND NEW WEST
An introduction
No place illustrates the collision of the Old and New West like the American Southwest. The settlement, the battles, the politics and, yes, the crime in Arizona exemplify very starkly the growing pains of an ambitious, adventurous nation. Here, Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Ernesto Miranda, and Doc Holliday are far more familiar than Jack Swillingthe founder of Phoenix, Americas sixth largest city.
Arizona is in the Deep Southwest, a desiccated mirror image of Dixie with deserts instead of bayous, heat without humidity, different cultures in conflict. And like the South, the line between history and mythology is razor thin.
The Southwests crime history, especially from the outlaw period, often erases the line altogether. And we might never disentangle fact from fiction. But myth is a real part of the Wild West, and without it, history might be less than the sum of its parts.
This book will transport you to the site of a town so evil it had to die, the compound of a polygamist cult leader who continues to rule his followers from prison, the desert wash where a famous Hollywood cowboy died in a drunk-driving crash, and the exact location of one of our most frightening modern mass murders .
This book points the way to spots where infamous crime figuresJohn Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde, John Slaughter, and Clay Allison , among othersonce stood. It will take you to the many places in our Wildest West where ordinarily law-abiding people finally grew frustrated with the pace of justice and took the law into their own hands .
Let this book be your window. Our appreciation of history begins in the places where it happened. And now the magic of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) allows you to stand in a precise historic spot, as best as our modern technology and imaginations can muster. We have made every attempt to put you literally within inches of the past.
The Old West was many things, not the least of which is a wild history of crime, punishment, survival, and redemption. Our New West is many other thingsbut it remains a place where crime is a salient part of history.
History is how we know, how we learn. And being there makes all the difference.
Ron Franscell
How to use this book
The entries in this book are divided into four chapters, two geographical (Arizona and New Mexico) and two thematic (Billy the Kid and Tombstone) . Each entry has physical and GPS directions that will let you stand in the footsteps of history not in the general vicinity, but literally on a spot relevant to one of the Southwests most notable and infamous crimes or figures.
Crimes big and small have been committed every single day since mankind began to distinguish right from wrong. This book cannot begin to aggregate every injustice, every crime, every inhumanity ever visited upon Arizona and New Mexico , although even the smallest crime certainly affects victims, survivors, and communities as much as the most celebrated crimes in our history. And in some cases here, we have chosen only a few representative sites. So please dont be offended if you feel weve overlooked a crime or site you be lieve should have been included.
A word of warning: Many of these sites are on private property. Always seek permission before venturing onto private land. Do not trespass. Its rude, illegal, and almost everybody in the Southwest has a gun. It might be wise to assume theyre good shots, too.
We made every effort to be precise in our facts and directions, but being human we might have erred. If you believe we should include a certain crime in future editionsor if you see an error that should be correctedplease send a note to Ron Franscell c/o Angel Fire Press, 25270 Flaming Arrow, San Antonio TX 78258.
A note about GPS accuracy
GPS readings are affected by many things, including satellite positions, noise in the radio signal, weather, natural barriers to the signal, and variations between devices. Noisestatic, interference, your car roof, or competing frequenciescan cause errors up to 30 feet. Clouds, bad weather, mountains, or buildings can also skew readings up to 100 feet.
While weve tried to make every GPS coordinate in all our Crime Buffs Guides as precise as possible, we cant be sure youll visit under the same conditions. The best possible way to get an accurate reading is to be sure the satellites and your receiver have a clear view of each other, with no clouds, trees, or other interference. If your device doesnt bring you to the right spot, look around. Its likely within a few paces.
ARIZONA
CAMPGROUND KILLER
Apache Lake
The crime scene is the Burnt Corral campground at GPS 33.625540, -111.203731.
In the winter of 1987, Robert Charles Comer, girlfriend Juneva Willis, and Willis two children left Sacramento with less than $500 in their pockets. After weeks of driving, they landed in the Burnt Corral Campground near Apache Lake completely broke.
The next night, Comer and Willis invited a neighboring camper, a disabled EMT named Larry Pritchard, to dinner, but not because they were good neighbors. After dark, Comer shot Pritchard in the head with a .38 revolver and stabbed him in the neck for good measure. They hid the body under a stack of firewood and stole Pritchards camera, hunting knife, and beagle puppybut they found no money.
Angry, Comer and Willis hatched a new plan. They stormed another campsite, identifying themselves to a couple as DEA agents. Comer tied up the man and left him in the woods before kidnapping the woman. He raped her several times before she escaped barefoot in the rugged outback.
Rescued by passersby, the woman identified Comer and Willis, who were arrested the next day. Willis testified against her boyfriend, and Comer was convicted in 1988 of murder, rape and a variety of other crimes. He was sentenced to die while also serving 339 years for rape and kidnapping .
