Parker Anderson - Arizona Gold Gangster Charles P. Stanton: Truth & Legend in Yavapais Dark Days

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2020 by Parker Anderson

All rights reserved

First published 2020

E-book edition 2020

ISBN 978.1.43966.953.2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019956039

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.489.6

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To the memory of Rosa Martin, who exists only as a murder victim in Arizona folklore, but who in real life is one of the most remarkable pioneer women I have ever researched. She had what it took in those hard times.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Local lore and legend have branded Charles P. Stanton one of the most ruthless charlatans in Arizona history. But was he really any worse than any of the other denizens of his time? Prescott author Parker Anderson, using previously untapped records, has ferreted out new information about this mysterious Irishman who became known as both the Irish Lord and the Lord of Antelope.

Despite author Andersons exhaustive research, much of the enigmatic Stantons early years remains speculative. He was a man who either covered his tracks well or one who preferred to keep his early years in anonymity.

A passenger ship arrived in San Francisco on December 30, 1867, with a C.P. Stanton on the passenger list. Its also possible he may have immigrated to America with his parents as a youngster, as there was a Charles Stanton on the California State Census of 1852.

Charles P. Stanton may not even have been his real name. To the best of our knowledge, he never married and had no family. He claimed to have fled Ireland for political reasons. When an immigrant went through Ellis Island, no identification papers were required. It is a fact that on August 26, 1872, Charles P. Stanton was granted citizenship in San Francisco. The United States Census of 1870 has C.P. Stanton, thirty-two, living in Skull Valley, Arizona.

The Weaver Mining District, a few miles north of Wickenburg, was the site of the richest single gold strike in Arizona history. In April 1863, the A.H. Peeples Party, guided by Paulino Weaver, found gold on Antelope Hill, later known as Rich Hill. They were later joined by Jack Swilling and Henry Wickenburg. One acre yielded more than a half a million dollars in placer gold.

Years later, in 1880, Pedro Lucero, a miner who lived near Rich Hill, unearthed several large gold nuggets on his claim. The size and value kept changing in different media accounts, but probably the most reliable description came from the Phoenix Herald, which reported one of the nuggets weighed twelve and a half ounces, worth $220, making it the largest single nugget ever found in Arizona.

The Weaver mining district was no different than any other in the West. It was fraught with claim jumping, litigation and issuing of arrest warrants for some real or imagined transgression. For many years, Stanton was justice of the peace in the district, and as such, he made enemies; foremost among these was Charles Genung, who originated most of the stories that tarnished Stantons reputation. Up to now, Stanton has had no advocate to give his side of the story.

Among the number of the legends involving Stanton is the murder of George Yaqui Wilson by William Partridge on August 9, 1877. It was said Stanton schemed in order to get his property. However, Parker Anderson uncovers court records that makes such a ploy inconceivable. The facts dont jell with the stories passed down for generations.

Another tale told for generations was that Stanton wanted both Wilson and Partridge out of the way so he could take possession of Wilsons stage station. His plans were thwarted when Wilsons silent partner, John Timmerman, showed up. In reality, Timmerman had been in the area for some time, and it was no secret he was Wilsons partner.

In 1879, John Timmerman was murdered on the road into Wickenburg, and some $400 in gold was stolen from his body. Once again, local lore says Stanton hired noted Mexican bandit Francisco Vega to do the deed so he could take possession of the stage station. Theres no evidence that Vega had arrived in the area yet. The tracks of the killer headed toward Wickenburg, not Antelope. Furthermore, Timmerman no longer owned the station.

The author doesnt attempt to paint Stanton as a choirboy but tells his story, warts and all. He was a product of his time, and almost 150 years ago the times and mores were quite different.

The tales that were spun about Stanton for generations and have been passed on by writers such as yours truly. Im grateful to Parker Anderson for doing some fact finding and presenting the other side of the story. Arizona Gold Gangster Charles P. Stanton demonstrates theres always virgin ground waiting to be plowed on the telling of old stories in Arizonas colorful past.

Until now, most of what we know about Stanton comes from the recollections many years later of Charles Genung, who accused him of being everything except a mass murdereroh wait, he did that too!

The murder of Barney Martin, along with his wife, Rosa, and their two children, was blamed on Stantons henchmen. The problem is we have no corroboration, only Genungs reminisces many years later.

Stanton was murdered on November 6, 1886, when three Mexicans came into his store and asked to buy some tobacco. While the clerk was pulling it off the shelf, they jerked their guns and shot Stanton. One of his assassins was shot and killed while making his getaway. At the inquest, more attention seems to have been given his assassin. White residents thought it might have been Cisto Lucero, whose father, Pedro, was another of Stantons adversaries. Some fifty Mexican residents were interviewed, and not surprisingly, none of them knew the assailant.

The murder of Stanton provided fodder for more lurid tales. It was said that Pedro Luceros daughter, Froilana, had hinted that Stanton had sex with her, something that provoked her protective brother Cisto. He, along with her husband, Jesus Granes, and another man took it upon themselves to assassinate the Irish Lord. There is no conclusive proof of any of this. Interesting sidebar: earlier, Justice of the Peace Stanton had married the young couple. That raises the question: if thats the case, why did they ask Stanton to officiate their marriage?

The folks in the Weaver District preferred to handle matters without interference from outsiders. Until now, all weve known about Stanton came from the musings of a man who hated him. History is usually written by the victorsor, in this case, the survivor. Its always good to hear the other side of the story.

Parker Anderson unravels a gripping story that has just about everything a reader could want. Enjoy!

Marshall Trimble

Arizona State Historian

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All books such as this are never possible without a lot of support and assistance. Therefore, I wish to thank the staff of Yavapai County Records Management (Prosser Street facility), Brenda Taylor and Sharlot Hall Museum Library and Archives and Arizona State Library and Archives, for granting me access to their voluminous holdings of nineteenth-century Arizona records. Thank you to Lindsey Givens of The History Press for believing in this project and fighting for it. A big thank-you to Darlene Wilson (of Haunted Prescott Tours) for her help with the computer and design work. Finally, a huge thank-you to Jody Drake, without whose friendship and support over many years I would never have become the historian and author that I am. Thank you all for helping to bring this historically accurate account of the Stanton story to fruition.