Wild West – June 2019

Cicero Grime

As for

LAFAYETte

Grime and

Hawley,

at about

2 in the

morning

of Aug. 24,

1882, the

crowd

marched

them to a

sycamore

tree in

the middle

of Broad

Street to

meet their

maker

21

GUNFIGHTERS & LAWMEN

JUNE 2019 WILD WEST

and Gabriel transported the trio to E.A. Saxe’s

nearby ranch for safekeeping.

A jurisdictional dispute arose when Lowther

arrived at the ranch after midnight on Wednesday

morning. The Gila County sheriff demanded cus-

tody of the prisoners for suspected murder, while

Marshal Gabriel claimed the trio for the theft of

the U.S. mail. Consulted later that morning,

Gila County District Attorney John D. Mc-

Cabe sided with Lowther, and Gabriel turned

over the outlaws. Riding into Globe, the sher-

iff took the three prisoners to the old adobe

that served as a jail. When notified of the

arrests, the Wells, Fargo superintendent re-

plied in a terse telegram: DAMN THE MONEY.

HANG THE MURDERERS.

That evening a group of armed citizens

showed up, eager to mete out swift justice.

Lowther refused to surrender his prisoners

but consented to have the trio brought be-

fore Justice of the Peace George A. Allen for

a hearing of sorts at T.C. Stallo’s dance hall,

where the bar was closed to ensure a sober jury.

Having confessed, the outlaws were found guilty

and sentenced to hang; disclosing the whereabouts

of the stolen money did them no good. Pointing

to her three young children, Cicero Grime’s wife

pleaded for his life, as did the Rev. D.W. Calfee

and even Dr. Vail’s widow. The mob relented,

and Cicero was later sentenced to 21 years at the

Yuma Territorial Prison. As for Lafayette Grime

and Hawley, at about 2 in the morning of Aug. 24,

1882, the crowd marched them to a sycamore tree

in the middle of Broad Street to meet their maker.

Lafayette Grime lost his nerve and swooned

when shown the rope. Receiving permission to

remove his telltale tiny boots, he expressed regret

for his crimes and stated he deserved death. Haw-

ley was game to the end. “What the devil is the

future to me?” he said, refusing all prayers. “I want

to get away from this mob.” Stepping into their

nooses with hands tied, the two were jerked off the

ground into eternity. Cicero Grime spent a short

time at Yuma before he was declared insane and

sent to the asylum at Stockton, Calif. One day he

simply walked away and vanished.

Most residents of wild-and-woolly Arizona Terri-

tory were supportive of the action taken in Gila

County. Globe citizens dubbed the sycamore the

“Hanging Tree,” considering it, in the words of

the Arizona Daily Star, “a monument to the sturdy

spirit of justice.” It too was ill-fated. On June 9,

1894, a fire devastated Globe and damaged the

sycamore. Two years later the sheriff declared its

scorched hulk a public hazard and hired a cowboy

to cut it down.

put more distance between them and the ambush
site before stopping to rest in hiding along a ridge.
Meanwhile, having corralled the mules, Hall
set out on foot after the attackers, still not know-
ing whether they were Apaches or outlaws. He was
approaching their hiding spot when Grime fired a
wayward shot at him. Drawing his pistol, Hall took
cover and hollered a warning. Emerging from hid-
ing, the pair apologized, claiming they’d mistaken
the messenger for an Indian. Hall replied that attack-
ing Apaches had wounded him. Feigning concern,
the outlaws insisted on escorting him to Globe.
As the three men walked side by side, the already
suspicious Hall noticed Grime was shouldering a
heavy load in his saddlebags, and he kept his re-
volver unholstered. The outlaws knew they couldn’t
allow Hall to reach Globe. Falling behind the mes-
senger, Hawley shot him in the back. Hall dropped
to his knees and, though gravely wounded, gamely
emptied his pistol at the pair, missing his mark. The
outlaws shot him seven more times, delivering a
coup de grâce as the messenger lay on the ground.
Around noon Porter arrived in Globe and re-
ported the attack on the mule train to Gila County
Sheriff William W. Lowther. He in turn telegraphed
Pinal County Sheriff Pete Gabriel, who doubled as
a deputy U.S. marshal. Riding to the ambush site,
Lowther and posse found the dead roan, the emp-
ty strongbox, scattered mail, spent rifle shells and
footprints, some that were unusually small (La-
fayette Grime wore a size 4 shoe). The posse then
split up to follow the various tracks. Two deputies
found Vail, who was barely hanging on. Before
dying the doctor described his attackers, though
he couldn’t name them. Other possemen soon
came upon the body of Hall. One of them, Eugene
Middleton, was a member of the Globe Rangers,
and after hearing the evidence, he told Lowther
he suspected one of the holdup men was fellow
ranger Lafayette Grime.
By the time Sheriff Gabriel reached Globe that
Tuesday, Hall and Vail had been buried. The mar-
shal spoke with Captain Lacy of the Globe Rangers,
who also suspected Grime, as the borrowed rifle
Lafayette had returned had been fired and was all
scratched up. When found and questioned, Grime
denied any involvement in the robbery and mur-
ders. Eavesdropping on the interrogation from
hiding, Gabriel suddenly showed himself. “That’s
the man!” he exclaimed. “Put the handcuffs on him.
I was on the hill and saw him shoot at Hall three
times.” Caught off guard, Grime blurted, “No, I
didn’t—I only shot at him twice.” At that point Grime
confessed and ratted out Hawley, though he insisted
his brother had only served as a lookout. Authori-
WE ties quickly arrested Cicero Grime and Hawley,

LLS

FA
RGO

AR

CH
IVES