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Stage Robbery & Murder R.H. Paul Letter 1883, Ariz Territory [178710]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Stage Robbery & Murder R.H. Paul Letter 1883, Ariz Territory [178710]
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Exceptional pair of original "Wanted" handbill/poster with a $1600 reward for the "Arrest Stage Robber" offered by Sheriff A. J. Doran, Florence, A.T. and a handwritten letter by Paul from his Tucson Office. The letter is of exceptional content, revealing that Paul himself had, on occasion, claimed the reward money for capturing criminals (even though he was a law officer). In this letter, he states to the Superintendant of Wells, Fargo & Co. that he will not proceed to try to collect the reward, and will have it split between the parties that capture and return with Charley Hensley, who killed the Wells Fargo Messenger when he and his "highwayman" partner robbed the stage between Florence and Globe on Aug. 10, 1883. The other robber was Jack Elmer. Both were "well known" in Tombstone. The pair stole 2000 silver dollars and $640 in gold. The letter also seems to suggest Paul knew exactly where the robbers were, and seems to be acquainted with them, noting "they would not leave the country until they had taken the train in." This appears very suspicious- why would Paul negotiate with killers? This robbery came at an important time for Wells Fargo. Detective James Hume of Wells Fargo had just captured the notorious Black Bart. Immediately after, Hume spent several months in Arizona trying to ascertain who were real robbers, and who were innocent of robbery, even though the "rumor mill" laid blame on certain "bad guys" who were ultimately found innocent. At Christmas, 1883, just two months after this letter, Hume had invited Paul to dinner at his house in Tucson. A day later, the pair left for Mexico looking for more bad guys. Paul and Hume were "buddies" according to author Richard Dillon in "Wells Fargo Detective; The Biography of James B. Hume"; 1969. The two together were successful in catching many Wells Fargo robbers. Paul, as well known to historians, was a close friend of the Earp brothers, two of whom were Federal Marshalls at one point or another. In 1882, just after the OK Corral battle and ensuing murder of Morgan Earp, Tombstone was thrown into a political lawless nightmare, when the Sheriff, who was a close friend of the Clantons et al, ordered the arrest of the Earps, but U. S. Marshall Paul would not comply. These two documents are in pristine condition, worthy of any major collection of Wells Fargo or the "Wild West", with a direct tie to one of the men involved in the OK Corral aftermath. The back of the original Arrest handbill has the notation: "Mr. A. Schilling & Co. - M wants them shot bbbb of the bbbb" (bbb = indecipherable) Arizona Robert Coelln Collection