A Complete Biography of Jeff Kidder
The life and death of an Arizona Ranger.
By: Nancy P. Allan ,Randy Johnson 11/03/2009
Chief Amador and a score of men rushed to Kidder, who was in a sitting position against the fence. Seeing Jeff was now helpless they began beating him with rifle butts, pistol barrels and fists. Several of the crowd wanted to blow his brains out but Chief Amador stopped them. Jeff was now dragged all the way to the local "Juzgado," being kicked along the way. He was then dumped on a dirty cell floor where his pockets were rifled, the men taking his badge, the pocket watch he had received for high school graduation and his Masonic key. Someone had grabbed his Colt as he lay bleeding near the fence. After being pistol-whipped again and given a few parting kicks, he was left to lie on the floor of the cell with no offer of medical attention.
Several hours later, word of the gun fight reached the American side. A Mexican Judge in Naco was contacted who permitted Jeff to be moved to a private home, but he was still under arrest. As a Mexican doctor tended to Kidder's wounds an armed guard stood by his bedside. By dawn, Saturday, a physician from Bisbee was allowed to cross the line to aid Kidder. It was determined that his intestines had been perforated, and chances for his recovery were slim.
Back at Ranger headquarters in Naco, Tip Stanford made several attempts to contact Capt. Wheeler by telegraph without success. When a reporter from The Bisbee Review interviewed Kidder, he seemed to rally for a time.
"I know that a great many people think I am quick-tempered and without looking into the details will form the opinion that I precipitated this trouble. It is probable that I may die, and I would like the public to hear my side of the affair," Kidder said. Starting with his encounter with Chia, "There was some fooling around and we finally walked out. As I stepped outside the door I put my hand in my pocket and found that a dollar which I had was gone. I went back in and told this woman to give me my money, as I believed she had taken it. She struck me with her fist and immediately ran to the door and yelled police.
"I had not had a chance to move when two Mexican police came through the doorway with their six-shooters drawn, and one fired hitting me. I fell and was dazed, but knew that my only chance was to fight while I had cartridges left. I drew my own six-shooter while sitting on the floor and opened fire. I believe I wounded both of the men, and they went down helpless.
"I was very weak but was able to crawl to the door and out, it being my intention to get to the American side of the line. I finally got on my feet and was walking along when suddenly firing opened up on me, and I saw a number of men between me and the line armed with Winchesters. They were directing their fire directly at me, but although I was only a short distance away, and I had an empty revolver in my hand, they did not hit me. I noticed the fence to my left and staggered in that direction, hoping that someone would come to my assistance. When I got to the fence I put my last six cartridges I had into my gun. During all of this time these men were firing at me, and as I was too far away to do any good with my six-shooter, I saved my fire until one of their number came in range and I shot him. I then fired until my gun was empty.
"When my last cartridge was gone I yelled to them that I was all in and told them to come and get me."
Of his treatment after surrendering, he added, "If anybody had told me that one human being could be as brutal to another as they were to me I would not have believed it.
"It's too bad such an unfortunate thing occurred, but if I am fatally wounded, I can die with the knowledge that I did my best in a hard situation."
As Jack O'Laughlin, who was acting as his nurse, sat at Jeff's bedside, Kidder said, "You know, Jack, they got me but if my ammunition had not given out, I might have served them the same way."
Jeff seemed to hold his own throughout Saturday, leaving word for Capt. Wheeler that he had disobeyed orders by going into Mexican Naco only because he was looking for a fugitive. During the night he grew weaker. He died at 6:00 Sunday morning, 30 hours after he was shot.
At first Mexican authorities refused to release Kidder's body. When word of this reached the American side it was reported as many as 1000 Americans were ready to march across the border to retrieve Jeff's remains. Finally, Judge Garcia, who had allowed Kidder to be removed from a cell to a private home, granted permission to release Jeff's remains and they were taken to the Palace Funeral Parlor in Bisbee. There it was found besides the gunshot wounds a three-inch laceration had gone to the bone in his forehead, and another swollen wound was clotted with blood on the right side of his neck. Several of his ribs had been broken by kicks, while the backs of his hands were torn, apparently from trying to ward off blows to his head and body.
East of Tombstone Capt. Wheeler, while escorting a prisoner back to Bisbee, learned of the death of his friend. After a hard ride, Wheeler arrived in Bisbee and went directly to the Palace Funeral Home. There Kidder lay in an open casket, and the effects of the beating were quite evident even after the work of the undertaker.
After the funeral service, with tears in his eyes, Capt. Wheeler said, "Jeff Kidder was one of the best officers who ever stepped foot in this section of the country. He did not know what fear was and was hated by the criminal classes because of his unceasing activity in bringing them to justice."
Jeff's mother asked that Jeff's body be shipped back to California for burial. On April 8, a Wednesday, 259 members of the Bisbee lodge of Elks escorted Jeff's coffin to the depot where the body was to be sent to his hometown of San Jacinto for burial.
Captain Wheeler managed to recover Jeff's revolver and badge, which were found in a pawn shop. Mexican authorities trying to smooth the situation helped Wheeler locate Jeff's effects. Wheeler sent Jeffs gun and discharge papers to his family in California, even though Jeff Kidder was not technicality a Ranger at the time of his death, because his enlistment had expired on April 9.
Post A Comment