Eugene Packard
May 18, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper

Charley Edwards arrived in Mesa City Friday night from 
Tonto Basin after a Mexican named Gonzales who is wanted 
for the killing of old man Packard near his ranch, Thursday, 
about 1 p.m.

It seems from the statements of some of the other Mexicans 
in the sheep camp that at about 2 o'clock Mr. Packard came 
down to the camp of the sheep herders who were in charge 
of the sheep belonging to Mr. R.L. Longmore of Mesa City 
and ordered them to pull out.  In the altercation that 
arose, the Mexican, Gonzales pulled a gun and shot 
Packard three times.  One ball broke the wrist, the 
other entered the right breast and the third went 
through the abdomen, killing him instantly.  To hide 
the crime his body was dragged some distance and thrown 
in a crevice of the rocks and covered over, Gonzales at 
once leaving for parts unknown.

Charley Edwards happened to be passing that way, riding 
the range. He saw the camp fire and noticed the trail 
of blood and thinking to find a sheep, followed it and 
found the foot of a man sticking out from under a pile 
of brush and rocks.  He investigated and found that it 
was Mr. Packard.  He at once communicated with the 
sheriff of Gila County and was deputized to arrest 
the Mexicans. He found two of the Mexicans that were 
there and put them under arrest.  they claimed they 
had nothing to do with the killing and told Edwards 
he would likely find Gonzales toward Mesa, as Longmore 
owed him about $100 and they thought he would make 
for there and get that before skipping the country.  
Edwards left for Mesa post haste, made five changes 
of horses on the trip and covered the distance in 
about eight hours.  So far as can be learned the 
Mexican has not arrived there yet and the officers 
are looking for him back on the road. It was reported 
that he was in love with a Mexican girl living above 
McDowell, and it is likely that he stopped there 
last night.

Capturer of the Slayer
May 19, 1902

Deputy William Voice of Gila County and John Howell, son 
of Judge A. J. Howell, of Tonto Basin arrived in the city 
early yesterday morning with Verdunio Gonzales, the 
murderer of Eugene Packard, a cattleman of Tonto Basin. 
 They captured Gonzales at Fort McDowell late on Saturday.

Though Gonzales says the killing was done in self defense, 
it is generally believed that it was a cold blooded and 
unprovoked murder and that Packard was shot from ambush.
Packard was a single man, of thirty five and was living 
with his father and mother.  He had about five hundred 
head of cattle on the range and was looking after them 
himself.  Gonzales was a camp rustler for Longmore's 
sheep outfit.

The killing took place fifteen miles east of Moore's 
ranch about 6 o'clock on Thursday evening.  The body 
was not found until 8 o'clock on Friday morning and 
the pursuit commenced at once.  The pursuing party 
consisted of Voice, Howell and Charley Edwards.  
Longmore, who had given the first information of the 
killing said that he had given Gonzales an order on 
his brother near Mesa for some money.  Edwards cut 
across the country to Mesa and Voice and Howell 
followed along the trail.  They reached McDowell 
in the middle of Saturday afternoon and found 
Gonzales there drunk. He had arrived there the 
night before.

He told his captors that he had intended to give himself 
up at Mesa.  He said the killing was done in self defense 
and that he had not shot at Packard until after Packard 
had fired at him.  Packard was shot twice.  The second 
shot nearly cut off all the fingers of his right hand.  
It is thought that when he was first shot he put his 
hand to the wound and fell backward and that while he 
was falling or after he had fallen the Mexican fired 
again with deadly aim at the same spot.  Two shots were 
heard by two brothers named Webb.  There were only two 
shots and as Packard bore the marks of that many he
could not have fired at all.  Beside, his rifle was 
found in its scabbard on his horse near the body.  A 
man shot through the heart could not have put it there.

Packard is said to have been one of the most inoffensive 
of men.  He could not be forced into a quarrel and there 
was no reason why he should have had a quarrel with 
Gonzales.  There is no special ill feeling between the 
sheep men and the cattle men in that region now.  The 
sheep men are as anxious to get out of the country as 
the cattle men are to have them get out, but they are 
held in by the government which will not allow them to 
cross the Black Mesa Reserve before June 15.

The killing was done with a Savage rifle.303.  When 
Gonzales was arrested he had no gun.  He said he had 
lost it before he reached McDowell.  The officers had 
a hard chase.  They made a ride of one hundred and 
ten miles in twenty four hours and in all that time 
the longest stop was just as long as it took time 
to remove a saddle from a jaded horse and put on a 
fresh one.


Bullett that Killed Packard
June 10, 1902

Dr. S.B. Claypool and Undertaker F.L. Jones who went to 
Reno to exhume the body of the late Eugene B. Packard and 
recover the bullet which caused his death, retuened home 
last Friday afternoon.  The six pieces of lead and the 
metal jacket which had formed the deadly missile was 
found embedded in the backbone and extracted by the 
doctor.  The base of the metal jacket in intact and 
affords conclusive proof that it is part of a .303 
Savage cartridge, the kind used by Gonzales, the 
Mexican charged with the killing of Packard.

Messrs. Claypool and Jones also visited the spot where the 
killing took palce and were fortuante in finding the second 
shell from Gonzales gun.

Gonzales has been indicted for the murder of Packard and 
his trial is set for June 13th.