CONSTABLE WILLIAM ALEXANDER
Arizona Republican Newspaper
April 10, 1901

Yuma--Constable Alexander, the murderer of Mrs. 
Mary Burns, wife of Joseph Burns, was shot and 
mortally wounded at nine o'clock this morning when 
half way across the street from the court house 
going toward the penitentiary after receiving a 
life sentence.  Sam King, a brother of Mrs. Burns, 
is in custody, but is probably not the shooter.  
King, the father and Frank M. King, a brother are 
also here.  The shot from a rifle came from a house 
next south of the old Levy store.  There is great 
excitement here.  Fain and Miller, who were with 
Alexander when Mrs. Burns was killed and who were 
also indicted for the murder will probably be 
granted a change of venue.  The Kings are members 
of an excellent family and all of them, father and 
sons are peaceable but it is known that when 
provoked they do not estimate human life highly.  
The father and his son Sam have been engaged in 
bloody affairs on the frontier.  Sam King, who has 
lately been residing in Mexico was for a long time 
employed in the customs office as a line rider.  
Frank M. King was for many years a newspaper reporter 
in Phoenix.  He was later under sheriff of this 
county and was subsequently chief clerk at the 
Nogales custom house.  He was still later the 
editor and owner of the Border Vidette and is 
presently engaged in the brokerage business at 
Tucson.

The Killing of Alexander
April 11, 1901

Few additional details were learned yesterday of the 
shooting of Constable Alexander at Yuma on Tuesday 
morning.  Judge Street who has been holding court at 
Yuma and Judge Baker  who had been defending Alexander, 
charged with the murder of Mrs. J.J. Burns, returned 
yesterday morning from Yuma.  Excitement in the city 
is intense with most being on the side of the Kings.  
In these circumstances it was plainly impossible to get 
together an unbiased jury for the trial of Miller and 
Fain.

Some light has been thrown upon the animosity felt by the 
Kings against Fain though he did not murder Mrs. Burns. 
He was held responsible for perhaps for having induced 
Alexander to shoot for his reputation is bad, while 
that of Alexander has been good.  It has since been 
learned that about fifteen years ago Fain had trouble 
in which a killing occurred in California with a family 
named Burns, to which it is now thought the husband of 
Mrs. Burns belonged.

More on the killing
April 12, 1901

A gentleman who was at Yuma on the day of the shooting of 
Constable Alexander arrived in town yesterday morning and 
told the following story of that tragedy: the jury which 
was trying Alexander for the murder of Mrs. Burns arrived 
at a verdict on Monday night after the adjournment of the 
court.  It was a sealed verdict to be delivered the next 
morning yet everyone in Yuma that night knew what it was, 
murder in the first degree.  It was predicted that night 
that Alexander would die an unnatural death.  The Kings, 
father and brothers of Mrs. Burns, would be satisfied with 
nothing less than Alexander's death."

Frank M. King had been disarmed on Monday because he was 
more expressive if not more determined than his brother, 
Sam King who had said nothing.  On Tuesday at 9 o'clock 
the prisoner was brought into court to hear the sentence.  
None of the Kings were present.  The verdict was read and 
Sheriff Livingston was directed to take Alexander to the 
penitentiary.  He was escorting Alexander down the street, 
surrounded by deputies when suddenly Alexander sank and 
at the same time was a dull report of a rifle.  He was 
carried to the court house porch and when he was laid 
down he said, "I'm not hurt much."  It was the opinion 
of the doctor who had been summoned that a man shot 
through the kidneys, liver and abdomen didn't have a 
chance.  Considering the circumstances and the great 
distance it was, the consensus of opinion at Yuma is 
that it was a fine shot.