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Show 2B Sun Advocate, Price, Utah Tuesday, October 27, 1987 Joe Walker's last shot Old outlaw camp yields history find By CHUCK ZEHNDER Managing editor It started In April 1897 when two men from the Wild Bunch a small campfire in front. Just above them a spring flowed over a rock and about 30 horses were tethered there for the water and tall grass. held up the mine payroll at Castle Gate and got away to the south. Posses took on a determination to get the outlaws once and for all after that robbery and concerted efforts were begun immediately and not abandoned. Suspects were Butch Cassidy and Elza Lay with an accomplice in the desert south of Price, Joe Walker. Cassidy and Lay disappeared Once darkness arrived, the lawmen rode their horses to the vicinity of the outlaw campground, dismounted and rolled into the bedrolls until early morning. but Walker kept showing up in Carbon and Emery county. Walker has lead gangs in raids after cattle and horses, and was much feared by ranthe Eastern Utah chmen, Advocate reported on May 19, Whitmore, and who told the outlaws they were surrounded by 100 men. Cassidy and Walker immediately began firing and the other two threw up their hands and began begging for mercy, 1898. A posse reported. Cassidy and Walker after reports of their whereabouts were widely scattered over the next year, and was formed in Price to find the outlaws and bring them in. Those posse members were Sheriff C.W. Allred, Pete Anderson, J.W. Warf, J.M. Whitmore, George Whitmore, Jack Gentry, Jim Inglefield, Billy McGuire and Jack Watson. The posse left Price in earnest on May 8, 1898, a Sunday. Joining the posse at Lower Crossing was Joe Bush of Salt Lake City and a local rancher by the name of Coleman. A rancher from Range valley (Creek) was also later called into service. They arrived at Lower Crossing (Woodside) and then proceeded on down the Price River canyon below the railroad and ranching town. When they reached Water Canyon, about six or seven miles below Lower Crossing, they went up the canyon to the top of the Book Cliffs just north of Big Horn Mountain. Then the posse moved down Range Creek, crossed the Green River and camped until dark. About 18 miles away, Joe Walker and three others were sleeping in a rock overhang with About hour before an daylight, the posse mounted their horses and rode to within a short distance of the camp, dismounted and proceeded to within 60 yards of the sleeping outlaws, the newspaper of May 19 reported. Mr. Allred then called on them to surrender, as did also Pete Anderson the and J.M. newspaper emptying their revolvers started to run. Walker fell about sixty feet from the bed with a bullet through t his head and pierced his heart. Cassidy fell shortly after with a bullet through his heart. The battle took place in the Book Cliffs about 45 miles north of Thompsons Springs, the paper reported. As it turned out later, Walker was the only real member of the Robbers Roost gang, or the Wild another Bunch. For years now the rancher who runs cattle on that land has known the location of that shootout and recently Don and Jeanette Wilcox invited Eldon and Maureen Dorman to fly into the area from the Tavaputs Plateau Ranch on the west side of the river. Dorman said they flew off the plateau and landed on a Ute Reservation road and then hiked into the area. Dorman brought along a metal detector. They passed old cabins, ancient trees with names carved in them and finally reached the 3U ' "v-- rock outcropping where the cowboys and outlaws had laid sleeping that May, Friday the 13th, some 89 years earlier. The Wilcoxes and Dormans went over the ground under the rock overhang with the metal detector. Suddenly there was a screeching tone and everyone gathered around as they slowly dug into the soft dirt. The metal object which broke the radio transmission of the detector turned out to be a US .45 Colt shell casing. I call it Joe Walkers last shot, Dorman said when he returned from the site. Don Wilcox was the one operating the detector when it was found, but he told Dorman to take it because he would just lose it. - w- - Friday the 13th of May, 1898. Walker was killed in the battle, along with a cowboy named Johnny Herring, Others in the group sit in the shade of the overhang. Don and Jim Wilcox check the ground with a metal detector in front of the rock overhang in which Joe Walker and three others were found and involved in a gun battle on outlaw to the local men who had joined the posse. The Price boys who were in the posse smiled when Joe Bush got his work in on the Salt Lake the local paper reporters, Joe is smooth of reported. tongue and has a supreme amount of unadulterated gall. Sundays Tribune says: Bush says the melee was of very short duration. When he dismounted it was just 5 oclock. The bandits were surrounded, after a walk of 100 yards or more, and the battle fought six minutes later. The two bandits fired eight or ten shots. Some of the posse say the bullets whistled by close to them, but Bush says he wasnt paying any attention to that detail of the performance. Dorman has since lost the brass casing and is offering a $20 reward to anyone who might find it when they return it to him. The group went over the ground in front of the small cave with the detector and even went over the ground just above the site where the spring is located, but found nothing else. Dorman said they couldnt spend a lot of time there because of having to get back to the airplane and fly back across the river. It appears that shell casing may be the only tangible evidence of the gun battle in which Joe Walker, who is buried in the Price City Cemetery, lost his life. The newspaper of that day gave credit to the killing of the He was only looking after his own rifle and the bullets in its chamber. The shooting was all done at a distance of about twenty or thirty yards. Members of the posse say that Bush the brave did not show up until after Walker and Cassidy had been killed. It is very probable Bush was at a safe distance when He was only looking after his own rifle and the bullets in its chamber. It is also very likely that Bush was not as much concerned about the flying bullets as he was to preserve his cowardly hide. The credit for the capture is due solely to the Price boys, every one of whom were (sic) at the front pumping lead into the outlaws, the newspaper concluded. Notre Dame Parish OTQBDDFGG'ir Shown is a drawing indicating the position of the lettering on the shell casing and a photograph of the casing itself. The Festival Committee wishes to express their thanks to the Oktober-fes- t workers, the public who attended, and to the parishioners and community for the generous donations. Canyonlands Field Institute of e Moab is sponsoring a 7 Nov. Moab. in Saturday, Bob Deglas will lead the group to a bas relief sculpture entitled, King of the World. The piece is located a few miles east of town and was created in Karene Curtice Chairpersons '87 $7 a ywat the 1930s by Moab eccentric Aaron Andrews. day-hik- Bill and 'peJtuxd set near Moab Day-hik- e dutce&b. Hike cost is $5 for adult and $2 each child. For more information call the Canyonlands Field Institute office, (801) Astronomy (Continued from Page IB) 50th ANNIVERSARY 1937-198- 7 the launching into space of a huge telescope by space officials. The telescope will be able to transmit pictures to earth taken without the hindrance of earths atmosphere. mu Dr. J. Eldon Dorman holds the .45 Colt shell casing they found and which he named, "Joe Walker's last shot." 259-775- 0. Scott said that some of the amateurs. amateurs may be given the opportunity to have their Scott said he recalls his introduction to astronomy while a student at the university. To look through the telescope, it was necessary to go out into the cold and there was snow on the projects studied with the new telescopes when it is in place. Selections will be made from projects proposed by the COLLEGE OF EASTERN UTAH ; proudly presents , . ... The Mexico National Choir LIVE IN CONCERT PLAYING IN CONCERT Price Civic Auditorium Wednesday, October 28, 1987 7:30 p.m. SAWYER BROWN at Price Elks Lodge Hall Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:00 p.m. Admission: SPECIAL GUESTS GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS The Oak Creek $2.50 Donation Band $15.00 Advance $17.00 At Door TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: The Hide-Way Restaurant, The Elks Lodge, The Mad Platter, Breinholt Music, B&K Stop & Shop (in Huntington), The Short Stop (in Castle Dale) and City Market. All proceeds go to the Price Elks Foundation i ,, llil " ground, he said. He found later that astronomers usually work in the cold if it is winter because artificial heat causes moisture to condense on the telescopes lens. We dressed for it, Scott said. While conditions were not the most comfortable for his introduction to astronomy, he still recalls the excitement of being able to discern the rings around Saturn for the first time. After moving to Price, he took an astronomy class from Don Burge at the College of Eastern Utah. Scott built several telescopes before buying his present model. One of the things he is looking forward to is the next solar eclipse expected in July 1991. Scott said that he and Dan Taylor hope to journey to Baja, Calif, for the event. Baja will be the best place to see it. Taylor, a science teacher at the high school, is also an amateur astronomer. Taylor teachers an astronomy class to high school students. We hope to take our families to see the eclipse, Scott said. The Scotts and the Taylors are expecting to enjoy what might be called a stellar vacation. t nnri mriLitlU.lTJ ilT J.TTIU Jfru.ftjw ffu.4Hr)iii |