Jamie Stott was soon to receive his Homestead Deed for the quarter section (160 acres) after he “proved up” on it during his three-year required occupancy — but first, Jamie was mandated to publicly file his intention in the Capitol in Prescott. This caused him to sign his own death warrant. It expedited the urgency to take his ranches by killing him — the Aztec Land and Cattle Company (Hashknife outfit) had to be taught a lesson.

Five miles north of Jamie’s Aztec Spring Ranch lived one of the killer’s sons — also a co-conspirator of the murder of the three boys. He resided in Decker Wash. Geographically, the two washes are parallel to each other and approximately two miles apart. This ranch was where the “riders from the north” assembled and spent the night of august 10, 1888. The next day duplicated the same date as the Dead Man’s hand, held by Bill Hickok during his last poker game in Deadwood, South Dakota. He was holding aces and eights — 8-11-88 -- (this murder was never solved.) However, I can name all of the “riders from the north” at a later date with 99% accuracy. I will also name the “word of mouth beguile riders.” These fast riders delivered oral messages back and forth (approximately five miles apart) from the two ranches — 20 minutes each way by horse. The oral messages were essential in the orchestration of the hangings that were to take place at the Aztec Spring Ranch. There were two eyewitnesses.

Bear Springs Ranch was a sister ranch of Jamie Stott’s and was located two miles southwest of the Aztec Spring Ranch. The good grass and water would serve the 20+ murderers and their horses at that location. These murderers came from the Pleasant Valley and Globe areas. They had James Lane Scott, III in tow as they came up over the Mogollon Rim on August 10, 1888. Eyewitness testimony claimed there were 28 men. The Apache County Deputy Sheriff, Dennis Houck, claimed 40 masked men took his prisoners away and that he didn’t know what happened after that. For the past 131 years, this story has prevailed and no one has ever questioned it — until now — I know the truth.

The total weight of men and horses would tally up to about 30-40-thousand pounds of mass. Apache County Sheriff, Commodore Perry Owens was leading. This discovery was the key to solving 99% of these murders.

In Earl Forest’s book, titled Arizona’s Dark and Bloody Ground, he describes the chilling events of the grave robbing process. .Stott’s gold ring was last seen in July, 1942 with his skeletal remains. It was said that the ring was taken and re-sized for the killer’s grandson’s ranch foreman’s wife-to -be. He was 47 years old at the time of the exhuming process. Jamie was placed in another grave at a considerable distance from his two comrades. More than one schadenfreude took great pleasure in committing these robberies of the grave — this horrific crime.

After all these years of helping me solve these murders, Dawn Wilson Investigative Services has been helping me -- on a moment’s notice -- to get accurate chronological evidence -- dates, timing, perpetrators and more. She has never failed these victims while seeking “the truth.”