The Horrific Story of the Deadliest Gunfight in Arizona History
Arizona is rife with stories of Old West gunfights. People generally think of the most famous and storied conflict, the Shootout at the OK Corral.
The history and hype of this singular event has long outlived an event that took place in a mere thirty seconds but has been talked about and recreated in movies, books, and television shows over the ages.
READ: Gunfight Somewhere NEAR the OK Corral: Is It All a Hollywood LIE?
However, there was another much deadlier incident that took place nearly forty years later. Yet few people know about the deadliest gunfight in Arizona history.
The Great War and the Selective Service Act of 1917
The deadliest gunfight in Arizona's history did not take place in the OK Corral. The conflict occurred 115 miles north of Tombstone in Klondyke, Arizona.
When the Great War - later known as World War I - broke out in Europe, American men were drafted to fight for the United States military.
The Selective Service Act of 1917, passed in May, authorized the President to temporarily increase the military establishment and activate the military draft.
Men between the ages of 21 and 31 had to register for the service, and the consequences if they failed to register or fled could be severe.
If caught, the men could face a year in prison. The government conducted "slacker raids," which sought out and prosecuted anyone who fled to avoid military conscription.
Draft Dodgers in Arizona?
John Powers and his wife Martha settled their family in Klondyke, Arizona. They worked on area ranches and purchased an abandoned goldmine nearby. The family had three boys, Charles, John, and Tom, and one daughter, Ola May.
In 1915, Martha died in a horse and buggy accident, and Charles moved to New Mexico. The only daughter, Ola May, died of suspicious circumstances in 1917.
The family worked hard to continue life in Arizona. Together with their friend Tom Sission, the family did their best to earn a living in some of the roughest country imaginable.
Draft Dodgers in Arizona?
This is where the story gets murky. According to the boys, when they went to register for the draft, they claimed they were told they weren't needed and returned to their cabin. The US Forest Service disputed their story. A documented history of the area says that patriarch Jeff convinced his sons to dodge the draft.
Local law enforcement didn't agree with the Powers' version of the story. Graham County Sheriff Robert McBride sent Jay Murdock to deliver a message that the boys were indeed wanted for the draft. The sheriff advised the boys to surrender peaceably.
The Deadliest Gunfight in Arizona: The Power Cabin Shootout
When the request was ignored, the sheriff assembled a posse that included Deputy Marshal Frank Haynes and two additional sheriff's deputies, Martin Kempton and T. K. "Kane" Wootan.
The posse rode to the ranch before dawn on February 9, 1918, and took up positions surrounding the cabin, waiting for the family to emerge. When the sheriff eventually shouted for them to come out with their hands up, the boys began shooting through the cabin's doorway. Law enforcement fired back.
In the end, the shootout ended with the deaths of Sheriff Frank McBride, Deputy Sheriff Kane Wootan, and U.S. Marshal Frank Haynes, as well as Jeff Power, the patriarch of the family. To this day, this is considered the Deadliest Shootout in Arizona History.
Sources: Wikipedia | Library of Congress Blogs | World War I Centennial | National Archives | ASU News
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