- Skeleton Canyon Massacre
The Skeleton Canyon Massacre was an ambush of the Mexican
Smugglers carrying silver, in1881 . Skeleton Canyon is located in the Peloncillo Mountains, which straddles the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line border. This canyon connects the Animas Valley of New Mexico with the San Simon Valley of Arizona.Geronimo 's final surrender to General Miles in 1886 occurred at the western edge of this canyon.First Skeleton Canyon Massacre
The first Skeleton Canyon Massacre occurred in 1879 when several Mexican Rurales were ambushed by rustlers.
Lead Up to Attack
In July 1879, several rustlers attacked a Rancho in northern
Sonora , killing several of them. After the attack on the Rancho, the survivors reported the attacks to CommandantFrancisco Neri and a detachment ofRurales were sent out, among them CaptainAlfredo Carrillo .The Attack
As the Rurales entered in the canyon, bullets began to fly. Three of the Rurales survived the initial onslaught. Then the posse leader was killed by execution. No action was taken by the Mexican Government, but they did protest the killings to President
Chester Arthur . Although the assailants were never positively identified, speculation hasOld Man Clanton ,Ike Clanton ,Billy Clanton , "Curly Bill"William B. Brocius ,Johnny Ringo , andFlorentino Cruz as the murderers.econd Skeleton Canyon Massacre
In July 1881, Curly Bill
William B. Brocius got word that several Mexican smugglers carrying silver were heading to the United States through Skeleton Canyon. Curly Bill, and several other men includingJohnny Ringo ,Old Man Clanton ,Ike Clanton ,Billy Clanton ,Frank McLaury ,Tom McLaury ,Billy Grounds , andZwing Hunt , hid in the rocks high above the trail. As the smugglers rode through the canyon the murderers opened fire, killing 6 of the 19. The rest were killed as they tried to get away.Aftermath
In August 1881, while driving a herd of cattle through Guadalupe Canyon, a group of rustlers led by
Old Man Clanton took out their bedrolls to sleep. At the crack of dawn several men opened fire on them while they were sleeping. Only two men escaped the ambush.This attack was later known as the
Guadalupe Canyon Massacre . Although who shot the rustlers remains a mystery, there are two speculations:1. The attack was led by Captain
Alfredo Carrillo and several Rurales from Fronteras, Mexico, in revenge for the Skeleton Canyon Massacre.2. The attack was led by the Earp posse, and that
Doc Holliday was nicked in the hip andWarren Earp wounded in the arm. This theory began as one of the men killed wasJim Crane , a stage robber that the Earps were looking for.In Movies
* In 1958 the attack was portrayed in an episode of the TV series "Tombstone Territory". [cite episode |title=Skeleton Canyon Massacre |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0726194/ |series=Tombstone Territory |serieslink=Tombstone Territory |network=ABC |airdate=1958-04-02 |season=1 |number=25]
* In the 1993 film Tombstone the opening scene was supposed to be the Skeleton Canyon Massacre, but due to the injury of the character of Old Man Clanton, the scene was changed to a wedding massacre.
References
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