Chester L. Ainsowrth was a constable in Cochise County, Arizona, who was killed in a little-known gunfight near Tombstone on April 7, 1899. That day Ainsworth and a deputy named "Teddy" Moore rode out to the old Wilson Ranch to arrest two brothers named William and Thomas Halderman for cattle rustling. When the two men arrived at the ranch house they told the boys to have breakfast and pack their stuff for a stay in Pearce. However, the boys grabbed their rifles instead and took up positions at the front of the house. It is not known who fired the first shots, but in the brief exchange of gunfire that followed, Ainsworth was shot off his horse and killed instantly, while Moore was mortally wounded. The Haldermans then mounted their horses and fled across the border to New Mexico Territory, but were captured and brought back to Arizona soon after. On November 16, 1900, both were hanged in Tombstone after a "hasty" trial in the Old Cochise County Courthouse and buried in the Boothill Graveyard, near the victims of the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Ainsworth's remains were taken back to his family in Michigan for burial.
Information by: FAG Contributor Jones-Marcum Family (#48448988)
Information by: FAG Contributor Jones-Marcum Family (#48448988)
Chester L. Ainsowrth was a constable in Cochise County, Arizona, who was killed in a little-known gunfight near Tombstone on April 7, 1899. That day Ainsworth and a deputy named "Teddy" Moore rode out to the old Wilson Ranch to arrest two brothers named William and Thomas Halderman for cattle rustling. When the two men arrived at the ranch house they told the boys to have breakfast and pack their stuff for a stay in Pearce. However, the boys grabbed their rifles instead and took up positions at the front of the house. It is not known who fired the first shots, but in the brief exchange of gunfire that followed, Ainsworth was shot off his horse and killed instantly, while Moore was mortally wounded. The Haldermans then mounted their horses and fled across the border to New Mexico Territory, but were captured and brought back to Arizona soon after. On November 16, 1900, both were hanged in Tombstone after a "hasty" trial in the Old Cochise County Courthouse and buried in the Boothill Graveyard, near the victims of the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Ainsworth's remains were taken back to his family in Michigan for burial.
Information by: FAG Contributor Jones-Marcum Family (#48448988)
Information by: FAG Contributor Jones-Marcum Family (#48448988)
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