b"Republican Convention in Kansas City, June 12 -15, 1928, asthe posse men, Billy Crader, directly to the gravesite.the Arizona member.Without exaggeration, the Dobbie and Valdez murders Always on the lookout to turn a buck, Fraser later fileddid appear to be mirror images. In both cases, the ranch a claim called the Wasp Extension in the Goldfieldhouse was ransackedeach incident involved the theft of Mining District. Apparently, the Wasp was Jacks sourcea horsein each case, the victim was an unarmed young of recreationnot only that, it would make him a dollarmanand in both cases the murders were unprovoked. or two. It was but one more of the one-time cowmansThe only significant difference between the two cases is accomplishments in his lifetime. To list a few of his otherthat the two Manuel Valdez killers, Manning and Wallace, accomplishments, for example, he was a member of thewere eventually arrested, tried and convicted of the crime, Mesa Masonic Lodge for 68 years; he served as the presidentwhereas the Charlie Dobbie murder remains unsolved to of the First National Bank of Mesa and for those of youthis day!who have been around the Mesa area for a while you may remember the landmark, Everybodys DrugstoresFraserJack Fraser was one of the great pioneers who paved the way was one of the founding partners. for so many others who ventured out to the Superstition Wildernesssome of them were cattlemen like William As they say, all good things must come to an end and John J.J. Clemans and later William Augustus Tex Barkley. (Jack) Fraser died at age 88 on March 1, 1943. After havingUnfortunately, these cattlemen, along with their great herds led an interesting, full life to the very end, youd think thathave long since vanished. It is difficult for most folks to even would be the end of it, but it wasntnot by a long shot. imagine cattle herds numbering 12,000 head roaming the eastern range of the Superstition Wilderness.Under normal circumstances, one more murder in the Superstitions might not seem like a big deal. After all, thereJohn J. Fraser was truly a fascinating character for his time. had been hundreds since Jacob Waltzs death alone. ButHe was a pioneer, an entrepreneur, and a most influential in this case, there was another brutal murder that tookgentleman of the day. Today it is reassuring to know that as place on the JF Ranchidentical to the firstbut 86 yearslate as 2012 the JF Ranch was still in operation and run byA large number of freighters and an increased number of apart! On Saturday, April 22, 1978, a young vaquero namedlong time cattleman George Martin. That property is nowprivate tourists on the Apache Trail soon presentedManuel Valdez was murdered. It was a spooky affairitowned and maintained by the National Park Service. a need for lodging. That stop station soon became the was as though the murderous ghosts of Charlie Dobbie hadFish Creek Hotel/Lodge, pictured above.returned to commit their heinous crime all over again! Just recently the immediate desert and canyons surrounding the JF headquarters, windmill, outbuildings, and corralsharsh mountain desert environment couldnt beat him Valdez never saw it coming. He was ambushed as he steppedwere burned by the Woodbury Fire. Fortunately for all ofdown and even the threat of murder couldnt run him off. out onto the front porch of the ranch house. High-poweredus, the old ranch was protected and survived the ordeal. TheThere is much that can be learned from the actions and rifles killed him instantly. The ruthless killers then carrieddesert areas do not look the same as they did before, but weattitudes of the Cowboy pioneers who have gone before his body to nearby Fraser Canyon and buried it in the deep,can rest easy knowing the mountain desert will, once again,us . . . John Waynes epitaph says it about as well as anyone loose sand thinking they had covered up their crime. Theyrejuvenate itself back to their original pristine beauty. could, Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. might have gotten away with it had it not been for ManuelsComes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it little black dog, Prieta. After the investigating party arrivedMuch like ole Jack Fraser, the difficult ways of a hard rockarrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learnt and had searched for five days, it was the pup that led one ofminer and the endurance of a cattle rancher living in thesomething from yesterday. PRIME RIBFRIDAY & SATURDAYArizonaRealCountry.com September 2020 9"