Murder on the White Sands: The Disappearance of Albert and Henry Fountain

6. Assistance from Fall

53฀ On฀Friday,฀March฀13,฀Albert฀Fall฀called฀on฀Pat฀Garrett฀in฀his฀hotel฀ room.฀When฀he฀stopped฀by฀Garrett’s฀room,฀Fraser฀must฀have฀been฀ surprised฀to฀see฀Fall฀there.฀After฀Fraser฀and฀Fall฀had฀exchanged฀a฀ few฀pleasantries฀about฀the฀weather,฀Fraser฀left฀so฀Garrett฀and฀Fall฀ could฀continue฀their฀conversation. ฀ Fall฀told฀Garrett฀that฀he฀wanted฀him฀to฀have฀a฀commission฀as฀ a฀deputy฀sheriff,฀regardless฀of฀the฀outcome฀of฀the฀sheriff’s฀contest.฀ Although฀an฀obvious฀ploy฀to฀get฀on฀Garrett’s฀good฀side,฀as฀it฀seemed฀ he฀would฀inevitably฀become฀sheriff฀sooner฀or฀later,฀the฀increasingly฀ frustrated฀Garrett฀was฀glad฀for฀whatever฀help฀he฀could฀get.฀Fall฀promised ฀to฀go฀to฀Santa฀Fe฀and฀throw฀his฀support฀behind฀Garrett.1 ฀ Garrett฀was฀to฀leave฀for฀El฀Paso฀later฀that฀day.฀He฀told฀Fraser฀ before฀he฀left฀that฀he฀hoped฀to฀be฀placed฀in฀office฀before฀he฀went฀ out฀again,฀so฀that฀he฀would฀have฀the฀power฀to฀act฀if฀he฀saw฀fit.฀ Fraser฀noted,฀“This฀will฀keep฀me฀here฀until฀he฀goes฀out,฀for฀I฀fail฀ to฀find฀anyone฀who฀wants฀to฀go฀out฀with฀me฀on฀this฀trip฀alone฀as฀ driver฀and฀guide฀.฀.฀.฀.” ฀ Fraser฀also฀observed฀Lee฀that฀day.฀“I฀saw฀Oliver฀Lee฀on฀the฀street฀ here฀to-day,฀he฀is฀not฀a฀bad฀looking฀man,฀being฀a฀Deputy฀Sheriff฀he฀ wore฀his฀belt฀and฀pistol;฀he฀was฀around฀Fall’s฀office฀and฀Ellis’s฀barber ฀shop.”2 ฀Fraser฀next฀wanted฀to฀interview฀Albert฀Fall.฀He฀checked฀ at฀Fall’s฀office฀three฀or฀four฀times฀Saturday฀morning,฀but฀Fall฀was฀ not฀ in.฀ Fraser฀ then฀ headed฀ to฀ El฀ Paso฀ with฀ Llewellyn฀ and฀ S.฀ B.฀ six Assistance from Fall 54 ฀ —฀Murder฀on฀the฀White฀Sands Newcomb.฀There฀he฀met฀Ben฀Williams฀for฀the฀first฀time.฀Williams฀ gave฀Fraser฀his฀thoughts฀on฀“the฀Oliver฀Lee฀gang”:฀“Williams฀is฀ thoroughly฀satisfied฀that฀it฀was฀the฀Oliver฀Lee฀gang฀who฀did฀this฀ work฀and฀told฀me฀that฀he฀knew฀them฀well,฀as฀he฀has฀been฀among฀ them฀for฀two฀years฀and฀had฀to฀quit฀them฀because฀he฀would฀not฀join฀ them฀in฀their฀murderous฀work.”฀Williams฀said฀he฀was฀working฀to฀ get฀a฀case฀of฀murder฀against฀Lee฀and฀others฀in฀Texas,฀and฀said฀he฀ would฀be฀ready฀in฀a฀few฀weeks฀to฀arrest฀Oliver฀Lee,฀“who฀comes฀ to฀El฀Paso฀very฀often฀to฀see฀this฀woman฀who฀runs฀the฀furnished฀ rooming฀house.” ฀ Ben฀Williams฀had฀been฀living฀in฀El฀Paso฀since฀being฀attacked฀by฀ this฀“gang฀headed฀by฀A.฀B.฀Fall”฀in฀Las฀Cruces.฀Fraser฀saw฀Oliver฀Lee฀ several฀times฀on฀the฀streets฀of฀El฀Paso฀that฀day,฀and฀observed฀that฀ Lee฀wore฀his฀belt฀and฀pistols฀there,฀just฀as฀he฀did฀at฀Las฀Cruces. ฀ Fraser฀stopped฀at฀the฀post฀office฀upon฀his฀return฀to฀Las฀Cruces฀ Sunday.฀ Waiting฀ for฀ him฀ was฀ a฀ letter฀ from฀ Thornton.3 ฀ Thornton฀ wrote฀Fraser฀that฀he฀would฀do฀what฀he฀could฀to฀see฀that฀no฀hitch฀was฀ made฀in฀the฀effort฀to฀have฀Pat฀Garrett฀put฀in฀as฀deputy฀sheriff,฀and฀ added,฀“I฀feel฀however,฀that฀what฀I฀do,฀should฀be฀done฀quietly.” ฀ Thornton฀then฀expressed฀his฀hope฀that฀Garrett฀had฀told฀Fraser฀ about฀an฀affidavit฀Garrett฀obtained฀from฀someone฀who฀on฀the฀night฀ of฀the฀murder฀was฀supposedly฀staying฀at฀a฀house฀near฀the฀scene฀ and฀saw฀three฀horsemen,฀some฀of฀the฀parties฀suspected,฀the฀next฀ morning.฀ Thornton฀ said฀ of฀ Garrett,฀ “He฀ said฀ that฀ he฀ had฀ some฀ hesitancy฀in฀telling฀you฀because฀he฀had฀promised฀this฀party฀that฀ he฀would฀tell฀no฀one฀about฀it.฀I฀told฀Garrett฀that฀you฀must฀have฀ this฀information฀in฀order฀to฀arrive฀at฀a฀correct฀solution฀of฀the฀matter .”4 ฀Fraser฀noted฀in฀his฀report,฀“I฀received฀two฀letters฀from฀Gov.฀ Thornton฀both฀dated฀March฀13th,฀and฀in฀one฀of฀those฀he฀asks฀me฀if฀ Mr.฀Garrett฀had฀told฀me฀about฀an฀affidavit฀he฀had฀from฀a฀man฀who฀ stayed฀all฀night฀at฀a฀house฀near฀the฀scene฀of฀the฀murder฀and฀who฀ saw฀men฀return฀the฀following฀morning,฀etc.฀I฀wish฀to฀state฀that฀Mr.฀ Garrett฀has฀never฀said฀one฀word฀to฀me฀about฀having฀received฀an฀af- Assistance฀from฀Fall฀—฀55฀ fidavit฀from฀any฀one,฀and฀any฀information฀I฀get฀from฀him฀is฀mostly฀ obtained฀by฀questioning฀so฀it฀can฀be฀readily฀seen฀that฀I฀am฀working฀ at฀a฀great฀disadvantage.”5 ฀ Accompanying฀ that...