Glenn Reynolds (sheriff)
Encyclopedia
Glenn Reynolds was a sheriff
and militia
man of the Old West
, remembered for his death during the Kelvin Grade Massacre
, in Arizona Territory
, when a group of Apache
renegades
escaped from his custody.
, Texas
. He served as a child soldier during the American Civil War
, protecting frontier settlements from Comanche
raids while the older rebels engaged the Union Army
. After the Comanche Wars
Reynolds participated in the cattle drives from Texas to Kansas
until being elected sheriff of Throckmorton County
in 1885. His election was at least partly due to his prominent family which owned a cattle company near Albany. Around 1887 Reynolds, and his family, headed across the Southwest driving 3,000 head of cattle and 200 horses to Bowie Station
in Arizona Territory. He then took his portion of the livestock
and settled at a ranch in Pleasant Valley
, a troubled region in a time known as the Tonto Basin War
, between feuding settlers. During this time Edwin Tewksbury accused Reynolds of killing Al Rose
on November 1, 1887 with a shotgun
. Rose was killed by eight or nine men wearing masks and overcoats at the Houdon Ranch, one of three owned by the Graham family. The county coroner
later said that wounds on Rose's face appeared to have been caused by buckshot. When the situation in Pleasant Valley became untolerable Reynolds moved his family on again. This time to Globe
, where he was elected sheriff in November of 1888.
In 1889 a group of prisoners at Globe had to be trasported to Yuma Territorial Prison
, including the Apache Kid, other renegades, and a Mexican
named Jesus Avott. The first part of the journey required a stagecoach
ride to Casa Grande
where the prisoners would board a train for Yuma
. Reynolds was ordered to command the procession with Sheriff William A. Holmes, and the coach driver Eugene Middleton, as company. So on November 1, 1889, Reynolds left Globe for Casa Grande. The party stopped at Kelvin, Arizona, on the Gila River
, for the first night, and then proceeded on for Casa Grande early the next morning. Due to concerns that an incline along the road, known as Kelvin Grade
, would be too steep for the horses to pull a wagon full of prisoners up, Reynolds decided that when they reached the grade the prisoners would be taken out of the coach and marched up on foot. All of the prisoners were wearing handcuffs and each pair was attached to one another. Only Avott was by himself. The Apache Kid and one other man were considered too dangerous for this so they were left inside.
When the party reached Kelvin Grade the lawmen did as planned. Reynolds directed Middleton to take the coach on ahead of the prisoners, and keep an eye on the Kid, while he and Holmes watch the remaining prisoners. At a sharp turn in the trail the Apaches executed their escape. Two of the chained up renegades attacked Reynolds and another two attacked Holmes. The shotgun in Reynolds' hands was taken and then turned against him. The following discharge hit the sheriff in the head and was killed immediately. At the same time the renegade named Bach-e-o-nal disarmed Holmes and killed him before charging up the hill and shooting Middleton in the face. All this happened while Avott hid in a bush, but when the Apaches ran off, Avott tried to alarm the authorities about the incident, for this he was pardoned
. The bullet that hit Middleton went through his mouth and out the back of his neck but he survived. After Avott alarmed a local rancher, who gave him a horse to ride, Middleton regained enough strength to walk back to Kelvin when he found that climbing on top of his coach, or a horse, was impossible.
The Apaches robbed Reynolds and the others before they left and the Apache Kid even saved Middleton's life from another renegade who wanted to crush the driver's head with a rock. The weather was cold that day so Reynolds was wearing a coat and gloves. The coat hindered Reynolds from getting to his pistol when he needed to and the gloves prevented the Apaches from stealing his gold ring. The ring was later given to Reynolds' wife when he was buried in Globe, next to his son, who died sometime before. After the murders the United States Army
launched a campaign to catch the fugitives and by October of 1890 all were caught except the Apache Kid. Also that year, Mexican rurales
killed an old renegade somewhere in northern Mexico. Reynold's pistol and watch were found on the Apache and later turned over to his family.
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
man of the Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, remembered for his death during the Kelvin Grade Massacre
Kelvin Grade Massacre
The Kelvin Grade Massacre was an incident that occurred in November of 1889 when a group of Apache renegades escaped from police custody near Globe, Arizona. The escape resulted in the deaths of two policemen and it triggered one of the largest manhunts in the history of Arizona...
, in Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
, when a group of Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
renegades
Renegade period of the Apache Wars
The Renegade period of the Apache Wars refers to the conflicts between the United States and the Apache people who left the reservation system between 1879 and 1886, and renegade Apaches who lived in northern Mexico into the 1920s. Chief Victorio and the medicine man Geronimo were perhaps the best...
escaped from his custody.
Biography
Glenn Reynolds was born sometime in 1853, likely around AlbanyAlbany, Texas
Albany is a city in Shackelford County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,034 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Shackelford County.-History:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He served as a child soldier during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, protecting frontier settlements from Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
raids while the older rebels engaged the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. After the Comanche Wars
Comanche Wars
The Comanche Wars were forays by bands of Comanche native Americans along the Mexican and Texan frontier. Some of their forays extended well down into Mexico. The Apache conducted similar forays in the vicinity of southern Arizona...
Reynolds participated in the cattle drives from Texas to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
until being elected sheriff of Throckmorton County
Throckmorton County, Texas
-2010 census:As of the census of 2010, there were 1,641 people. There were 1,079 housing units, 358 of which were vacant. The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% White , 0.1% Black or African American , 0.7% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 2.6% from other races , and 0.8% from two or more races...
in 1885. His election was at least partly due to his prominent family which owned a cattle company near Albany. Around 1887 Reynolds, and his family, headed across the Southwest driving 3,000 head of cattle and 200 horses to Bowie Station
Bowie, Arizona
Bowie is an unincorporated community in Cochise County, Arizona. The community lies on Interstate 10 in eastern Arizona close to the western New Mexico border...
in Arizona Territory. He then took his portion of the livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
and settled at a ranch in Pleasant Valley
Tonto Basin
The Tonto Basin, also known as Pleasant Valley, covers the main drainage of Tonto Creek and its tributaries in central Arizona, at the southwest of the Mogollon Rim, the higher elevation transition zone across central and eastern Arizona....
, a troubled region in a time known as the Tonto Basin War
Pleasant Valley War
The Pleasant Valley War, sometimes called the Tonto Basin Feud, or Tonto Basin War, was commonly thought to be an Arizona range war between two feuding families, the cattle-herding Grahams and the sheep-herding Tewksburys...
, between feuding settlers. During this time Edwin Tewksbury accused Reynolds of killing Al Rose
Al Rose
Alfred Grady Rose was a tight end in the National Football League who played for the Providence Steam Roller and the Green Bay Packers. Rose played collegiate ball for the University of Texas before playing professionally for 7 seasons. He retired after the 1936 season...
on November 1, 1887 with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. Rose was killed by eight or nine men wearing masks and overcoats at the Houdon Ranch, one of three owned by the Graham family. The county coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
later said that wounds on Rose's face appeared to have been caused by buckshot. When the situation in Pleasant Valley became untolerable Reynolds moved his family on again. This time to Globe
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
, where he was elected sheriff in November of 1888.
In 1889 a group of prisoners at Globe had to be trasported to Yuma Territorial Prison
Yuma Territorial Prison
The Yuma Territorial Prison was a prison in the Arizona Territory of the United States and now in present day Yuma, Arizona. The Territorial Prison is one of the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.The site is...
, including the Apache Kid, other renegades, and a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
named Jesus Avott. The first part of the journey required a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
ride to Casa Grande
Casa Grande, Arizona
Casa Grande is a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 48,571...
where the prisoners would board a train for Yuma
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
. Reynolds was ordered to command the procession with Sheriff William A. Holmes, and the coach driver Eugene Middleton, as company. So on November 1, 1889, Reynolds left Globe for Casa Grande. The party stopped at Kelvin, Arizona, on the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
, for the first night, and then proceeded on for Casa Grande early the next morning. Due to concerns that an incline along the road, known as Kelvin Grade
Kelvin Grade Massacre
The Kelvin Grade Massacre was an incident that occurred in November of 1889 when a group of Apache renegades escaped from police custody near Globe, Arizona. The escape resulted in the deaths of two policemen and it triggered one of the largest manhunts in the history of Arizona...
, would be too steep for the horses to pull a wagon full of prisoners up, Reynolds decided that when they reached the grade the prisoners would be taken out of the coach and marched up on foot. All of the prisoners were wearing handcuffs and each pair was attached to one another. Only Avott was by himself. The Apache Kid and one other man were considered too dangerous for this so they were left inside.
When the party reached Kelvin Grade the lawmen did as planned. Reynolds directed Middleton to take the coach on ahead of the prisoners, and keep an eye on the Kid, while he and Holmes watch the remaining prisoners. At a sharp turn in the trail the Apaches executed their escape. Two of the chained up renegades attacked Reynolds and another two attacked Holmes. The shotgun in Reynolds' hands was taken and then turned against him. The following discharge hit the sheriff in the head and was killed immediately. At the same time the renegade named Bach-e-o-nal disarmed Holmes and killed him before charging up the hill and shooting Middleton in the face. All this happened while Avott hid in a bush, but when the Apaches ran off, Avott tried to alarm the authorities about the incident, for this he was pardoned
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. The bullet that hit Middleton went through his mouth and out the back of his neck but he survived. After Avott alarmed a local rancher, who gave him a horse to ride, Middleton regained enough strength to walk back to Kelvin when he found that climbing on top of his coach, or a horse, was impossible.
The Apaches robbed Reynolds and the others before they left and the Apache Kid even saved Middleton's life from another renegade who wanted to crush the driver's head with a rock. The weather was cold that day so Reynolds was wearing a coat and gloves. The coat hindered Reynolds from getting to his pistol when he needed to and the gloves prevented the Apaches from stealing his gold ring. The ring was later given to Reynolds' wife when he was buried in Globe, next to his son, who died sometime before. After the murders the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
launched a campaign to catch the fugitives and by October of 1890 all were caught except the Apache Kid. Also that year, Mexican rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
killed an old renegade somewhere in northern Mexico. Reynold's pistol and watch were found on the Apache and later turned over to his family.