NESTLED JUST MILES FROM THE MEXICO BORDER IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA LIES THE SMALL TOWN OF RUBY ARIZONA. WHAT WAS ONCE A LARGE LEAD MINING OPERATION HAS SLOWLY FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR AND RUINS. HOUSES OF THE WEALTHY SIT ATOP THE HILLSIDE REFERRED TO AS "NOB HILL", ABANDONED AND SILENT. MANY OTHER STRUCTURES LIKE THE SCHOOLHOUSE AND JAIL ARE STILL STANDING, GIVING YOU THE FEEL OF HOW THE TOWN ONCE OPERATED SO LONG AGO. WHILE IN FULL OPERATION THE TOWN WAS RELATIVELY QUIET, HOWEVER BEING SO CLOSE TO THE US/MEXICO BORDER MEANT TROUBLE FOR RUBY ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. VIGILANTE BANDITS WOULD RIDE IN ON HORSEBACK PERIODICALLY AND WREAK HAVOC ON THE TOWNSPEOPLE. JOHN AND ALEXANDER FRASER, OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF THE RUBY POST OFFICE AND MERCANTILE, WERE THE FIRST TO FALL VICTIMS OF THIS BRUTALITY. ALTHOUGH BEING WARNED BY THE PRIOR OWNER PHILIP CLARKE TO BE WARY OF ROAMING VIGILANTES, THE FRASER BROTHERS WERE ROBBED AND MURDERED FEB 27TH 1920 BY MEXICAN BANDITS. ALEXANDER WAS SHOT IN THE BACK AND JOHN WAS SHOT THROUGH THE EYE. THE NEXT TO FALL VICTIMS WERE FRANK AND MYRTLE PEARSON. BOTH WERE KILLED BY MEXICAN BANDITS WHILE OPERATING THE POST OFFICE AND MERCANTILE ON AUG 26TH 1921, NOT LONG AFTER THE FRASER BROTHERS HAD SUFFERED THE SAME FATE. ALTHOUGH NO JUSTICE WAS EVER FOUND FOR THE FRASER BROTHERS, THE PEARSON'S MURDERERS WERE EVENTUALLY CAPTURED AND 1 OF THEM, BY THE NAME MANUEL MARTINEZ, WAS HUNG FOR THE CRIMES. PLACIDO SILVAS WAS CAPTURED BUT ESCAPED FROM PRISON AND WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN. MANY BELIEVE THE POST OFFICE BUILDING MAY HAVE BEEN CURSED FROM THE STRUCTURE BEING BUILT ATOP A GRAVE OF A MAN NAMED "TIO PEDRO", A PRIEST THAT WAS BURIED THERE IN THE 1800's.
THERE WAS ALSO A SUICIDE THAT OCCURRED IN RUBY ON JUNE 21ST 1936. FRED GREGORY WAS A CHEMIST IN RUBY AND RAN THE ASSAY OFFICE. HE WAS A FAMILY MAN WITH A WIFE AND 2 CHILDREN. UNFORTUNATELY, HE FOUND OUT THAT HIS WIFE HAD BEEN UNFAITHFUL AND WENT TO THE ASSAY OFFICE AND DRANK A FATAL AMOUNT OF CYANIDE, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. ALTHOUGH ONLY A CARETAKER NOW RESIDES IN RUBY, THE SPIRITS FROM THESE TRAGIC EVENTS ARE STILL LINGERING THE COLD DESERT AT NIGHT, SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS THEY MAY NEVER FIND.
RUBY AZ MERCANTILE, LOCATION OF 2 DOUBLE HOMICIDES
