HENRY C. BEUMLER

Recorded by Helen M. Smith, Field Reporter, June 3, 1938

I was born in Ohio, in 1862. My father, Henry Beumler was of German birth. After the custom of the old country, I was put out as an apprentice to a tiner and sheet iron worker. This trade, learned during four years of apprenticeship, has proven very valuable to me on several occasions when my knowledge of law has not proven sufficiently lacerative.

I came to Arizona to look for a location where I could practice my profession. I had completed my law course at Drake University and was anxious to hang out my shingle. I had previously worked at the tinsmith trade in Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, Birmingham, Alabama, and various other places; and later made my way to Butte, Montana, where I became a charter member of the first tinsmith’s union.

While there I heard of Bisbee, Arizona, and it seemed to me to be a desirable place to practice law. I took office with Mr. J.M. O’Connell, but there was little law business, and I had to eat. I arranged with Mr. O’Connell to handle our cases when and if he had a case, and went forth to again practice my knowledge of tinsmithing and sheet iron working. I soon was given employment with Mr. Joe Schwarts. At the end of my first week with him, I was given a raise and made foreman. Soon he sent me to Douglas, Arizona, to help put the roof on the old El Paso and Southwestern depot, which then stood in the place where the Y.M.C.A. now stands. That experience was my first of Douglas where I was to drop anchor, marry the finest and loveliest woman I ever knew, rear my children, and enjoy such friends as I am sure there no better on the face of the earth. I arrived in Douglas, on December first, 1901, and as I look back over the years spent there I realize that I could not have made a more favorable choice of location.

When I reached Douglas there was but one restaurant. It was across the track west from where the Y.M.C.A. now stands, constructed of ties, and about what might have been expected of that frontier period. We got wholesome sustaining, and satisfying food. The proprietor was George French, uncle of Mr. Wirt M. French, traffic officer of the Douglas police force now, and long a resident of Douglas.

At that time Douglas was made up of such buildings as there were from the new depot east on Tenth Street to about where the Palomar Hotel now stands. They were then excavating for the Phelps Dodge store as now located. The business of the Phelps Dodge was then conducted in the building now the warehouse. The freighting was done by mule team.

Aston and Maloney had a store on the south side of Tenth Street. There was then nothing in the form of public utilities—waterworks, telephone offices, lighting systems or such. We carried water in buckets or barrels from the town well, located at about the present site of the water offices.

Erne Herr was the proprietor of the first barber shop. He was quite enterprising, installing a bathtub where an occasional bath could be taken, although bathing conditions were far from ideal. He had to haul the necessary water in barrels.

The smallest change in town at first was twenty-five cent pieces, but a little later one came across a few nickels and dimes. It was a long time before copper cents were seen in Douglas.

In 1901 I opened the first law office of the town at 339 Tenth Street, in a frame building later improved and used as a store building. This location was for a long time occupied by John Mohr’s wholesale business.

About that time, A.F. Benty, who started the first newspaper of Douglas, came to the city. He launched the Douglas Dispatch as a weekly issue.

Mr. Chase, who had built and owned the building my office occupied, requested that I give way until he could improve the building. I moved out but returned upon completion of the improvements. After returning, I branched out somewhat, adding mining promotion to my law business. Fred Hess, still of Douglas, and R.O. Johnson, now of Gary, Indiana, were associated with me in this.

Mr. Johnson w as later honored by elections the first Justice of the Peace so chosen. The previous Justice, a Mr. Perrin, was chosen by the Board of Supervisors. The first elected constable was Date Graham, and unless I am badly mistaken, Charles Overlook was the first deputy sheriff.

In 1904, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Ross, Charles Nichols, and I, formed the first amusement company of the town, naming it the Douglas Amusement Company. There had been a turn against prize fighting in the United States and the lid had been clamped down. We conceived the idea of making Douglas a sporting center by building an arena just across the International line and taking the boxers there for the program. Mr. Johnson and I went to Hermosillo, carrying two pairs of boxing gloves, to demonstrate to the governor the harmlessness of the sport we advocated. The governor granted us the requested permit to conduct our fights, and we returned to perfect our plans. But President Dias had not been consulted by us. He revoked the permit, and we were left with the arena on our hands. We turned to bull fighting, since the arena was practically our only asset. We secured the presence of Cervera, brother of Admiral Cervera of the Spanish fleet which took part in the Spanish American War, and commenced advertising. We advertised a price of five dollars and down for seats, and a bang-up program. It took about three years of this effort to convince us there was no money to be made in conducting bull fights. At our first bull fight, however, we had distinguished guests. The territorial governor of Arizona, the Governor Torres of Sonora, were both present. Cervera made a slashing strike at the bull, cut off an ear, and tossed it from the point of his sword up to Governor Torres. This feat elicited a loud cheer from the assembled multitude.

There were many saloons and gambling houses in the early period of the development of Douglas. The outstanding ones as I remember there were The White House, The Cattle Exchange, and The Waldorf. Blackjack, roulette, or any desired game could basically be found.

There was a hold-up in the Cattle Exchange which was one of the most daring I ever knew of. It was a one-man affair. He came suddenly into the place, closing the doors as he stepped in. With the two six shooters he carried in his hands, he was entirely in command of the room. He ordered every man in the room to line up against the far wall. After this was done he ordered the bartender to bring all cash to a table near him, after which he made the bartender take his place against the wall with the others. The robber then put one gun in his pocket, walked up to the table, put the money, previously wrapped in a handkerchief by the bartender, in his pocket in t the meantime keeping his audience covered with the remaining gun, backed to the door, stepped out, and rode rapidly away.

I remember that the first election held in the city was held in my office. We were selecting three members for a county convention of our party (Democrat). My derby hat was the ballot box. It was held so the person passing could not see into it. The voters came in the front door, voted, and passed out the back door. There were more votes cast than the then population of the city totaled, but the election was not protested, and everyone seemed satisfied.

The first school building in Douglas was a frame structure standing on the lot now occupied by the Gadsden Hotel. The first teacher was Miss Daisy Maude Lincoln, now Mrs. Alfred C. Lockwood, wife of Justice Lockwood of the Arizona Supreme Court. That building was later moved to the lot where the Baptist Church now stands, and the first election for county officers was held there.

The first permanent school building was erected where the Seventh Street School now stands. Thomas Grindell was the first principal. Miss Berta Webber, of Nixon, Texas, came as a teacher. She was later employed as a stenographer in the office of Albert M. Sames. She and I were married in 1910.

Among the men with whom I have been associated in the practice of law are: N.E. McNeal, now member of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, and A.F. Parsons, one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention when Arizona prepared for statehood. My associate now is my son, Henry W. Beumler. I have a daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson, who resides in Indiana.

Copied from microfilm by Wilola Follett, transcribed by Vynette Sage, made available and maintained on the internet via Jean Walker.

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