Leading up to Arizona's centennial Feb. 14, we'll reprint a story or excerpts each day from the Arizona Daily Star or Tucson Citizen archives.
Feb. 1, 1912
"Whoopee! I am a red-eyed wolf, a ring-tailed tiger. I can lick any 16 'greasers' in Arizona," shouted a typical American hobo, as he stormed up and down the sidewalk in front of the Park View hotel about 6 o'clock last night.
He had just witnessed a bloody encounter between his partner and a Mexican hack driver in which the Mexican had demonstrated that he was some bruiser. In fact, the Mexican, whom the spectators say was forced into the fight, made a considerable change in the mapo of his opponent.
After the hack driver had put several blocks of distance between himself and the scene of the first battle, the man who made the startling announcement suddenly decided that he was a real true bad man.
A profound silence followed this announcement, and flushed with his temporary bluff, the man also invited any cowardly Yankee who happened to be so inclined, to step out and try conclusions with him.
At this, a small, diminutive, pale-faced man detached himself from the crowd and took up the challenge. What immediately followed was so sudden that the large crowd which had gathered gasped in amazement. There was a sound of blows, a cloud of dust hiding from view the combatants, when suddenly the confusion took form.
In the center of the street was seated what was left of the Arizona bad man. Both eyes were closed, blood was flowing freely from his nose and a dozen cuts.
He was completely subdued.
"Boys," he murmured as kind hands carried him into the hotel, "I tried once too often to come back."
Arizona Daily Star
The Sundt Cos., O'Rielly Chevrolet, Research Corp. for Science Advancement, the University of Arizona, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Rosemont Copper, Tucson Realty & Trust. Co., Jack Furrier Tire & Auto Care, Walgreens and Carondelet Health Network are sponsors of the Star's Arizona Centennial project.
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