The Bisbee Massacre:
The Bisbee murders in the Arizona Territory occurred on December 8, 1883, when five outlaws decided to rob the Bisbee general store, believing the safe contained a mining payroll of roughly $7,000. However, the timing of the robbery was off, and they only managed to steal $800, a gold watch, and some worthless jewelry. During the heist, members of the gang killed four people, including a lawman and a pregnant woman.
Of the six men involved in the robbery, five were convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. John Heath, indicted for organizing the robbery, faced a separate trial and received a life sentence. Dissatisfied with the verdict, on February 22, 1884, a lynch mob forcibly removed Heath from jail and hanged him from a telegraph pole. The other five were executed four weeks later. They became the first criminals to be legally hanged in Tombstone, Arizona, and are buried alongside Heath at Boothill Graveyard west of town on highway 80. The cemetery is open to the public, with tickets priced at $3.00, making it a popular stop for tourists visiting Tombstone.
