My Tough, Yet Compassionate Grandfather
By John E Anderson, East Sierra Branch
The tale of William Norris Hightower, his conviction for murder, his escape from prison, years on the run and eventual pardon is one of those family legends passed down through generations.
Hightower was born in Breckenridge, Texas, in 1863 and moved to New Mexico with his family in 1881.
He came upon a couple of fellows, who were busy working in his mine. As we call them nowadays, they were claim jumpers.
The main man was James Meese, who was a notoriously disliked fellow with a bad attitude and temper. An argument ensued. Meese was there with his brother, who I guess would be considered autistic, just there helping his brother.
Meese pulled out a gun and began threatening my granddad, he even popped off a few rounds. As I understand, my granddad had a friend with him who was wounded. Hightower made it back to his home about one-mile up Eagle Creek Canyon, retrieved a weapon and returned. In the gun battle that followed, he killed James Meese. The story goes that he put the brother on a horse with Meese’s body, rode with the brother to Meese’s home and told the people there what happened.
Well, it did not sit too well with the local sheriff. Granddad was arrested and tried in the then-county courthouse in White Oaks. around 1895 or 1896. They found him guilty and in 1897, he was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for murder. They sent him to Santa Fe Territorial Prison. New Mexico still was a territory, not a state.
Three days after he went into prison, he figured out a way to escape, some sort of ladder someone forgot. He climbed over the fence and ran. They set out after him with hounds, but granddad was a hunter and sturdy pioneer. He was able to put enough distance between himself and the hounds.
Hightower crossed the Rio Grande River and spotted a Spanish homestead with dogs wandering around. He mixed and mingled with the canines, leaving his scent. When the hounds came, they got into a big tussle with homesteader’s dogs. The hounds already were tired and were whipped by the other dogs and did not want to go on. They quit.
Grandpa traveled 190 miles, on foot, from Santa Fe all the way to Eagle Creek traveling at night.
From there the story goes he knew he was going to be pursued and went to Mexico and hid there for months or years.
According to his obituary, while hiding out in old Mexico, Hightower mined among the Yaqui Indians, only to find he would probably lose his life in leaving their country with the gold. He was their friend, and they did not resent his taking the gold, but he might tell others and there would be a rush of the distrusted white miners. He left empty-handed and returned to the United States. He went back to Eagle Creek and turned himself into the law, asking to receive a new trial.
All the local people stood up for him and contended it was a shooting in self-defense. The local people convinced the judge to reverse the verdict and he was given a full pardon and returned home.