I started my search as I always do with Google search. I put in the name E. L. Ferguson and got many other folks with that last name but not the man I was interested in writing about. Then I took another look at his headstone photo I took and noticed the name “Pete Spence”. I Googled that name and jackpot, Mr. Ferguson was found. It looks like he definitely left his mark in Arizona history.
He was born Elliot Larkin Ferguson in 1851 according to his headstone. When Ferguson later went under the alias “Pete Spence” during his notorious robbing and murderous days, it remains a mystery where he was precisely born. Some records show that he was born in Texas in 1852 or in Louisiana in 1850. There is nothing known of his childhood, his parents, or of any siblings. The first known record that Ferguson existed was when he enlisted in the Texas Rangers and served under Captain Wallace in June 29, 1874. He acquired the rank of second lieutenant, with unknown information on his whereabouts after leaving the Rangers.
It was in 1878 when Ferguson began his run from the law after committing a robbery in Texas. His journey took him to the Arizona Territory where he decided to hang his hat in Tombstone and change his name to Peter M. Spencer. Bisbee and Tombstone seemed to be the place where many fugitives, gun slingers, and murderers would settle down and hide from the law.
The twosome, Spence and Stilwell, robbed the “Sandy Bob Line” Bisbee stage and were quickly apprehended afterwards. They were recognized by their voices and Stilwell by his unique boot prints by a Bisbee cobbler who just worked on them. Wyatt Earp was part of the sheriff’s posse that arrested the pair but had to let them go later for lack of evidence. They were arrested a second time by Virgil Earp for meddling with the mail delivery. This arrest angered the McLaury boys and 13 days later the gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurred. Stilwell was in jail on that day but Spence was released several days earlier because of the little evidence leveled against him.
It is suspected that Spence, along with Stilwell were responsible for the death of Morgan Earp. The actuations were brought on by Spence’s displeased wife, Marietta Duarte. The charges against Spence were dropped because spouses were not allowed to testify against each other. The Earps got wind of what the coroner’s report showed and decided to take matters in their own hands. There are stories told that Spence had a lookout named “Indian Charlie” during Morgan Earp’s murder and was killed two days after Morgan’s death by the Earp Vendetta Ride posse. Others were killed by this posse as well. Spence was able to escape the posse by turning himself in to the authorities for protection. The Earps found out later that Spence was an accessory in the murder, but it was Stilwall that fired the fatal shot at Morgan. The story goes on to say that Curly Bill Brocius fired his gun at the same time through a door which almost hit Wyatt Earp. Curly was later shot and killed by the posse for his part in Morgan’s assassination.
Spence later moved to Globe and together with his long time friend, Phineas “Fin” Clanton, brother to Ike Clanton, they owned a goat ranch located south of town in the Galiuro Mountains. He also was in charge of burro trains which brought supplies into the Globe area. His good friend Fin died in 1906 and Spence remained friends with his wife. On April 2, 1910, Spence married the widow of Fin Clanton, but this time using his real name E. L. Ferguson. He died in 1914 and is buried in the Globe, Arizona cemetery and said to be next to Fin Clanton. His grave is unmarked till this date, but another marked grave with his name on a headstone is also in this cemetery. So the question remains, where is E. L. Ferguson’s final resting place? We may never know.
