Photos: Power Brothers shootout east of Tucson in 1918
John and Tom Power and Tom Sisson were convicted of murdering the Graham County Sheriff Frank McBride and two deputies in 1918 near Klondyke in the Galiuro Mountains east of Tucson. The group was trying to arrest the brothers for draft evasion during World War I. A federal marshal was wounded.
McBride was known to strictly uphold the law, according to Arizona State University. The Power brothers were wanted for draft evasion – a misdemeanor. Despite this, McBride obtained federal warrants for their arrest and organized a posse.
The Power brothers claim the lawmen never identified themselves when they approached the Power home. The only lawman to survive the shootout was behind the house and not in a good spot to see what ensued.
The three fugitives evaded several posses for nearly a month but were captured by the U.S. Calvary.
The brothers were paroled from Arizona State Prison in 1960 and pardoned in 1969. Tom died in 1970. John died in 1976. Sisson died in prison.
In 1975, the Power cabin in the Galiuro Mountains was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Power Brothers Shootout
John and Tom Power in 1960, while awaiting to be paroled. The Power brothers were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
The Power Cabin near Klondyke, Ariz., as it appeared before restoration. The shootout happened in the early morning, Feb. 9, 1981. The Power family mined gold in the area in the early 1900s.
Power Brothers Shootout
Reward post for the capture of the Power brothers and Tom Sisson, in connection with the deaths of three sheriff's deputies in 1918. The three escaped to Mexico but were captured by the U.S. Calvary.
Power Brothers Shootout
The Power brothers leaving Arizona State Prison, Florence, in April 1960, after the parole board voted to release them. They were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
John Power tries to put the top botton on his shirt. The Power brothers were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
The Power brothers work on the prison farm in Florence. Before the shootout, they helped their father mine a gold claim in the Galiuro Mountains. They were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
Tom Power, left, and John Power sit on a hued at the Arizona State Prison in Florence in 1960, waiting to be paroled. They were inseperable in prison and eschued alcohol, tobacco and even coffee. They were convicted for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
John Power, left, shoes a horse as Tom steadies it at the Arizona State Prison. The brothers were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918. Tom died in 1970.
Power Brothers Shootout
Tom Power works on a sewing machine. The Power brothers were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Power Brothers Shootout
John Power looks at an old violin. We and his brother packed the things they made in the prison to take with them after release. The brothers were serving a life sentence in Arizona State Prison for the murders of three sheriff's deputies in 1918.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
Read the story of the Powers affair as it was told to Tucsonans in 1918 in this ebook that is available for Kindle and Nook and in a free vers…