Perry Owens

In one incident, when attacked by Navajo locals trying to steal horses under his watch, Owens allegedly killed at least two warriors, and earned the nickname "Iron Man".

In September 1883, Owens was arrested by U.S. Indian Agent Denis Matthew Riordan, for the murder of a young Navajo boy near Houck's ranch.

[citation needed] Owens had red hair and dressed as a typical cowboy, as seen in his photo taken in New Mexico.

He wore his hair long in his youth, often curling it up underneath his hat, was popular with the ladies, and was often teased because of his unusual name.

Owens is said to have named his place the "Z-Bar Ranch", but this brand was not officially registered with the Apache County Recorder's Office.

[1] Owens established a reputation as a gunfighter and was nominated by the People's Party for Sheriff of Apache County, Arizona.

Elected by a margin of 91 votes over Democratic candidate Tomas Perez, Owens was well-liked within his jurisdiction.

A newspaper said, "Mr. Owens is a quiet, unassuming man, strictly honorable and upright in his dealings with all men and is immensely popular."

Upon taking office in January 1887, Owens was entrusted with 14 bench warrants that had been left unserved by his predecessor, Jon "Don" Lorenzo Hubbell.

Included among these were warrants for the Mormon gunman Lot Smith, former Tombstone badman Ike Clanton, and rustler "Andrew Arnold Cooper," an alias for Andy Blevins.

Sheriff Owens immediately cleaned up the filthy jail and accounted for public funds down to the postage stamps he used.

Ike was arrested for shooting Virgil Earp, but the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence when his friends testified he'd been out of town.

On November 6, 1886 rancher Isaac Ellinger was shot at Clanton's ranch by gang member Lee Renfo.

In July, gang members Billy Evans and Longhair Sprague were killed when ranchers trailing stolen horses returned the rustler's gunfire.

Cooper's half-brothers from the Blevins family, including John Black and William "Hamp" Hampton, were also suspected cattle rustlers.

Cradling his Winchester rifle in his arm, Sheriff Owens knocked on the door and, when Andy Blevins answered with a pistol in hand, the lawman told him to come out of the house, stating that he had a warrant for arrest.

Andy's half-brother, John Blevins, pushed a pistol out the door to Owens' right and fired a shot at the Sheriff.

Arizona Sketchbook author Frank Brophy and others have alleged that Roberts was unarmed, and that he jumped from the window to avoid Owens' third shot, which entered the house, but the coroner's jury report indicated that a blood-covered pistol was found near the back door of the cottage where Roberts had re-entered the house after being shot.

After Owens shot Roberts, fifteen-year-old Samuel Houston Blevins ran out the front door, gripping his brother Andy's Colt revolver, which he had taken from the mortally wounded outlaw.

As Apache County became more developed, the constituency began to wonder if Owens had the skills to be as good an administrator as he was a fighter.

The outlaws Robert W. "Red" McNeil and Grant S. "Kid" Swingle continued to escape his attempts to capture them.

Owens was criticized for holding John Blevins in custody, although he was pardoned by the governor for shooting at the sheriff during the conflict at his house.

Commodore Perry Owens finished out his term as Apache County Sheriff, but he was defeated in the election of November 1888 by his former deputy, St. George Creaghe.

[5] In the fall of 1892 Owens again sought nomination for the office of Apache County Sheriff, this time on the Democratic ticket.

In 1894, Owens ran again for sheriff, securing the Democratic nomination, but he was defeated by the Republican candidate by a margin of 50 votes.

In 1895 he was appointed as Sheriff of the newly created Navajo County by Governor Louis Cameron Hughes, serving two years.

Owens appointed as his Under Sheriff his nephew Robert Hufford, son of his sister Mary Francis.

These later years did not have the high drama of his days as Apache County Sheriff, but Owens was still considered a formidable opponent by outlaws.

[7] Elizabeth Jane Owens survived her husband by 21 years, dying in San Diego on April 30, 1945.