William Kidder Meade[Note 1] (September 21 or 26, 1851 – March 15, 1918) was an American politician who served as a United States marshal and two-time member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature.
He lived in St. Louis, Missouri and Denver, Colorado for a short time before moving to Elizabethtown, New Mexico where he worked as a store clerk for two years.
[1] After settling in Arizona Territory, Meade invested in mining operations around Florence and became active in Democratic Party politics.
[7] Several months later, Meade organized the liberation of newly appointed Arizona Territorial Governor C. Meyer Zulick from imprisonment in Mexico.
Speculation among area lawmen was that outlaws had moved to Arizona from New Mexico Territory where a new law had instituted the death penalty for train robbery.
[2] On February 22, 1888, a Southern Pacific train was held up, with the U.S. mail being rifled through and an estimated loss of $240,000 in coins and railroad bonds.
He was accompanied by Pima County Sheriff M. F. Shaw, Undersheriff Charles A. Shibell, W. G. Whorf, and four experienced Papago trackers.
[10] In Janos, Meade requested Mexican authorities continue the pursuit and offered to pay expenses and associated duties.
[6] While Meade was being held, Southern Pacific Railroad detective Bob Paul obtained permission from Mexican authorities to pursue the train robbers, capturing them near Cusihuiriachi.