William Belcher, 1846 – 1898
“The Cockney”
 
Buried in Rosedale Cemetery, exact location unknown.  

(Image generated using Bing AI)

William A. Belcher was born in London, England around 1846. Not much is known about him prior to 1880, when he was living in Missoula, Montana. At that time he was working as a watchmaker and living on Front Street. According to news reports, William inherited $5,570 from his mother who had died in England. William quit his profession and began enjoying his money.

William migrated to Phoenix, Arizona and began bartending for Rose Gregory, aka Minnie Powers, a well-known madam. They began living together and, because William had a problem with alcohol, Rose became his money manager. 

William and Rose had a tumultuous relationship because of his drinking and her profession. William would end up in jail because of his behavior and while he was gone, Rose would entertain other gentlemen callers. He would become jealous of her relationships with men and threaten to kill her. 

After his release from jail on September 17, 1898, he went for a few drinks and obtained a .44 caliber handgun. He then went to where Rose and he were living at 720 Railroad Avenue in Phoenix and entered the residence around 9 a.m.

William found Rose alone and asleep in bed. He shot her in the head and then shot himself, falling across her. They were not discovered until 1 p.m. when Flora Wilson, one of the other women living in the house, found the bodies. 

William and Rose were buried in Rosedale Cemetery. William’s location in the cemetery is unknown, as there is no grave marker.  

© 2018 by Patricia Gault. Last revised February 2018.

​If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!

​William B. Casey, 1870-1898
Troublemaker

Buried in Rosedale Cemetery, G58 - there is no marker.

(Image generated with Bing AI)

William B. Casey was born in New York state in 1870 but went west at an early age. He was described as being tall and athletic but of a quarrelsome disposition.

Casey’s nature did not improve upon his move to Arizona. In November 1892, Casey partnered with a Mr. McNulty in a milk delivery service, but the partnership went sour after a few years due to Casey’s frequent run-ins with the law.

On September 7, 1898, Casey was working on the ranch of Ben Anderson, north of Phoenix. Casey had been told to saddle a horse for Anderson’s granddaughter, so she could go riding after dinner. Taking offense at the order, he picked a fight with Anderson’s son-in-law, Charles Balis. Casey attacked Balis with a pitchfork, beating him into insensibility and breaking his leg. The next day, Casey was hauled into court on charges of assault with intent to commit murder. Released on bail, he decided to settle a few more scores. 

Having heard that James Marler, another rancher, had made disparaging remarks about him, Casey and two of his pals went in search of Marler on the morning of September 11. Finding Marler out irrigating his fields, Casey started cursing at him. Getting no satisfaction with a mere verbal assault, Casey went after him with a club. Marler told Casey to drop the club, which he agreed to do on condition that Marler also drop his shovel. Both parties agreed, but as soon as the weapons hit the dirt, Casey struck Marler with his fist, knocking him down.  
           
Casey then directed his attention to George Moudy, a hired hand at the ranch, whom he also accused of making insulting remarks. When Casey rushed at him, Moudy fired two shots in self-defense. One shot was fatal, penetrating the heart. William Casey lay dead. Fearing that Casey’s pals would try to exact revenge, Moudy fled to the White Tank Mountains. 

The day after the shooting, a coroner’s jury was impaneled to rule on the matter of W. B. Casey’s violent death. Witnesses told of the beatings and fights of the last few days, all instigated by the dead man, and how Moudy had warned Casey three times before shooting. Certain now that Moudy would not be charged in the slaying, his friends got word to him. After Moudy recounted his testimony, the court ruled that Moudy had acted in self-defense. 
           
William B. Casey was buried on September 12, 1898, after a Catholic funeral service. Despite his bad temper and reputation, a large crowd of family and friends were there to pay their last respects and follow his coffin to Rosedale Cemetery.  

© 2014 by Karen Krause. Last revised 24 November 2021.
 
The original blog post is on line at https://waddellhistory.wordpress.com/2014/09/  

​If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!