William B. Casey

​William B. Casey, 1870-1898
Troublemaker

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

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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/  

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