12 Famous Yuma Territorial Prison Inmates Who Shaped Prison History
The Yuma Territorial Prison was home to over 3,000 inmates, many of whom became some of the most notable figures in Arizona’s early history. Of that mix of outlaws, murderers, crooks, and rabble-rousers, a few inmates stood out for their notorious deeds, larger-than-life personalities, or remarkable stories.
Pearl Hart
Pearl Hart gained notoriety on May 30, 1899, when she and Joe Boot robbed the Globe-to-Florence stagecoach, making her a media sensation nationwide. Sentenced to five years in Yuma Territorial Prison, she served only two after winning a pardon, reputedly using her charm on both guards and fellow prisoners. Later reports suggest she remarried and was still living in Arizona under a different name as late as 1940.
"Buckskin" Frank Leslie
"Buckskin" Frank Leslie worked alongside Wyatt Earp at the Oriental Bar in Tombstone, Arizona. Known for his deadly skill with a six-gun, he killed Billy Claiborne of the Clanton Gang and later his own girlfriend in a drunken rage. Wyatt Earp reputedly said that Leslie was the only man who could rival Doc Holliday's blinding speed and accuracy.
Ricardo Flores Magón
Ricardo Flores Magón was a revolutionary leader who, in 1906, founded the Partido Liberal Mexicano to oppose the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. That same year, he was jailed in Yuma for violations of the Neutrality Act. He later died in 1922 under questionable circumstances while imprisoned at Leavenworth Penitentiary. In 1946, his remains were repatriated to Mexico City's Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres.
Elena Estrada
Elena Estrada’s crime of passion shocked the Arizona Territory. Sentenced to seven years for manslaughter, she stabbed her unfaithful lover, cut open his chest, and threw his heart into his face, leaving a gruesome mark on Yuma Territorial Prison history.
Barney K. Riggs
Barney K. Riggs was sentenced to life for killing a man involved with his wife. While imprisoned, he rescued Superintendent Gates during the Gates Riots and was later pardoned by Governor Sulick on December 31, 1887. Riggs’ life ended in 1902 when he was fatally shot by Buck Chadborne at Fort Stockton, Texas.
Guillermo Lisaldo
Guillermo Lisaldo, Convict No. 1856, was a 27-year-old laborer sentenced in March 1902 to 15 years for second-degree murder. His girlfriend was discovered dead in a house, and though Lopez had vanished, the Sheriff found his belt and memo book at the scene, sealing his conviction.
William Jordan Flake
William Jordan Flake arrived in Arizona as a pioneer in 1877. In 1884, he was arrested for unlawful plural marriage, refusing to flee to Mexico like many others and instead challenging the Edmunds Act as "a mockery, a travesty on justice." He served six months in prison before returning to Snowflake, Arizona, where he lived out his days as a respected community leader and cattleman with his two wives, Prudence and Lucy, and their 20 children.
Phillip Lashley
Phillip Lashley, Convict No. 1194, was a 28-year-old saddle maker whose jealousy turned deadly in June 1896. When Mrs. Maggie Jennings welcomed Private Saunders to her mother's house for ice cream, Lashley followed in a rage and gunned Saunders down, sealing his fate at the Yuma Territorial Prison.
John Gatlan
John Gatlan, Convict No. 1504, was a 21-year-old cattleman sentenced in June 1899 to two years for grand larceny after turning from ranch work to burglary. During his time at the Yuma Territorial Prison, he endured 18 days in the notorious dark cell.
Edward Lopez
Edward Lopez, Convict No. 129, was a 35-year-old saddle maker sentenced to four years for grand larceny in November 1882. He served time at the Yuma Territorial Prison twice, and in a strange twist of fate, both admissions fell on the same date, November 26.
Walter Lewis
Walter Lewis, Convict No. 1060, was a 28-year-old clerk sentenced in May 1895 to three years for second-degree burglary after drifting across the country in search of California. During his time at the Yuma Territorial Prison, he was sent to the dark cell twice.
Es-Kay-Da-Pany
Es-Kay-Da-Pany, Convict No. 985, was a 28-year-old laborer sentenced to 25 years for murder in June 1894. Though known as a violent criminal, prison records describe him as a model inmate with no infractions, often tending the prison garden. It was there that a tragic mishap claimed his life.
To learn more about these ruffians, visit the Yuma Territorial Prison Museum. Walk the cell block, explore the cells and grounds, and get a firsthand sense of why inmates dubbed the prison "the hell hole." Along the way, you’ll uncover stories of daring, defiance, and the harsh realities of life behind these walls.
