Bill Downing a.k.a. William F. Downing (1860 – August 5, 1908) was a notorious outlaw during the Wild West era in Arizona. Downing had fled from the Texas Rangers posse who was after him when he came to Arizona. In Arizona, he was involved in the killing of William S. “Slim” Traynor and in various train robberies including the robbery of the Train Depot in the town of Cochise. Downing was so unpopular that even members of his gang couldn't stand him.
Early years
Downing was born in Texas. He was in trouble with the law when he came to Arizona Territory, with a Texas Rangers posse in pursuit. Allegedly his real name was Frank Jackson, a teenager who was a member of the Sam Bass gang. Jackson had been involved in a shoot-out at Round Rock, Texas between the Bass gang and the Texas Rangers in July, 1878. Jackson was shot in one leg, but survived. The posse killed Bass, however Jackson escaped and rode through New Mexico until he reached Arizona where he assumed the name William F. Downing. Once he settled down, he sent for his wife, Linda Downing who was also a native of Texas. Downing never spoke about his relationship with the Bass gang.
He and his wife settled down near the small Sulphur Springs Valley mining town of Pearce. Downing worked as a cowhand at nearby ranches. He was hired to work in the Esperanza Ranch, which was known for hiring rustlers, outlaws and renegade Apaches. Though Downing became known for his quarrelsome nature, he was also known to be less quarrelsome when he was drinking whiskey.
The killing of William S. “Slim” Traynor
Downing and his wife moved to the town of Willcox. There he spent most of his time hanging around saloons and associating with the members of an outlaw gang run by Albert R. “Burt” Alvord, who was the town constable when he wasn't working as a ranch-hand. However, there was a particular person whom Downing did not like and that was William S. “Slim” Traynor.
Traynor, who also went by the name of "Bill Traynor", was a native of Tennessee who at onetime had been an outlaw, mine guard and a veteran Rough Rider campaigning in Cuba during the Spanish-American War under the command of Theodore Roosevelt. He was hired by Edwin Russell Hooker, a cattle inspector, to look after his father, Henry Hooker, Sierra Bonita range interests. Traynor was engaged to be married to Mila Allaire, a young lady who was a member of a Willcox ranching family. He suspected Downing of stealing cattle and re-branding them. As such he made it known publicly that Downing was a rustler and that he was looking for him.
On the evening of May 19, 1899, Traynor and his friend Henry C. Taylor, an off-duty bartender, walked into Tom Fulghum's "Elite Saloon" on the corner of Maley and Haskell Streets. Some witnesses say that Downing came in after Traynor, while others claim that Downing was already in the saloon.
Witnesses to the events that followed stated that when Downing walked in, Traynor dropped his right hand as if going for his gun. Four shots rang out from Bill Downing's pistol and Bill Traynor lay dead on the barroom floor; shot through the head and chest. Downing was arrested and during his trial he claimed the following: "I accepted Taylor's invitation to take a cigar and as I answered, (Traynor) whirled around as though he went after his gun. As I stepped up to the bar, I was watching him on account of the threats he had made, and I looked outside. I thought it was a life-and-death matter and drew my gun and jerked Thomas Burts back so as not to shoot him and commenced shooting. I am not certain as to how many shots I fired.”
Constable Alvord testified that he took the pistol and belt off the person of the deceased. He continued to state that he found the pistol loaded with five cartridges and one empty chamber. The pistol was in the scabbard when he took it off the deceased. No one took and checked Downing's gun. According to Constable Alvord, Traynor's body bore wounds from three bullets. One had torn through his breast and exited his shoulder; the other two had penetrated his skull. The coroner's jury found that Downing was acting in self-defense and was justified.
The Southern-Pacific Cochise Depot robbery
Constable Burt Alvord was hired by the town of Willcox to police the boisterous cowboys in the area because of his reputation of being a bad man in Tombstone. Alvord hired Bill Downing and Billy Stiles as deputies. Together with their newfound legality they would be able to pursue their criminal careers without arousing the suspicion of the town folks. Among the members of the newly founded Alvord-Stiles Gang were local cowboys, such as Matt Burts, the Owen brothers and Jack Dunlap.