July 17, 2009
Went into the Beast last night and met Kathy at Fashion Square to see a sneak of the new movie Julie & Julia. Even though we arrived fifteen minutes early, the line snaked all the way down the second story of the mall and we didn't make the cut to get in. Drove over to Bombay Spice for a dinner of hummus and veggie curry dishes ($35, includes tip, house account) and then drove home. Speaking of veggies, I am in the third week of my plant diet. Goal is 28 days not eating anything with a face. Ha. So far, so faceless.

Excellent comments on yesterday's questions about the type of Naco policemen who shot it out with Jeff Kidder in 1908. Here is a recreation by Robert Ray of the New York Times article that ran before Kidder died:

And here is Kidder's deathbed statement: "I had not had a chance to move when two Mexican police came through the doorway with their six-shooters drawn, and one fired hitting me."

After Kidder's death, Captain Harry Wheeler went across the border to investigate the shooting. He interviewed eyewitnesses and the three wounded officers directly (one of them allegedly died of his wounds). The stories conflicted wildly and many put Kidder in a bad light. A bartender testified Jeff "had taken at least fifty drinks." Wheeler had to go to Cananea to recover Kidder's revolver and badge, the latter found in a pawn shop. Because of the political fallout, there were some fifteen cantinas in Naco and they were ordered closed and 20 Naco policemen and line riders were dismissed, including the wounded chief. Of course, as is often the case on both sides of the border, some of the discharged officers were soon reinstated.

"I can die with the knowledge that I did my best in a hard situation."
—Jeff Kidder