Juniata Maria Ware was born about 1846 in Burlington, Iowa, to H. B. and Amanda Ware. She was a sister to Senator Ware of Kansas and a sister to Eugene F. Ware, the then popular poet "Ironquill." Juniata was a cultured and accomplished lady. She was living in Fort Scott, Kansas when she married Judge Hamilton Calhoun McComas, March 15, 1869. They had four children, Frederick, Ada, Mary and Charles. He was a lawyer engaged by a St. Louis Company to travel to New Mexico to represent interests in various mining ventures. The Judge left his family in Fort Scott while he went to Silver City. The Judge fell in love with New Mexico and decided to make it their home. He sent for his family, opened a law office and bought a home. They fit into the community with many friends. Mining business was taking the Judge to Lordsburg in March of 1883, so he decided to take his wife and boy with him, leaving his two daughters with friends. They left Silver City in the afternoon, driving to a friends place in the Burro Mountains. They spent the night, leaving the next morning after breakfast. They stopped for lunch at noon. All of a sudden they heard whooping and gunshots. The Indians were attacking them. From signs on the ground, it looked like the Judge had jumped out of the buggy and she was whipping the horses trying to outrun them. One of the horses was shot dead. Mrs. McComas was brutally murdered with a rock that had smashed her head in. She was totally naked. Mr. McComas was about 200 yards away, his rifle and empty box of cartridges by his side, he was also was totally naked and had been shot many times. Little Charlie was missing. His body was never found, so it was assumed he was taken to Mexico with the Indians. The Cavalry Scouts took chase, but never found any trace of little Charlie. A stage driver came upon the grizzly murder just about an hour after it happened and got word to Silver City. The bodies were removed to Silver City and were shipped to Fort Scott, Kansas. The funeral was held on Sunday where an immense crowd was in attendance. The military and the G.A.R. escorted the bodies to the Congregational Church, where the services were held and then to the Evergreen Cemetery, where the burial was conducted according to G.A.R. ritual. Juniata's last thoughts must have been for her little boy. What a terrible tragedy. (Picture from 1883 Newspaper article)
Juniata Maria Ware was born about 1846 in Burlington, Iowa, to H. B. and Amanda Ware. She was a sister to Senator Ware of Kansas and a sister to Eugene F. Ware, the then popular poet "Ironquill." Juniata was a cultured and accomplished lady. She was living in Fort Scott, Kansas when she married Judge Hamilton Calhoun McComas, March 15, 1869. They had four children, Frederick, Ada, Mary and Charles. He was a lawyer engaged by a St. Louis Company to travel to New Mexico to represent interests in various mining ventures. The Judge left his family in Fort Scott while he went to Silver City. The Judge fell in love with New Mexico and decided to make it their home. He sent for his family, opened a law office and bought a home. They fit into the community with many friends. Mining business was taking the Judge to Lordsburg in March of 1883, so he decided to take his wife and boy with him, leaving his two daughters with friends. They left Silver City in the afternoon, driving to a friends place in the Burro Mountains. They spent the night, leaving the next morning after breakfast. They stopped for lunch at noon. All of a sudden they heard whooping and gunshots. The Indians were attacking them. From signs on the ground, it looked like the Judge had jumped out of the buggy and she was whipping the horses trying to outrun them. One of the horses was shot dead. Mrs. McComas was brutally murdered with a rock that had smashed her head in. She was totally naked. Mr. McComas was about 200 yards away, his rifle and empty box of cartridges by his side, he was also was totally naked and had been shot many times. Little Charlie was missing. His body was never found, so it was assumed he was taken to Mexico with the Indians. The Cavalry Scouts took chase, but never found any trace of little Charlie. A stage driver came upon the grizzly murder just about an hour after it happened and got word to Silver City. The bodies were removed to Silver City and were shipped to Fort Scott, Kansas. The funeral was held on Sunday where an immense crowd was in attendance. The military and the G.A.R. escorted the bodies to the Congregational Church, where the services were held and then to the Evergreen Cemetery, where the burial was conducted according to G.A.R. ritual. Juniata's last thoughts must have been for her little boy. What a terrible tragedy. (Picture from 1883 Newspaper article)
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