By J. Bryan Wasson
My entire working career was divided between military service and law enforcement. These two activities merged into one career. My military law enforcement led to a career in civilian law enforcement. After release from active duty I remained in the Reserve and most Reserve assignments were in the field of law enforcement. The sum total of military service was 42 years. My last 7 year military assignment was as a Crime Prevention Officer assigned to Headquarters U.S. Army Health Services Command at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
My hobby is scrapbooking. At present three large scrapbooks are devoted to my military career and other military items of interest to me. This leads me back to Arizona Bill. I was looking through one of my military scrap books in search of a place for a news paper clipping related to my old Army Reserve Unit, the 490th Civil Affairs Company of Abilene, Texas which is currently deployed to Iraq.
Browsing through the scrapbook, I came across an article I wrote for The Brayer back in 1984 along with a photo. The article was about Arizona Bill and contained a photo of Bill mounted on his donkey, Tiperray. I loved the two museums located at Fort Sam Houston and visited them often. It was on a visit to the Fort Sam Houston Military Museum that I was first introduced to Arizona Bill and Tiiperray. I must mention at this time that the Fort Sam Museum listed Tiperray as a mule, when in fact, he was a donkey. I guess everybody has the right to be wrong now and then, including this wonderful museum.
With a little bit of editing to the original article, I would like to repeat the 1984 story: Raymond Hatfield (Arizona Bill) Gardner was an extremely colorful character. At one year of age he was kidnapped by Comanche and traded to the Sioux for 9 ponies, 8 blankets and 2 girls. It was in later life that he received his nickname, Arizona Bill as a result of military campaigns against the Apache in Arizona.
He served as a scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. He later served four more enlistments in the Army as a Scout. He also was a Pony Express rider, a prospector, and worked in the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show.
Arizona Bill frequently visited Fort Sam Houston in his travels. He later settled down at Fort Sam Houston and became a familiar sight around the post. In 1935 he was given permission to live on any Army Post by Major General Johnson Haygood, 8th Corps Commander. (I must note that I once wore the 8th Corps shoulder patch on my Army uniform.) Bill frequently slept in the Artillery Post stables at Fort Sam along with his donkey Tiperray.
At his death in 1940, no record of Bill’s military service could be located. As a result he was buried in a civilian cemetery. In 1976 some of his friends searched for and found his service records and arranged for his reburial in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors. MSG (Retired) George Miller was responsible for searching for and finding the lost Service Records of Raymond Hatfield Gardner (Arizona Bill).
Mr. John M. Manguso, Director of the Fort Sam Houston Military Museum assisted me by providing background information and a photograph of Arizona Bill. I do not know if Mr. Manguso is still the Director of the Museum, but suspect he has retired by now. Again, I express my appreciation to Mr. John M. Manguso for his assistance in my research on Arizona Bill.
10-23-03, JBW
My entire working career was divided between military service and law enforcement. These two activities merged into one career. My military law enforcement led to a career in civilian law enforcement. After release from active duty I remained in the Reserve and most Reserve assignments were in the field of law enforcement. The sum total of military service was 42 years. My last 7 year military assignment was as a Crime Prevention Officer assigned to Headquarters U.S. Army Health Services Command at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
My hobby is scrapbooking. At present three large scrapbooks are devoted to my military career and other military items of interest to me. This leads me back to Arizona Bill. I was looking through one of my military scrap books in search of a place for a news paper clipping related to my old Army Reserve Unit, the 490th Civil Affairs Company of Abilene, Texas which is currently deployed to Iraq.
Browsing through the scrapbook, I came across an article I wrote for The Brayer back in 1984 along with a photo. The article was about Arizona Bill and contained a photo of Bill mounted on his donkey, Tiperray. I loved the two museums located at Fort Sam Houston and visited them often. It was on a visit to the Fort Sam Houston Military Museum that I was first introduced to Arizona Bill and Tiiperray. I must mention at this time that the Fort Sam Museum listed Tiperray as a mule, when in fact, he was a donkey. I guess everybody has the right to be wrong now and then, including this wonderful museum.
With a little bit of editing to the original article, I would like to repeat the 1984 story: Raymond Hatfield (Arizona Bill) Gardner was an extremely colorful character. At one year of age he was kidnapped by Comanche and traded to the Sioux for 9 ponies, 8 blankets and 2 girls. It was in later life that he received his nickname, Arizona Bill as a result of military campaigns against the Apache in Arizona.
He served as a scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. He later served four more enlistments in the Army as a Scout. He also was a Pony Express rider, a prospector, and worked in the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show.
Arizona Bill frequently visited Fort Sam Houston in his travels. He later settled down at Fort Sam Houston and became a familiar sight around the post. In 1935 he was given permission to live on any Army Post by Major General Johnson Haygood, 8th Corps Commander. (I must note that I once wore the 8th Corps shoulder patch on my Army uniform.) Bill frequently slept in the Artillery Post stables at Fort Sam along with his donkey Tiperray.
At his death in 1940, no record of Bill’s military service could be located. As a result he was buried in a civilian cemetery. In 1976 some of his friends searched for and found his service records and arranged for his reburial in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors. MSG (Retired) George Miller was responsible for searching for and finding the lost Service Records of Raymond Hatfield Gardner (Arizona Bill).
Mr. John M. Manguso, Director of the Fort Sam Houston Military Museum assisted me by providing background information and a photograph of Arizona Bill. I do not know if Mr. Manguso is still the Director of the Museum, but suspect he has retired by now. Again, I express my appreciation to Mr. John M. Manguso for his assistance in my research on Arizona Bill.
10-23-03, JBW
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