Ralph Emerson Lee on the Edge
~ by Julia Pearson
Ralph Emerson Lee at the White Oaks Studio in Brown County. courtesy of Richard L. Lee
Arizona writer, Jeanine Wright Smith, uncovered the story of one of Brown County’ s artists, Ralph Emerson Lee in January 2001. Following the death of her father, Smith had stepped in to provide her mother with needed respite. While sorting through things in a small bedroom, mementos, and photographs immersed her in family history. A cassette tape labeled Lorenzo Wright was nestled in the drawer of the bedside table. Lorenzo was her beloved grandfather and a man of legendary character.
Lorenzo was two years old when his father was killed by Geronimo’ s band in Arizona. His mother, Sonora, was left with three small children and a two-week old infant. By age twelve, Lorenzo purchased his own team of horses and wagon, earning 75 cents a day hauling freight for military posts. He also did odd jobs and worked in the mines to support his family.
In 1904, he married Theresa Hope Goodman, and they moved to Bisbee, Arizona where he had a dual commission as deputy sheriff and state cattle inspector— the start of a 25 year career in law enforcement.
All this passed through Jeanine Wright Smith’ s mind as she slid the cassette into the car tape deck on her way home. She heard her grandfather’ s own voice telling of two incidents. One story was about his being kidnapped by a prisoner. The second relates the 1917 capture of the Brisbane Gray-Cap Bandit.
52 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2019
Intrigued, Smith went to the Arizona state archives and found the prison record for the bandit. His name, Ray Emerson, was crossed out and records showed it was Ralph Lee from Indiana.
Mordecai B. Lee and May Dora Yeagley’ s son, Ralph Lee, was born in 1894 in
“ Bird Study.” courtesy of Jeanine Wright Smith