Marinus Christensen and "Climax Jim"

Rufus Nephews, known as "Climax Jim," was one of the most
notorious criminals of the Southwest in the 1890's and early 1900's. 

My great-grandfather, Marinus Christensen (1863-1927, was a truly fascinating man: Born, orphaned and adopted in Denmark, crossed the Atlantic as a small child; was orphaned again on the pioneer trail in America; raised as an Overson by his older sister (and perhaps birth mother) and her husband in St. Johns, Arizona; learned the blacksmith trade from his Welsh father-in-law; ran the town's only blacksmith shop for thirty years; became a pillar of the community, the leader of the town band and orchestra, frequent actor on the stage, the sergeant in the town militia and the Sunday School superintendent in the large latter-day saint ward; elected multiple times as St. Johns Justice of the Peace; and became universally beloved for his good humor and pleasant manner. I'll post a much more detailed biography of his life later, but for now I offer this fascinating detail:

On April 21, 1900 this item appeared in the St. Johns Herald: "Marinus Christensen arrived Saturday night from Solomonville bringing with him "Climax Jim," who is having his preliminary trial today, charged with breaking some of the territory's ten commandments."

Starting in about 1894 the St. Johns newspapers--and every other Arizona newspaper--were seemingly filled with stories about "Climax Jim," who was a notorious criminal, cattle rustler and jail escape artist. His real name was Rufus Nephews, but he picked up the nickname "Climax Jim" because his favorite chewing tobacco was the popular "Climax" brand. Over a period of a decade he was arrested and charged dozens of times in Arizona and New Mexico, but never convicted.

Late nineteenth and early twentieth century advertisements
for "Climax" brand plug tobacco. "Climax Jim" got his nickname
because he refused to use any other brand.

Climax Jim at Fort Apache

Climax Jim was first indicted for stealing cattle in Graham County, Arizona in 1894. When his case came up for trial, Climax's attorney produced witnesses who swore that the crime had actually been committed in neighboring Apache County. St. Johns was the county seat in Apache County. So Climax Jim was acquitted in Graham County, and charges refiled in St. Johns. When that case came up for trial, he produced other witnesses who claimed that the crime had been committed in Graham County, and he was acquitted again.

A few years later, his local reputation became Western legend, when he was charged with altering a check and then trying to cash it. At the trial, the check in question was placed on one of the counsel tables in the courtroom as Exhibit "A" for the prosecution. Then, before the exhibit was introduced, the prosecutor and defense attorneys got into a heated argument and were called to the bench to confer with the judge. During the discussion, Climax Jim, who of course had a chew of "Climax" tobacco bulging in his cheek, stood up calmly and ambled over to the counsel table, where he picked up the check and stuffed it into his mouth.

The judge finally calmed the two attorneys down and told them to proceed. When the prosecutor reached down to find his Exhibit "A," it was nowhere to be seen. A few feet away, behind the defendant's counsel table, Climax Jim sat calmly, chewing his tobacco with an air of utter innocence. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. In a final gesture of bravado, as Jim departed the courtroom following his acquittal, he passed by the bench, and spit the remains of Exhibit "A" into judge's brass spittoon.

Climax Jim

Over the years, Climax Jim became a legend for his numerous successful jailbreaks. In 1894 he was arrested at age 17 for stealing a dozen steers in Winslow, Arizona. He was arrested and taken to jail. That night, Climax Jim used a hidden pocketknife to cut a hole in the adobe walls of the jail. Several months later, on July 4, 1894, he stole a horse in Gila County. The sheriff caught him in Pleasant Valley, and took in custody to Globe. Along the way they had to camp out in the wild, so the sheriff chained Climax Jim to a post. During the night, Jim succeeded in breaking a link in the chain with a rock, and fled on foot. Several months later, he was arrested for another crime, and placed behind bars. He was given a hot meal for dinner, but kept the spoon in his cell when the tray was taken away. That night he used the spoon to scrape away the mortar around the bricks in the wall and created a hole large enough to climb through. He then stole a horse and headed south toward Mammoth, where he was arrested for stealing another horse.

Climax Jim also was an expert lock picker and safe cracker. After being locked in a securely-locked cell one night in another jail, he boasted to the sheriff that he would break out that night. The Sheriff laughed at him, but the next morning when the Sheriff returned to the office, there was Jim sitting at the Sheriff's desk with a big smile on his face. Later, in Clifton, Arizona, a storekeeper ordered the latest safe from back east, advertised as burglar proof. Climax Jim was at the depot, waiting for a train, the day the safe arrived. He started playing with the dial, and within 30 minutes, to the astonishment of a crowd of onlookers, succeeded in opening the door.

Marinus Christensen

Now back to St. Johns, where my great grandfather, Marinus Christensen, was the town blacksmith and St. Johns Justice of the Peace. In June of 1898 Climax Jim was captured for cattle rustling at the Hash Knife Ranch. Burt Mossman, the ranch foreman (who later became the first captain of the Arizona Rangers) took Climax down the mountain to St. Johns. He was locked in the jail and an arraignment was set in Superior Court (where my grandfather later presided as judge).

During the night, Climax Jim sprang the lock and escaped into the darkness. He was at large for several months thereafter, but was a busy man. He became part of what was called the "Red Pipkin Gang," and participated in attempts to rob two trains in Arizona and one in New Mexico. He was finally arrested on New Years Eve, 1899 in Graham County. By New Years Day, 1900, he had escaped, but was recaptured along Eagle Creek in February, and returned to jail. On the morning of March 6, 1899, Graham County Sheriff Ben Clark fitted Climax with a new pair of heavy leg irons, which were riveted shut by the local blacksmith. Two days later, Climax Jim broke out of the shackles and ran for freedom.

At this point, enter Marinus Christensen, who traveled down to Graham County to transport the prisoner back up to St. Johns to face numerous charges, including the charges dating back to 1898. I suppose Marinus was sent for various reasons--he was a big man, the Sergeant of Company K, the St. Johns militia, and a blacksmith, so he could secure his own handcuffs and leg irons. In any event, Climax Jim was brought back to Apache County, and placed in heavily guarded custody. He was placed in a cell and shackled 24 hours a day with heavy leg irons, probably made by Marinus Christensen.

The sequel is as follows. On the night of July 7, 1899, Climax Jim escaped from his leg shackles in the Apache County jail, removed his clothes and waited for his jailer to enter the cell to check the shackles. When the jailer came into the cell, Climax Jim threw his clothes into the jailer's face, and after a vicious fight inside the cell, made his escape out through the open door on foot--without a stitch of clothing on. Jumping on a horse, he rode out of town like Lady Godiva, and escaped into the mountains.

For more information, see Karen Holliday and John D. Tanner, Jr., Climax Jim: the Tumultuous Tale of Arizona's Rustling Cowboy (Arizona Lithographers, 2005). See also, Marshall Trimble, "The Outrageous Climax Jim," True West Magazine, November 5, 2012.

Gila Valley, Globe & Northern Railway station in Solomonville, east of Safford.
Marinus Christensen traveled here in April 1900 to retrieve the prisoner, "Climax Jim."