A’AGA: Something to be told or talked about

September 12, 2025

Submitted By

Billy Allen

“The Maricopa are unusual among Indians of the Southwest. They are not related to the tribes about them, all of whom are Mexican or Southern Indians. The Maricopa are of Northern stock. They are descendants of four tribes now extinct, of which the Mohave tribe was probably the largest. These Maricopa are literally not afraid of nothing on earth or heaven.  . . . the tribe knows no punishment for cowardice because it never heard of cowardice.” These words were published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on June 23, 1930.  What prompted such praise for the West End people/Kuiva o’otham?

Maybe you’ve heard of Bonnie and Clyde. They were preceded by another romantic couple in crime that hit a string of stores and gas stations in Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Two days after Christmas, 1929, twenty year old “Iron Irene” Schroeder, her lover Glenn Dague (a Sunday school teacher and Boy Scout leader) robbed a grocery store in Butler, Pennsylvania. One officer was fatally shot, another wounded. Now on the run, Irene left her four year old son—who later told of seeing his mother shoot the officer —with his grandfather. The gang began a cross-country escape that led to their encounter with Leon Sundust.

By mid-January, “Iron Irene’s” gang was traveling west across several states. Along the way, they picked up hitchhiker Vernon Ackerman who joined them in the crime spree.  When they stopped at a gas station in Florence, Pinal County Deputy Sheriff Joe Chapman spotted their car and went to question Irene.  She honked the horn to alert Dague and Ackerman who pulled guns on Chapman, taking him as a hostage. Since the gang had no idea which roads led where, Chapman had them drive in circles, even got the car stuck in the Gila River, for which he was severely beaten. The gang needed money so Chapman, hoping an alarm had been raised, directed them to Chandler.  A roadblock had been set up so when the robbers arrived, a gun battle ensued. Chapman was thrown out of the car and a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy named R. Lee Wright was wounded in the exchange and died weeks later.  Flying glass also injured Deputy Shirley Butterfield.

Again the gang eluded capture. The robbers drove west and found themselves on an unpaved Baseline Road, raising dust heading towards Komadk. Seeing the Estrella, Vii Lyxa in Maricopa, the geographically-challenged gang thought Mexico was on the other side, if they could make over the top, they would be safe. When the dirt road ended at the dry Akimel/Gila, the fugitives got out and started climbing.

It was January 14, 1930, after escaping capture for over 2,000 miles; the gang met its match with the West End people/Kuiva o’otham. Leon Sundust, was a successful alfalfa and wheat farmer on the Gila River Indian Community. Tending to his horses, he heard shots. The murderous trio had climbed only a short way up Komadk, then hid behind some boulders. Leon watched the gun battle go on for over 4 hours. Leon knew how to climb and get up behind the gang. He shared this with Sheriff Charles Wright who told Leon to take two Maricopa trackers and lead three mounted deputies up.

When the horses could go no further, Leon and Jack Carter dismounted. Leon was unarmed, but thought he could lasso the criminals one by one. Now crawling along, Leon spotted the robbers, then was handed a gun, someone shouted, “Hands up!” One of the robbers wouldn’t give up his gun, but Leon rushed him and took the gun away. All three surrendered. An online account of a newspaper of the time stated that when Irene saw Leon she asked if he was Mexican. Leon replied that he was Indian, Irene said, “It figures.” 

All were lead down Komadk and walked into a crowd of reporters, deputy sheriffs, and citizens. There were also quite a few cheering Indians--even back then, rez news spread fast. At that moment, Leon was everyone’s cousin.

Vernon Ackerman, the third gunman, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Deputy Sheriff Lee Wright. On Monday, February 23, 1931, at precisely 7:00 am, twenty-two year old Irene Schroeder became the first woman to die in Pennsylvania’s electric chair. Walter Glenn Dague followed and was pronounced dead at 7:14 a.m. The Sundust family remained in farming and ranching. Leon was a cowboy at heart, a regular at the Prescott July 4th rodeo. He was Runner-Up Champion Cowboy at the 1939 Flagstaff Pow-Wow. Leon remained a viable rodeo contestant up until the 1960s. A bull, steer or bronco was no match for the farmer/cowboy who faced off against a trio of killers. It seems the Maricopa aren’t afraid of anything on earth or heaven.

Sources: #OnThisDay - January... - Salt River Cultural Resources Department | Facebook

Arizona deputy receives headstone almost 100 years after death | 12news.com

Iron Irene’s Bold Heists and Daring Escapes - Blue Ridge True Crime

Another Bonnie and Clyde | Vindy Archives

The site below has a picture of Irene on horseback, with Leon in the back. There is also a drawing which by today standards is racist and comical. Remember it was the 1930s. 

https://blueridgetruecrime.com/crime/iron-irenes-bold-heists-and-daring-escapes/