The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-03-08
gtlistellaneuas.
WILD WESTERN LIFE.
A Colorado OReminiscence of Ten Year.
Ago.

~ sAS wy hOioo SuSiiiiio ioAu, - y
latter, threw shadow of terror a
p fear over that section of country
which the bloody scenes were enact,
90 90 Alter lapse of nine years the whil
70 gig of time again brings this affair
~ light, and at this distace from t
90 90 actual occurrence of the tragic eyel
50 they seem but as the memory of
% dream.
oO The Espinosas were cous:ns-Spa
50 iaTds-outlews from old Mexico, wi
" came up into Colorado in the We
50 1868, end before the strong arm
" justice lad reached them succeed,
~ ~ In assassiuating between twenty az
8 thirty of the hardy pioneers and M
% ners Of that day, who were strugglin
% to open and develop this wonderful
% rich country. The elder Espinos
was large, coarse, hard-visaget
10 villainous looking ruffian, while h
70 companion was small fellow, of n
T particular individuality, pcssessin
everything but the elements of Law
abiding citizen, cold. blooded, despe
:. rate, sly and treacherous. The stor
goes that the older Espinosa was
/. religious monomanisc, impressed wit
the idea that for some fsncied wron,
E for some unconscious deed whereof
, the sins of the father had been visit
ed upon his head, or as an atonemen
for his own shortcomings, he wa
commanded by some patron saint
some ruling and guiding spirit, or .
Nemesis, to avenge the crime agains
conscience, 10 go forth into the world
slaughter Unfortunately the whites
offer a prayer whenever he set sou
free, and thus hope to merit and at.
tain the smiles and gracious favor oi
his ruling spirit. With this task be-
fore him he enlisted the services oil
his cousin, and together they journey.
ed northward and entered into Colo
RADIO. On this trail of blood the
trip was diversified by the killing oil
two men in Santa Fe, and soldier at
Conejos. 1t wss in March 1868, that
they arrived in the vicinity of Canon
City. There they lurked three weeks
and began in reality the murderous
object of their mission. Nine men
were assassinated, and the news of
the terrible scourge became circulated
in other portions of the Territory
No one was left to tell the tale of how
these dread events occurred, and for
time the death of various parties
was wrapped in an impenetrable
mystery. The people of that vicinity
were appalled,, stricken with fear,
scarcely daring to venture beyond
the reach CT immediate aid. Itseem
ed like o mysterious visitation OF
Providence--if Providence ever sends
bullets through mems hearts-and no
one could tell "from what conceal-
ment the messenger OF death, which
had never missed its mark, mieht
reach him. The dread despair, the
the feeling of uncertainty, the reign
of terror, the fear of an unseen and
unknown foe pervaded the hearts of
those sturdy pioneers who dared face
any danger open and known.
The assassinaiions became more
frequent Men would leave their
cabins, their camps or the cities of
the mountains, destined for another
section, only to be found few days
later by some more fortunate travel
er rstsrk and dead with bullet through
thei' hearts. Under these circumstances
company of twenty volunteers was
raised in Park county, and headed by
an energetic leader, all fully deter
mined to solve the mystery. The first
good work doae was to punish gang
of thieves; but this did not reach the
cause of their trouble, and the muir
ders continued. At Red Rock Ridge,
near FaIrplay, IN The immediate vicin-
iiy Of the Genessee House, all along
the trails, murdered men were found
singly and in pairs. Ere long, find
ing trail in the lower part of the
park leading toward Canon City, this
troupe of twenty men followed it and
finally came to a spot where two hors-
es were feeding. Concealment was
the work of an Instant, and ere long
the hunters were rewarded by the
appearance Of two men, who proved
to be the Espinosas. In the fast re
cesses of the mountains they had
halted to divide their spoils and to re-
fresh their wearied frames, and we're
probably planning their immediate
future operations. The sight OF these
men were as exasperating as was the
memory of their fiendish deeds, and
it was bu. few seconds before rifles
were drawn upon their forms and
bullets went speeding on their deadly
errand. The elder Espinosa fell, but
was not killed raising himself on one
arm he fought like wounded and
bloodthirsty tiger against his adver-
sariss. The contents of two revol-
vers were discharged by his hand,
without doing any injury to the sol
diers, and be finslly fell and died
The young Espinosa was unframed,
and with the agility of goaE he
sprsng into the rocks, scrambled
sway, and made his escape.
Upon examining the dead fiend who
had been thus summarily disposed of
by the mountaineers, horrid sight
was made manifest. There was the
blood-atained clothing OF a dozen
victims of his lnurderous bullets, let
tiers to dear friends away back in TIE
East, memorandum books, personal
trinkets, of little intrinsic value, but
all going to show that the sssassina-
tions were carried on, not so much
for gain as for the mere pleasure and
qualification of murder, or else, as we
have suggested above, to appease the
wrath Of some offended spirit. The
head of the Espinosa was decapitated
and sent to Canon City, where We
believe the skull remains to this day.
But here the depredations did not
cease. The escaped Espinosa picked
up a companion, called a cousin-a
Mexican finds cousin in almost any
corner of Gods footstool-and im-
buing him with the spirit OF despera-
ton, or inculcating a feeling of re-
venge for some fancied wrong, they
continued the bloody business of the
old firm though on much less scale.
They drifted into the southern por-
tion of the Territory, ravaged Cone
jos, Saguoche, Costello and other
counties, until finally they were CO.
rsled by troops and several citizens
from Fort Garland. A reward had
been offered by the Governor of the
Territory for the apprehension of the
remaining murderers, and various
efforts had been made TO capture or
killthem. The party had been search
ing for several day, when they were
ambushed by the circling of several
crows in the air, which old mountain
GERS declared a good sign of the Vi
cinity of the object of their search,
as no other beings besides themselves
were known to be in that neighbor-
hood. And, sure enough, the sign
proved infallible, and the murderers
were discovered ard both killed.