Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-12-07
A COLORADO HORROR.
The Desperate Deed OF a Mexican Assas-
In-murdering n Man, Wife and
Daughter I'm Cold Blood-A chastity
From the Denver Tribune. /

Daughter In Cold BIooa-A Ghastiy
Scene , - $3.50
from the Denver Tribune.
Huerfano County has been the scene
OF Almost brutal tragedy, which occurred
last Wednesday evening, three miles
from La Veta, in which John Brown, a
ranchman, and his wife were murdered
IN cold blood, and a married daughter,
Mrs. Rice, received injuries which will
probably result fatally. An unknown
Mexican was the perpetrator of the
deed, and very little light has yet been
thrown upon the affair. iD@5: 4
A son of Mr.. Brown makes a state
ment to the effect that he, in company
with Mr.. W. II. Gribble, were out hunt
ing cattle, when on returning home
they were warned of danger by the cries
OF his sister, Mrs. Rice. Mr.. Gribble,
who was in advance, rushed toward the
house, and, when within thirty PAGES of
it, discovered Mrs. Rice lying in the
aceQWsa. As Mr.. Gribble rushed for
ward and raised the woman up, a Mex
lean. near by jumped from his horse,
saying in broken English, sDamn YOU,
leave here" and fired two shots from
his revolver, which, fortunately, took
no effect. Proceeding toward Mrs.
Rice, he administered two blows of his
revolver on her head, and some kicks
on her body. Her brother appearing
upon the scene, and calling to Mr..
Gribble to run to the house for the gun,
caused the Mexican to mount his horse
and ride off.
After removing his sister to the
hO11co chn ~, ha-. fory
seriousness, testified to the following &C
count of the terrible tragedy: She said
that this Mexican, speaking broken En-
glish, requested to stay over night, and
asked her father to 60 up and give his
horse some hay. He Immediately went
with him to the corral, where he killed
him, and returning, attacked her moth
er with the butt of his revolver, strik-
ing her to the floor, and hit her one
blow on the head, after which she made
her escape, followed by him, when,
through faintness, she fell shrieking in
the ditch, out of which Mr.. Gribble was
endeavoring to raise her, when the
Mexican again struck her with his re-
volver, and she was insensible.
A correspondent of the Pueblo Chief
tain, who visited the scene, reports it as
most revolving. son arriving at the
log house of the Victims" says he, ga
scene of CHASTITY horror presented itself
which beggars all description. On the
floor lay the murdered remains of the
aged woman, wife and mother, her gray
hair matted and clotted with blood, and
gore covering her face. Appearances
indicated that she had been beaten to
death with the butt end of q revolver,
the several missions in her head prov
ing that fact. 1t was evident that the
old lady was preparing supper when she
was SO brutality and savagely attacked,
and her struggles were apparent from
the blood-marks on the wall, and her
fall toward the adobe fireplace, into
which she, in her death struggle, fell
with her hand, which is burned almost
to a charred crisp.
tention was the daughter, Mrs. Venie
Rice, who now lies in a very ]precarious
condition. DR.. Washington, who had
been summoned, was bathing her
wounds Int using every remedy in his
power to relieve her sufferings. At 9
O'Clock at night the body of Mr. Brown
was taken from the corral and was
placed alongside that of his wife. A
he~art-rending scene here took place, as
the son gave way at the sight of his
poor murdered old father, whose frac-
tured skull had evidence of premeditat-
ed murder. The old gentleman is over
sixty years of age, while his wife was
about ffty-fve. Their daughter, Mrs.
Rice, whose life is despalred of, is
twenty-five years of age, handsome in
features and robust in form. Her hus-
band is unfortunately in the San Juan
country with a load of freight, and a
baby of three or four months old is now
dependent for sustenance ON the good
ness of her brothers. wife"
The citizens of Huerfano County are
greatly exercised over the occurrence,
and declare that the ~three-fold murder
shall be avenged. At last accounts the
murderer had not been identified.