Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-01

Joe Hurtado, a good portrait of whom, en-
graved expressly for the RECORD UNIoN, we
present this morning, was born in Amador
county, of Mexican parents. He is q years
Of age. is > feet 10b inches in hight, OF dark
complexion, black eyes, hair and mustache,
and of an Indian cast of features. He is not
a bad-looking man. He has bullet wound
on both sides Of his body, is slim and fiat
built. By occupation he is barge pilot,
boatman and hotel runner. He is married
and has one child. He has resided in Sacra-
mento a number of years, and has always
been mora or less in trouble since he became
a hotel runner He was frequently in the
Police Court for disturbing the peace, for
battery and for violating the hotel runner
ordinance. An attempt TO make tran script
of these cases was abandoned because OF their
frequency. 1t is to be said, however, that he
was quite as frequently acquitted as con-
victed. Among the sporting" men Hurtado
was reckoned as cowsrdly, and hence it was
said that hewould shoot before he would strike.
In July, 1874, he got into difficulty on
| Front street, on the return of river picnic
party, and was struck in the mouth by
| pistol ball and some of his teeth broken.
But the four leading affrays in which he has
been concerned are the shooting OF Angus
Martin some time in the year 1876. Martin
was struck in the hip, recovered, and the
! 9, 1873, Hurtado was shot in saloon on
Second street by J. w. Sunderland. the
ball passing through his body. 1t was
thought that he was fatally injured, and
he so thought himself, as he said
he was done for, and asked to have
his boots pulled off, as he did not want
to die with them on. To the surprise
of all Hurtado recovered. He refused to
prosecute Sunderland, and SO that case blew
over October 4, 1873, Hurtsdo, in the Mint
saloon, Second and K streets. shot and killed
John Jack y Denny. and shot and seri-
ously wounded Johns brother, Peter Denny.
1t grew out of quarrel over a gambling
debt. Hurtado was indicted, put on trial
and acquitted. The night before his trial he
was married. This wife, he claims, proved
untrue to him in November. 1881, and had
amours with Jose Antonio Estuardo better
known as Spanish joel. He demonstrated
with Estuardo, he says. and made arrange
ments to send his wife away. He claims to
have been greatly moved by this domestic
trouble, and so disturbed in mind as hardly
to know what he was about. On the morn
ing of February 6, 1882, he was before the
Sacramento Police Court for an assault on
Estuardo. The case was continued, Estuardo
having refused to withdraw or modify the
charge. AS he left the court room Hurtado
| came from a saloon near by, met Estuardo on
the walk near the saloon and shot him twice
and then began to beat the PROSTATE
man over the head with the pistol.
Estusrdo died in few minutes. Hurtado
was held for murder, presented to the
Superior Court, tried, and May 9th was
found guilty of murder in the first degree.
May 22d was the day set for sentencing him
to be hanged, but he moved for new trial
and sentence was deferred until June 9th.
! Hurtado attempted on the trial to introduce
! evidence of his wife's unfaithftllness and her
amours with Estuardo as a justification for
the killing. Judge benson made ruling
| adverse to that offer, but admitted the evil
dence as one of the means of ascertsining the
condition of the defendants mind at the time
of the killing, the plea of insanity having
been set up. The wife took the stand and
admitted her fault fully, but it was shown
that Hurtado lived with his wife after he had
knowledge of her unfaithfulness.