The Penn's Grove record., 1884-12-13
ryaebipg a. y sno Art,

New Mexico TO a group Of listeners IN
the Windsor Hotel, New Nork the other
night. ''ot all the cool and deliberate
lyuChiugs that / ever saw or heard, the
one I am about to tell YOU Of takes pre-
uedouCe."
The New Mexico gentleman liked
himself comfortably in his chair, and
she men about him urged him for the
story. the man of the broad-brImmed
hat continued:
I'm the winter Of 1SS1-Sl a man came
down TO Albuquerque, y. NJ, when
existed almost exclusively as an ola
Mexican village, who was connected
with the United states Geological S"f-
yey. lie was an honorable, brave ana
upright man, according to the reputa-
tinn which prev3lled in Albuquerque
regarding him after his departure. lie
was known as Colonel Potter, aud rath-
er careless when be showed his money
aud valuables i'm Town. He did not go
about exhibiting them as a reckless
cowboy might do. but it became known
that lie was possessed Of some money
While in Albuquerque he concluded to
20 over what was known as the new
placers. To reach that locality from
hAJlaItltlNltt. IL W a HNkA9'fAJ ~ 49,
to 90 through what was known rs To-
jeras canon. As you stand at AlD
uuerque and look out toward the san
dia Mountains, which lie to the east OF
that town, you will observe Immediate
ly TO the east a depression IN the coun
try, which marks the locality OF TINS
pass or canon. 1t was through tins at
that time little Travelled pass that Col
Onel Potter determined to 30. He
started out upon his journey, but that
was the last that was seen Of him alive
by his friends in Albuquerque. The
first impression doubtless was, after he
had been missing for some time, that
be was foullY dealt with. He did not
appear at Golden nor the new placers,
and neither did he return to A%lbuqusr-
que. He was missed, and his friends
offered large rewards for h recovery
Of his body OF information as to his
whereabouts. But nothing anne of 1t
all until the lapse of ONE time, when
the Sheriff of Bernallllo county took
hold of the matter in earnest and with
the determination Of hunting the secret
of Colonel Pottcr's disappearance down,
If possible. lie was a brave man, and
being of Spanish origin he, OF course,
spoke the Spanish language iuently.
In fact, the Spanish was his mother
tongue, and he could speak it more
readily that he could English. lie Lad
also the advantage of belonging to one
Of those New Mexican families which
Isnk high in the social life of that Ter
ritory, and the male members OF which
are entitled to be called Don,
He began the search, and soon dis
covered that a Mexican had come into
town and sold OF offered for sale &
watch which answered very closely the
description of the watch which Colonel
Potter had worn. Pursuing the trail,
he went up into TeieUes canon, among
the rocky denles of which a company of
bandits could easily Re concealed. AT
that time there was a band of despera-
does in the country to the east and
southeast of Albuquerque, of which a
certain fellow, now in the penltentlary,
named Marina Lieba, was the head and
chief. They were like so many Italian
bandits, and the only way to make
travel safe in the Sandia and Manzano
Mountains was to break up this gang,
The Sheriff went up to the mountains
with a posse, and there he succeeded in
capturing three of the gang, all of
whom had, with but very little, If any
doubt, been engaged either directly or
as accessories in the murder of Colonel
- lPfattAss GGeEj il WaS discovered that he
to the new placers he stopped at a little
tavern or wayside inn for the night.
Starting out in the morning from the
inn, his host and some of his compan-
ions saw which way he was going.
Marina Lieba or one of his men follow
ed him, and in one of the narrow places
in the mountains they came together.
A fight ensued, in which Potter made a
desperate defense. He fought hard for
ais life, but he was oyerpowered, and
at last the bullet of the assassin pierced
vital part of his body, and he fell
from his horse and died. Some of the
band carried his body off into a gulch
and threw it down there. so that it
would be out of the way from the road
where the travel through the mountains
passed. There 1t was afterward shown
10 the Sheriff by one of the gang,
"'Three of the robbers were arrested
and brought into Albuquerque and
locked up in the Jail, which is an old
adobe structure which stood near the
eastern edge of the town. The Jail, with
the residence of the jailor, made three
sides Of a square, and running along the
central side there wasa projection of the
roof which covered a kind of a porch.
To support this roof there were heavy
beams, which rested on posts or pillars,
and the projecting ends of these beams
were very suggestive cfthe use TO which
they might at some time be put. This
was the status of affairs and the history
Of the Potter murder up to and at the
time the capt ured MeXicans were lodg-
ed in jail.
After nightfall there we're whisper
ings about town of a possible lynching
at the Jail that night,i in which the three
Mexicans would play a somewhat con-
5picuous part. | was not much used to
proceedings of that character, and l
therefore did not believe at first that
anything of the kind would be done. |
had heard about lyuchings before, but
| had neVer been in a town when one
occurred, and so | was a little doubtful
at first. l got over this doubling dis
position, however, after | had resided
in the Territory a few months longer.
Lynchings were very common in New
Mexico during 1881, and were by no
means inGrequent in 1882. A friend of
mine persuaded Inc to be on the look
out for developments, and about ten
O'Clock he and went out in search of
facts. We oon found a very startling
fact in an old building which stood upon
the edge of the town, and it consisted
of a crowd Of determined men who
were standing around a table in a small
room, some of them engaged in prepar-
ing masks with which to conceal their
features. 1t took only a glance to show
that they were not there for the fun of
It, but that they meant business of a
very serious nature.
Very quietly they went to work to
organize their committee. They first
elected a Captain, and he appointed his
aids. Certain meE were selected as
guards, both to prevent any struggling
from, Tho lin. ND .. vw,f,l AZ ~