Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-05-31
THE FIRST KILLING.
Lot Jumpers from Albuquerque Great
ing Serious Trouble at Camp
San Pedro.
Lee Lail Shot by lohn Preston The
Boom Still 0n-Rich New
Strikes.

John Preston shot and killed Lee Lail,
nephew of Geo. Lal, at San Pedro yester-
day. Preston was brought TO Santa Fe
last night by Deputy Sheriff Chas. Walters
and three guards, Messrs. G. IL. Wright,
w. d. Benton and j W. Benton.
Some two weeks ago, and since the dis
covery of rich carbonate ores in this camp,
a number of spectators from Albuquer-
que came upon the San Pedro grant, and
not far from the smelling works, adjoin-
ing the present town OF San Pedro, went
to work and staked off a lot of land, claim
ing it to be theirs by right of discovery,
and establish what they called an addition
to the town. 1t was purely
A SPECULATIVE SCHEME,
planned with view of taking advantage
of the boom and selling out town lots to
which the manipulators had no color of
title. John Preston was an old resident
of that section. He had built store
house in San Pedro and conducteda store
there until recently, when he soldit out to
q Cerrillos man named Sugar, and having
confidence in the future of the place .he
had located another lot and was about to
erect another store room. When the AL
buquerque spectators drove their stakes
they ignored Prestons claim and included
part Of his lot in their town site plat. The
citizens committee which has charge of
sanitary and municipal affairs at San
Pedro undertook to straighten and extend
the main street OF the town, and in doing
so also cut into Prestons lot. But the
latter made no complaint and cheerfully
set back
HIS CORNER STAKES
as directed by the committee. As result
of these encroachments on both sides
Preston's lot covered only small space,
about ten feet frontage, and less than
twenty feet in depth. lie went quietlyto
work several days ago getting material for
his store on to the ground and had, in
fact, his foundation walls in, when Lee
Lail, who had been placed in charge of
the Albuquerque town site scheme, came
and laid claim to the lot and ordered
Preston off. Some words ensued as to
the rights OF the respective claimants,
when Lee, it is charged.
DREW A KNIFE
and drove Preston off the property. Later
Preston was second time driven off by
Lail, who went so far as to tear down the
walls of the new store room and threat
ened to kill Preston should he be found
on the disputed premises again. Yester-
usual and began gathering his scattered
building material together, when Lail
rushed upon him like mad man. Some
say Lail had knife in his hand. At all
events he was bent upon doing bodily
harm, evidently, and when Lail had near
ly reached Preston, the latter
DREW A SIX SHOOTER
and fired. Lail staggered back about
twenty feet and was caught by a man who
laid him down. He died in half an hour.
Officers ut once took Preston into custody.
Great excitement spread throughout the
camp, and as it was reported that Lail's
friends would probably come up from AL
buquerque and avenge his death bylynch-
ing Preston, it was deemed best to bring
the prisoner to Santa Fe. Preston claims
to have done the shooting in self defense.
Lail is comparatively new arrival in the
camp, but has agood many friends among
the Albuquerque contingent especially.
1t is claimed by all who are posted as to
the location of
THE LAND IN QUESTION
that neither Lail nor any of his co-part-
ners in this town site scheme have the
slightest color of title to the property; that
it is not government land, being'a part of
the old San Pedro grant, owned by the
mining company, but which corporation
will cheerfully grant privileges to build to
all who come there in good faith and es-
tablish their homes or business houses.
No arrangements have yet been made for
Preston's preliminary hearing.
| Advices at hand to-day from San Pedro
are to the effect that rich strikes have just
been made in the Kelly Bros mine and
the Black Hawk, both extensions OF the
celebrated Lucky. The Black Hawk is
owned by Santa Fe business men.