Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-06-17
CRIMINAL CASES.
The Gallegos Killing to Be Tried in
Taos Oounty-An Indictment for
the Faustin Ortiz Murder

in and presented to the court an indict-
ment charging Juan Ortiz y Rodriguez
with the murder of Faustin Ortiz. Judge
Seeds took the Indictment, turned 1t over
and endorsed on the back thereof: ono
BAIL" The clerk at once issued the nee
essary warrant, and few minutes later
Sheriff Conklin had the warrant IN bis
possession and sailed out in search of the
accused. Rodriguez was found on lower
San Francisco street and promptly taken
to Jail.
THE PRISONER ARRAIGNED.
Juan Ortiz y Rodriguez WAS taken into
court at 2 80 this afternoon and listened
to the district attorneys reading of the
formal charge accusing him of Faustin
Ortiz murder. The prisoner entered
plea OF not guilty. N. B. Laughlin and
Candelario Martinez appeared as his at
torneys and asked that the prisoner be
released on bail. The court said the pre-
sumption of guilt was very strong, and
that until showing was had no bail
would be fixed. The case is set for trial
beginning on Thursday next. the 23d
inst.
This indictment and arrest serves as a
fresh reminder of the old law, 1.-THE mills
of the gods grind slow, but they grind
exceeding tine."
THE CRIME
with which Rodriguez is charged stands
as one of the darkest in the history OF
New Mexico. Faustin Ortiz was promi-
nent young Republican, rapidly rising to
influence in local affairs. Juan Ortiz y
Rodriguez was at that time Justice Of
the peace in the Sd city precinct, elected
on the Democratic ticket, and he had had
some difficulty with certain parties, Ortiz
= included, growing out of local politics
On the night of Saturday, March |, al
s O'Clock, Faustin Ortiz was passing down
San Francisco street when he was called
into an alley by Juan Ortiz Rodriguez
This alley is on the opposite side of the
Is street and diagonally across from Jake
s Colds corner and leads from Frisco tc
3 Water street, near the county jail, ad
y, ~ joining which was Juan Ortiz y Rodri
guez' Office as justice. The two mer
were last seen to enter this alley together
. On Thursday, March 10, Faustin Ortiz
had been missing since he entered thai
alley, and the affair began to excite alarm
Francisco Cienfnegos, while drunk, stated
that be and six others had been hireC
to murder Ortiz, but he was thought tt
be insane and little credence was
attached to his statements. For the mex
week or so there were many wild rumors
. and story gaining wide circulation tt
the effect that on the morning following
the disappearance OF Ortiz blood had beer
seen on the floor at the Office of Juar
Ortiz Rodriguez, and there were hint
i. that mysterious wagon had been driver
at midnight from Rodriguez Office doc
out into the suburbs. These stories gave
rise to the report that Ortiz had been lee
. from the street to the Office OF the justice
of the peace, Rodriguez, and there muir
dered.
: THE BODY FOUND.
At 345 on the afternoon Of Friday
March %, the body of dead man was
found in a sandy arroyo, 900 yards west
! of the narrow gauge depot. Cosme Lujan
a wood vendor made the discovery. The
| body was wrapped in gunny sacks and {
pair OF soiled over-alls were wrapped abou
the arm. The body was buried in thu
sand, one arm protruding, and the hanC
had been partly eaten by wild animals
The body was soon recognized as that o.
the missing Faustin Ortiz.
There was an inquest that evening ant
an examination of the BODY revealed thu
fact that it was
CLEAR CASE OF MURDER.
The low 9r jaw was broken between thu
aps!e and the chin. The lover teeth
N were broken out and lay loosely in thu
n mouth. At the left angle of the mouth
there was round hole resembling the ap
pearance of a bullet wound. Across the
t. left side OF the chin was wound one anC
a a half inches in length on the head was
p scalp wound and many abrasons. BlooC
q" was ooziDg from the left ear. On the RICH
" side of the chest were four bullet wound:
=" and similar marks on the back indicated
q" that three of the bullets had pierced TIT
" body, the fourth ball remaining in The
q body. The coroner's jury did not insis
d" on probing the body for the recovery O.
" this fourth bullet, which might, ere this
- have led to clue, but after a short SEES
L sion returned the usual verdict, death a
' the hands of unknown parties. The late
= ex-Sheriff Frank Chavez acted as coroner
n OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
= Later a number OF persons were in
dicted for this crime, Juan Ortiz y Rodri
guez being one Of them, but these were
Il thrown out of court year ago on lega
technically, the defendants filing de-
a murrer setting forth that the grand jury
! returning such indictments was illegally
drawn.
$ For fifteen months the case has been in
+ statu quo, though receiving more or less
attention from each grand jury in session
D during that time. For ten days past
the present grand jury has been at work
on it and is said to have developed some
highly important testimony. As result
=. Juan Ortiz y Rodriguez is in jail this
!. afternoon.
OTHER COURT NEWS.
J In court this morning the case OF Frank
Borrego for the killing of Sylvester Gal
=, legos, three years ago, came up, and Mr..
Catron, attorney for the accused, filed an
application for change of venue to Taos
county, supported Ky an affidavit to the
e effect that since the last term of court in
tervening causes preiudlcial to defendants
case had made it doubtful if defendant
could secure fair and impartial trial in
this county. Judge Waldo, attorney for
the Gallegos family, somewhat ques-
toned the sutficiency of the affidavit, but
said he would fain admit in the light OF
: recent occurrences that it was question
able as to whether defendant could