Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-04-25

RtAAo yeatn ohN nuoA an oNlNom~
ic Of train robbery and wreckine
broke out in New Mexico that L
became necessary to take the most
stringent measures to stop il. The
lives of the travelling public we're
continually in danger, and hum
dreds Of innocent men, women
and children continually had their
lives je~opqrdized by the attempts
Of heartless men to rob trains by
first wrecking them. Among the
most cold blooded, heartless and
dastardly attempts of this kind
was one made near Gage, on the
S. p. r. r., in the southern part
OF this County. The rails were
deliberately and carefully broken
apart and spread out at a place
where the train would be running
at full speed so that it must run
off the track and be wrecked.
The gang of Wholesale murderers
and robbers then secreted them
selves close at hand ready to shoot
down those who should escape
death in the wreck in order that
the murderers might safely rob
the mail and express cars. The
idea of massacring numbers of
brave men who had never harmed
them, of innocent women and ten
der children hindered these iends
in human form not at all in their
lust for unholy gain. The train
came along on time, running rap
idly The engineer, Mr.. Webster,
was in the tender, when with a
cry the fireman sprang for the
throttle, reversed the engine and
put on brakes. 1t was too late to
avoid a wreck, but the train was
slowing down enough so that only
the engine, mail car aud the front
trucks of the express car a off
the rails. Fortunately no lives
had thus far been lost, but at this
instant up from their ambush rose
the robbers, and, firing repeated
volleys, shot engineer Webster
dead, while mail-clerk Swan and
others ha6 narrow escapes. They
then ransacked the mail car, got
some $27 900 from the express a
and robbed one passenger. One of
these murderers and thieves was
Kit Joy, who in a desperate
attempt to escape from the Silver
City Jail with a number of his
pals, killed one of our best citi-
zens. The rest of the gang were,
with one exception, all killed or
captured that day, except Kit Joy.
A few days later he too was
brought in SO badly wounded that
one of his legs had to be amputat-
ed. When he recovered sufficient
ly he was taken to Hillsborough
and tried. His able attorney,
Idus L. Fielder, worked SO hard
for him-talking of his amputated
leg and his poor old mother--that
instesd of being hanged, as he de-
served, he was sentenced 10 the
penitentiary for life. This cold
blooded, violent and wholesale
murderer and robber then all
nounced hat he would one of
these days get out of Jail and get
even with some of those who had
helped catch and convict him. A
worthy gentleman is now, in the
of his heart, circulating
a petition which prays for the re-
lease of this fiend. and the same
old arguments about his lost leg
aud his poor old mother are again
used to gain signatures. 1t
is sincerely to be hoped that those
who are asked to sign this petition
will stop, think and refuse. IL the
law is to be a terror to evil
and a protection to
life and property, murderers and
robbers must know that they will
receive the lawful punishment for
their crimes. They must not have
cause to think that they can VIC
late sll law, with the strong chance
that they will escape punishment
altogether, aud that even if they
receive a sentence in some degree
adequate 10 their crime, it will not
he enforced. When the law fails
10 act, or the executive interferes
70 prevent its full and just action.
.awlessness prevails and anarchy
lynch law ensues. We ask
hose who have already signed this
petition to reconsider their action
lnd withdraw their names. One
nan has already expressed his