Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1893-05-19
KIT JOY.
From Silver City Ssptiasl

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became necessary to take the mes
stringent measures to stop it. Tb
lives OF the travelling public wsr
continually i'll danger, and hun
drsss of innoesnt men, womsa an,
children continually had thsi
lives jsopsrdizsd by the sttsm pit,
OF hsartless msu to rob trains by
first wreoking them. Aasng tn,
most Geld blooded, hsartless anc
dastardly attempts of this kind wal
enc made near Gage, on the S. p
r. r., in the southern part Of thil
county. The rails were deliberate.
ly and carefully broken apart and
spread out al place where tbs
train would be running at full
speed 80 that it must run off the
track and be wrecked. The gang
OF wholesale murdersrs and rob-
bers then sscretsd themselves clsss
at hand ready TO shoet down those
whe should escape death in the
wreck in order that tho murdsrsrs
might safely rsb the mail and sx-
press ears. The idea Of massacre
ing nusab bsrs OF brave mea who had
never harmed them, of innoeent
women and tender children hind
cred these hsnds in human form
not at sll in tbsir lust fer xnholy
gain. Ths trsln came alsns on
time, running rapidly. Ths sngi-
nesr, Zsks Webster, was in the
tender, whom With cry the fire.
nam sprAng for the throttle, re-
verssd the sagins and pat on
brakes. 1t was too late to avoid
a wreck, but the train WAS slowing
down ezough SO that oRly the en-
CINE, mail car and the froat trucks
Of the ex press car ras off the rails.
Fortunately no lives had thss far
beer lest, but at th!s instant up
from their am bush rosa tho robbers,
and, firing repeated vollsys, shot
engineer Webster dead, while Mail
Clerk Swan and others had narrow
escapes. They then ransscked ths
mail car, got sems s27 900 from the
express car and robbed one pssssa-
ger. One of these murdersrs and
thieves was Kit Joy, vhe. in dss-
psrats attempt to escsps from the
Silver City jail with number of
his pals, killed eAs OF our best siti-
zeas. The rsst 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 se badly wsandsd that one OF
his legs had to be smputatsa.
When he recovered sufficiently he
was taken to HillEboro and tried.
His able attorney, Idus l.. Fielder,
worked so hard for hlm-talking
Of his ana putstsd leg and his poor
old msthsr-thst instead of being
hanged, as he deserved, hs was
sentenced to the psaitsntiary for
life. This cold blooded, violent
and wholesale murderer and robbsr
tksn snnouncsd that ho would one
OF these days get cut OF Jail ard
get even with soRs OF those who
had helped catch and convict him.
A worthy gentleman is new, In the
goodness of. his heart, circulating
petition which prsys ior the release
of this fend, and the same old
argu nsnts about his lost leg and
his psor old mother are again be-
ing used to gaia signatures. 1t is
sincerely to be hoped hat those
who are asked to sigR thla petition
will stop, think and refuse II the
law 10 to be a terror to evil dosrs,
and a protection to life and proper
ty, murdsrsrz and robbers mast
know that they will receive the law
ful punishment for thsir crimes.
They must not have cause to think |
mat they can violate all law, with |
the strong chance that thsy will
escape punishment altogether, and
hat even II they receive a ssntsnss
IN some degree sdequats to their
crime, it will not be enforced.
When the law fails to act, or the