Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-03-15
GOT THE GANG.
Ex-Sheiitf Abeytia, Lawyer +. W
Pierce and Others in Jail for
the Doherty Murder.
An Interview with Gov. Thornton on
Mora County-Dasta rdly Grimes
Ferretted Out--A Remark
able Story.

I
Gov. Thornton returned to the city last
night from Mora, where he has been for
ten days past looking after nest OF
criminals who have long infested that
county, and where deplorable state OF
affairs reach their climax in the assassi
nation of ex,Sheriff John Doherty on
February 9, and the murder of an Indian
Antonio Rail, q few weeks since. In an
interview to-day the governor said:
TIE GOVERNOR SPEAKS.
after having issued proclamation of
fering $500 reward for the arrest of each
of the parties implicated in the killing
of exSherif Doherty, and granting par
don to the first man confessing the crime
and revealing the plot, caused copies of
said proclamation to DO sent to the In
dian, Rael and to others suspected Of
having hand in the crime. Subsequent
ly Raal was killed by a sheriff's posse,
under the plea that he resisted arrest
while being served with warrant charg-
ing him with completely id the Doherty
affair. About the time of Rael's death
heard that he had ntimated desire to
turn states evidence and had consulted
with parties in Mora with reference to
his pardon in case he did so. This in
formation, in connection with the fact
that Rpel had been shot in the
back, led mo to believe that he had been
MURDERED BY HIS coNFEDEaATEs,
and such information as I received from
Mora by private letters strengthened this
belief. Accordingly I concluded to visit
Mora aud have the body of the deceased
Indian, Rael, exhumed and examined.
This examination revealed the fact that
there were six bullet wounds IN the body,
two more than had been reported by the
sherf's posse, and also showed that two
bullets had entered the right temple, two
inches above the eye, both ranging down
ward, one lodging back of the eye and
the other at the socket of the left jaw
bone, thus proving that Rael was shot
while lying down. An examination was
also made of the clothing of Juan B. Ro-
nero, the deputy sheriff who claimed to
have been fred upon by Rael. There
we're no signs of powder burn outside
either the over or the under coat, but the
inside lining of the under coat was
| burned and there were other indications
that the bullet which passed through the
two garments he'd been fred from a
weapon held very close and that the bullet
passed
THROUGH THE LINING FIRST,
thus making it quite apparent that Rael
had not fred the shot.
"Upon securing this information de-
termined to have some of the suspected
parties arrested. As it was evident that
Sheriff Agapito Abeytia was in some man
ner associated with the suspects, pro-
cured warrants to arrest two of the parties
who were found to be amenable under the
Edmunds act, and had Deputy U. S.
Marshal W. P. Cunningham, of Santa Fe,
and Deputy Marshal Hernandez, of Las
Vegas, go aud serve the warrants. Bar
tolone Cordoya and Estanislado Sando-
val we're the two men taken into custody,
Cordova is supposed to have enticed Rael
to the place where he was murdered, and
Sandoval ia said to have been associated
with Rael in the assassination of Doherty,
and also made the affidavit which brought
about Rael's arrest, aud thereby caused
his death at the hands of the sheriff's
posse. A third party arrested was Soste-
nes Lucero, who had fred the shots that
killed Rael. The two former men
MADE FULL CONFESSION,
Sandoval admitting his connection to a
certain extent with the assassination OF
John Doherty, and connecting with the
crime the names of Sostenes Lucero
Juan and Tomas Lucero, and two or three
others. He stated that the object of kill
ing roherty was to prevent him from
prosecuting them for thefts and also 10
prevent him testifying against Sostenes
Lucero under the charge of having muir
dered old man Jones, in Colfax county
Sandoyal said that s. Lucero had asked
him to join their band in planning the
murder of Doherty and said they were to
be paid for it, but he did not reveal the
name of the party who was to do the pay
ing. After Doherty's death s. Lucero
said he had been requested to enlist the
services of Bartolome Cordova in their
cause of crime, and that he had induced
| Cordova to join the band, This was Il
secret organization, its members taking
each an oath not to reveal the secrets of
the organization. Cordova and Sandoval
agree in stating that on Saturday, Feb
ruary II, they went to Mora where they
SAW SHERIFF. ABEyTrA,
who invited them to meeting at the
county Jail. They saw at this meeting
Sheriff Abeytia, his deputy and jailer,
Juan b. Romero. Tomas, Juan and Sos
tenes Lucero, themselves and one or two
others, eight men in all being present, and
they allege that the sheriff there said to
! them in substance this: 'Rael has been
seen visiting at Joseph Doherty's house
in upper Mora, and believe he is going
to turn state's evidence and tell of the
killing ofJohn Doherty. Now. you know,
(said Sheriff Abeytia addressing Sandoval
and his associates) 'you men are accused
Of this killing. and you are fools if you
do not act first. You need not be afraid
to kill Rael, as he is nobody but an In
dian, and people will be glad that he is
dead
UNFOLDING THE PLOT.
"They then, according to this confess
sion," continued the governor, devised at
that meeting in the county Jail their plan
for the murder of Rael. Cordova being
the Indians personal friend, was to 60
a. oo1f h,.,, lox, tall