Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-10-23

'NNA HANN'NNNNN az OAANA W
nullify bis testimony in court.
The charges against Baca are 30
grave that If they leaked out dur
ing, the campaign Baca and bis
chief, Laird, would be ruined The
secret does leak out and becomes
common. rumor. So serious does
this affidavit in Pottor's possession
appear to the republican leaders
that ON Potter's return to town
late on Monday night he is way
laid by A. B. Laird, Cipriano Boco,
Yves Welty, aud J. r. johnson,
and what looks dangerously like
an attempt at robbery takes place,
for these men crowd onto him and
demand that be produce the afida-
wits. This desperate attempt proves
unsuccessful, as, after demanding
il his assailants have a warrant
authorizing them to search and
take anything away from him, and
finding they have not, he defes
them and warn them that he will
defend himself and resist any such
attempt at robbery.
This bold aud desperate attempt
to secure and destroy the evidence
against them having failed, the
only possible course left.is taken,
aud the Enterprise comes boldly
out, gives a partial and distorted
account Of the affair, and brazenly
trles to secure sympathy for it's
men by saying that this disgrace.
ful row in the republican ranks is
due to deep and wiley tactics on
'bhe part Of the democrats, and In
ferentially suggesting that the
criminal actions Of which Baca ct
al are accused are untrue.
Now the facts are that sofar the
charges of criminal conduct have
been brought by republicans
against republicans, and the pub
LEGATION of these criminal charges
frst appears in a republican paper.
-Ebe democrats have not had a
thing TO do with it. The story
leaked out and>~was known to
prominent democrats weeks ago.
But the democrats have been max
ing a decent campaign, not follow
ing the tactics of the leading
republican candidates and lying
about, villifying and slandering
their opponents. They have felt
that, as good men and true, they
could rely on their own merits;
and refused to descend to picking
up vague rumor and using it to
yillify their opponents. The story
of this disgraceful and criminal
affair has, however, boon brought
out in a distorted form by them
selves, and we propose to give the
voters of Grant County a chance
to hear the truth about it.
In Pottefs attempt to secure
evidence which would aid him in
the trial which takes place here at
this coming term of court he
learned that Deputy Sheriff Baca,
one Of the principal witnesses
against him, had take advantage of
his official position to extort
money, and had received bribes TO
release prisoners. He secured an
affidavit from one man stating
that he had paid Baca q bribe to
release him while he was a pris-
oner in chains in Baca's charge.
He heard of two other men as will
ling to make afidavits that Baca
had been guilty of similar criminal
acts. Acting under the advice of
his attorney (who is Disguised at
the publicity of what he was going
to use as evidence in COURT Pot
ter went to Central to try and Sc
cure these. Some Of Baca's and
Laird's friends heard Of it and
hurrying in to town, informed
them. Thereupon Sheriff Laird
1.-THE republican candidate for col
lectorl Deputy Baca (tbe republi-
can nominee for sherif) j. r.
johnson the ex-chairman Of the
republican central committee) and
another man hurriedly assembled
and waylaid Potter as he came in
after dark into the corral. They
came crowding up to him and de-
handed that he produce the afi-
davits which they thought he had
with him. Finding they were act
ing unlawfully and without war
rant he defed them, and they had
respect enough for their own lives
not To ATTEMPT To oyerpower a reso-