Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-05-31
DISTRICT COURT DOINGS.
What the Chavez Murder Trial Cost
Verdict Generally Approved
Fines Remitted-Impaneling
United States Juries-Other
Court Notes.

The righteous verdict of ''guilty'
against the four murderers of Francisco
Chavez has since been the absorbing
topic of conversation among all classes
of people and it has been generally and
heartily approved by friends of law
order and Justice, irrespective of politics
Many who have SAID little in words have
expressed their satisfaction by looks OF
contentment and freedom from anxiety
more full of meaning than words. 1t
lifted burden of uneasiness and solicit
tude from the minds of the community
and inspired we'll meaning men with
fresh confidence and hope. Doubtless it
caused some guilty ones to tremble and
hang their heads as they skulked off to
dark and secluded places. This is one of
the wholesome effects of the verdict.
WHAT THE TRIAL COST.
During the five weeks and two days the
Chavez murder case was on trial about
100 witnesses we're sworn, about 100 jurors
and talesmen were summoned and an un-
usually large force of deputies and baliffs
was necessarily in constant attendance.
Thus the ex penses Of the trial were unavo old
ably large. Clerk Wyllys says that the
total cost of the trial will foot up in the
neighborhood of $4,000. The Exchange
hotels bills for boarding jurors and bail
ifs in this trial and also in the Vialpando
and Friday murder trials amount to
about $1,000.
Politically the jury was composed of
six Democrats and six Republicans. 1t
is understood that the first ballot in the
consultation room stood eight to four in
favor of conviction of murder in the first
degree, the four who voted in the mega
tive not questioning the guilt of the
verdict which involved capital punish
ment. 1t is believed by we'll informed
persons about the court that the jury
would not have been out an hour If the
punishment provided by law had only
been life imprisonment.
During the trial Judge Hamilton fined
Bernardino B. Baca $40, and Charles NJ.
Conklin IS for contempt of court, but,
upon explanation that the facts had been
misrepresented to him, the judge re-
mitted the fines in both cases.
COURTS THIS FORENOON.
Judge Hamilton opened both the
United States district court and the
special term of the territorial district
court at o'clock this morning. Doubt
less owing to the bad condition of the
roads all the United States Jurors sum-
moned on the special venires were not
present, only twenty grand and twenty
petit jurors reporting, and recess was
taken until 2 p. m. The territorial court
was also adjourned to the same hour.
An attachment was issued and placed
in the hands of Deputy Marshal Loomis
yesterday for Jose G. Gutierrez, of Santa
Cruz, summoned on the regular panel as
a grand juror, but, upon the explanation
of Deputy LOOMS that Gutierrez was 65
years old and sick, the Judge dismissed
the attachment. number of pleas of
guilty to minor offenses were also en-
tered up in the United States court.
OTHER COURT NEWS.
Hon. E. A. Fiske returned from Spring
or last night. His client, DR.. s. I. North,
of Clayton, charged with completely with
John G. Hill and Jack Woods in the
wholesale stealing of cattle, some two
years ago, was acquitted. The case was
80 clear that the defendants attorneys,
Messrs. Fiske and W. G. Wrigley, sub
mitted it without argument. Hill and
Woods are now on trial, being defended
by T. B. Catron and E. V. Long.
Mr.. H. W. LOOMS, deputy U. s. mar
shall, came up from Socorro Yesterday,
where he had been as a witness in the
case of the U. s. vs.. Felipe Padilla and
Madrid, charged with the as
of Mail Carrier Jose Romero
in western Socorro county in December,
1898. Mr.. Loomis arrested the accused.
Their defense is based on the alibi
theory, but Attorney Hemingway has
pretty we'll knocked it out. One of the
witnesses for the defense, Dionicio Lopez,
while on the stand testified that he had
never been convicted of any crime. Ex-
of the records shows him to
rave been once convicted of perjury and
lis sentence suspended pending good be-
,avior. He is now in Jail by order of
Judge Eaughlin. The assassination case
will probably be submitted to the jury
tonight.