Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-18
MURDERER OF VIPOND.
Sensational Testimony of an Eye Wit
ness to the Dreadful Deed-Pa-
dilla's Guilt Proved Be-
yOnd Doubt.

The fact that Perfecto Padilla, the as
sassn of John Vipond, had been con-
victed of murder in the first degree in
Judge Laughlin's court at TERRA Anna
rilla was exclusively reported in the
columns of the New MEXICAN on Thurs
day afternoon.
Messrs. william vipond, brother of the
deceased, and s. L. Russell, an intimate
friend of both the deed and the living
brother, who have devoted the past year
to getting testimony against the brutal
murderer, arrived in Santa Fe from
TERRA Amarillo on Saturday evening,
and from them the NEW MEXICAN has
been able to gain much interesting infor-
nation not heretofore printed.
John and William Vipond were origin
ally from Galnea, ILL.,, but in 1868 moved
westward and engaged in mining in the
Black Hills and in Montana. Later they
concentrated their efforts in the mines
near Butte City, Mont, where their intelli-
gence, energy and industry were well re-
warded and where they both resided until
this sketch.
Last July, John Vipoud, a man IS
years old, visited Bland, in the Cochiti
mining district, and soon after QUILTED
for prospecting trip to the Copper
City region in Rio Arriba county. He was
accompanied from Bland by Judge Nc
Ginnis and one or two others. During
the first week in August he temporarily
separated from his companions, they GO
ing around by Copper City, and he TAX
ing his pack animals and camp outfit
into the Gallina mountains, where, in
little park about fifteen miles from Cop
per City, his bones, picked bare of flesh
by wild animals, we're found on the fol-
lowing October by searching party,
organized by his brother and Mr.. Rus
SELL
The finger of suspicion soon pointed
to Perfecto Padilla as the probable assas-
sin, who was soon after arrested, and
Messrs. vipond and Russell have since
spared neither trouble nor expense to
secure evidence against the accused.
The circumstances that made it almost
certain that Padilla was the guilty man
have all been recounted in these columns
and need not be repeated here.
But the fact that Mr.. vipond was in
possession of conclusive proof, the
straightforward testimony of an eye-wit-
ness, was known only to few untilit was
brought out in the trial at TERRA Amar-
lila.
Then Jose de la Jesus Archibeque was
put on the stand and created veritable
sensation by telling an intelligent story
of the crime from the standpoint of an
eyewitness.
About IL o'clock on the morning of
August 6, he rode up on the edge of the
little park where the bones of the de-
ceased were found, and, hearing loud
groans, he looked toward the place
whence the sounds came, short distance
away, and plainly saw Perfecto Padilla
beating an American with heavy club
of some kind. He described the man as
lying on his back and said he had bushy
whiskers, just such as the deceased wore.
His description of the place was also
perfect as we're all the details he gave.
He said that he had known Perfecto
Padllla for nineteen years, had roemed In
the same house with him, and knew him
to be dangerous man. Not being armed
he did not interfere and tried to get away
without being perceived, but, just as his
horse made an unusual noise in the brush,
Padilla looked toward him and apparent
ly saw him. He hastened away and was
in hiding from the desperate murderer
! for some time.
After the arrest and preliminary hear
ing of Padilla, however, he secretly told
the story to Deputy Sheriff Jack Martin,
of Copper City, and afterwards related it
to Mr.. vipond in Albuquerque.
Mr.. Archibeque is widely known as a
truthful man and good citizen. His
testimony, together with all the other cir
cumstances adduced at the two days trial,
made the work of the jury light, and a
verdict of murder in the first degree was
agreed upon about 10 o'clock on Tuesday
night.
Padilla had no other motive for his
awful deed than the desire to secure the
watch, about $50 in money and the pack
animals of his victim. These he secured.
According to the latest advices from
TERRA Amarillo, Padllla had not yet been
sentenced by Judge Laughlin.