Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-04-19
ASSASSINS OF CHAVES.
Judge Hamilton Will Arrive Tonight
Trial TO-m0rrOw-StOry of the
Crime-MOre Convictions in
District Court.


Late last evening Judge Laughlin re-
ceived dispatch from Judge Hamilton,
dated Socorro, saying that it would he
impossible for him to reach Santa Fe in
time to begin the trial OF the Chaves
murder cases this morning, but that he
would endeavor to be here tonight and
open the trial tomorrow morning. In
the interest of all concerned it is GER
tainly to be hoped that Judge Hamilton
will not be obliged to dlsappoint the peo-
pie of this county, who are weary of
bearing the burden incident to these IN
tried cases, and doubtless the accused are
tired Of their long confinement in the
county Jail. Below will be found the
STORY OF THE CRIME IN BRIEF.
About 10 O'Clock on the night of May
80, 1892, Francisco Chaves, ex-sheriff of
Santa Fe county, was cruelty and in the
most cowardly manner assassinated on
the south end of the bridge near Guada-
lupe church; his body was pierced by five
bullets, and this fact, together with col
lateral circumstances, indicated that he
was the victim of a conspiracy in which
a number Of persons were implicated; on
the following Thursday night, about
o'clock, Juan Pablo Dominguez, jailer
under. Sheriff Chaves and presumed to
know a good deal about the killing of his
late chief, was shot three time and almost
instantly killed in front of the arch
bishops residence; Francisco Gonzales Y
Borrego, Antonio Gonzales Borrego
and Chino Alarid were arrested for the
crime, admitted that they killed Domin-
guez, but were acquitted on the plea of
self defense. Immediately after the
bloody events above recorded friends of
law and order began a still hunt for evil
dence that would definitely spot and con-
vict the assassins of Frank Chaves. Nat
urally the persons who had killed Domin-
guez were suspected but evidence was
not easily procurable.
SHERIFF CUNNINGHAM AT WORK.
Finally, in July, 1898, William P. Gun
bingham became sheriff by appointment
of Gov. Thornton, and, without saying a
word to any one except his trusted lieu
tenants, promptly began thorough in
vestigation with view to certainly dis
covering and bringing to justice the MUIR
derers of Chaves. He was confronted by
difficulties and dscouragements that
would have disheartened most men, but
he never for one moment abandoned the
bloodstained trail. At last his untiring
efforts were rewarded. He secured three
affidavits and contirmatory verbal evil
dence giving detailed statement of the
facts connected with the Chaves assassina-
ton and the names of the persons i'm
plicated therein. Armed with this IL
dence he felt fully warranted in arresting
Francisco Gonzales Borrego, Antonio
Gonzales Borrego, Chino Alarid, Patrl-
clio Valencia, Francisco Rivera and Hippo
Ito Vigil. Accordingly, about o'clock
on Tuesday, January 8, 1894, with war
rants issued by Judge Seeds, he started
out with several deputies to make the
arrests. Hlpolito Vigil was met in the
street near the capitol, refused to hold up
his hands when ordered to do SO, pulled
his gun and fred presumably at the sher-
if. The officers returned the fire and
H1PoL1To WAS KILLED.
Francisco Gonzales y Borrego. with a
regulation IS calibre Colts revolver
strapped on his person and his pockets
full of As calibre cartridges, was arrested
just as he was coming out of the house of
Antonio Ortiz Salazar, nearly opposite
the capitol. He made no resistance. An
tonic Gonzales y Borrego, Chino Alarid,
and Patricio Valencia were arrested at
their respective homes. The former at
first refused to come out of his house and
threatened resistance, but finally yielded
without firing shot. Francisco Rivera
turned states evidence.
The preliminary examination of the
Borrego brothers, Alarid and Valencia
took place soon after their arrest, before
Judge Seeds, Rivera appearing merely as
witness. The examination occupied
the maj or part of three weeks and was
very exhaustive. The testimony taken
occupied over twenty columns in the
New MEXICAN. District Attorney Crist
and Judge Laughlin conducted the hear
ing for the territory and Catron & Spiess
appeared for the defendants. The fact
of the killing of Chaves was established
by the testimony of Atilano Gold and
Others and DR.. Sloan gave expert testi-
mony touching the wounds inflicted upon
the deceased. Francisco Rivera and Juan
Gallegos gave direct and startling testi-
mony respecting the carefully matured
plot to kill Chaves. The defendants and
various members of their families were
put on the stand in their own behalf and
desperate efforts were made to prove
alibis, but these efforts were defeated by
the testimony of Seferino Alarid and his
wife, Nicholas Gutierres, the wife and
sister-in-law of Valencia and other wit
nesses, which fatally conhicted with the
evidence of the defendants.
At the conclusion OF the protracted
hearing Judge Seeds remanded the de-
PENDANTS to Jail without bail awaiting the
action of the district court, and they
have since been in custody at the Hotel
de Cunningham.
MORE CONVICTIONS.
In the territorial district court last
evening, Marcos Castillo and Ambrosio
Ortiz, charged with willfully prohibiting
lawful electors from voting a year ago
last spring, were found guilty and turned
over to the custody of the sheriff. They
are now in Jail awaiting sentence.
As Judge Hamilton did not materialize,
Judge Laughlin decided to take up sew
erl petty cases appealed from the local
police court. In the case of Melton
Castillo, charged with being drunk and
disorderly, the IS fine of the lower court
was increased to $40 and costs. The
case of the City vs.. Jose Ortiz Baca,