The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-20
HANGED At SANTA f,
Desperadoes Vailpando and
Chavez Executed in
Public.
FACE DEATH BRAVELY.
Close of Two Careers of Crime
and Outlawry in the
Southwest.
BROUGHT TO BAY BY A DOG.
The Faithful Brute Had Led the Way
to the Bones of It's Murdered
Master.
BROUGHT TO BAY BY A DOG.

SANTA FE, N. NJ, Nov. 19.-Jesus
Vailpando and Feliciano Chanez, con-
vlcted of numbering and burning the body
of young Thomas Martinez in South Santa
Fe County on January 90, 1895, were
hanged here this morning before 1000
people in valley north of the city.
The crowd gathered at the Jail at 6
O'Clock, when the condemned men were
put into hack and taken to the place of
execution, accompanied by Vlcar-General
Fourchgeu and posse of guards. The
rope was quickly adjusted and the cap
drawn, when Sheriff Cunningham sprang
| the trap and Vailpando dropped, his neck
being broken instantly. He died in four
minutes without struggle. Chavez was
| then hanged in the same manner, dying
Immediately without visible struggle.
Both faced death bravely. Vailpando
made quite a speech relating to his life
and the bad associations leading up to the
murder, and warned others to beware of
his example. The bodies of the two will
be shipped to their families at Las Vegas
! tonight.
The crime for which Jesus Vailpando
and Feliciano Chavez were executed to-
day is, with its attendant circumstances
without parallel in the history of Amer
can Jurisprudence, and the life-story of the
| frst-named and greater scoundrel reads
much like a chapter or two from those sem
sational books on Western life, published
| for the especial delectation of small boys
and the feeble-minded. Especially favored
| by the extraordinary fortune of Western
| life he, at several times, was in a position
! to rise to influence and attain wealth, but
he threw these away for the career of out
| lawry for which he paid the penalty to-
day.
Vailpando was born at Rio Abajo, Valen-
| cia County, n. Mex, May 5. 1865. At an
early age his father removed to the ranch
of the famous Romeros of New Mexico,
now known as Romeroville. where he was
employed as a blacksmith. 1t was here
| that Vailpando worked for the first time,
and many of his evenings were spent at
the ranch, where, on account OF his intelli-
gence, the women Of the family taught
him the rudiments Of what afterward de-
veloped into very good education. 1t
was here that his father died, leaving the
family without any support. The boy was
but II years of age at that time and unable
to do ranch work. Trinidad Romero took
compassion upon him, however, and he
was sent to the fields to care for the sheep
For this he was paid $40 per month. This
was sufficient to maintain his mother, and
he continued herding sheep for fourteen
months. In 1880, at the age of Is, he mar
ried Juanita Montoya, and from that time
fate was kind to him for a number of
years.
In 1889 Vailpando was appointed Con-
stable for precinct Is, San Miguel County,
n. Mex, but resigned the following year
to enter upon the duties of Justice of the
Peace to which Office he had been elected
while he was constable. He held this Of
| flee for two years, when he was elected
School Director for his district. So soon
as his term ended, however, he entered the
service of a contractor who was in charge
| of the mail route between Las Vegas and
Los Alamos. 1t was at this time that his
| populations began and for some trifling
thing, which he could not explain, he was
discharged. He thereupon removed to
Rincon Tablezon, tie camp, where he
was engaged as cook. Again some petty
stealing caused his dismissal and he left
the camp on March %, 1894, to hunt. he
said, for some horses which had been
stolen. This was fated to be an eventful
Journey for him. AS he iourneyed over
the plains he met German Maestas,
fugitive from justice who, at that time, was
under Indictment for horse-stealing and
who had escaped from Jail at Las Vegas.
With this Maestas Vailpando travelled that
day. slept that night and travelled the next
morning.
1t was on the following day, as they were
walking along, they came to the sheep
camp of Pedro Romero. This Romero and
Maestas were sworn enemies and had
vowed to kill each other on sight, because
of the fact that a woman, the divorced wife
of Maestas, was in the habit of distributing
mpartially her smiles upon either AS
soon as they reached this camp and dis
covered that Romero was in charge,
Maestas and Vailpando opened fire and
killed the sheep-herder. They had not
noticed small shepherd boy, however,
who hid in the pinon bushes until the
danger was over and then went to a neigh
boring settlement and gave the alarm,
stating that he recognized Maestas but did
not know the other man, whom he accu-
rately described. On the strength of this
information posse was organized and,
led by the boy, sent to the scene. When
it arrived it found the remains of a fire
which the men had built of pinon bushes
and cedar trees and wherein they had
placed the body of Romero. 1t was clearly
identified and the boy was taken to Las
Vegas, where the Grand Jury was in ses-
sion and where an Indictment was found
against German Maestas and John Doe.
Warrants were issued Immediately and
Maestas captured soon after by a deputy
Sheriff of Santa Fe County and turned
over to the authorities OF San Miguel
County, where he was convicted and
hanged. Before he was executed, how
ever, he confessed the crime and the facts
as narrated, terming Jesus Vailpando
1.-The most desperate and dangerous man
In the Southwest" He informed the
Sheriff of the whereabouts Of Vailpando.
AT that time reward of $500 had been
offered for the apprehension of John Doe.
otherwise Vailpando, but the man was so
desperate that the officials were afraid of
him and made no effort to arrest him,