Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-03-18

tne 6dn miguel Dunu OI roDOers anu do
sassins, and that of his wife, Telesfora
Sandoval, were brought into Las Vegas
at $50 yesterday afternoon.
Thereby hangs a tale of blood curdling
crime that has few equals in western his
tory.
In 1890 Silva kept a notorious drink
ing resort in Las Vegas, and an organized
band of stock thieves and robbers made
his place headquarters, operating through
out San Miguel, Guadalupe and Mora
counties. Later they became known as
White Caps, and, emboldened by their
success and the lax administration of the
law, having influential members who Sc
cured positions as deputy sheriffs and
policemen, they inaugurated
A REIGN OF TERROR
throughout that section that made no
person or thing theirs to be respected.
Dwellings and business houses in the out
lying villages were robbed in broad day
light. Miles of fence were cut, barns and
hay racks burned and long string of
murders, either for personal gain or re-
venge, followed. Silva managed things
with master hand. It all went like
clock work. The lll-gotten gains OF the
gang were spent at HIS place of business
for liquor and among dissolute women
and thus he secured his reward. For
two years
PRACTICAL ANARCHY
existed. Then there came change in
the territorial administration and in
county affairs and the first work of the
officers of the law was to run down this
gang. Good men in each of the above
named counties were selected to aid in
the work, and these, cooperating faith
fully with the governor and subordinate
officers, ferreted out the criminals, ar
rested and convicted score or more Of
them and drove others from the country.
As result of this celebrated
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CRIME
thirty-one convicts ere now serving SEN
tences in the territorial penitentiary,
most of them for life.
But as to Silva. Nobody will undertake
to say just how many murders this arch
tiend has had hand in, certainly not less
than an even dozen. He presided at the
White Cap trial which condemned to
death one of his gang Patricio Macs, for
divulging secrets Of the band, and hesup-
ervised the hanging Of that poor devil to
bridge beam in the town Of Las Vegas.
It is known that he sba,. ,,ied't 10 death
Gabriel Sandoval and threw his body
head foremost down vault IN west Las
Vegas, and numerous other deaths of a
less heinous nature are attributed to him.
Silva was always more or less sus-
picious of his wife, and when it began to
grow too hot for the successful operations
of the gang he made up his mind to
PUT HER OUT OF THE WAY.
This he did on the night of May 49,
1898, while en- route from Las Vegas to
the village of Los Alamos. He pierced
her heart with his Jrusty bowie knife and
buried her body in the sands of deep
arroyo some 200 yards from Los Alamos
plaza. Then he went to the village and
in the presence of some of his gang
most of them stood in mortal fear of him
he boasted of his deed. That was the
red handed villains last boast. That
same night he was set upon by members
of his band and murdered. His body was
conveyed to the arroyo and buried in the
sand beside that of his wife.
For nearly two years officers Of the law
have been in search of Silva. New Mexico,
Arizona and Colorado have been secured
for him. Gov. Thornton offered $1,000
reward for his capture. Last summer ii
was announced that he had been found at
Flagstaff, but persons sent to identify
him came back empty handed. A few
months since Deputy United States Mar
shal Loomis felt sure he had located
Silva In Pueblo, Colo, but the prisoner
was not the man.
Sheriff Cunningham, Rafael Romero
and others who were instrumental in
chasing down the gang, have long main
tanned that
SILVA WAS DEAD.
They based their opinion upon hint
secured from one of the band at the time
of the wholesale conviction of its mem
bers in Judge Smiths court at Las Vegas
last spring Some months ago Mr.. Ro-
moro and NJ. @. de Baca, of Las Vegas,
came to Santa Fe and secured authority
to have a talk with Florentino Medran
at the penitentiary. That individual was
member of the band that robbed VIM
Franks store at Los Alamos and hauled
off the postof1ice safe to the foothills
where it was rifed. Medran confesse
that Silva was dead, but declined to &c
into details. few weeks since Messri
Romero and de Baca had another con.
ference with Medran and induced him to
divulge the precise whereabouts of the
dead leaders, body. With this informa'
tion Las Vegas party went out to Loi
Alamos last week and afte: great dea
of effort finally struck the spot in the
sand where the bodies lay buried. The
hndiea wars we'll prAaArved Roth Sllvg