The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-08

who had confessed. and with guns At his head
s6idsyit that his conSession had been eStorted
from him under duress.
,s sa.r u S SS1n,@s6 nsIno learned ear sao, e the }. confer;
once. The members OF the gang had. already
held meetings. and were expecting trouble
looked for 4, and found them scattered Instead
Of intrenehed in some barricaded adobe, as
four hours. later. Cunningham aud Deputies
Tucker and otero suddenly appeared on the
rego, armed with two r~evoiyefs and his pockets
iu,i OF cartridges was tho first Of the gang en-
Vigil. Chief Of Police. Coroner. and school ii.
Vigil reSlrned ali his oaices by the simple proc.
Csc OF pulling a gun instead OF, throwing up
bullets. q pistol. bali, and a handful OF buck.
shot, and was left in the gutter where he fell.
house. armed himself, and prepared for a siege.
The officer. suTrnnnded the place, ordered the
p %%%sn Sna f sa SicM II, Sp eSs S out; S MIaD % Tisas
powder. Antonio. being assured that he would
BOT rI be lynShSdl sa,ffndered, Chino Allar!d.
Rivera were arrested without resistance. The
rest OF the gang hid; and for twenty.four hours
Santa F6. MllitInmen guarded the Jail and tho
streets were ALMOST deserted. Peaceable citizens
with the Sheriff and his deputiss..
Tbs %nEe,iminary examination of the prisoners
February, 1H94ilThe prisoners were escorted
between the Jail and the Court House by men
famous throughout tho Southwest for their
courage and expertness with weapons. The fact
int most OF these special guards were . Te-
est MEXICAN desperadoes from attempting n
rescue; There WAS no ostentatious display OF
o s5ns' r but every {, n TSdHn had H. a revolver wi where he
was crowded every day, and some citizens
feared thu, a desperate attempt might be made
Irecamti9n was taken to prevent it,Tom
nallarv nyaFlppkiuu Tho hnr nranaHal tn ylun
the Hon. ThouIas b. Catron, bondsman and at
torney Of the Button Gang, at the first break.
members of the gang turned states evidence
and confessed the conspiracy, and Rivera, when
Inv, his confession, asserted that the nmdnyit
had been forced from him by Catron and tho
I brought back from Colorado, aud he related in
detail the efforts Of Vigil and The Borregos to
the trial came when GaIiegos snid:
Frank norrego said 70 me: MIR. Catron will
s seet s soi d S.II u WOW S"u k Hs fi Is a eow "nd YIN pro IrS.
tor. KILLED siivestre Gallegos. and nothing, has
bt ,y3,alo,n done r. me; Mr.. Caaron is my patron"
greatly affected. He catered a general denial.
COLLAPSED, and went hnme. There he had an
for several days. While in bed he gave ,esti.
monv in which he admitted that he was a
known popularity as the Button Gang. but denied
that he had authorized Borrego to make the
When the case finally camc to trial. in April.
1905. the defence ATTEMPTED to set up an alibi.
bribed, cajoled. and inundated. and not ali on
ono side either. for the prosecution placed upon
and viciously. The alibi collapsed utterly. and
tho evidence against the four prisoners was SO
murder and sentenced to be hanged. '
The case was appealed 70 the supreme Court
On on u m wst OF ,im peor c,h anu a i o Gsiay ehsuea, In
tton, and suhornation of perjury were filed
| hnrmeuf prOCRediuIa ynra hepnD apaipat than,
mot proven" One Justice rendered an opinion
and Spices should he di.barred.
1t Is impracticable to trace here the Borrego
politics. which 1t permeates. Pending the hear
Ing of the case by the supreme Court there was
after plot to release the Borregos from Jail was
Matched, attempted, discovered, and foiled.
where the men were shackled to iron rings.
Shackles were cut and window bars filed, and
slant watch. The friends of the assassins even
provided them with means of poisoning their
3G ahsiisss' Ala ahdn and Sn' Ps,r tns f Vsies sSnIs ssSnyin Sf
any lingering doubt as to the guilt. of the
gang. Their story fully corroborated the story
OF the conspiracy brought out by the trinl. But
these confessions did not ALLEVIATE from the Bor-
regos the sympathy, and support Of their polisi-
release the convicted sssassins. legally. or iile-
Hal!y. The plots to get them out OF Jail became
30 numerous that the Sheriff finally removed
the two Borregos to the penitentiary for safe
keeping. Nobody cared what became of Alarid
and Valencia, who had confessed. and no efforts
were made to release Them. Frank iiorrego. the
tiger al the Button Gang, was the object OF all
the solicitude-a soliritude 80 marked and in
lense rs to arouse the suspicion that Borrego
held In his breast secrets known to none OF his
fellow assassius. secrets that some men were in
mortal terror of seeing wrunG from him when
he stepped upon the scaiInih.
The murdcrers were sentenced to be hanged on
July 10, 1895. but the Supreme Court was un-
able to hear the appea! until August. 1896. The
Judgment OF the lower court was then affirmed
| n A tho execution set Tor Sent. "a. k!ltl. But
Catron did not remit his efforts to save the
mu-derers. He alleged that the record in the case
did not show the fact OF formal arrangements,
and he and his partner made affidavit that in
fact The defendants had never been arraiGned.
The Judge OF the District Court ordered q cor
rection OF the record. and the Court Clerk,
stenographer. District Attorney, Sheriff. Deputy
Sheriff. and foreman of the jury all swore that
the defendants had been Rrraigned. C;rcum-
stances were revealed that justified the sus-
Sept. n the Supreme Court finally accepted the
corrected record. reatfirmed the Judgment. and
torneys Immediately filed n motion for n writ OF
haheas corpus and succeeded In obtaining the
present stny.
While the case was still in the Supreme Court.
early In September. the Button Gang was reor-
OF The gang. u police whistle. was heard again at
night In SANTA Fe. Frank BOrreGo told IL life
whether the supreme Court affirmed the death
sentence or not: that his friends had agreed 10
murder the sheriff and the Goyernor before tho
sentence could be carried out, and the county
commissioners would appoint "A Sheriff friendly
to him. and then he would be safe, The secret
meetings Of the cOnspirntors were discovered by
the sheriff. and he and Deputy Tucker surprised
one of them. held up the gang with shotHuns.
and ordered them to cease holding such meet
ings. These facts came out in court in proceed
inrs instituted by lone OF the gang against the
Sheriff for making threats.
About this time appeared tho following open
letter. which throws u strong side light on Ter
ritorial politics:
TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.
OFFICE M THE Executive.
SANTA IF, y. NJ, Sept. 10, 1890.
ThOmla n. CufrDn, SANTA 4. ", Ii.
The fol'owing Is AN extract from n communication
from Santa re which appeared In last Saturdays issue
of the Albuquerque CHiEen under tho nom de pune
OF NIX"
"SEvERE CRITICISM.
"Gov. THORNTON CHARGED WITH PRoSTITuTISG HIS
OFIyCE.
Editor CITIZEN - Poker BiIl' Is now engaged In
nj. Ia, m 0ap,a d yvhIrh ms Il vas nF fnur man ra "a