The San Francisco call., 1897-04-03
Drop From a Gallows Guarded
by a Cavalry Troop and
Militia.
Their Crime One of the M,ny Incl.
dent to Cut.Threat Politics
in New Mexico.

the most bitterly fought legal contests in |
the criminal annals of the Southwest was
concluded.
Owing to expected attempts at rescue |
on the part of friends OF the condemned |
men, Sheriff Kinsell last night placed
heavy guard within the county jail, |
" here the execution took place, and this |
as further precautionary meas
ure, Governor Thornton ordered detail
of cavalry and military to guard the Jail.
The men bid their families and friends
q final adieu late yesterday afternoon. and |
passed through this trying ordeal with
out breaking down. They passed rest
full night, the death watch reporting that
not one of them stirred during the night.
The men rose early, end after eating
hearty breakfast they prepared for death.
At 80 o'clock Sheriff Kinsell appeared
and read the death warrant to the pris-
oners, which Was received by the Borre-
gos with some facetiousness. The priests
were then admitted. and remained until
the procession moved Tor the scaffod at
9:05
1.-THE four men walked with a firm step
and mounted the scaffold without assist
ance. Each of them maintained a stolid
indifference in the presence of death, and
m ade no statement except to request the
Sheriff to be particular about removing
all traces of the cause of their death be-
fore turning their bodies over to their
families Their request was complied
with.
The ropes and caps were adjusted and al
900 O'Clock, Just two ana half minutes
after they had mounted the scaffold, the
trap was sprung and the four condemned
a.sassins paid the penalty of their CT me.
The necks of all except that of Valencia
were broken. He was the lightest in
weight and died from strangulation. His
pulse, however, ceased to beat four min
utes after the drop fell while the pulse of
Aiarid, the heaviest of the number, beat
for nine and a half minutes. Frank and
Antonio Borrego were pronounced dead
at the end of six and half m inutes.
Death vas instantaneous in each case,
the body of Valencia being the only one to
show the slightest CULVER. At 9:31 the
men were all pronounced dead by the at
i tending physicians, and at 8 :35 the bodies
were cut down and placed in plain black
collins supplied by the county. The bod
les showed no marks but the usual discol-
OialAOh attShouAt Oli tniS nlOuC VI oC8tu,
except in the case of Alarid. Owing to his
| weight and the length of the drop, the
rope cut his neck almost to the jugulsr,
| making q cut three inches long.
At 10 O'Clock the bodies were turned
over to the families and taken to their
| homes. The funerals will take place SUM-
| day from the cathedral
The four men executed for the murder
of Sheriff Frank Chavez were the victims
of vicious political method, which have
long prevailed in New Mexico. The strug-
| gle tor office in Santa Fe, San Miguel
| Mora and several other counties has been
| carried on for years through the medium
of secret political societies, com posed
mostly OF ignorant natives, having the
moral support and backing at least of q
| certain class of American residents. whose
craving Tor official power and patronage
| was far greater than their regard for the
| public veal or their love for their adopted
/ home.
Out OF this condition of things grew the
| reign of terror and bloodshed which cul-
inmates in the execution of a righteous
! far and wide as a victory for law and
order
| In 1891 these political methods brough hit
| about the organization of many so-callsd
| Knights OF Labor lodges. supported only
| by Democrats. and Republican League
societies, backed up by the Americans
who affiliated with that party. Ma ny
crimes were directly traceabe to these or
carnations. In San Miguel County, OF
which Las Vegas is the county seat, the
! Democrats held sway and there the
Knights OF Labor fourished and did as
they pleased, regardless of law. In Santa
Fe County the Repu blican Leagne of Mu-
tuai Protection, commonly known as the
Button gang" did likewise
Frank Chavez was Sheriff, Democratic
boss and fearless and unscrupuious
leader in Santa Fe, and his influence was
| such as to make him a formida able and
dangerous political foe. The executive
com mittee of the Button gang met in
secret and resolved that Chavez should be
shorn of his power. even if he had to be re
moved by death. Others who were
Chavez's friends and supporters were also
| placed under espionage by this secret so.
ciety. The BOrrego brothers; thcil
brother-in-law, Lauriano Alar1d; Hipolito
Vigil. an aspiring politician; Patricio Va
iencla, whose am bition it was to serve a.
| town constable; Juan Gallegos, Frank
were designated committee with power
| to do as they pleased for the promotion o.
the good of the cause.
Frank Borrego had been defeated fol
| the office OF Coroner and Chief of Police
| by Sylvester Gallegos. the personal friend
| of Sheriff Chavez. In a street fight ons
night Borrego shot and killed Gallegos
Sheriff Chavez placed Borrego in irons In
the county Jail ard assaulted him while
he was handcuffed. Lawyer T. B. Catron
now Delegate in Congress, as attorney fol
| Borrego, obtained his release from iail or
bonds. Fanstin Ortiz. a roundabout town
character. was affiliated with the Borrego:
and Alarids In their political aspirations
and one night he disappeared. his body
was found in a sandy ravIne near towr
thirty days later. The Borregos claimed
that certain Democrats had killed Oruz
and accused Sheriff Chavez of shielding
| them.
One the night OF May %. 1892, Frank
Chavez, who had lost his office as Sheriff
by the elect on of Republican, Charles
| M. Conklin, was assassinated while on hi:
way home and circumstantial evidence
| pointed plainly to the two Borregos, Hi
polite Vigil, Valencia ana Alarid as the
| men who killed him.
Vigil slipped and lost the heel of hl.
boot at the scene of the murder. and
many witnesses saw the other. going e
and returning from the bridge from which
the shots that killed Chavez were fred
Still no one dared to talk. The Buttor
ASanE had full sway certain officials wer,