The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-01

4 u httH v FNHlNf
messed pbe ihiHpsinss, Of four q the most reckless,
Southwest, hut that bandit. Tfburcio vnsquoz,
who was hanged in San jose. IN this State,
shoulders above anyone I've ever seen or heard
OF Tor true coolness whom his execution was near
Snl hSpd Mo yiEs . 81 w vera a sV cr %, " rec be GRS inf HIS
grandfather was IL close associate Of Gen. III.
dalgo, Young yasquex was = born outlaw, II
risk his life. Ills field OF operations for
ten or fifteen years was oil the way
band WINS known all over the coast in 1868 and
$50. Part Of his gang wns lynched at Phoenix
hat ls thccy 1b htd TAX TAKEN on the i"s li Vas" OF o SHSn , Sqt5V men
and boys on tho coast and along the Rio Grando
the course OF five, or six years. They dii not
by vasqucz and his fellows. before they knew
the chief bandit. AZ last vasauez was caught
trial and, sentence OF death; II was in, the fall
Of 1873 that ne was soninsd IN the jaiI a. san
tosec vasqucz, OF whom many a timc l bad been
in terror. As ] in company Of several rnnGhmcn,
follow, with Swapping. black eyes and 4 smiling.
h.ppy expression; We We Go u m No aciiSSG FOR a
had heard SO much and Of whom our ranch
hands Ind such n fear. He Ind Just been writ
antly to us, Each Of us handed him a cignr.
~ thank you he said. but I'm afraid that
I won't have time to smoke all these
ouez that day. He saw that We had the easiest
chairs and were seated before himself. He told
me that he had heard OF me many times. and
said he believed he had once got hold Of n horso
with my brand upon him and that 1t was a fino
Ut would rather talk about something else, IL
1t is agreeable to, you. gentlemen he said to 2
ness at one" by asking vnsquez about his men
tai eon 'i' Esrv w ~ I'M gG,nE Ike H f. h Saa have TO,
no choice. Seer Ana he shrugged his shoulders
and smiled.
swerc liishting 9 cigar. 'Whi,oI never Killed
! and in The ey" o. the law that is no slme thing;
SO snppo't d seryo what IS going TO hal;n.n;
YOU pardon me. gentlemen, III ask YOU to talk
about something else than myself lam glad to
see YOU; | like company. The weather is pleas
"NnsQucz commented upon tho rose in my
hut onlolu and said it WIS o! n variety he used
the correct English and Mcxicnn names for 1t.
",I have nlwoys had = %iGnir 1ssssl for co,ors and
and ,dded: But my unruly feet wandered away
to Wild. restless fields before ! was aware OF it,
all i he F Tinc ' dSntt fls e md s nnG Ms,T as o S"" Won ND
He nd about fourteen of them left. The mans
life and perfect hetlth. His courage hal been
proved in many a bloody fEiht, and l. by murder.
Oh nee in II thousand OF cscap that ch nee
would have been taken. A. il was, he smiled
manly composure. His po''iteness was extreme.
Tho eli or of one of the san JOSE newspapers
c me in. greeting him with \ hoist"rous hilnr;
itv. meant at once TO cheer the COnd rmnct and
,imacy with . celebrated character. The Ct
his pocket, and. with the remark, 'Isuppose YOU
want to hear what | said about you o.nirht.' sat
down nnd rcaf to VasQucz three solid columns
about his crimes. the preparations for the hang.
ing, and a minute ,des ription o. the gnl!ows,
With WITHIN mention mIon Ct the v,s other I Sors :, IN who h e had
without, a wine or 2. frown. H. occasionally
' pnffod IN harder at his cigar. when the editor
read OF some extra murderous raid Vasquez had
When the e'itor had gone away. vasquez
turnei so us and said cheer'ully:
engercd. especially when ! have so little OF it
lett dT fSe an nn Sn ye or . Seyia, a%me in to talk over
som detail of tn. execution on the morrow.
vasquez and the sheriff went to- thu far end Of
together. and the sheriff secmoi trying to dis
suade his I'll .rge from some purpose; But Vas
was . trampins OF feet ithont. the kew turned.
bearing a coffin. and foliowed by a Siack.coated
un 'crtaker with a pair Of t~restles in his hands.
sane In; TIE ,, G0fin NJ, a I fine one e, s, I'D ., With
inspected it with lively interest. He half
Its too short he said with surprise. look
ing ut tho awed undertaken. who assured him
near the top. not near the bottom; Then;
pleased at ths quality Of the coffin which had
i"s!adp' F fsit fSe BY pa hIi irieP pqsss ns tSs HI ll,,le s1 pii!
served: well. l shall sleep there very WE'LL
"On the next morning Vasquez walked out
into the suniit jail yard. Climbed the steps of the
~scaffoli. Razed indifferently at the gaping mob
Of men below; threw q glance beyond the walls
to the business Of the moment. They sought to
unbutton his coat and collar. He waved them
aside politely and did it himself. He assisted
the hangman in adjusting. the straps and rope.
glanced down to sec that his feet were precisely
by the priest. and bore himsel. with patience and
dignity while they drew over him a white
shroud and placed on his head and shoulders a
81 am ready, he said. serenely closing his
eyes; and that was the last of V,as9ucz."
Col. Hiram Williams remarked that he be-
lievcd that a man about to be hanged who could
play 4 skilful game Of billiards a few hours be-
OF nerve no could think OF.
II saw a fellow once who played billiords
f8r an n and be be 30 made de' so o1Sn' mighty HsfGye d Hl g was
plays. too, II was that man Coinstock. who
was hanged in SIN Bcrnardino either in March,
1878, or 1874. Those were the days Of frce.and.
easy executions in California. Tho Gallows was
built in an open To-; and every one came from
Coms.ork was a lie mstcr. and did frnightin2 for
the Bannines from Los Apg les down across
pector or in the mountains for his gold. and
several months later was tried and sentenced to
be hanged. My brother was deputy sheriff in
the county at the time, and the mil was the old
brick cfair that was torn down six or seven
years ago. | went into town with all my ranch
hands the evening before the execution, to gct n
good place rom which to Wow the hanging the
next morning. I Went over to the Ill. on |
street. to SEQ II my brother could fit US ont with
tickets admitting US 70 sc ats ne1r the gallows,
for we knew every white and Mexican rancher
IN he country would be there the next morning
before sunrise.
when ! went inside tho jail there was tho
condemned man. Comsto"k, IN the SheriT's pri'
vate Office, talking viii his lawyer about The
prop rty. My bro. her and several other Geputy
shGritfs SIT near. When CoInstock Ind finished
his directions to tho lawyer ] WAS introduced to
the man. Why, he was tho very last man In
amy party THAI I could have thought was spend
in" his last night Oh earth, and TO whom the
Governor had only N hour before teiegraphed
that his doom WAS inevitable.
'Howdy 10, Co'oncl!' said he, as no shook
my hand. 'Suppose you have come to sec me
hnnTcd. haven't your
81 uoddnd assent.
"'Well, from ALL can hear. there'n be a bic
crowd there tomorrow. ] have been to SEQ sew
eral EXECUTIONS in my day, and never thought
that Ia BE- the chief actor myself
Some ono asked Con5;Ock il he had my fare
wall lat 'nTl Ia yritn and at,u,ynaf al that ha Z. 4,