Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-04-03
Francisco Gonzales y BOrregO, Anto-
Mo Gonzales Y BOrregO, LaurianO
Alarid and PatriciO Valencia
Hanged This Morning.
FINAL ACT In The CHAYEZ TRAGEDY
In the Old Jail Yard, Guarded by Uni
formed Sentries, the Four Men Con-
yicted of the Murder of Frank
Chavez Paid the Penalty of
Their Crime
I RepubIished by Request,

Patricio Valencia, are no more. At sos
O'Clock yesterday morning, under bleak
sky, surrounded by party of shivering
witnesses, and uniformed sentries, they
paid the penalty of the crime of which
they were convicted, upon the scatfold.
Those fond of drawing condolences
may find a touch of the bitter sarcasm OF
fate in the fact, that had Frank Chavez
been alive, he would today have celebrat.
ed the 46th anniversary of his birth. So
in the ceremony attending the taking off
of his murderers, the practical mind may
see something of the eternal fitness of
things, and the adjustment of events in
an even balance, ordered perhaps by some
power even higher than the law of the land
The men died well.
Long familiarity, with the shadow of
the hand of doom, over which at divers
times has fitted hope in the form of re-
spites, had steeled them to the terrible
ordeal, and they went to their death with
firm step. Three times before, date for
their death had been fixed by law, and once
before they were on their way to the same
scaffold, through which they dropped to-
day to eternity; but as many times the
hand of Justice was stayed, and the
Ieniency of the law used to lengthen the
span of lives demanded by the common
wealth in retribution.
The details of the execution were well
arranged, and carried out with a prompt
ness that reflects great credit upon Sheriff
Kinsell and his assistants. Not single
hitch occurred to unnecessarily prolong
the grewsome business. 1t was Sheriff
Kinsells first affair of the kind, and under
similar circumstances, good nervy men
have been known to get exclted and dc
all sorts of clumsy things. 1t WAS evj
dent enough that he had little liking for
the work (some men have) but he went
through with the disagreeabe task speed
lily and well.
The soaffold, in dimensions 12x2l feet
with six-foot trap and drop of the
same height, was covered with canvass
above the platform, for the very laudable
purpose of excluding the final scene in
this tragedy, from the view of root
climbers, who surrounded the jail yard
perohed high upon adjacent buildings.
The jail was guarded by detail of 45
national guardsmen from troop E and
company respectively, the former de-
tail under command of Major Gable and
the latter under Lieutenant King, the
whole composing guard for the execu-
ton, of which Lieutenant Colonel Strov-
or had charge.
The condemned men slept fairly we'll
last night, and ate with their usual appe-
tite of break fast which was served to
them about O'Clock. At 1880 Sheriff
Kinsell entered the cell and read the
death warrant, which was received
without comment, further than a remark
from Frank Borrego, addressed to Sheriff
Kinsell, in which he expressed desire
that the officers should see shat he was
good and dead"
Father Fourchegu, vicar general, came
soon after and was occupied with the
prisoners until everything was ready for
the drop, in administering the consola-
tions of religion.
At exactly 8 O'Clock, Sheriff Kinsell
with several assistants again entered the
cell, and announced that the time was up.
The men said that they we're ready, and
at 9:07 the procession emerged from the
cell door led by the sheriff, who es-
corted Alarid. Father Fourchegu brought
up the rear and walked onto the scaffold
with the condemned men, where he re-.
NAMED until everything had been made
ready for the drop signal.
The men mounted the scaffold with
firm step and we're assigned to positions
on the trap. Valencia occupied the west
end of the trap. Alarid came next in
line, then Antonio Borrego, while the
fourth man, Frank Borrego, stood on the
easterly end of the fatal door.
W. M. Hogan of the penitent1ary officia-
ted on the scaffold. The men were bound
with ankle and elbow ropes, the halters
adjusted and the black caps drawn on.
They remained silent while this
preparation was going on, with the e1-
ception of Frank Borrego, who asked
simply that former request to the sher-
if regarding his body after death should
be complied with. At 800 o'clock the
trap bolt was drawn, and the four bodies
shot through six feet of space to death.
With the exception of Valencia, their
necks we're broken by the fall, and the
bodies hung limp and motionless, barring
slight swaying movement as a result of
the descent. Valencia died hard. For
three or four minutes after the drop fell
there was convulsive twitching of the
limbs, such as usually accompanies
strangulation. Notwithstanding the fact
that his neck was not broken, he
was the first to expire, and at exactly
four minutes after the drop fell, the at.
tending physician announced that his
pulse had ceased to beat. Alarid lived
nine and onehalf minutes, Antonio Bor-
rego, six and one half minutes, and Frank
Borrego, seven minutes. At 81 minutes
after 8 the physicians, in answer to q
question from the sheriff, announced the
men dead, and the officers Immediately
set about cutting them down.
Frank Borrego was cut down first. 1t
was impossible to loosen the rope on his
neck, and knife was called into requisi-
tion, with which the obstinate knot was
quickly severed Hts face was slightly
discolored, but the features were not bad
ly distorted.
Antonio Borrego was next attended to.
His face was only slightly discolored.
Then Alarid was cut down. His face
was horribly distorted, and the force of
the fall had cut wide cash under the
chin.
Valencia looked as natural as in life,
The rope left scarcely mark on his neck,
and there was only slight swelling un-
der the right ear. His eyes we're open
and not even bloodshot.
On kha whole khera waa nothing in hia
to show that he had met q
violent death. As fast as the men were