, 1897-03-24
STORY OF THE CRIME.

Santa Fe, N. NJ, March 23.-The crime
for which the four men will suffer the ex-
IRENE penalty Of the law was committed
from ambush under cover Of darkness.
On the night of May %, 1892, Sheriff
Chavez, while going to his home, was
assassinated near the end of the Denver
and Rio Grande railroad bridge, which
spans the Santa Fe creek, near the old
church of Guadalupe.
The assassins were the political op-
ponents Of their victim and the bitter
neSs which generally exists between The
two parties among the native population
is intense. The trouble originated some
two years before the murder, when at a
dance, Frank Borrego, the leader OF the
band Of assassins, shot and killed one
G%allegos. a friend OF Chavez. For this
ne was arrested and confined in the
county Jail. Pending his trial he was, it
is said. shamefully abused and beaten
by his jailer, Juan Pablo Dominguez,
and appealed to Chavez against the i'll
treatment accorded him by the jailer.
Chavez Informed him in forcible Ian
guage hat he had been accorded treat
ment far too lenient for such as he, and
in the alteration which followed beat
him savagely over the head with his
gun. Borrego being manacled, was I'M
able to resist his prosecutor, but solemn
ly swore to have the life OF both on his
release, were it not for 20 years. On his
release on bail, his friends, fearing trou-
Bile, got him out of the territory into
Colorado, where he remained about a
year and a half. A few days after his re-
turn to Santa Fee eX-Sheriff Chavez
was assassinated. The next evening,
D~ominguez, who had learned OF the re-
turn of Borrego, armed himself and
started up town, swearing, as was after
ward shown at The trial, that the town
was hardly large enough for him and
the Borregos. He met Borrego with two
friends in front Of the archbishop's resi-
dence and drew his gun. His movements
were a little slow, however. and they
buried Dominguez. Frank Borrego was
tried for his murder and acquitted on
the ground OF ~self-defense.
Investigation was at once set on foot
by the authorities and a reward of 81 900
was offered by the territorial officials,
supplemented by a popular subscription
amounting to $4,000, but evidence SUI
ficient to indict seemed impossible to
be adduced until July, 1893, when one
Francisco Rivera fell into the clutches
OF the law, and a cohesion which he
made to the sheriff implicated the Borre-
gos, Alarid, Valencia and Vigil. Through
the continued efforts of the sheriff for a
period Of six months the chain of evil
dence was considered sufficient to pro.
cure an indictment. and a warrant wal
issued for their arrest. The arrest was
effected in each case without trouble OK.
cept in that OF Vigil, who resisted, and
a lengthy trial in his case was avoided.
The prisoners were committed without
bail to await the action OF the grand
jury. They were indicted and brought
to trial April 23, 1895. The trial lasted
81 days and was the most bitterly con-
tested one in the criminal annals Of the
territory. On May 20, the third anniver>
sary Of the murder, they we're found
guilty and condemned to death. The
case was carried on appeal to the su.
preme court Of the territory, where the
judgment of the lower court was af.
f1rmed and they were again sentenced
to be hanged September "a. 1896. Short.
ly before the day OF execution. on a mo-
ton for a ~re-hearing OF the case on the