Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-12-15
POSED
Remarks of Judge Thomas Smith
In Passing Sentences Upon Noises
Baca and Scipio Aguilar.

In sentencing Noises TO I'M
prisonment for life, yesterday, thu
court, among other things, said: II
seems that your conscience has inn
PEELED you to this act Of confession
though for years since the commission
4 the crime you have denied you
participation IN it, and for years have
carried the ghost OF your victim abou'
you in, pretended innocence. But al
last you have been overtaken, ano
under the instIgation Of remors tina
you could no longer endure, 10 the
fancy that the person of your victim
was about you, constantly shadowing
your existence and harrassing your
mind, you have been impelled to &C,
knowledge your guilt, confess and to
reveal all the facts surrounding the
preparation of your crime. The
court has no sympathy with the as.
,umption that IS prevalent in high
p aces 10 this country, courts and
other officials, that u man cannot tell
the truth, because he has committed a
crime, and recognizes that out for ac-
completes. but for their disclosures,
but for their utterances, when con.
science compels them to confess.
society would De at the mercy of CON-
spirators and they c,uId pursue their
diabolical avucntions indefinitely, I'M.
periling life and destroying property.
.ls Is q recognized principle when
conspirators fall out the public is ben.
eitad and the law may be avenged
against crime. Yet there are those
who In weakness or ignorance, won d
have society victimized and endangered
by the continuation and encouragement
of conspiracies, by the rejection of.tbe
evidence OF those who participated and
who are the only persons who can give
their secrets to the world 1t is mol known
by this court how the secrets of a secret
organization can ever be ascertained /;
how such organizations can ever be
exposed, x pit through the confes
sions OF some of its members, and this
court If it were to continue as the pres
iding Judge OF this cuunty would gladly
encourage offenders to tell on each
other for the sake of society. for the
safety of the lives of citizens and the
protec ion of their property. The
our thinks you have done wall to tell
all you know, and therefore is not ad-
verse to sparing your life TO you, aud
accordingly sentences you to imprisnn-
ment In the penitentiary for the balance
Of your natural life.'
cIPIo AGuILAR TO HANG.
In passing sentence upon Scipio
Aguilar, yesterday, Judge Smith said;
Twice have you been tried for muir
der. Twice have you committed per
jury, and twice haze you been con-
victed by jnries of your own race, OF
premedltated and deliberate assassina-
ton. Your victims were strangers to
you, in the peaceable psrfor nance of
duty, in their humble sphere, who had
never wronged you, or other mortal
man, and that you should have under
any inducement murdered them re-
veals you as one devoid OF the sensi.
bili,ies Of civilized humanity; but that
you should hav6 taken their lives as
hey slept ON the sod, under the moons
soft lustre, in the fancied security Of
conscious innocence, for the food they
we're freighting to supply th 'se in need,
ICES you as a savage OF un
oaralleled depravlty and cruelty.
that has too oft begot oblivion OF
and sympathy for its perpetra.
ors, could not be used for your pro-
.ec,ion for though years have clap .ed
ince your deed, SO atrocious was it's
ommission so revolving its brutality,
hat 1t has remained q horror in the
memory Of the public, which has
'bAted not 10 It's deep indignation and
|emand for the vinJic, ,tion of the laws
ntj-sty. by it's enforcement against
rimInals Second only 10 enormlty is
crime to that of the bandit,
use Chavez y Chav.z. who slew and
esecrated the body Of one no less
uiltless than the bows you slew, ana
the law, in its excess of tenderness.
for the escape Of offenders so
."T
lany methods that they may be
bused to save you. 1t may be that
nthority may find indueement t.
ssume that it is endowed with ga
acity and humanity superior to that
the jury that cnnvio ed you, and
stinctively possesses legal lore aud
pt apprehension greater than this y
'urt has acquired by prolonged prac.
&c and extended experience, bur thai
Ich probability exists does mt aft sci :
representative Of the law In this :
ibunal 10 the performance Of its ub
TO administer the pdnishmen, (
prescribes against dastardly and !
assasslns. y
IL is, therefore, ordered by the court {
at you shall be hanged BY The sheriff z
this county, at some conveni.n \
int within ITS limits, on the 9Th day
January, 1928, between sunrise and !