Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-12
FOR A PITILESS DEED.
COMING TRIAL OF OLIVER LEE
Rich Man Accused Of the Murder Of Colonel
Fountain, Who, with His 9-Year-0ld
Boy, Disappeared Three Years
Ago-0ther Matters.

Santa Fe Correspondence Chicago Rec
ord.
The great cause of excitement in New
Mexico just now is the trial of several
prominent citizens for the murder of
Colonel Fountain, of Las Cruces, in
February, 1896. Oliver Lee, a pictur-
esque and eccentric character, one of
the wealthiest ranchmen in New Mexi-
co, who has seven or eight ranches be-
tween here and the Mexican border,
and 100, 900 steers, and his brother-in-
law, a desperate character named Gill
land, are the principal defendants. Nc
New. another relative, was also in
dicted for the crime, but his case was
nolle prosecuted last week by the dis
trict attorney because the evidence
against him was not very strong, and
it was feared his acquittal would weak
EN- the ease against the rest of them.
Besides this, Pat Garrett, the famous
sheriff of Las Cruces, who has been
working up the case, does not think it
good policy to disclose the evidence of
the prosecution until the principal de-
PENDANTS are on trial.
For years there was a great deal of
cattle stealing in this territory. The
rustlers, as cattle thieves are called,
seemed to be well organized, and to
have means of %disposing of their booty
so convenient and complete that it was
almost impossible to trace them. Whole
herds of stock would mysteriously dis
appear, and every effort to trace them
or detect their captors failed. Finally
the Cattle Growers Association en-
ployed Colonel Albert J. Fountain, Of
eminent lawyer in the territory "a man
of high character and a prominent Re-
publican leader. He had always been
a public-spirited citizen, and had the
reputation of carrying out successfully
any work he undertook. Fearlessness,
determination and persistence were his
most notable characteristics.
Colonel Fountain took up the duty Of
supp CSoli5 tHG SdlliC IiilCNVS LII AiS
usual energy, and devoted his entire
time to it. Just what means he en-
ployed is not definitely known. The
facts will not come out until the trial,
but it is the popular belief that he
brought detectives from Utah and Mon
lana and had them find employment
among the men who were suspected of
completely with the rustlers. 1t is also
said that his secret agents participated
extensively in the raids, and brought
him u~nmistakable evidence, part of
which he presented to the grand jury
of Lincoln county in February, 1896.
The result was the indictment of Oliver
Lee, who, as I have said, is one of the
richest ranchmen in the territory, n
several of his relatives; and it was as
serted that some of the missing cattle
had beer discovered in Lees herds. If
this was true, it solved the mystery of
their disappearance, for nobody thought
of looking there for them.
OF course, the indictments caused a
profound sensation because Of Lees
previous prominence in the Cattle
Growers Association and territorial af-
fairs, and his friends endeavored to
break the force Of the blow by attrib-
uting political motives to Colonel Foun-
tain, for Lee was as prominent in DEM
ocratic politics as he in the Republican
party. Lee and his relatives came over
to Lincoln and gave bail, and then with
a great show of indignation demanded
an immediate trial.
A few days later Colonel Fountain
left Lincoln in a blackboard drawn by
two horses for his home at Las Cruces.
He was accompanied by his little son,
9 years old, and is supposed to have
carried the evidence against Lee and
other accused persons in a small satchel
| under the seat. Shortly before leaving
| Lincoln he telegraphed his wife that he
would reach Las Cruces in time for sup
per Sunday night. The mail carrier met
| him about fifteen miles from Lincoln
| and exchanged greetings. Since that
moment nothing has been seen Of him
or his son
A few days after the disappearance
| searching parties were sent out, and,
| starting from the point where the mail
| carrier met him, the trail of the buck
board was plainly seen to follow the
| road a short distance, and then turn
into a clump Of mesquite bushes, where
the vehicle was found, ~dreadfully
stained with blood. One of the horses
was afterward picked up in the neigh