El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-04
THE FINAL ACT


A Graphic Story of the Shooting of
the Alleged Murderer Gonzales.
The elimination Was Really
ExpeCted.-The "Attempted Es-
cape" Theory SCouted.-The
Mexican Lynch Law.
Special Correspondence of the HERALD.
SAN PEDRO, Mex, March 2.-The
comm unity at large in this part of the
country WAS greeted with an astoun-
ding announcement and unexpected
surprise at the breakfast table this
morning. The San Pedro mines was
the scene of general shaking up as
though q thund er- bolt from the bright
morning sky had fallen, when the
startling announcement reached there
that Juan Gonzales, the murderer of
Contractor Wilson, last week. had in
an endeavOr to cheat Mexican justice,
made a desperate attempt to escape
from the strong military detachment
that was taking him to Casas Grsndes.
overland. and that in the attempt the
murderer was shot dead in his tracks.
The intelligence reached the min
ing camp in a brief message by
telephone from Corralitos and the de-
tails were meager in the extreme, 81
knew it," said one of the mine men;
lust as 1 predicted when [ was il:
formed that they would take them
overland. Twas not particularly GER
tain about prisoner De Soto, as the
case against him was not as strong as
in the Gonzales case. Why. the man
Gonzales was convicted before he lef t
this place. He, evidently knowing be
would be shot from Mex
lean legal point of view and rather
than suffer the humiliation of going
through it in the round about way,
concluded that he would make the
break: and end the thing away from
the crowd of morbid curiosity seek
ers."
The impression that prevails on al
sides here among those in position to
know from long experience in this
county is that the proceedings were
done in the regular way and that it was
understood by the soldiers, when de-
signated spot was reached on the
march to death, that Gonzales was to
have been bound hand and foot in q
kneeling position and shot to death as
his punishment for the murder of Will
son.
Il have been in this state the past
sixteen years and most of that time wss
spent in this vicinity" said William
Wallace, an American gentleman, who
controls large cattle interests in the
district, land 1 have known of many
such similar cases. Officials and sold
iers who are intrus ted with such grave
cases, are sscredly pledged not to di-
vulge one word as to their instructions
in the line of duty that are given them
and to move heaven and earth you
could not learn whittier they 90,
when it is the custom to take prisoners,
more particularly those accused of
murder, overland.
"As the guards and prisoners de-
parted solemnly and unnoticed on their
march across the mountains, I was
instructions to proceed to q certain
place, and there Gonzales would ex-
plate his crime of numbering Wilson.
was equally positive it would be
Gonzales as the evidence against him
was such that the chain could not be
broken with a pick axe. That talk of
the man trying to effect an escape is
simply absurd. The HERALD is 10 be
congratulated on the enterprise man
Tested in handling this very impor-
tant news matter and as point of fact
it was the only paper that had the
story exclusively from beginning to
end and in details correct, having a
special correspondent at all times on
the ground"
"By the way, broke In lister er.
edo you knew how they carry out their
executions in this country? The con-
demned man is first bound hand and
foot, and placed in kneeling posi-
t1on. Four privates are handed rifles
and one of the guns will contain
blank cartridge and the other three
q loaded shell. The four soldiers then
step off q distance of perhaps ten PAGES
and at q given command from a SER
geant or corporal the soldiers fire up
on the condemned. If the man is not
killed instantly after the first volley
the ranking officer in charge will take
his revolver, proceed to within foot
of the writhing figure and give him
the bala de gracia, translated meaning
the bullet of thanks, aiming at the
mans breast, and at the report of the
pistol so does the murderers light go
out thereby ending his misery. The
Mexican government does not give
public exhibitions of persons condemn
ed to death, and the penalty is usually
inflicted far away from the haunt of
man.
Mr.. HOughton, superintendent of the
cattle department of the Corralitos
company at Corralitos, in conversation
with your representative over the tel
ephOne said: The facts as L Know
them are briefly these: l was inform
ed early this morning that Gonzales
was shot by the Mexican soldiers about
a mile and half from here near the
tannery, and that several MeXicanS
living here have buried the remains