The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
RED SHIRTS GUILT CERTAIN.
Means Used to Satisfy the scruples of
Vigilance Committee.

Vigilance Committee.
There is no doubt the man was righteously
hanged. for it was on his own confession that
we strung him up. hut the way he was got to
make that confession was questionable. said
an old-timer who had come into the Territory
at the time of the Mexican war to a New York
man for whom he was acting as guide in a fish
ing tripon the Mora River in New Mexico. 1T
was early In tho ffties. when there was a great
wagon freighting business over the Santa Fe
trail, and Mora and Las Vegas we're the only
towns of any size cast OF the Rio Grande Val
ley. Mora In those days was a tough place..
Being. as 1t was. an outpost on the plains.
exposed to the attacks of the Navajos
and Picarilla Apaches from the west, with
the Pawnees and Comanches sweeping the
plains clear to the plaza wall on the east.
the Mexican inhabitants. brought up to the use
Of weapons and fighting. were. as hard a lot as
the Territory could show. and the tough white
men drifting in from everywhere made things
worse. The few decent Americans there who
had come into New Mexico for legitimate bust
ness were in too much of a minority to count
in the deal until in sclt-defence we organized
a Vigilance Committee. 1t was few in num-
bers, but every man in it had seen service, and
was in it for life or death. At the time we went
into the thing no mans life was safe In Mora il
he had an enemy or owned valuables. We
changed things in short order. but we had to
make some wholesale killings to do 1t. hanging
Mexicans and Americans alike to show that
there was > no fow race m eG1sssti th in the matter;
smoothly and there was not much for us to do.
The best Mexicans were with US. though they
TOOK, no open part. and white desperadoes got
a fashion OF staying away from Mora. thinking
the climate might disagree with their health.
understood that we were always at the old
stand and, ready Tor business when business
WAS to be- be done san I II re had hd been H six months Of
were getting %fretful. complaining of the mo-
notony and saying we might as well turn the
a murder as bad as any that had called us to-
sether; 1t was an old man that was killed, a
of money at his trade. of blacksmith. and whose
only iault was q love, for too much liquor. He
the outskirts Of the town at daybreaE
one morning; The use of the knife looked like
Mexican work. but it came out on inquiry that
ing before with a red-shirted man. a strangeri in
the town. and was last seen in his company. The |
he was spending money freely about the town.
There we're other suspicious circumstances
trial IN f nlImP c6 $40 mf arsf tSsf er n,m and held his
he was beyond doubt a bad customer. and
gn We're all pre- pretty certain that he was the
s%tantial and some OF the committee did not
like hanging him on no more proof than
IF we only could get a confession out of
him we could arrange for his. 9bsequies with a
Lucrative body-wo1ldn't It be en- more sG judicial nie Ito to
and see what he'll say after that?'
some one said, and the motion was
seconded and made unanimous. for we all
good, i wasn't for his piety that the chaplain
got his title-he had been a variety actor In the
saf S1s outsIsa from fpn n his ssins the hso only MY man = II
.roek coat, He thought the matter over a bit
Appoint me u committee of one to make
further investigation; And l will request that
suspend proceedings for an hour or until /
This was agreed to. and he went out. The
prisoner was waiting under, guard in another
part OF the building. where he had been taken
We smoked and chatted, played seven
up. and generally passed the time the best we
back at last. and he had his black coat on.
Gentlemen. we can proceed with the hang
,ng,, he said. The prisoner is guilty beyonda
!, =" Having left the mater now to the chaplain.
With the rope round HI his, neck suSSe he
lin or to admit that he deserved his fate. What
puzzled us all was. how the chaplain came to
would not tell except that he had visited him
md the guards. who had stood outside the door
',ould only say that the chaplain talked a long
hey could not overhear. Five Years afterwnrd
met the chaplain in Santa Fe-he had left
lin straight:
~ Nowthat the committees disbanded and
verythinG is settled and done for. tell me how
at Mora p
80 Why, l had his own word for it, he said.
When ] went in to see him, 4 told him the
ruth, that he was to be hangedin un hour, and
IT. j should confess him-that he had no
lme to lose. But I didn't tell him that / was
ot a priest, and that Father Xavier. whom he
ad sent for, was over at Taos that day. and he
lade Q, fnll, confession to me. He was a bad
ne. and II he had as many lives as o cat they
'ould not have been enough to atone for his
There was no mistake about hang