Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-07-19
An Authentic Account OF the
Fight at Cimarron Between
Officers and Bandits.
HOW FARR WAS KILLED
McGlnnIs, Frakes and Ketchum
Supposed to be the Trio
of Desperadoes.

som train f0DDorS, Wnlcn Occurfeu elBn
miles from Cimarron Sunday evening
were founded on the reports given ou
By Reno, the special agent of the Colo
RADIO & Southern railroad. 1t now turns
out, according to reports coming from
members of the same posse, that Reno
had left the scene of the fight as soon
as night came on, leaving his rifle and
horse behind him. A few hours later ht
arrived in Cimarron in panic stricken
condition. He even refused to return
with posse to show them where the
body of Farr was, and his conduct in
leaving the posse and the wounded men
and refusing to go back is spoken OF
generally in anything but complimen.
tary terms by the people of the To-
cality.
1t tseems that Marshal Foraker and
his deputies have had their eye on three
suspicious characters who, for several
weeks past, have been hanging around
Cimarron. Marshal Foraker has had
Deputy Marshal Morgan there, watch
ing their movements after the robbery
of-the train occurred at Folsom. A
week ago letter addressed to Nc
Ginnis was found by the marshals
posse four miles from the scene of the
robbery. This led them to believe that
the suspicious individuals near Cimar-
ron were the men wanted.
After arriving at Cimarron Marshal
Foraker sent out couple of men 10
reconnoiter the country in the vicinity
of the Dean Canyon, where the three
suspicious men were supposed to be.
They returned and reported to have
found the camp.
A posse of seven men vera then Or
ganized, consisting of Deputy Marshal
Wilson Elliott, in charge of the party,
Deputies w IL. Love, Morgan, Sheriff
Farr, X. ii. Smith, Perfecto Cordoya,
Reno and one other man. They started
leading off from Dean Canyon, and
about 5 o'clock Sunday evening came
across the three outlaws, who, accord
ing to one account, must have heard
the party and came down the canyon a
couple of hundred yards from the camp
to meet them. They were ordered to
surrender and fight ensued. Sheriff
Farr was shot through the wrist while
in the open. He ran for tree. Smith
was the next man to be downed, being
shot through the calf of the leg. The
shooting seems to have been the work
entirely of one man, Mcuinnis, who,
after downing Smith, turned his atten.
tion to Farr, who was behind a pine
tree three feet in diameter. McGinnis
pumped dozen shots into the tres,
using 30-40 Winchester. The bullet
that killed Farr probably passed through
the edge of the tree, entered Farr's
body near the heart and came out near
the groin. His body fell on Smith. He
was not killed instantly and tried to
speak but the only sentence he could
utter was:, "I'm done for" He lived
about an hour.
Shortly sfter the fire began one of the
desperadoes lurched forward and was
seen to fall on his face. He attempted
to rise couple of times but failed and
then moved no more. At the time he
was supposed by members of the posse
to have been killed but his body could
not be found afterward. He was prob
ably wounded and after dark was prob
ably taken along by his two compan-
ions.
After killing Farr McGinnis turned
his attention to Deputy Love, who was
under cover of some rocks. On expos
ing leg to view Love received a bull
let near the thigh. The ball struck a
large pocket knife and drove 1t through
his leg. The blades of the knife could
not be found but pieces of the bone
handle and the steel spring were taken
out of the leg afterward. 1t made q
CHASTITY wound but no bones were bro
ken and it is thought that Love will
recover.
After the shooting Of. Love both parties
seemed willing to suspend hostilities
and the posse, with the exception of
Reno, stayed there during the night.
During the fight two of the four horses
belongings to the bandits were killed. ,one
of the horses being a-V horse belong
ing to w. e. Urton of Roswell.
In the morning It was found that the
bandits had taken advantage of the
darkness, and taking their wounded
pal had left on the remaining two
horses,
The wounded men and the body of
Sheriff Farr were taken to Cimar ron
Monday. The remains of the sheriff
were shipped to Walsenburg yesterday
morning.
A posse of fifteeD men, under Deputy
Marshal Elliott, left Cimarron yester-
day in pursuit of the trio and although
the latter have forty eight hours start
1t Is believed that they will be caught
and as the desperadoes seemed deter
mined MOTTO be taken alive it is ex-
pected a big fight will take place If they
are overtaken.