El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-30


story, got up in lite usual lurid style,
telling all abou. the arrest and convic-
ton of Mrs. Evelyne Collier at Ures,
Mexico, for shooting a Mexican who
| made his way into her cabin for the
purpose of "robbery or to commit
criminal ASSAULT on the woman.
The Examiner procured its Informs
| written by her, one before and one at
ter her conviction, and forwarded to
the postmaster at Frisco.
The womau's story is printed under
glaring headlines and starts out With
the words. CALLED in Mexico for killing
brute"
The story is published in the Exam
liner, substantially rs follows:
Mrs. Evelyne Collier, an American
woman, has been sentenced to four
years Imprisonment in = Mexican Jail
at Hermosillo for defending her honor
and shooting the brute who forced his
way into her cabin at Ures, Sonora,
Mexico.
Oae of the letters from Mrs. Collier
is GATED Ures, April 5, 1899, and tells OF
her arrest and incarceration there: the
second, dated Hermosillo, June IL,
1899, narrates the story of her trial,
con viction and sentence to four years
imprisonment.
The earlier letter begins thus:
ITO the people of the United States
of America l appeal for help and pro-
rection. 1 am an American woman,
twenty-four years old. 1 came to Sopo-
ra a little over a year ago; but my hus-
baud being interested in mining and
having no settled place to stop l have
lived with my brother, William Frost.
bout four months ago we came to
Ures. I do not understand Spanish.
1 can speak but q few words, and there
fore do not care TO go out a1d asso.
ciate with the people here. Being OF
a timid nature 1 have kept myself quite
closely to the house because l was
a AFRAID of the Mexicans." I
Mrs. Collier then proceeds to narrate
the custom of her brother of going
from their cottage every evening at
about o'clock to get things necessary /
for their household. On March 81, |
1899, he went as usual, and she left the |
down at the table to write, and had |
been so engaged for about ten minutes, |
when she heard q step outside. The
man struck the door just as her brother |
was in the habit of doing but, thinking |
it was too soon for him to be back, she
asked in Spanish who was there. The |
man replied by asking in Spanish, "Is
the man in" at the same time, Mrs.
Collier says, trying to initiate her
60. and he demanded that she open the
door. When sh~<afused the man ex-
planned in English will kill you;"
aud, throwing his Weight against the
fastened door, burst it in
just ss she rushed forward to try and
close it In, the scuff1e which en-
sued, Mrs. Collier says, che was
table OF her brothers. It fell and the
man reached for a pistol lying on an
other table. Both seized the weapon
1t once, be by the barrel, she by the
butt. Mrs. Collier then proceeds:
81 caught the pistol with both bands
and pushed him towards the door and
with almost superhumsn effort tore
him out. AS he went he caught my
elbow and jerked me forward. scarce
y know how 1t happened, but as my
arms Strengthened the pistol struck
,he door and went off. 1 never looked
% see what IL had done, but hastily
closed the door and fastened it. 1 ran
20 the light to examine my hand. My {
eft thumb was powder-burned and j
yash was bleeding in the end of the
powder smoke and 1 was Yearly deafen-
ID by the report of the pistol. which
vas 44-csliber."
Mrs. Collier tells of her broth er's re- .
urn: and then she learns for the first j
lime that the man who forced his way 6
nto her home is lying dead out eide 6
he door. Her brother notified the t
police at once and both of them were s
,rrested and thrown into Jail with no. /
hing to eat until the following day at /
oou. She says that the man must c
ave been familiar with her brothers C
abits, and watched for him to leave. t
Although there was no one anywhere
ear when the shooting took place, 6
his American woman says: v
81 am informed that there will t
e thirty-two witnesses against me. If 4
hat is,so, 1 will be doomed to.die. Think o
I it, my countrymen. think of the a
augbter of Americans condemned to q
e shot by these heathen Mexicsns, t,
ecause, in trying to protect herself i,
gainst one who sought to rob her of
er virtue. her money and her life,
ne accidentally shot the black
rute." n
The second letter is dated from Her ir
osillo, is written after her trial. She q
lis of the release of her brother and az
err own confinement in a miserable d.