Arizona republican., 1900-11-19
THE DEATH OF ORTIZ
With Courage Bolstered By Wine
 Moffat's Murderer Died Ganely.

The Yuma Sun gives more complete
 particulars of tine hanging of Santiago
 Ortiz, Saturday noon, than were out
 lined in the telegraphic dispatches. The
 execution occurred in rhe patio. sur
 rounded by the court house and jail,
 and directly in front of the latter In
 the neighborhood of 200 spectators wit
 messed it, and one was overcome by the scene, Admitting away as the b!ack-robed
 figure of the doomed man shot through
 the death trap. Many heads were
 turned away from the gruesome spec tacle of the dangling, and for the mo-
 ment, wlfthing dead man. Sheriff
 Speese and Under Sheriff Hatch ad-
 justed the black cap and rope. and
 John Carulth cut the rope which sprung
 the trap.
 At just F o'clock Sheriff Speese for
 mally announced from the gall1ws the
 name of the man about to be executed and the crime for which he was sen
 tenced to pay the death penalty. Un-
 der the awnings lining the patio, on
 the iJol'cihes overhead, and frinSing the
 edges of the roof-wherever in fact, a
 point of vantage might be gained spectators filled the space, but with the solemn words of the sheriff the chatter
 which had prevailed ceased, and sl- fence reigned, but for an occasional whisper. The sheriff returned to the condy mned mans cell, and in Il mo-
 ment the procession, headed by him self. ascended the steps of the scaffold.
 Ortiz, dressed in a new suit of black, smooth Shaven and neat, stepped firm ly---more firmly Uilan was natural to his habitual shufiling G1It-and as he ap- pSared at tlfe top of the steps, pre- ceded by Father DUrand of the Cath ollie church, his face wore a smile of confidence and conte ntment. He stepped upon the trap and looked about him without agitation or indication of fear. Then the priest gan the read ing of a prayer, and in a low, but un- tremulous voice Ortiz repeated the words When the sheriff asked him if he had anything to say, whatever had sustained him for the momt mt gave way, and he choked and his face twitched before he could reply: "I forgive my enemies, that God may for give me" Then the priests voice caue to him again in prayer, and, smiling, he followed, once more com posed. While the straps with which his hands and feet were bound Were being adjusted, he stood erect, obedi- ent to the slightest touch of his exc cU;foneIs, but when the black cap shut out the lasu view of blue sky his head fell forward on his breast and the off cers h4dftu support him for iL moment While the knot was being placed in po- sition. Then his nerve came back. and when the rope was cut Ortiz went to his deal,h with a prayer on his lips. His neck was only partially dislocated. but there was very little twitching of the body, and in just fifteen and a half minIItes from the time the trap was sprung life was declared extinct by | Drs. Cotter, Moller and Alp John, the | heart having ceased to beat, and the | body was cut down and turned over | to the undertaken. to be buried with | Catholic rites in the buryjng ground of that church.
 II was thought his apparent lack of ! feeling and the utter absence of fear was caused by the exceedingly low or der of intelligence possessed by Ortiz and tbis. doubtless, in great measure | accounts for il. But from the first he i listened with attention to the counsel.s | of Father Durand, and in his latter hours he seemed to gain great strength | and consolation from the promises held ouL by the Christian religion. Up to two or three days befare he seemed to have considerable faith that some thing would occur to save him from death, when, in reply ito q question as to what people were saying about him on the street, Father Durand assured him there was no hope of either d res bite or communication or sentence.
 He ate q hearty breakfast aflter sleeping well. and when the deaith war rant was read to him he betrayed no emotion. He requested d bottle of wine, which was furnished him, and this may be construed to have had some little to do with his courage. Dur ing the morning he prepared a letter to his cousin in Phoenix, which was turned over to the sheriff, to which of- fcer he also made the request that one of his pictures he sent to his sister.