La Junta tribune., 1900-04-28
.AnoovAl Fovno GUILTY.
euruis Free Msa-A Verdict Return-
cd This Morning.

Gurula returned a verdict this
morning, Sandoval being found
guilty OF murder in the first degree
and Armijo Gurula, not guilty.
Gurula is but seventeen years oi
age, and although he probably
knows all about the crime, there
was but very little evidence Of his
being directly concerned in the
murder.
The case went to trial Tuesday
afternoon and the empanelling Of
the Jury was concluded the same
day. Wednesday morning the
taking of testimony commenced
and occupied two full days, all the
questions and answers being trans
lated into Spanish by Pete Dice,
OF Pueblo, for the benefit Of the ac-
cused, proceeding rather unusual,
but which was requested and
granted by Judge Voorhees,.
There were twenty-one witnesses
for the prosecution and six for the
defense, including the two pris-
oners. The evidence was entirely
ciIcumstantial, but so strong that
that there is but little doubt that
Julian Sandoval and Margarita
Baca murdered VIM. Walden for
a paI;ry sIoo and then threw
his body in an unused we'll.
Baca has never been apPrehended,
and the suspicious actions OF San
doval at the well after the murder
caused his arrest. The sherifi's
Office had been untiripg in its efforts
to secure evidence, and presented
a very strong case.
The most dramatic incident of
the trial was the testimony Of David
Houghton. of Horse Greek. Mr..
Honghton speaks the Spanish lam
guage like a native, and on the 10Th
OF January last he spent fve hours
in the jail at the request of Sheriff
Barr. When placed in the cage he
announced that he had been ar
rested for cattle stealing, and that
Barr had another prisoner, named
Margarita BacA, who had confessed
to a murder, and who would be
there shortly. Baca is the man
who is thought to have been chiefly
concerned in the murder OF Walden,
and this statement enlisted the at
tention of Sandoval and Gnrula,
who Immediately began to Cross
question Houghton. The accused
had no suspicion that Houghton
understood the Spanish language,
and the latter overheard the follow
ing conversation between the pris-
oners, which was carried on In
Spanish. Sandoval said to Gurula:
ave must face Baca in case he
has made confession and tell the
same story; the only place you are
..,z. III ,b,, 49,, q. ,ha -. ~.
court will ask US If there was An Ak
burned and we will tell the court
that we had no occasion to burn an
ak; the next question that will be
asked us will be how the man was
sitting, and we must tell the court
that we know nothing about it, that
the last time we saw Baca and the
American was about 9 o'clock at
night when they left the house to-
gcther and we went to bed; the
next question that will be asked us
by the court will be, il we got on
each side OF that to carry 1t to that
place"
After that they talked about Gu
rula's getting out after the prelimi-
nary, and that il he did he was to
get Sandoval's clothes, knife and
SIS that he knew of, 60 to Trinidad
and set-A saw and come back and
help him get out Of Jail. Sandoval
then said "You must act the man
and not tell that helped kill the
American. After that the conver-
sation was carried on in = whisper
and the only thing Hougton heard