Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-06-26
TIE FIRST HANGING
In FOURTEEN YEARS
Jose Sanchez Will Pay the Penalty for the
Murder of Oatarino Almandarez Upon
the Gallows at Silver City
on July s.
NO DOUBT ABOUT HIS SANITY

Silver City, N. M, June "a, 1901.
Special Cor. New Mexican.
Jose Sanchez who will hang at TIL
place on July s, will be the first person
to be hanged in Grant county in IA years.
The crime for which Sanchez will pay
the penalty with his life was the murder
of Catarino Almandarez, which occurred
on December 26, 1900, between Santa
Rita and Georgetown. The evidence
which convicted Sanchez was the dying
statement OF Almandarez in which he
said that Sanchez had shot him, and
later identified him as his murderer As
a further evidence of the guilt Of San
chez, it was proved that he had quar-
relied with Almandarez the day previous
about some blankets belonging to him
which he claimed Almandarez had stolen.
At the last term of court he was con-
victed of the crime and was sentenced
to hang on June Z, but representations
made by his attorneys, the then acting
governor, Hon. J. W. Reynolds, granted
LII lOPllCSO vi lOul WCChs Guuu HIS
sanity might be examined into which
resulted in the physicians in the case
pronouncing him sane at the time of the
crime and since. BY certain witnesses
it was shown that he had fierce and
violent temper which would break forth
upon the slightest provocation causing
him to receive the sobriquet of 'loco
Joe" a term used by those who knew
him and his terrible passion. The testi-
mony in the investigation having been
referred to Governor Otero it lies with
that official whether Sanchez will or will
not pay the penalty of his crime upon
the scaffold which Is already upon the
ground waiting as 1t were the victim of
the laws vengeance. Grant county has
borne the reputation of having the
greatest number of desperate crimes and
the greatest number Of prisoners in her
jails of any county In the territory and
it was with feeling of profound gratifi.
cation that the people heard that the
sentence of death had been passed at
last upon murderer, who it seemed,
no legal technically or pretext could
save flom the gallows. The insanity
plea was looked upon by the public with
C4uNuIullOy uAu WuCu Wy ouuCuCA OWH
witnesses it was proven what danger
Gus person he was to be at liberty, the
penalty of death was looked upon by
many as the only safe and correct rem
edy for the form OF insanity claimed for
him. At the examination of his sanity,
Sanchez, who was present would permit
a dark, frrtive look to cross his features
and his keen little eyes would blink and
snap, as the full import Of what was
being proven, convinced him that the
web was bsing woven more tightly
around him and when his own witnesses
swore to his ungovernable temper, great
drops of perspiration stood on his fore
head and he would mop his face with
his handkerchief which he carried in
his hand AS full understanding of
his plight worked its way into his pas
sion thickened mind he would glance to
right and left with quick, frightened
look that convinced those who watched
him, that the intellect which was claimed
by his attorneys to be imperfect, was
keen and alive to the danger which was
steadily pressing around him. 1t seemed
a pity that he could not have foreseen
his fate before he took the life of
Sanchez is 2S years of age
and he Is unmarried. He was born in
Parral, Mexico, where his parents still
reside owning large stock farm ranch
there, we are told.