Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-12-17
THE OBRIEN SCHEME.
ES-Conyicts Working on the Sympa
thies Of the Sanchez Family,
COLORADO MURDER RECALLED.

A dispatch from Albuquerque. N. M,
says that J. L. q Brien, who claims to
be a Colorado newspaper man, has
been in tnat town working h family
of FREDERICK Sanchez, the wife MUIR
derer. for money under promise Of get.
ting him nj of the ~penitentiary, where
he is serving a life term.
O'Brien himself is twice a convict.
having served time in San Quentin
prison. California. aud a term in the
Colorado penitentiary. lie was sent
to Canon City November II. 1899. for a
year Tor burglary, and was released
only seven weeks ago. He Is an irish.
man. nearly 80 years old. bald and fat.
II he was ever a newspaper man no
Uody knows when or where.
Associated with O'Brien In the col.
lection of money from families along
the borders of New Mexico and Colo.
RADIO is Clifford Maryc. another con.
wet. who is now out of the penitent.
larry at Canon City on parole. He was
sent up from Arapanoe county for lar.
ceny for n year. lie is well known In
Denver. having served a term as clerk
Of the town o. slontclalr.
ORGANIZED AN ASSOCIATION.
These two. while they were confined
in the penitentiary, organized what
they call the Martin Relief associa.
ton" Nominally. II is intended to
raise money for the aid of convicts
VINO have served their time or have
been paroled. Marye has been out of
the penitentiary only a little more
than two months. and the last heard OF
him he was in Trinidad, holding meet
ings In all the various churches and
collecting money for the Martin Re
lief"
Il don't know what kind OF stories
they are telling to get the money"
said Secretary Stonaker of the state
board of charities and corrections.
"O'Brien may be working on Ine sym.
pathies of the Sanchez family for any.
thing | know. put all | know about II
Is In the dispatch you have just shown
me-"
Sanchez, In whose behalf O'Brien is
said to have been raising money from
| his relatives. is serving a life sentence
for one of the most brutal murders
ever committed In Denver. The vic.
tim was his own bride. whom he shot
to death, after insuring her life for
S11 ,000-all the money the insurance
companies would risk on her.
Sanchez claimed that he had been
held up and robbed on the evening of
the murder. and that while he was
dreaming OF the robbery. he fancied
that the robbers entered the room. He
seized his revolver and fired n mum
Der OF shots, killing his wife. His
story was picked all to tatters by the
| prosecution, and the jury round him
guilty OF deliberate murder. The CAPT.
tai punishment law had been repealed
or he would have been sentenced to
hang.
II is for the release OF this man that
O'Brien Is said to be working, or at
any rate { be procuring money from
his relatives, who are rich New Mexi.
cans. The dispatch says that he BE.
cured some money. but that the sun
is not known.
The above article is clipped from the
Denver Post. Since leaving the Colo.
RADIO ~penitentiary O'Brien, by leisure
| travelling and walking, has come south
and is supposed now 10 be IN Eel Paso.
While in Las Vegas and San Marcial
he stopped long enough to give short
lectures on China, and, OF course. took
up collections.
In this city he attempted to interest
several citizens in a scheme to secure
| the release OIL Sanchez from the Colo
RADIO penitentiary. and thus obtain. for
| his service, 81 900 OF money belonging
| to Sanchez which he said was being
held in escrow here by an attorney.
| This 81 900, n he (O'Brien) could Sc.
cure Ii. was to be divided among those
who would assist him in working up
his scheme to get Sanchez pardoned
from the p~enitentiary.
AS far as The Citizen can learn
O'Brien proposed to get up afidavits
from the Sanchez family and relatives,
to the effect. that the young nan now
in the penitentiary was. and a al.
ways been, afflicted with somnambu-
assn, and II was during one of these
attacks that he walked in his sleep
and Stayed his young wife.
O'Brien, while here. told his scheme
to a brother of the young man and
from him secured some money. but
how much is not known. O'Brien then
suddenly left the city, and got down to
Los Lunas with his pal. supposed to
be another convict. Clifford Marye ny
name. He was then on his way to the
Sanchez nome near by, and probably
saw the relative down there. but these
acts have not reached the city. 1t is
'Nluth' NhaN nv, SUI thN 'oiu siouiuSi
at Los Lunas, for the convict wrote a
communication back to the morning
paper here. telling that Los Lunas was
not a very good place for a traveller to
get into at nights, as the town pos.
sessed neither motel or restaurant.
The last heard from O'Brlen and his
pal was they had worked their way
as far as San Marcial, where a lecture
on China was made. and more money
obtained.
In justice to the Sanchez family,
who are not held accountable for the
cruel act of a son and brother, but
who are to be sympathized with over
his crime, 1t would be wise to turn
a deaf ear to all schemes for his liber-
alton which come from such men as
the o'Brien stripe.