Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-03-07
TELLES IS
CONDEMNED
TO DEATH
Judge McFie Designated
Friday, April 8, as the
Day for Execution.
PLEA OF GUILTY TO MURDER
The Prisoner Showed Little Feel
ing Until the End Of the
Sentence Was
Reached.

There was an impressive scene in the
district court this afternoon at 2 o'clock
when Jose Telles, indicted for the mar
der Of Eptacio Gallegos and for the
murder of a man at Kennedy, stosd be.
Judge McFie on his plea of guilty to
murder in the first degree, to receive
his sentence. Telles was one of tho two
men who escaped after numbering Epi-
tacio Gallegos, the iailor. and aft + his
indictment for that crime, entered a
plea of guilty. The court room was
crowded when he was brought in. He
is still slightly lame from his experience
while trying to escape and he was not
shackled in any way. As soon as court
was opened, Judge Nc. Fie ordered HIM
to stand mp and receive his sentence.
Teles at first did not appear to be af-
fected in any way, but as the court pro-
ceeded with his arraignment of him and
his career, he grew paler and paler, and
nounced, all color left his face.
Judge McFie reviewed the crime for
which Telles was confined in the jail
here and then said that he had conceiv-
ed the idea OF escape. Judge McFie
then said, "You took the jailor and
locked him securely in cell. You took
the keys to the Jail and could have gone
without killing Epitacio Gallegos You
refused to leave the jail even on the plea
Of the jailor that you had locked him the
cell that you should leave and not harm
Gallegos. You refused to 60. You
waited half an hour for Gallegos and
you said you would wait for him. II is
evident, in the face of your plea Of
guilty and from your conduct that you
Intended to kill him. You took the life
of one of the best citizens Of Santa Fe,
of Santa Fe county and of the territory.
He was q law abiding and inoffensige .it-
izen and yet you shed his blood deiber-
ately. Ordinarily the duty which de-
wolves upon this court would be exceed
ingIy disagreeablc and one which would
tax the court to the utmost. But, on
the other hand, in this case, the punish
tacio Gallegos in dastardly manner.
Your case is that of one who has adopted
the life of crime and has followed it to
the end. If there is any young man in
the hearing of my voice who has ever
or is contemplating ad
opting the life of crime, let him
see in this case that he ought to pause
and hesitate. This sad case should be
a wholesome example to such an one.
This is legitimate case of adopting
such life. 'sHe who sheds mans
blood, by man shall his blood be she'd"
These words were spoken hundreds of
years ago and they are as true today as
when spoken. | am sorry that you
must so end your life. The law is SUI
preme and the lives of the citizens of the
Territory and ofo ther communities must
be protected. 1t is sad for you that your
life must be taken. You seem to realize
that you have gone far enough in yonr
life of crime and that you are prepared
to end it, This is indeed sad ana pitt
full spectacle. When you entered your
plea Of guilty, l asked you if you under
stood the penalty of death might be
I'M posed upon you and you
said that you did. again asked you
the same question and again you said
that you realized what you were doing.
You seem to feel that you have reached
that point in your life where you feel
that your blood should be taken for the
blood you have shed. Such shall be the
case. 1t is the sentence of this court
that yon be remanded to the custody of
The sheriff of Santa Fe county and be
held by him in secure confinement until
Friday, April 8, and that on said day
you shall be taken by the sheriff to some
convenient place and there between the
hours of a. m and p. m. be by him
hanged by the neck until you are dead
and may God have mercy on your soul"
Telles said nothing in reply and was
at once taken back to the iail.