Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-05-23
JIMMIE LITTLE AND
THE PRlNCELET

OF all the railroad boys who were
running into Albuquerque in the late
79's and early SOS the most popular
was Jimmie Little. He had worked
his way from water boy on the gravel
train, TO conductor on a passenger
train, and was because of his ~joviality.
conviviality and gentlemanly la
ner and habits a favorite with all
classes.
Everybody knew Jimmie Little and
that he was an entertainer, and recog-
MIXING his good qualities, Reese and
Loebner induced him to leave the m
ploy of the railroad and take charge
OF their branch house at Los Lunas.
and there Jimmie resided and did a
mercantile business until October 5,
1881.
Upon the afternoon of that day a
twig from a branch of one of the trees
Of Valencia county's royalty was visit
ing Little's place. playing billiards and
following the customs of his antece.
dents. This little %princelet ordered all
things TO be his way and all the men
to bend the knee in alteration of him
and his conduct. Jimmy and the
princelet were not |congenial. To a
man born and reared in the freedom
of a republic. %toadying to mushroom
and two motions the %princelet was in
the street, his dignity, his raiment and
his corporeity all more or less injured
his dignitw the most.
After a few moments ordinary quiet
ness prevailed and no thought given
to a tragic climax.
On the morning of October 6, 1880
Little's dead body was found behind
the counter of his liquor department,
his mead resting on a gallon demijohn
his left arm thrown over the demijohn
his right arm bent under his body with
a pistol in his right hand from which
two bullets had been fired. Upon ex
amining the body twenty six knife
stabs were found upon 1t.
BY a peculiar coincidence during the
preceding night, Celso Espinoso and
Aristotle Naranjo had been treated for
gun shot wounds, and when this fact
became known their arrest was affect
ed. and in due time the sweat-box pro-
duced the story of an atrocious MUIR
der.
The two prisoners had gone to Lit
ties place of business at 3 o'clock
on the evening of October 5, for the
stated purpose Of purchasing whiskey'
A dispute was entered into, followed
instantly by a murderous assault on
the part of the two Mexicans, each
armed with a knife; Little u Nil
gun and succeeded in wounding Espin
oso in the left shoulder and Naranjo II
the right groin, neither of them sum
GENTLY serious to prevent them CUTTING
Little nearly into steaks. leaving MI
body at the inner end of h counter
against the wall to which he was driv
en- in the fight.
Little's body was brought to Albu
oueraue and arrangements made 10
his burial on Saturday, October 3.
Outside the numerous friends AM
general popularity of Little In GU
town. a further bit of history whicl
makes his recital of local interest /
the circumstances, never before NOR
than whispered, that on the evening
OF October 7, when the prisoners wer.
secure in the Valencia county JAIL al
the funeral arrangements completed
twenty-one Of his friends had time u
devote to another, and to them a seem
ingly important matter.
AT dusk, had n been obserVaht'
horseman could now and then be see
leaving the town and travelling souti
A rendezvous had been arranged an
from thence. along the easterly oahh
of the Rio Grande a squad OF twenty
one armed. silent and determined me
rode the twenty-one miles, forded IN