Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-09-26
LAST WITNESS
FOR DEFENSE
John ConIey Takes the Stand In
His Present Trial for
Murder.
HIS SIDE OF THE CASE
Defendant Very Verbose in HIS Testi.
mony, Going Into Minutest Details
Of His Relations With Victims.

4 The district court of the First Ju-
dicial District, for the county of San
la Fe, convened this forenoon at the
court house with Judge John r. Nc
Fie on the bench and with the other
court officials present. The trial of
the case of the. Territory VS.. John
Conley, for the murder of James Red
ding, on change of venue from Taos
County Was resumed. Yesterday af-
ternoon, several witnesses for the de-
tense had testified as to the good
reputation. and character of the de-
fendant John Conley and to the fact
that both victims of the killing, James
Redding and Charles Purdy, were ad-
dicted to the excessive use of liquor
and were quarrelsome when drunk.
lhis forenoon, the defendant John
Conley, was placed on the stand He
was verbls,e in his testimony, going
into the niinutest details of his rela
tions with the victims and the wit.
nesses who had testified for the pros
ecution, as well as the events that led
up to the quarrel on January 16,
1905, which resulted in the killing. of
James Redding and Charles Purdy.
His attorney, j. B. Lusk, asked the
questions bringing out these matters
and the prosecution objected several
times to the character OF the testi-
mony as we'll as to the form of the
questions but was overruled by Judge
McFie, who finally, however, directed
the witness to confine himself to rele-
want facts. Conley testified that he
was resident of Denver, Colorado,
from 1882 10 1897 in which year he
went to Red River, Taos County. In
Denver, he followed the occupation of
prospector, miner and politician. He
was elected constable and served two
years; for seven months he did special
duty on the Denver police force and
for sever years was deputy sheriff.
He was active in Republican politics.
The defendant testified to the close
friendship that existed between him.
self and Charles Purdy, Ezra S. Red
ding, James Redding and Henry j.
Young. He stated that Purdy,o lone of the
victims, was kind and gentle when
sober but quarrelsome when drunk
and that others had warned him
against Purdy IS dangerous man,
who had shot into a house at Cripple
Creek, Colorado, to kill man named
Kelly. Mr.. Conley said that he was
like member Of the family in the
Redding home at Questa, that James
Redding was fond of liquor and that
upon occasions when the young man
was drunk, he had seen him drag,
Ezra S. Redding, his father, out of the
saloon by the neck, using vile epithets
at the same time. Conley testified
that James Redding was half an inch
taller than he and weighed from 1856
to 1G0 pounds; that Charles Purdy
was feet 1-2 inches, weighed about
16S pounds, was 68 years old and that
he was strong, able-bodied man des-
pite his years. Conley then related
the incidents of trip he took to
Taos several months previous to the
killing and upon which previous wit
nesses had alleged that Conley had
used threatening language in speaking
of James Redding. Conley testified
that the trip was taken for political
purposes and denied emphatically that
he had at that or any other time
threatened to do harm or injury to
James Redding. Conley said that he
was not accustomed to carrying
weapons except when he was out on
the mountains but that owing to
threats which Pedro Barela had made
upon his life, he had armed himself
with a pistol which he had placed in
the care of Mrs. e. s. Redding, moth
er of James Redding, one of the vic
tins of the killing. This revolver he
took for several days before the killing
whenever he went out but always re
turned it to a drawer after entering
the house. Conley then told of the
dispute that led up to the tragedy o.
January 16. 1t arose over the assess
ment work on the Guadalupe placers
Ezra s. Redding upraided Conley fol
doing the work for 500 when he
might as well have made 5000 out o.
lit. Purdy sided with Redding ani
daily nagged Conley about the matter
Conley employed the elder Redding
his son, James Redding, his son-in
law, Jesus Herrera, and Charles Pur
dy to work for him on the contract
but after day and a half discharged
Redding's son-in-law, Jesus Herrera
which angered the latter and alst
young Redding. It was while Conle!
was giving testimony as to incidents
which led up to the shooting and kill
ing on the forenoon of January &c
that the court adjourned until this al
| ternOOn.
Conley is the last witness for th'
defense but former witnesses will b.
asked to 60 on the stand in rebutta
land 1t will be tomorrow before tn
argument will be begun. R. H. Han
ma will open for the prosecution AM