Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-04-14
MURDER At TRINIDAD
J. H. FOX SHOT ~ JOS. JOHNSON
Murderer Is Deputy Sheriff
Cause Professional Jealousy.

Cause Professional Jealousy.
Denver. March "a News special
from Trinidad. Colorado. last night
says:
John u. Fox. former county treas
urer and prominent Democratic poiiti-
elan. was killed by Deputy Sheriff Joe
Johnson at l:45 O'Clock this afternoon.
The murder Was committed in the
pOstofice. Fox stood reading u paper
and johnson stepped up behind him.
stuck the muxzie Of foriy'nve cali
ber revolver against his head and
pulled the trigger. Fox dropped dead
In his tracks.
The motive for the crime was John
sons belief that Fox had induced the
county commissioners TO send another
deputy to California after Vidal Sho-
bio. alleged defauitin. county treas
urer Of Las AnimAs county. johnson
also said that Fox had ''ioshed' him
about the probability Of johnson let
ting Vidal escape on the way back
here.
Miss blanche Albert Of Paris. Texas.
who Is visiting here. and tweive-y~ar'
old Marion Insa.s were the only wit
nesses to the assassination.
Johnson walked from the scene Of
his crime up Commercial street To
First street. where he met Deputy
ShsIir kraeser. To whom he surren'
dcrcd.
Half an hour later hundreds OF dc.
| tsrmlncd men began advancing on.thc
Jail. intcndin. to lynch johnson. There
was no mistake In their motive.
Backed by n dozen deputies and with
rifles and sIS.shootcrS. Sh-rin Richard
Davis stood on the courihous. lawn
and warned the people against my nj
tempted iynchInE.
A skirmish line Of deputies armed
/ capable. was thrown across the lawn.
cxtcndin. from the courthouse To the
jail. while First street rapidly hlicd
with people. After u time. convinced
that Davis meant business. the crowd
slowly dissolved.
Then johnson. surrounded by armed
guards. was walked out Of the jail and
started for n special train ut the foo,
Of Chestnut street. The crowd heard
/ OF Il and n thousand people raced after
the officers and their prisoner to the
train. The train broke In two as Il
reached the Colorado 4 Southern river
bridge and It looked like the people
would get the prisoner. hut he was
finally gotten out Of town and is now
supposed to be In the county jail OF
| Pueblo county.
The motive for Johnson's crime iS
said to have arisen from the Vidal
Shobio case. Shoblo IL under arrest
| In Oakland on the charge of bein. n
dcfauitcr while he was clerk In the
county trcnsurcr's Once under Fox to
the extent OF $1,000 by n system OF
| Juggling tax receipts. Johnson had
been selected by Sheriff Davis to go
to Oakland after the prisoner. Fox
was opposed to this and had even OF.
fcrcd to pay his own expenses to Oak
land II the sheriff would dcputizc him
TO bring the clerk back.
This morning Fox went before the
board Of county commissioners and sc.
cured n change In their plans. County
| Commissioner Ligc Duling being sent
to Oakland instead OF Johnson.
| John Fox. the victim OF the murder.
was one Of the most prominent and
also one OF the most popular men In
Las Animas county. He was n mem.
ber Of the Masons. the Red Men. Elks
and woodmcn of the World. Socially
he was n member OF the Animas and
Trinidad clubs. He was born In Paris.
Kentucky. October 81. 1862, and came
to Colorado when but twelve years
old. settling near waisenburg. Three
yeasr later he moved TO FL Moro and
was there employed by the Rio Grande
rs n clerk. Coming to Trinidad soon
after, he has lived here ever since. In
1887 he was appointed postmaster. re-
signing in 1895 to run for county treas
urer. First defeated by but twenty.
four votes, he ran again in 1897. and
| thereafter was reelected for three
consecutive terms. He Is survived by
his mother. Mrs. N. a. Cushing:
brother. Charles N. Fox OF Clayton.
New Mexico, and halfbrother. Zattu
Cushing OF Denver. In the employ OF
the Empire Zinc Company. and now in
Mexico for his company. Before the
| Democratic state convention last fall
| Mr.. Fox was prominent candidate
| for the state treasurcrship nomination.
johnson has lived in this section for
about twenty-five years. Six years
ago Johnson shot and killed William
Wooten at Hastings. Mt which time
Johnson was the marshal. He had or
dercd wooten to give up gun and
Wooten said he would not give 1t to
Johnson, but would turn II over to
bartender. He was advancing to the
bar with his gun drawn and Johnson
shot him. johnson was acquitted on
the ground OF self.defcnse. and the
money for the expense OF his trial was
advanced him by John Fox. During the
session of the State Legislature john
son was conspicuous hgure ABOUT
the state capitol building as the body
guard of Senator Casimiro Barela. He
held some minor appointment during
the session, but was generally re-
garded as being there in the capacity
OF protector of Casimiro Barela.