Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-02-03
Governors Deputy
Makes Report on
Case Today.
is UNDOUBTEDLY CRAZY
Every Detail Investigated.
Confessor of Crime Was
at Another Place.

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confessed murderer of Colonel j. Frar
cisco Chaves, at Pinos Wells, Noven
Der "a, 1904, is suffering from acut
alcoholism and is undoubtedly insan
as a result thereof. Deputy u.
Marshal Frederick Fornoff, made tn
above statement shortly after his al
rival here this afternoon. He ha
been in Prescott for several days In
vestigating the case.
Despite the fact OF Bells condition
the deputy made arrangements u
have him held for further investigation
in order that there might be no doub
in regard to the matter Deputy For
nOff went at once to Governor Hage!
mans apartments at the Palace Hoto
where he made brief report o.. hi
investigation. Later he visited Gov u
nor Hagerman in the Capitol buildin:
and submitted a detailed statement o
the case.
Report on Case.
When interviewed by New Mexi
can reporter he said:
"There is no doubt in my mind tina
this man is not the murderer of Colo
mel Chaves believe that he is no
mentally right; that his confession il
pure fiction and that he never had any
thing to do with the murder in an.
way. | have certificate from ro
putable physician which states that he
is suffering from acute alcoholism bu
this was not needed to satisfy me per
sonally of the mans state.
Bell now denies every confession h
has made and there are several. None
of them, however, agree with the DE
tails of the crime and pursuit of the
nnrdernr. as thoyr really wore. II,
said that on the night he killed Chav
es, he heard the blood hounds bayin(
as they followed his trail. The fact o
the matter is that the hounds were
not put on the trail for over 48 hours
after the crime had been committed
There are other points similar to this
one.
At Another Place.
"The strongest thing in disprovins
Bells story is the fact that on the datt
OF the murder, he was employed y!
Aaron Gray, of the White Lime Com
pany at Grants, Valencia County,
distance of fully $50 miles from Pinos
Wells. Gray's books show this to DC
true and when given photograph oI
the man, Gray easily identified 1t as
the image of the man employed by
him on the date of the killing. Bel
was known to Gray as Frank Lee His
real name, however, is said to be Au
gust Gottschalk, of Hanover, Germany
He is GG years old and has lived fol
50 years at Lincoln, county seat o.
Lincoln County, where he was at one
time a deputy sheriff. Telling stories
OF murder appears to be his insane
hobby. He told the sheriff at Prescott
as well as fellow workmen, that h2
came to Grants because he had killed
three men near Lincoln He also said
he assisted in the murder of 20 men
at Fort Sumner. When we later asked
him regarding these stories he posi-
lively denied them all.
Bought Goods.
Additional proofs of his innocence
are found in the fact that the White
Lime Company's books show that he
worked there twenty.six days during
the month of November On the 26th
day of November the books of the
Bibo Mercantile Company show that
he bought a bill of goods. How, then
could he be 250 miles away fleeing
from blood hounds, as he says he was!
1t is out of the question.
THE case. however, was worth in
vestigating, because there is another
man under arrest for this killing. Had
no investigation of Bells statements
been made, the attorneys could have
used it as a strong card to offset the
prosecution"
Deputy Fornoff also brought back
three pictures of Bell, taken in the
jail at Prescott. 1t does not need a
second look at any of them to give
full credence to the insanity theory
Governor Hagerman would not make
statement regarding the case until
he had read DeDutv Fornoff's report