Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-02-26
C0NLEY CUTS THROAT
To CHEAT GALL0wS
Hanged While lnsensible From Wounds
Inflicted With Old Pocket Knife.
Carried to Scaffold by Guards.
Special to The New Mexican.

Special to The New Mexican
Taos, via EmbudO, $3.50 o'clock p. M
Feb. 26.-At 1880 this morning, while
the birds were singing and the sky
was clear and beautiful, John Conles
convicted Of the murder of James Red
ding and sentenced to be hanged TO-.
day, cut his throat from ear to ear
and severed his wind pipe, but did not
cut deep enough to cut the main ar
terry.
This was done while he was in his
steel cage. In few minutes the floor
Of the cage was covered with blood !;
the guards noticing this, rushed in
and the old pocket knife with which
Conley slashed his throat was taken
away from him. The deputy sheriff in
charge went for DR.. T. P. Martin, wh)
FASTENED to the Jail and arrived there
twenty minutes after Conley made his
attempt TO suicide. The doctor stop.
ped the flow of blood and dressed the
wound inflicted by Conley on his
throat. The parish priest was sum-
mOned, who Immediately responded
and offered a short prayer for Con.
ley's soul.
Conley. in an apparently uncon-
scinus condition, was carried to the
sea a'old at 1922 a. m. The guards
held him in an upright position while
the black-cap was adjusted over his
head, and then the body was dropped
from the gallows. He made no signs
of consciousness and the body was
quite timber. This was 9:27. The
body dropped four feet Deputy Pablo
Gomez operated the mechanical con-
trivance. The body slipped through
| the hole and Conley's neck was evi-
IDENTIFY not broken. He stopped bleed.
ing entirely at 9:37; at 9:42 Dr. Mar
tin pronounced life extinct
Body Buried.
The body was taken down and today
was buried in the public cemetery
near this place. No friends or rela-
tives attended the burial.
Seventeen persons witnessed the
hanging. The pocket knife which Con
ley used in his endeavor to commit
suicide had evidently been concealed
by him for months and had not been
detected, although he was searched
several times very carefully before be-
ing placed in the steel cage and while
an occupant of it. His attempt to end
his life was a surprise to everyone
concerned with the Jail management.
He left letter which was opened af.
ter his death, in which he again de-
nounced his enemies and reasserted
his innocence of the crime for which
he was convicted.
Among those who Witnessed the
hanging was ex-Sheriff Harry C. Kin
sell, of this city, who went to Taos
last week as the Governors agent In
accordance with the executives or
ders, the affair was robbed of as
much publicity as possible. The gal
lows were built within the adobe walls
of the jail yard so that only those ad
mitted by ticket could witness the
hanging. Guards were placed upon
the walls and nearby buildings over.
looking the scene to prevent the un-
welcome presence of morbidly curious
spectators.
The gallows were crudely construct
ed, but answered their purpose. Two
upright posts with cross beam sup
ported the rope and it's victim. There
was a narrow platform upon which Of
ficers and prisoner stood. The trap
was supported by two stout oak pegs
which were quickly withdrawn when
The executioner stationed behind Con.
ley, pushed small iron lever. Ex
Sheriff Kinsell tested the trap several
times before the hanging and it was
in perfect working order.
The Crime.
The crime for which John Conley
was executed today at Taos was COM
mitted on January 16, 1904, at the
Guadalupe Placers, four miles from
Questa in northern Taos County, The
two victims were James Redding, son
Of E. S. Redding, hotel and saloon
keeper at Questa. and Charles Purdy
of Red River.
Young Redding would have been 20
years old in the month following his
death, and Purdy was 6S years old,
but despite his age, was strong and
active. Conley had been given con-
tract by E. N. Jordan, of Minneapolis,
to do the assessment work on the
Guadalupe Placers and had hired f.
s. Redding, his son James, his son-in-
law Jesus Herrera and Charles Purdy
to do the work with him. Conley had
charged only 500 for the contract and
claimed that he was upbraided by the
others for not charging 5000.
This quarrel resulted in bitter feel
ing, which was augmented by Conley
discharging Jesus Herrera after half
a days work, and by a claim OF Purdy
[that Conley had not paid him for
some work done on a mining claim for