Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-11-08
STRANGE CAREER
Of JOSE 5. BACA
ESCAPED. SETTLED on RAscH
AND had nED uAEA RE-
CAPTURED.
APPUEHtNDED BY RUSE
Three Times . Consies sns ses Asr
cussd o. Five Other Crimes for One
OF which ne Mas Sentenced.
Especial Correspondence }

"1M&& M&mG& 30@N - 0&@a @@*%%
times a convict. lived ~geareahly In
the Zur! mountains w!:s = c0:Ge!~
young wife whom he had taken u his
bosom. Before his appearance In the
locality be had been confined In the
BeFnalillO county jail = convicted fel
on. In e0nfinment be- waited fOg
Judge Abbott Of the district couFt to
name the number II years he vas 10
serve In the territorial ~penitentiaTy
~ Santa Pc for stealing cattle his
companion In crime. the notorious
Claude D0ane. Who In now dung time
mt the penal institution. was also In
the jail pending sentence. He ~as
taken TO the ~pemitRntiafy first. Daca
was alone.
Outside the birds sang Nature
beckoned him 10 tome. 10 be- free
Baca escaped from the Jail, His dis
appearance vas complete, Snt thu
least scintiila Of a clue did he leave
that might give the laws minions an
tnkling OF his whereabouts He went
60 the Zuni mountains. II develops.
and there wooed and won n bride.
He settled on a small ranch and lived
In peace and happiness for a time,
Concealed In Freight Wagon
But q rude awakening for his bliss
was nearer nj hand than ha thought,
Rafael Gomez of the New Mexico
mounted police. received word that
a man answering Daca's description
was living on a ranch In the NOUN
tains. Gomez informer described
the place accurately. lie went IN
pursuit Of Baca and had little trno
BILE In locating the ranch,
One day he rode along the road
leading 20 Baea's abode. A freight
wagon was near the officer and he
espied his man riding along.
scious of danger. n short distance
ahead. Realizing that he had n des.
perate character 20 deal with and
desiring 10 take no chance. the off
@ dismounted from hls horse and
concealed himself under the goods In
the wagon. giving the driver instruc.
tons to overtake the man ahead.
When tho wage approached the
lone horseman. Baca suddenly dis.
closed himself and covered Baca
with q gun. He surrendered without
parley and was brought 10 Albu.
querque. From here he will depart
fnn Santa En IA AHA aNn4nIx 80 ma
officer 10 serve five years nj hard
labor.
Baca was sentenced on one Of the
five crimes for which he was con
victed. When Judge Abbott pro
nounced his sentence. Baca was In,
different. Five years In the longest
period prescribed for stealing cattle,
and the court told Baca sentence for
the remaining -four crimes would de-
pend entirely on his behavior while
he served the first sentence.
Men OF Bad Records
Clande D0ane. Baca's partner In
crime. was M of the most despcr-
ate and dangerous outlaws who have
terrorized New Mexico cattlemen for
years. Baca's record is almost nv
bad,
The capture of the twain was made
by Capt. Fred Fornoff of the New
Officer Ben Williams In July. 1905
They were taken fifteen miles from
Taos. at the head OF the Taos ran
o after an exciting chase. Ia"
Officers had followed the outlaws for
fourteen days over arid plains and
through mountain Businesses. TIL"
chase was from Bcrnalillo To Thorn
ton and from thence to Santa Re AMI
into the mountains. TIL Officers
came upon them Unexpectedly ut =
r. nch. where they had Sinnpcd :"
trade horses. They were talking with
some women and their horses with
carnsnes in the saddle ho's'e"S "
standing some distance ava. when
the outlaws were rover" with two
Wircnr<c's ~ III" ,'f'"H's Tn"
men w." brought Ia A~tbmGe'QL"
and tried.
Besides being a horse aud cattle
thief, Doane. 1t IL said. In suspected
Of numbering Walter Lyons. a young
school teacher, near Ramah, In Nc
kinley county.
Baca's criminal record includes n
p%enitentiary term for stealing cattle
In Dona Ana county, a term for the
same offense in Bernalillo county.
and a sentence for completely in the
Maxwell murder in Mckinley coun-
t..
Until his recapturc near his noun
tain home, Baca's disappearance had
completely baffled the officers.