Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-02-05
Tells Washington Of Brutal
Methods Of Mexican Officers.
DECLARES NO DOUBT MEN
WERE MURDERED BY MEXICANS
Former e PasO Collector Says Army
Would Go to Fight if Truth
Were Known.
Special to The Morning Journal.

Special to The Morning Journal.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. 4.--"There
are now confined in miserable jail
in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia
a couple of white men--one an Amer
lean citizen and the other a Norwe-
gian, who intended becoming a citizen
who are victims of a cruelty so
monstrous and outrageous that IL their
cases We're generally known an army
of Americans could be raised for their
liberation" said Pat Garrett of New
Mexico, who lately gave up the office
of collector of customs at El Paso,
who is here on business.
This ia the story in a few words:
O. II. Finstad, a Norwegian, who made
a lot Of money mining in Alaska,
bought q fine ranch of 1000 acres
I'm the southern part of the state of
Chihuahua He had 1t well stocked
with cattle and the neighboring Mexl-
cans looked on the fine property with
envious eyes. Associated with Finstad
was his brother-in-law, McMurray
on the 18th of December last a man
named Rutherford, who lived on
ranch twenty miles distant, went to
Finstad's place and wanted to buy
some horses. Rutherford's father is
a citizen Of philadelphia The three
men | have named We're the best OF
friends, and there was absolutely no
cause of quarrel among them.
con the night of the 18th of Decem.
her, three Mexican asassins broke into
the house where these men We're,
totally unconscious of danger, shot
Rutherford and McMurray to death
and wounded Finstad and one of his
hired men, Coughenor, Coughenor got
bullet through his face and Finstad
was hurt with some blunt instrument.
Without scintilla of evidence, the
two wounded men We're thrust into a
dungeon on the beautiful theory that
the four got into a fight among them.
selves ana they are stlll incareerated
awaiting the action of the higher
court
"a more high-handed outrage could
not have been perpetrated If Finstad
and his companion would agree to lie
and say that the affair grew out of a
difficulty among themselves, no doubt
they would be liberated, but neither
will consent to such an act of degree
dation The Mexican government
wishes to avoid the odium of native
preparation of murder, and grasped
eagerly at the theory that a row arose
among the Americans. To substantl-
ate IT, Finstad and Coughenor were
tortured in the effort to make them
confess to a lie. The real motive of
the murder as | learned by actual in
Ivestigaton. was to kill the Americans
50 that their valuable property could
be bought up for a trife"
Philippine Tariff Has Rocky Road.
Administration measures are rum
ming pretty smoothly in congress with
the exception of the Philippine tariff
bill. There is every prospect OF de-
termined opposition TO that measure
in the senate aud one proposition TO
amend II so as to increase the mimi
mum duties on tobacco and sugar TO
fifty per cent may be taken seriously.
If the bill is amended in this direction
IL will mean that the senate has taken
the bit in It's teeth and that there viii
be a hard fight. All of the democrats
and the middle western senator's as
well as the standpatters are naturally
against the bill I'm its present shape.
This makes n formidable opposition 90
deal with. The opposition Of some OF
the democratic members Is remark
able in the nature of its logic. They
are the most pronounced free traders
yet they state that they will not sup
port the Philippine bill because Il Is
a step In the reduction of duties with
out opening the whole question Of
tariff revision. This Is rather re-
markable attitude. There Is little pros
Ipect of general tariff revision at the
present session ana one might think
that a free trader would prefer to
get half a loaf rather than to go hun
CRY. But the gentlemen referred to
say that thoy would rather help %
defeat the Payne bill than to go at tho
tariff proposition pleeemeal.
Rate Blll On EASY street.
The rate bill on the other hand
looks as though II would have rather
easy sailing II is said that the senate
committee IS waiting TO get the Hep
burn bin before Il IN order to frame
a measure along the same lines before
/ It reports any bill to the senate. II
this is true, It ought to be very easy
for the oonferees to come TO an agree
ment. But II IN to be strongly suspect
ed that the senate will want to frame
q measure that while II has the out
ward semblance Of the house bill will
contain some essential features capa-
BILE Of various interpretations when
the measure gets into the courts as 1t
eventually is sure to do. Therefore the
members OF the house who think they
have embodied the most OF the presI-
dents ideas In the bill are Watching
carefully TO see what sort Of COM
paniona measure the senate turns out
and 10 flnd whether there ara any