Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-12-10
WIFE OF DEAD
PROSPECTOR HERE
En- Route to Salida, Colorado, With
Winchester With Which Husband
Was Killed.

A battered 5000 Winchester rife
standing in one corner Of her room
at the Claire Hotel is The ghastly relic
of the killing Of her husband, which
Mrs. William Laughlin is taking with
her to her home in Salida, Colorado.
William l.aughln, d prospector, and
James Billingslea were shot and kill
ed with this Winchester, I.aughln's
own gun, by Eliseo Wales and Carlos
Sas, native boys, in the Man2ano
Mountains, September 80,
According to Mrs Laughlin, the
bodies are still lying where they fell,
unburied except for a crude pile Of
stones raked about them TO guard
them from coyotes.
With tears in her eyes, the little
woman said yesterday:
II would like to have the corpse of
my husband buried but am too poor.
! am left without a dollar and with
three little children 10 clothe and
feed
Mrs, l.aushlin is en- route to Sail
ia, Colorado, from Socorro, where
she Went to attend the trial of her
husbands murderers. She arrived too
late for both had been convicted and
are now awaiting sentence
The story of their crime is well
known. James BIlingslea William
Laughlin and Mrs. Bilingslea, formed
a prospecting party for a six months
rip into the Manzano Mountains
When Wales and Sas entered the
camp they were treated well by the
prospectors. In return they formed a
plot to kin the two men and carry
Mrs. Billingslea away Both pros
pectorS were decoyed to lonely spot
and after being caioled out of their
weapons, We're treacherouSly killed
with their own guns.
Mrs. Laughlin yesterday, repeated
The story of the killing as it had been
told to her by Mrs. Billingslea, to a
New Mexican reporter as she sat in
The Claire Hotel with her fourteen
months old baby on her lap. She
cried softly.
Il have been trying to find if my
husband had any other property be.
sides the weapon with which he was
killed" she said "At Belen, they
gave me his horse and saddle and ]
sold them for a few dollars. do not
know which way TO turn for assist
ance have no relatives who are in
position to help me- The sudden
death of my husband came as such
shock to me that have been unable
TO work as yet although | shall be
forced to do so as soon as ! can find
] am glad they convict
eds his slayers. ] never heard Of such
a treacherous murder as they com
mitted Mrs. Billingslea is heart
broken. She had even more harrow
ing experiences than did, being left
alone in the camp with the murderers.
when she finally made her way to
q town, she wrote me at once but
through some fault of the postal ser
vice, her letter lay in the postotfice
at Salida for twelve days, before it
was finally handed to me. I was kept
in suspense all that time, not know
ing whether the reports published in
the Colorado and New Mexico papers
were true or not"
Mrs. Laughlin left today for Salida,
Her children are seven and five
years of age and the baby but four
teen months old
CAS- soon as | can secure money"
she said, II will return to New Mex
leo and give my husband a decent
burial. Ii is awful to think of him
every day and of his corpse lying
there in the mountains where he was
shot to death"