Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-12-04
Liquor Responsible
for Brutal
Crime
VICTIM LoVABLt WOMAN
Slayer's Excuse for Killing
Miss Templeton Was
He Was Drunk

Although the killing of Miss Jennie
Templeton at Velarde, Rio Arriba
county, fifty miles north of Santa Fe,
was naught more than an ordinary.
brutal murder devoid Of sensational
circumstances, the New Mexican has
gone to the trouble to investigate the
circumstances and details of the crime
SO as to counteract the false reports
sent out and which sought to make the
murder appear the result of religious
bigotry and surrounded with highly
sensational features.
Mrs. 7. B. Bailey, widow, sister
Of the murdered woman, who has been
a resident for over ten years at Vel
arde, has been running small store
or the main road to Taos, only one
house south of the Baptist church and
parsonage occupied by Rev. and Mrs.
w. H. Rishl A short time ago this
store was sold by Mrs. Bailey to her
son-in-law, l. B. Ismay. Mrs. Ismay re-
Gently went to Taos for health reasons
and her mother, Mrs Bailey, and Mr..
Ismay went to Taos last week to spend
Thanksgiving day, leaving Miss Tenn
pleton and a native servant In charge
of the store and home, which are all
in one building, the store being in the
middle with rooms on each side. The
building is a long one and stands back
from the road within a fence and an
orchard stretching in back OF 1t to-
wards the river. The servant left MISS
Templeton early last week.
Events Leading Up to Murder
On Thursday evening, Thanksgiving
Day. after Miss Templeton had gone
to her room, she heard a noise In the
store and looking into 1t through a
window, saw a man strike a match.
She thought she recognized David
Martinez Sanchez, who bore the rep
utation Of being a gambler, a hard
drinker and had been accused OF dis
honesty and of assaulting several per-
sons. The next morning she found that
the front door had been kicked In, the
cash drawer open and there was miss
ing five dollars and cancelled
check which David Martinez y
Sanchez tried to pass the
following day. She also found a black
pocketbook, which she identified as be-
longing to Sanchez. 1t is known that
Sanchez learned of this but he made
no threats. On Saturday afternoon he
is known to have taken four drinks and
in the afternoon he was seen going to-
ward the Ismay store. Shortly before
four o'clock, boy who wanted to buy
coal oil, found Miss Templeton lying in
the door leading into the store from
the orchard, with her skull crushed in
but still breathing. Blood was spatter-
ed over the door and formed pool In
which the woman was lying. Immedi'
ate alarm was given and medical aid
summoned, but four hours afterwards,
before physicians either from Espan-
ola or Taos reached the scene, the wo-
man was dead. not having regained
consciousness. Her wounds indicated
that she had been felled by a blow
from bludgeon or heavy, sharp stick
upon the back Of her head When down
she was further belabored with this in
strument, while her skull, around the
left eye was crushed in with heel
Of the murderer's boots. The assassin
ran out Of the back door, through the
orchard, to ditch, there, washed his
hands, went home, hid his bloody shoes
and clothes and from his front door
watched the crowd gathering around
the store. There was no evidence Of
any struggle and the murderer after
wards said that the woman had not ut
tered a word before he felled her.
The Arrest Of Sanchez.
Sanchez was taken into custody, the
same evening, but had It not been for
the arrival Of DR.. T. P. Martin, of Taos,
Sanchez would probably have been re-
leased. DR.. Martin and ]. F. Pollock
took matters in hand, organized a
coroner's Jury and succeeded in hav.
Sanchez kept In custody until
the arrival on Monday after
noon of Judge John R. McFie.
Assistant Attorney General Robert
G. Gortner, Captain Fred Fornoff and
Lieutenant John w. Collier of the
Mounted Police. The coroner's jury re-
turned verdict, charging David Mar
tinez y Sanches with the crime and on
Tuesday morning Judge McFie, as
committing magistrate, gave the accus-
ed preliminary hearing at which the
latter repeated a confession made the
night before to Messrs. Gortner and
Fornoff and acknowledged that the
confession was secured without intimi-
dation or unfair means by the officers.
Sanchez was thereupon committed to