The Colorado statesman., 1907-11-30
MANIAC IN ALAMosA HOTEL
Kills One Person and Wounds Three
Others Before He is Him
self Killed.


self Killed.
Denver.-A News special from Ala
mosa Monday says: Basilio Rodriguez,
government range rider, became a
raving maniac in the Palmer hotel
here at 8 o'clock this morning and
after slashing his own throat with a
knife killed c. B. Anderson, another
transient guest, and wounded three
others before he himself was killed by
Marshal John Baumaster. Leonard
Nation. j. W. Craig and George Bo-
hen, the three men hurt as the re-
suit of the rampage of the insane
man, are not seriously injured.
In the pocket of the dead man was
this note:
IF anything happens to me while
on the road, l ask pardon from God
for my conduct. 1t makes me crazy
when l think of the disgrace it has
brought on my brothers and sisters.
am more insane today than ever. 1
ask forgiveness from my brothers and
others whom l have offended. l have
about S35 and this check (meaning a
government check) from the govern
ment amounting to $22."
Rodriguez was on his way to Espa-
noza, New Mexico, and arrived in Ala
mosa Sunday night He ate his sup
per in a chile parlor and when he
made inquiry was directed to the
Palmer House for lodgings. At 5
O'Clock this morning he arose, slashed
his own throat, upset the lighted
lamp, set fire to the carpet and rushed
into the hall yelling like wild man.
He broke into room No. A, with
/ cd -INf hi
throat, and began slashing at Leonard
Nation and ]. w. Craig. occupants of
the room, with his knife, while they
lay in bed Nation was cut in the
knee and foot while kicking at the
crazy man. Craig was cut in the face,
arm and neck before he finally got
chair and knocked the maniac to the
floor The two then escaped into the
hall in their night clothes. Rodriguez
rushed into the hall, which was full
by this time of roomers who clad only
in their night clothes, were escaping
from the fire. The madman encoun-
tered Anderson as he was about to
descend the stairs, and with one
sweep of his knife severed his jugular
vein. Anderson fell down the stairs
and his neck was broken.
An unknown man was next encoun-
tered by the murderer, but the pugi-
listic ability of this man proved his
salvation. as Rodriguez went to his
knees from a right-hand swing to the
jaw and the other made good his es-
cape. The next man to feel the steel
at the hands of the demoniacal slayer
was George Bohen, who received
slashes in the face, shoulder and back
before he could escape. Another
roomer, whose name could not be
learned, foored the crazy man with a
water pitcher as he rushed at him.
The next room entered by the muir
derer was unoccupied, but his bloody
trail led to the unoccupied bed. He
then went into the hall and with a
chair tried to batter down the door
of the man who hit him with a pitcher.
Marshal John Baumaster arrived and
rushed up stairs. The Mexican quit
battering at the door and attacked the
marshal with a chair in one hand and
knife in the other. The marshal
emptied his revolver at his assailant,
three bullets taking effect, two in the
shoulder and one in the left breast,
but Rodriguez did not fall and closed
in on the marshal. The officer struck
his opponent over the head with his
weapon and crushed his skull, putting
an end to the worst tragedy that has
| ever occurred in A1amosa.
G. B. Anderson, who was killed,
was an engineer recently employed at
the Biggs Lumber Company at Edith,
New Mexico. and his family is now
on the way from Iowa to meet him at
Alamosa. He was sixty years old.