Bisbee daily review., 1908-08-01

 sons and in the presence of many sol diers, Rafael Mendez. the former sol dier of the regional army, paid penalty for the murder of a superior officer, l says The Mexican Herald.
 Menbez faced the firing squad with bravery and stood erect until he fell mortally wounded.
 As early as o'clock yesterday morn- ing crowds were astir on the streets of the city and near the plains of La Vaquita, where the execution took place, the roads were streams of hu- manity surging toward the place desig- mated for the execution.
 The crowd continued to arrive by the hundreds long after the firing squad had done it's duty and the body had been carried away, for Mendez was dead about half an hour before 6I o'clock, which was the time the crowd thought was set.
 In anticipation of the interest which the people would take in seeing the execution of Mendez, the commandant of the troops which attended, Lieuten- ant Colonel Castro ordered the removal of the prisoner from the Santiago pris- oner shortly after o'clock, in order to reach the plains of La Vaquita ahead of the hour fixed for the execution. Fully 10000 persons gathered around the line of soldiers of the Eleventh in- fantry. artillery corps and the Four teenth cavalry attachments assigned to be on duty during the execution and a force of mounted police was constant ly engaged in checking the advance of eager crowds straining to catch glimpse Of the prisoner.
 The roofs of adjoining buildings and every inch of available space in dump carts, carriages, and automobiles was taken and paid or at premium. Shortly before 5:45 a. m. simultan- eous discharge of five Mauser rifles echoed through the plains and Rafael Mandez sam backward against the adobe wall at the foot of which he fell on his side
 Mendez showed great courage and endurance during the few moments preceding his execution.
 ] The car was occupied by Lie. Egui- luz, forth military judge, Lieutenant ] Colonel Castro, and two soldiers, who kept the prisoner under custody. | Father Duran exhorted Mendez to trust to God to the end and urged him ! to allow himself to be blindfolded. In the meantime the firing squad took it's place at a short distance from the condemned man.
 When the shots were fired the medi- cal examiners approached the body and ordered the final shot discharged and
 sergeant of the regiment to which
 Mendez belonged placed his guns mug
 gle against the left temple of the dead
 body and fired.
 | Every bullet from the firing squad took effect and there was 10 need of 1 firing the final shot by the sergeant, i for the wounds presented by Mendez disfigured his countenance beyond re- ] ognitiOn. part of his mouth and left cheek being torn by the bullets. The body was placed in an ambu- lance and taken to the military nos pital for examination, and the report
 O the medical men will be made i known to the authorities as a proof that the orders of the war department were carried out to the letter.
 After the execution the infantry
 artillery and cavalry troops marched by the side of the body of Mendez and left the plains of La VaGuita for their i respective posts.
 Before the withdrawal of the troops, pandemonium reigned near the scene of the shooting, for persons eager to
 see the body of the dead soldier, rusk- ed through the line of mounted police men, and the latter in an effort to check their advance trampled upon men and women woman of the lower class became the victim of a mounted policeman by being trampled under his horses boofs, but fortunately escaped injury.
 On account of the recent rains, a large portion of the plain is muddy
 and at some points water runs along lsinuous channels which greatly ham, lpeFed the pedestrians.
 A newspaper representative was in-
 voluntarily helped across the water
 course by an onlooker who attempted
 to jump over the stream and sudden
 ly repented upon reaching the edge of
 the water line, causing the newspaper
 man to land on his back while in the
 middle of the stream.
 Along the streets of Peralvillo nem-
 berless coffee and tea stands were in
 stalled and literally patronized for