Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1909-10-02
A TRAVESTY ON JUS1ICI
TERRITORY MAKES SIGNAL FAIL
URE IN ITS PROOF AGAINST
DEFENDANT
KILLED A HELPLESS GIRL
LIZZIE TELLER SHOT TO DEATH
WITH WINCHESTER IN
BAWDY HOUSE
fspeclaI pIspatchl

(Specla. Dtspatcn)
Ration, N. M, Oct. 2-The murder
trial of John Jenkins in the district
court here came to an abrupt end
ing when Judge w. j. Mills, presid-
ing, instructed the jury to return a
verdict of not guilty on the ground
that the territory had utterly failed
to prove its case against the defend
ant. The district attorney did not
have witness to prove that John
jenkins had fired the shots which
killed Lizzie Zeller, the inmate of a
mouse of i'll fame at Dawson, nor did
he even have witness to prove what
the name of the murdered girl was.
The only thing which the territory's
witnesses could testify to was that
the girl had been killed. Immediately
upon the conclusion of the prosecu-
ltion's side of the case, Judge Jesse
iG Northcutt, of Trinidad, and At
Itorneys 9. ]. Roberts and John e.
Morrow, Of Ration, counsel for the de-
|fendant, moved the court to instruct
the jury TO returl. verdict of not
guilty on the ground that the terri
tory had failed to prove that the body
of the person killed was the body of
Lizzie Zeller, and because the evidence
was insufficient to show that the de-
fendant, John jenkins, on the 18th
day of August 1907, or at any other
time, within the county of Colfax
and territory of New Mexico, or at
any other place, killed and murdered
the person named in the indictment
or any other person. The motion
was promptly granted by the court
and Jenkins was Immediately freed
AS he walked from the court room
a free man he admitted the killing,
but claimed he was justified in shoot
ing the girl.
A Cowardly Murder
The crime with which Jenkins was
charged was one or the most coward
ly in the annals OF Colfax coun-
ty. One the night of August 18th,
1907, in the mining camp of Dawson,
in the bawdy house of woman
named Grace Ford, young girl nam
ed Lizzie Zeller, nineteen years of
age, was cowardly murdered by be-
ing shot through the head and neck,
with bullets fired from Winchester
at close range. At the time of the
murder preliminary examination
was held and the evidence developed
the following facts:
That Tom Jenkins, brother of the
defendant, John Jenkins, and the
murdered girl, were on extremely
friendly terms, Tom Jenkins being a
frequent visitor at the house of Grace
Ford. for the purpose of seeing Liz
zie Zeller. On the night of August
18th, 1907, he was in the house, lying
on bed with the Zeller girl, and a
revolver which Tom Jenkins had was
accidentally discharged, the bullet
entering his right breast, inflicting a |
dangerous wound, but one from
which he soon recovered.
Peace officer to Blame
II. w. Farmer, better known as
Bud" Farmer, head peace officer
of the Dawson coal camp, and hold
ing commission as deputy sheriff |
of Colfax county, when he heard of
the shooting of Tom Jenkins, instead
of investigating the facts and ascer-
tanning that the shooting was acci-
dental, went Immediately to the
house of John Jenkins, the defend
ant, and brother of Tom Jenkins, and
told him that his brother Tom Jen-
kins had been murdered by some wo-
man in the house of Grace Ford, and
that he better go and see about it.
Farmer then started back to the town
of Dawson in buggy
Killed in Cold Blood
While on the way, John Jenkins
passed him on horseback, riding ra-
pidly, and carrying Winchester in
his hands. Deputy Sheriff Farmer
recognized John Jenkins and called
to him but John Jenkins rode on un-
til he reached the house of the wo-
man, Grace Ford. Entering the house
and still carrying the Winchester. he
asked in an excited tone of voice:
Where is the girl that shot my broth
Ier?" Many of the people in the room
seeing his, excited condition and the
manner in which he flourished the
gun fled from the house. Lizzie Eel