Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-03-24
COURT OPENS NEXT MONDAY
TWO MEN ARE ACCUSED OF THE
THEFT OF $4,000 MINE PAY
ROLL AT FRENCH
SEVERAL MURDER TRIALS
{. J. HARMON MUST ANSWER FOR
KILLING TOMAS sALAzAR
AT SPRINGER

i@eoi, ~. W., MdTC0 Z4.-W ma,
probably will develop into one of the
most sensational legal battles ever
waged in Colfax couny will be begun
Tuesday of next week when Jesse
Burke Humphreys, alias "Arkansaw, .
and Robert Henry Farr, will be placed
on trial for the robbery of a Wells
Fargo Express messenger. of $32, 900.
at French about four years ago. The
trial has been postponed for various
reasons but it is believed that it will
come to final hearing at the March
term of the Colfax county district
court, which is to begin Monday. Dur
ing the last year the case was post
poned twice principally because of the
absence of regularly assigned Judge
for the district. The associate Justices
who presided in Ration, believing that
much time would be lost through the
efforts of the attorneys for the de-
PENDANTS to raise the question of
right of jurisdiction, did not call the
case to trial.
Detectives of the Wells, Fargo COM
pany have been actively engaged on |
the case since the arrest of Hum
phreys and Farr. They believe they
have secured evidence that will re-
suit in the conviction of Humphreys
o1, 1lxr Of
sending Farr to the penitentiary. Dis
trict Attorney George e. Remley will
make strong fight for conviction
and the defendants counsel, Judge e.
V. Long of Las Vegas, John Morrow
and E. G. Champion, will put up an
equally hard battle for an acquittal.
The story of the robbery at French
is vel known throughout New Mex
leo. In the annals Of crime in the
territory it stands out as one of the
most daring hold-ups ever attempted
by desperate and determined men.
It occurred four years ago. In charge
of a special messenger sum of
money amounting to $4,000 was be-
ing sent from Albuquerque to Daw-
son where 1t was to be used in pay
ing off the miners employed in that
camp. At French the money was
placed in the station where it was
to be transferred to the Dawson
branch train.
The messenger locked himself Sc
curely in the building He was heavi-
ly armed and prepared for any emer-
gency. The Santa Fe train on which
the money and the messenger arrived
had been gone only a few minutes
when the messenger heard a COM
mand to hold up his hands. He reach
ed for his gun but saw several Win
chesters pointed at him through the
windows. When the messenger saw
resistance was useless he surrender
ed. The robbers tied him securely
and, taking the heavy iron box, in
WHICH U00 HlOu6y, Ill Solu oiiu PtsPSA, I,
was locked, made their departure.
They left the messenger bound and
gagged and he was not released un-
til the arrival of the next train. Sew
eral men were in the party of rob
bers, according to the messenger
They were all masked.
A posse of deputy sheriffs imme-
diately got on the trail of the rob-
bers and followed them a distance of
some miles into eastern Union county
but were unable to effect capture.
1t appeared that men familiar with
the local surroundings had pulled of
the job. Several suspects were ar
rested and later released. A year af-
ter the robbery Humphreys was found
in Wichita, Kan, where he had been
spending considerable money. Farr
also was arrested Since the robbery
not one cent of the stolen money has
ever been recovered.
Another case that will prove of in