Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-09-23
JURY Brings IN
VERDICT OF
GUILTY"
AFTER nine HOURS DELlBERATION
TWELVE MEN Decide THAT JOSE
P. LUCERO, REPRESENTATIVE
FROM LUMBERTON, RIO ARRIBA
CO., SOLICITED A BRIBE.
NOTICE IS GIVEN OF
MOTION FOR new TRIAL
"Gl'lLTY"

"GUILTY,"
This is the verdict Of the twelve
men who sat or the jury in the case
cf the State of New Mexico VS., Jose
IF. Lucero, of Lumberton, Rio Arriba
county, charged with the solicitation
Iof bribe on March IS, 1912, which
charge was investigated last year by
the state legislature.
The verdict was rendered at
o'clock this morning after the jurors
had been out nine hours.
Immediately on hearing the verdict,
Attorney E. p. Davies, representing
the defendant. gave notice of motion
for a new trial and motion in arrest
of judgment.
The penalty, as prescribed by the
constitution of the state of New Mex
leo. for solicitation of bribe by
LEGISLATOR is a fine of $1,000 or one
Ito five years in the state penitentlary-
When the verdict was announced
there were present in the court room
Judge E. C. Abbott, the trial judge;
District Attorney Alexander Read,
County Clerk Ortiz. Deputy Sheriff
Baca. and few others.
Showing the strain of nine hours
deliberation on their faces, the jurors
filed into the court room. When the
verdict was announced by the foreman
the defendant maintained the same
pIacid expression on his face that has
been seen there during the three days
Iof his trial.
Mr.. Iucero has been out on bail.
and his attorney this morning called
Ion Judge Abbott to make arrangement
TO have it continued.
News Spreads.
The news of the conviction OF the
first of the four legislators charged
with soliciting q bribe before the elI
Iection of the first United States sena-
tors of the new state, spread over the
city before breakfast and was travel
ing to every town in New Mexico
few hours afterward. Long distance
telephone calls and telegraph1c mes
sages followed in short order, showing
the Importance attached to the case.
| The cases against Luis R. Montoya,
Julian Truiillo and Manuel Cordova'
| who are charged with the same offense
as Lucero, will not be taken up at TINS
term of court, because the county mas
mot a sufficient number of jurors to
Iprovide three juries, one in each case
as is required by law.
! Alexander Read, district attorney.
! in his address to the jury, which was
rot finished as the New Mexican went
to press yesterday said:
The executive committee of the Re-
publican party and the leaders of the
Republican party are charged by the
attorney for the defense of using the
party whip. 1t is unjust to say the
least to make such charge. The eX-
ecutive committee of the Republican
party, if anything, did the best it could
have done to catch these defendants
who were on the market, as no doubt
they were.
The defendant and his colleagues
claimed that they were entrapped;
yes, they were entrapped, while they
we're stealing the sacred rights of the
people of the state of New Mexico, and
TO entrap them would amount to moth
ing more than procuring evidence to
sustain conviction. Such methods
are not within the rule against en-
couraging crime, but to the end that
those willing to become offenders may
be punished. and detective work has
served for years and years to detect
and discover crimes that otherwise
could never have been discovered.
The defendant, and his associates,
by their actions have injured the repu-
tation of the native people of the
state of New Mexico, and it is up to
you today to redeem that feature, not
to turn these men loose and by so
doing tell them that they have done
right
The people outside of New Mexico
are watching you with keen eye to
see what you will do with this case.
people outside of our state before COM
ing to New Mexico will inquire two
things. have you good schools in New
Mexico? and last of all, do you enforce
the laws of the state, because upon
the enforcement of the law depends
the happiness of the people.
| have known the defendant for
twenty-five wears. He has been
neighbor of mine as far as I can re-
member He belongs to the same
political faith as |, but, gentlemen. |
have to cast away my friendship for
him. I have to forget that he has
been my political friend, and think of
only one thing and that is to do my
duty to the best of my ability as |
have. under my oath, promised my
! God to do without regard to friend
or foe.
/ Yes, they were entrapped. the de-
fendant and his associates were en-
trapped. while they were stealing the
sacred rights of the people of the