Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-08-23

planned BY men who were Jealous be-
cause my husbands store was more |
patronized than was theirs. ] believe
my husband was murdered and his
body hid away In the sand. as the
bodies az Colonel Fountain and his
son were. years ana years ago.
my husband left for Deming Ia n
tw-horse wagon with camping equip
ment along, on January 81, 1907. lie
had on his person something like $50
IN coin, checks. etc. ] remember he
had three So goldpicces ana one $3.50
poidpiece. for I took them In at the
store myself These coins later saw
In the possession OF q man This
nm prepared TO testify TO under oath
Secs Strange Hight.
"On Tuesday. the 29th Of January.
nine DAYS after my husband had left
for Demlng. / got word from the
sheriff al Hlilsboro, Sierra county.
that my husband was missing. The
night before had been sitting In the,
doorway waiting and watching for
my husband 60 return. because ] ex-
pected his return that night. when
suddenly I saw n bright light flash
ncrnss the heavens In the direction OF
! DeminR. apparently az first miles
away, hut growing nearer and more
radiant Lord. have mercyv ex>
claimed Ny son asked me what was
the matter. told him about seeing
the strange light and that J knew
some way that something had gone
wrong with papa.
i "In going from Florida 20 Demlng
the wagon road passes through the
gate Of "A drift fence. and In this To-
caliiy there Is an area OF sand dunes
from a few feet high To ten feet or
more. ana OF large circumference.
among which are mesquite bushes. II
was In these sand dunes that my hus-
band was murdered. and his body
buried IN one Of tho dunes. The
wind sweeps over them and smoothes
tho surface leaving no trace OF dis
turhance an hour or so afterward.
This f. about three miles from
Demlng.
husbands Wagon Il Found.
MY husbands wagon was found
on the afternoon Of the same day az
the ford In the Mlmbres river. where
the water was about knee deep. This
was further on, upon tho road 20
Demlng. and about mile from town.
The horses were hltched To sotoi
stalks nearby. Blood was spattered
all over the bedding IN the wagon
body under the spring seat. IN large
clots, some as large as n bean. His
pipe and tobacco and gloves we're
there. The legs Of one or his horses
was badly cut with n knife and had
hled freely. This was undoubtedly
done 10 account for the blood found
al the wagon. a man by tho name
of Ragsdale told me ne saw small
man, little old man drive the team
and wagon into the river. RGgsdale
said he CRagsdalc) was In hack
with his wife and drove on toward
Deming. Ragsdale anew the team 81
horses Wen. and saw them many
| time afterwards My husband was
large. fleshy man ana weighed about
200 pounds. Dan Johnson told me
that a man at tho smelter phoncd him
go the effect that he saw party
drive the wagon ana team into the
river. ana presently saw man run
from the sotol stalks. where the
horses were tied. toward an enstbound
train. which was approaching.
About three weeks after my hus-
bands murder. the man whom ! saw
| with the gold pieces scat me word
! by Jose, a Mexican, that he had seen
my husband AT Lordsburg. and that
nay husband seemed To be crazy
Frank Wordcn told me about three
weeks after my husband was muir
dered that Lule shrlner safd he saw
my husband az Metouif. Ariz.. on a
wagon load OF rock. hauling II. ana
spoke with him; and afterwards sas-
him az clifton, Ariz., ana ate dinner
with him when he CRobertson) was
working az a smclter. My son. MIL
lldgo, went Immediately 10 Metcaif
ana clifton and made search. but
though an officer helped him IN the
search. they found that no such per-
son had ever been at either place. Tho
sheriff Of Coohise county. Aria, wrote
me that there never was any such
person al Metcaif as VIM. NJ Robert.
son. ! had sent his photograph ana
description.
~ should have stated before that
have never been called before any
court or inquest Of any kind 90 tell
the story 81 my husbands untimely
ana murderous taking Off
so far as I know, the law has
done nothing Ia ferret out the muir
der Of my husband. Alas can Il ~
true that the law is not made for the
poor unless they offend the favored
of fortune2 n our family had been
Influential ana wealthy. would my
husbands murder have gone without
even a grand Jury investigation"
Il