Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-06-09
francisco AIyerez and Juan
Sanchez Hanged at Dem
ing for Participation in Raid
on Town of Columbus.
MEN SLEEP S0UNDLY
IN SHADOW OF GALL0WS
Priest Administers Last Con-
ISOLATION to Condemned Pris-
onerS Who Meet Their Fate
With Stole Indifference.

| Demine, y. NJ, June 9.--Francisco
! Alvarez was hanged at 6.37 o'clock
! this morning. He went to his death
! In silence, being accompanied to the
| scaffold by Father Garnet. Asked If
/ ne had anything to say ne answered
| NO" and the drop was sprung. The
! fall failed TO break his neck, and it
was seven minutes before he was pro-
! nounced dead. dying bv strangulation.
! Sanchez was hanged al 6.5S O'Clock.
4! He also went coolly to the scaffold
! in company with Father Garnet, and
, declared that he had nothing 10 say
before meeting his death. He walked
as If in daze and did not seem 10 be
fully conscious of the fate that await
| ed
J The utmost quiet prevailed in DEM
| ing while the executions were going
/ on. The streets for a block around
! the Jail We're patrolled by the militia.
and no one was allowed to go near
, the Jail yard.
Militia Guards Town.
With two companies of the New
Mexico national guard on duty here
last night, Domins went to bed early
without apparent apprehension as to
possible trouble incident to the dou-
ble hanging at dawn of Francisco AL
varez and Juan Sanchez, two Of the
seven convicted raiders who took part
In the attack on the town OF colum-
bus
Tho condemned men, following
their arrival this morning, we're driven
to the county Jail and there spent an
uneventful DAY. They were served
{ good dinner ard also a GOOD ssppe-s
strawberry shortcake and ice Greg
making up part of the menu.
Following supper the prisoners
asked for q priest. Father Garnet
the local parish priest. was sent for
and spent about an hour and a half
With the men tonight, and if either
had any doubt as to his fate this was
removed. for the priest told them that
they had but few hours to live and
advised them 10 make their peace
with God.
on account of the smallness of the
Luna county Jail. Alvarez and San
chez were placed in a single cell They
retired about 10 o'clock and soon
were sound asleep.
Within the adobe wall that serveo
for an enclosure of the Jail and out
side were the members of Company
B. of Carlsbad. while down town
Company l. of Deming. patrolled the
streets all night. The saloons were
closed all day yesterday to remain
closed until after the hanging All
these precautions We're taken to pre-
vent any possible demonstration or
outbreak that might interfere with
the preparations for the execution
The soldiers We're fully armed ana
carried belts full Of cartridges.
The last details for the double exc
cution were completed shortly be-
fore midnight Sheriff Simpson and
his deputies, with a representative Of
the Journal went to the jail. where
the scaffold was inspected for the
last time. The ropes We're placed and
these were stretched with heavy bags
of sand Everything worked per-
fectly. The scaffold stood almost in
front of the cells of the condemned
men, and during this proceeding nei
ther of the men awakened high
hoard stockade was built around the
scaffold, shielding it from the view
of the morbidly curious. Though the
scaftold was built with a double trap.
1t was finally decided to hang the
men one at time, since only two
were to ne hung.
Sheriff simpson limited the Wit !
nesses TO twenty, the legal number |
Included in these were the relatives !
of several of the victims of the villa |
raid at Columbus and several ner- |
chants who lost their stocks and |
whose dwellings, were looted and !
burned.
story of Crime.
The hanging of the villa bandits, !
captured following the sensational |
raid by Francisco Villa and his fol- |
lowers early the morning of March y !
on Columbus. in Luna county, on the |
Mexican border is another step to- |
ward ayenging the wanton killing of |
seventeen soldiers of the American |
border patrol and civilians, and the
partial burning of the town by the /
bandits.
The prisoners We're tried and con-
victed az the regular term of court /
held in Deming. In April They We're
ably defended by Buel Il. Wood, of
Carrizozo. appointed by Judge Edward |
L. Medler, who presided at the trial,
10 conduct their cases and were given
a fair and impartial trial. The prose
cution was conducted bg Assistant
District Attorney James 5. Vaught
and associate counsel.
Inc lildl was perhaps tHt hoSl III
teresting ever held in Luna county,
and though il came within a few
weeks after the Columbus raid, there
was no excitement or other incidents
to work toward the prejudice OF the
The state used less than one day
10 present its evidence, the accused
bandits being tried on a special in
1icunent charging murder in the first
degree for the killing of Charles ID.
Miller. former engineer of the terri
tory of New Mexico, and in aiding and
,betting the commission of a felony.
Miller was one of the civilians shot
iown during the attack on Columbus
He was in Columbus on land business,
having arrived only the day previous
from his home OF Tularosa. u