Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-02-16
Jose YOez SaIazar Boasts
That He Will Garry Terror
to Some Town or City in
United States,
NEGRO RANCHMAN IS
HELD FOR RANSOM
Government Agent InveSti-
gates and Reports to Wash
ington; MormonS Unarmed
When Seized.

ibT MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEbseo WtRsl
Hachita, n. NJ, Feb. 1.-THE fate
of the three Mormon cowboys. AM
drew p. Peterson, Hugh Accord and
Burton Jensen, captured by Mexican
raiders on the Corner ranch on tho
border below Hachita last Monday
afternoon, was disclosed late today
when their dead and mutilated bodies
were found by searchers on Mexican
territory about three miles west of
the ranch.
The bodies, stripped of their cloth
ing, lay about so feet apart on the
Mexican side of the boundary, where
the captives had been taken to be-
killed, Each had been shot by riflo
and pistol many times in the head.
In addition to mutilatton by bullet
wounds and powder burns, the head
of Accord had been hacked beyond
recognition with a machete
Found by spillsbury.
The discovery was made by Lem
Spillshury, the Mormon scout. WAC
served with General Pershing in Mex
leo and was the only white prisoner
taken in the Carrizal affair Upon
finding the bodies. Bpillsbury sent
one of his searchers. Fred Barefoot.
to the nearest settlement of Alamp
Hueco to notify the military outpost
there, which hurried to the scene.
The three cowboys had been out
cnly few days. rounding up stray
American cattle along the boundary.
when they ran into the raiders Peter
son was the oldest He was 3S years
old, with a wife and seven children.
Jensen, aged 32, was also married,
with two children. Accord was only
2" years old.
Facts Not Cleared Up.
The circumstances of the encounter
have not yet been established. The
six Mexicans on the ranch left with
the band. The room they occupied
showed signs of an encounter being
ransacked and overturned. other
facts established was that a friend
of the murdered men reported seeing
the band cross Just after patrol
from the Twelfth United States cav
airy had gone by, and that negro
from Ojitos, Mexico, arrived with an
account of meeting the Bandits. who
were under Prudencio Miranda, and
learning from them that they had
Killed three American cowboys, as
they said, in fight.
Mormon Refugees,
The cowboys were Mormon refu-
gees from Mexico, who had come to
the border during the Qrozco reVoiu-
ton, when Jose Ynez Salazar raided
the Mormon colonies and forced the
Mormon settlers to flee to the bor-
der fort fear of being killed. Peter
son. Jensen and Accord were among
the refugees who came out with the
first caravan. After staying in Ell
Paso they came to Hachita with Lem
Spillsbury and other Mormon young
men and took up homesteads in the
Gadsden Purchase south of here.
They we're living on their ranches at
the time they left to go to the Cor
ner ranch to round up some cattle
said to have belonged to Spllsbury.
That was the last that was seen or
them alive.
How Capture Occurred.
AS there was none of the residents
of the ranch left otter the raid Mon
day. the connected story of the raid
cannot be learned but, MS far as can
be learned here and at the Corner
ranch. the Mexican raiders under Mi
randa appeared at the ranch just be-
fore noon, forced the ranch cook to
prepare dinner and were eating in the
cook house when Peterson, Accord and
Jensen were thought to have ridden
up to the ranch without knowing the
Mexican raiders were present Hav-
ing but one pistol the three men
were quickly surrounded and made
prisoners They were then believed
10 have been taken across the line.
Raid Another Ranch.
Preceding the Corner ranch raid
Mond, ~, Mexican bandits raided the
Nogales headquarters camp of the
Palomas Land and Cattle company.
twenty miles below the border and
forty-five miles southwest of the
Corner ranch. Two Mexican ranch
hands were taken during this raid and
carried away with the raiders. Ten
dead horses were found at the Nogales