The Spanish American. [volume] (Roy, Mora Co., N.M.) 19??-19??, 1918-05-04
MORA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT


during which time Judge Leahy held
night sessions until ten o'clock. II
was thought that the term would ex-
tend 6fef into the second week, but on
Thursday several criminal cases were
continued, the principal one being that
OF the State VS.. Brayton Leatherwood,
who was indicted at the present term
by the grand jury for the murder Of
AnselmO Gonzales, near Shoemaker,
about siK weeks ago. The case was
set for trial by the court on the 3rd
day of the November term and bail
was liked at the sum Of $4,000, which
the defendant gave.
The Grand Jury while really in ses-
sion but two days, returned Ia indict-
ments and four no true bills.
Urcp the call Of the criminal docket
on Monday last the following cases
were dismissed on motion Of the Dis
trict attorney.
Statevs. N. c. Nsedham, larceny Of
cattis.
State vs. Henry Woodward, criminal
complaint.
s,ateea. jose Z. TrujiIlo, un!awfdlly
carrying pistol
Charles Maloof, unlawfully carry
ing pistqt
State ys. Robert Heron, assault.
4 State 70. Fernando Apodaca, unlaw-
fully disehargirg a pistol.
4 On thestrisl Of the case Of State VS..
( Jose Eloy Trujillo, indicted for as
sault on Antonio Archuleta, the jury
returned a verdict of not guilty.
In the criminal case Of State VS..
Emery DeCoursy, murder, the defend
ant appeared IN court, and was allow
ed to go on his own recognizance. De
/, Coursey recently completed a two
years sentence in the State penten-
tiary Tor cattle stealing, and was un-
der indictment for murder, said to
have taken place in the vicinity of
4 Mills, about three years ago. When
the Foreman Of the Mills Ranch and
! Resort, Co, was killed. Suspic!oua
circumstances pointed TO De Coursey
and be was indicted for that crime. 1t
is SAID the evidence is insufficient to
convict De Coursey of this crime.
4 The first criminal case tried was
that Of the State VS.. Andres Abel
charged with rape upon Bernardita
Pacheco, at Roy in 1916. The jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty. h sentence
ing him the Court said:
THE 5pugl tsprssclibed. BY the
laws OF New Mexico for the offense
of whirh you have been convicted is
not less than FIVE years nor more than
! twenty-five years in the peniteatiary.
| reg7et exceedingly tnat | am called
upon to send young man like you to
the penitentiary for so long q time.
especially at time like this when the
services Of the young men Of the coun-
try are so greatly needed by the gov
ernment in other walks of life. l
remember q couple of years ago, you
were under indictment for assaultinP
with deadly weapon upon the girl
that you afterwards married and heT
mother. From the evidence that the
icourt heard in that preliminary hear.
ing there was not the least. doubt in
the mind of the court of your guilt.
Those people upon whom the assault
\ was committed however were wiling
to forgive you and give you an oppor-
tunity to lead an honorable and re-
spectacle life. The girl agreed to mar
ry you and did marry you; her mother
consented that she might do so and
asked that the case against you be
dropped. The district attorney after
comforting with myself agreed to dis
miss the case and did so. He believed
| and / believed that he was doing that
which was best not only for you, but
for the people generally. In that we
were evidently mistaken, for you are
again before the court and have been
found guilty by jury of an offense
equally as serious as the other. An
other thing that makes it disagreeable
to the court to impose this sentence
upon you is the fact that the court
knows your people and knows them to
be good people, but the duty of the
court in the matter is plain. On ac-
count of your people however the court
will give you, the least sentence that
can be given you"
Manuel Avila was found guilty by
the jury of an assault with intent to
rape and was sentenced to ore year N
the penitentiary by Judge Leahy.
In the case of State VS.. Besilio Es-
pinosa and Bonafcio M. Espinosa,
charged with murder, the defendants
were arraigned and plead not guilty
and their case was set for trial the
first day of the next term.
In the case of State VS.. Jose Isaac
Martinez, charged with murder Of
woman near the town Of Mora some
two years ago, on motion Of the dis
trict attorney this case was continued
until the next term of court and the
defendants bond reduced from $4,000
to $4,000.
The following are some Of the in
dictments returned by the Grand jury
during the term:
State VS.. Baylor Leatherwood, mus.
der. Set for trial on Srd day Of nexl
term.
State vs.. Adolfo Leyba, assault to
kill. Defendant arraigned and plead
not guilty. Case continued.