The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-05-03
WE|LDER OF KNIFE
DOES MUCH HARM


Jesus Verdugo, filled with the Bit
terness of disappointed love, chose
the bloody knife as the solution of
Nhis troubles. His troubles, however,
are not at an end, since he lies in
the county hospital with his slashed
throat healing and faces an igno-
minous death at the hands of justice
for the ghastly murder of his para
mour, and the wounding of another
woman, Maria Hernandez, says the
Las Vegas Age.
1t was just before the noon hour
when the tragedy took place. On
Carson street near the corner of
Main, are four small houses belong
ing to Mrs. Bessie Gamble. Begin
ming with the one near Main street,
they are numbered /, 2, 8, and q.
In number 3, Jesus Verdugo, Guada-
lupe Verdugo, the woman with
whom he had been living for the
past two or three years and the
mother of his children, and Maria
Hernandez, sister of the man who
had supplanted Verdugo's place in
the affections of Guadalupe, eh-
gagged in an alteration.
1t appears that the Hernandez
woman took Guadalupe's part. There
was a scream. Mollie jackson, a
colored woman who occupied apart
ment 2 ran out of her back door in
time to see Maria Hernandez come
out and fall to the ground, her
throat cut from ear to ear. Then
out came the other woman, scream
ing of fright and ran for safety,
through the yard in back of the
Gamble houses, across the alley and
into the back yard of the house
formerly occupied by Thomas Kier-
nan and family.
After her, covered with blood and
in a frenzy of murderous rage
came the vengeful Verdugo. Jut
at the side of the Herman house
he caught his victim, threw her
down and-slash, slash, slash-time
and again the knife tore its way
through her throat. Then he began
on his own throat-but the knife, an
ordinary pairing knife ground to a
keen edge had been broken by the
fierceness of his onslaught on the
woman, leaving but a stub of blade
an inch long. Dropping this beside
the body of the woman, he ran
again dripping with blood, back
across the alley into apartment ]
where he had been living with the
woman he had murdered. Here he
seized case knife from the dresser
and again slashed his own throat
then threw himself on his face on
the bed hoping to die.
The scene of the tragedies quickly
attracted many people. The pitiful
remnant of the murdered woman
was covered with a bit of old
canvas. The Hernandez woman
her throat roughly Damaged by Mol
lie Jackson, had attempted to wall
toward town, but fell on the wall
beside the Elwell store. In apart.
ment 1, CORY and hideous as the
blood spurted from his wounds
Verdugo, lay on the bed. The off
GERS and physicians expected to see
him die in a few moments and the
crowd pressed to the door to view
the sight.
Unfortunately Verdugo did MOI
die. He was taken to the county
hospital and an unkind fate decreet
that he should live to pay full pen
atty to the law for his horrid deed
His throat is terribly slashed, hi,
windpipe being severed and hi,
esophagus so cut that when h,
drinks water gushes from the wounc
in his throat, but he will live it i.
believed.
Maria Hernandez will also recover
She is now able to walk a few step,
and in few days she will be stronf
enough to leave the hospital.
The story is sordid. Verdugt
when he came here brought tn,
woman he has murdered with him
but she was not his wife. The,
lived together and had two children
one of which died. The woman i
seems recently tired of Verdugo an,
took a fancy to one Hernandez.
April 9, Hernandez and the wo
man secured license from tn
county clerk and went to Judg
Lillis to be married. The Judg
made some inquiries and the woman
admitted that she was still livin,
with Verdugo. Judge Lillis thel
refused to perform the ceremony
telling the couple that if they wishe,
to marry the woman should frs
leave Verdugo and live apart iron
him for a while. They were no
married by anyone else it appears
since the license has not been re
turned to the county recorder 70
record.