WEEKLY ARIZONA MINER PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, Page 4, January 10, 1879
Local Intelligence FIRE AT ST. JOHNS.--From parties who arrived yesterday from St. Johns, in Eastern Yavapai, we learn that the new gristmill of Serafin Apodaca was set fire to and entirely consumed about two weeks since. At the time the fire caught, there were sleeping in the mill, eight persons, who barely had time to escape, the flames spreading rapidly, from the fact that the incendiary had saturated the inside of the building with turpentine. The mill was valued at about $5.000, which was a total loss. There was in the mill several thousand pounds of wheat which was also destroyed. The mill was but just completed, and had not some person with a very bad heart set fire to and burned it up, would have proven to be one of the most useful enterprises in Eastern Yavapai. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wesley Clanton, of Lower Agua Fria, started this morning to Mohave County, having heard of a number of horses that strayed away from his ranch a year ago. They are said to be at Chloride, some distance beyond Mineral Park. They were supposed to have been stolen at the time of their disappearance, but it now appears that they merely strayed away and kept on following up the green feed until they reached the verge of the desert bordering upon the Colorado River. Had they found water beyond Chloride, they would probably kept on to Alaska. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEKLY ARIZONA MINER PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, Page 3, April 4, 1879 Local Intelligence
The Valencia County (N.M.) Sheriff, who was over here a few weeks since and procured an order from the Governor allowing him the privilege of arresting a man by the name of Rumaldo Baca, who broke jail in New Mexico and escaped to this Territory, returned home to N.M., leaving Baca at Springerville, being unable or afraid as we understand it to make the arrest. Baca stands indicted on two charges of murder in our sister Territory. It is more than likely that the Sheriff will return for his bird with reinforcements. Baca is known to be protected by several men living in Springerville.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEKLY ARIZONA MINER PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, Page 4, July 4, 1879 Local Intelligence Romulo Baca, who killed several men in New Mexico and finally escaped to Springerville in this Territory, and for whom a requisition was made on our Governor, evaded the officer who came in pursuit of him remaining some time with relatives in Eastern Arizona. Now comes the news that Baca finally went home to New Mexico, surrendered himself to the authorities for trial. A change of venue was taken from Valencia to San Miguel county with a view of giving the prisoner a fair trial, but the people seemed unwilling to submit, and when the prisoner was on route to the last named place, a mob took him from the officer in charge and riddled his body with bullets. Baca was of a good family, has many relatives living in Apache County in this Territory who are good citizens.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE PHOENIX HERALD Phoenix, Maricopa County, A.T. April 5, 1879 The Valencia County (N.M.) Sheriff, who was in Prescott a few weeks since and procured an order from the Governor to arrest a man named Rumaldo Baca, who broke jail in New Mexico and escaped to this Territory, has returned home to New Mexico, leaving Baca in Springerville, being unable or afraid to make the arrest. Baca stands indicted on two charges of murder. It is likely that the Sheriff will return with reinforcements. Baca is known to be protected by several men living in Springerville.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRANT COUNTY HERALD
SILVER CITY, GRANT COUNTY, NEW MEXICO, SATURDAY, June 14, 1879, Page 2 By Telegraph(Special to the Herald)
BERNALILLO, June 12.
Editor Herald: Silver City, N.M. Saturday's buckboard passed here with three passengers aboard; the Valencia County Sheriff, his Deputy and a prisoner. Five miles from San Felipe the driver was killed, and the Sheriff and Deputy were slightly wounded by the prisoner. The driver was terribly bruised and appears to have had a hard struggle before he was killed. The Coroner's Inquest was a mere farce. Heresay witnesses only were examined. The prisoner left the buckboard and one mule eight miles further on. Four men from Santa Fe are in pursuit. Fifty men from Valencia County are also reported to have been started in pursuit. URBANO CHACON. LATER:--The prisoner has just been recaptured, and is in Los Lunas. LOS LUNAS, June 13, 1879. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEKLY NEW MEXICAN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1879, Page 1 TWO MEN HUNG IN LAS VEGAS was accompolished, the Plaza was perfectly clear of people and the town was as quiet as a graveyard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEKLY NEW MEXICAN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1879, Page 2 MURDER ON A BUCKBOARD ONE MAN KILLED AND TWO WOUNDED. THE MURDERER CAUGHT AND HUNG BY THE PEOPLE The buckboard from the south due here last Saturday evening, had as passengers Jesus Ma. Luna and Patrocinio Luna, of Los Lunas, the latter Sheriff of Valencia County, and a prisoner accused for murder whom the Sheriff was taking to San Miguel County. The prisoner was handcuffed and shackled, was thought to be perfectly secured, and the idea that he would attempt to escape was not entertained by any of the parties. About one o'clock in the afternoon, as the buckboard reached a place called El Espinazo, near the Indian pueblo of San Felipe, in the County of Bernalillo, and while the Sheriff was for a moment off his guard, the prisoner, who had by some means released himself from manacles and shackles, snatched a bowie knife from the belt of the Sheriff, and stabbed both Jesus Ma. Luna and the Sheriff. The wounded men fell from the buckboard from the violence of the blows, when the assassin seized the Sheriff's rifle, a sixteen shooter, and leaping to the ground satisfied his thirst for blood by shooting the unfortunate driver, Paddy Travers, who fell dead from his seat to the ground, shot through the body. The murderer then fired at the Sheriff, but without effect, when the two wounded men being without arms managed to get behind the buckboard which they used as a shield to keep between them and the assassin; fortunately after the second shot a cartridge in some way clogged the gun, and the Lunas took advantage to retire from the vacinity of the murderous scoundrel. The assassin, Baca, then got into the buckboard and made off in a southerly direction, carrying the U.S. Mails and all the property aboard. It has since been ascertained that he left the buckboard near the Sandia Mountains, and took his way on foot in the direction of the Mexican Republic. The Lunas started towards Santa Fe and on meeting the coach going south were brought to the Cienega, where Don Nasario Gonzales provided them with a conveyance to reach our city, where they arrived early Sunday morning. The Sheriff, Patrocinio Luna, was suffering greatly from the wound in his side, but the surgeons while pronouncing the wound serious in its nature, did not anticipate any fatal result, and thought that with good care he would soon be around again; the wound of Don Jesus Ma. Luna was slight, the knife having encountered a bone and glanced off. On hearing of the murder of Travers and the flight of Baca, Marshal Sherman dispatched several Deputies in pursuit, but up to this writing no intelligence has been received as to the result of their mission. It is the general opinion that it will be difficult to overtake Baca as he is well armed thoroughly acquainted with the country, and undoubtedly has confederates who will assist him to escape from the Territory.Romulo Baca, the assassin whose foul crimes we have above recorded, was a prisoner charged with murder, and on his way to Las Vegas, having been granted by Judge Parks a change of venue to Sam Miguel County; his case was to have been tried at the next term of court, and as there was no justicication for the crime with which he was charged, he undertook the commission of another to escape. From all reports Baca is the champion assassin of the United States, and has for years been notorious through the Counties of Socorro and Valencia, for his misdeeds and crimes, ranging all the way from petty larcency to murder, and it is said that Travers is the fifteenth person murdered by him in cold blood. Those who know him describe him as a most cunning and brutal desperado, uniting in his person the ferocity and treachery of an Apache. From one cause or another he has heretofore managed to escape conviction for his numerous crimes, but it is hoped that the parties will rid the Territory of the foulest assassin that ever breathed within its limits. The body of Travers was taken to Algodones, and buried in the cemetery there on last Monday. LATER--A dispatch to Tranquilino Luna from Los Lunas, dated the 12th, says that Baca was captured on the river, and is now in the Valencia County jail. LATEST--A party of men came into Los Lunas Thursday evening, overpowering the guards, took the prisoner Baca from the jail and hung him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEKLY NEW MEXICAN
Letters from Los Lunas inform us that the murderer, Romulo Baca, was captured by a party of men from that town near the Plaza of Monzano, to which place he was going to secure a fresh animal. He was taken to Los Lunas and confined in the county jail, but the same evening he was taken out by a party of masked men, and hung to a cottonwood tree. Baca would undoubtedly have made his escape into Mexico had he succeeded in procuring a fresh animal at Manzano.
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Now comes Patrocinio Luna, Sheriff of this County, and Special Messenger, appointed by His Excellency The Governor to arrest and bring back from the Territory of Arizona, under and by virtue of a requisition issued by the Governor of New Mexico to the Governor of Arizona, for one Romolo Baca, charged with murder, in the County of Socorro, and Territory of New Mexico and presents an account of his services and disbursements, which said account is in the words and figures following, to wit:
From the files of Jack A. Becker, local historian. |