AN INTERNATIONAL EPISODE
The American citizens of Socorro, New Mexico, during Christmas week
of 1881, held a church festival, and Mr. A.M. Conklin, editor of the
"Socorro Sun," was conducting the exercises. Abran and Enofrio Baca
appeared at the church under the influence of liquor. Their talk and
actions so disturbed the entertainment that Mr. Conklin went to them
and requested them to be more quiet, at the same time telling the
offenders they were perfectly welcome in the church but that they must
behave. The brothers, highly indignant, invited Mr. Conklin to fight,
but Mr. Conklin declined and again assured the two that they were
welcome but must act as gentlemen. Abran and Enofrio at once retired
from the church.
After the social had ended and as Mr. Conklin with his wife at his side
passed out of the church door, Abran Baca caught Mrs. Conklin by one
arm and jerked her away from her husband. At the same instant Enofrio
shot and killed the editor on the church steps.
This foul murder created no end of indignation in the little town of
Socorro. Scouting parties were sent in all directions to try and
effect the capture of the murderers. However, the two Bacas managed to
elude their pursuers and made their way into the Republic of Mexico.
The governor of New Mexico at once issued a proclamation offering $500
for their capture and the citizens of Socorro offered a like amount
for the murderers, dead or alive. The proclamation, with a minute
description of the Baca boys, was sent broadcast over the country. And,
of course, the rangers at Ysleta received several of the circulars.
In the spring of 1881 the county judge of El Paso County was Jose Baca,
an uncle of the two murderers. He was also a merchant at Ysleta, then
the county seat of El Paso County. Captain Baylor's company of rangers
was quartered in the west end of Ysleta, about one-half mile from the
public square. On receiving the New Mexico proclamation I set a watch
over the home and store of Judge Baca and kept it up for nearly a month
but without success. We finally concluded that the Baca boys had not
come our way and almost forgot the incident.
However, one morning in the latter part of March, 1881, Jim Fitch, one
of our most trustworthy rangers, hurried back to camp from Ysleta and
informed me that he had seen two well dressed Mexican boys, strangers
to him, sitting on the porch of Judge Baca's home. I at once made a
detail of four men. We saddled our horses, rode to town, rounded up the
Baca home and captured two strange Mexicans. I believed them to be the
Baca brothers, and left at once for New Mexico with my prisoners.
Before we had reached El Paso on our journey we were overtaken by Judge
Baca, who had with him an interpreter. He asked me to please halt as he
wished to talk with the prisoners. After a short conversation with the
boys the judge asked me what was the reward for the capture of Abran
Baca. I replied, "Five hundred dollars."
"If you will just let him step out in the bosque and get away I will
give you $700," Judge Baca finally said with some hesitation.
Subsequently the judge raised the bribe to one thousand dollars, but
I informed him there was not enough money in El Paso County to buy
me off, so he returned to Ysleta and I continued my journey to New
Mexico, feeling assured I had at least captured one of the Conklin
murderers. On arriving at Socorro I was at once informed that I had
Abran all right but my second prisoner was Massias Baca, a cousin of
the murderers, but not incriminated in the crime.
I was treated royally by the citizens and officers of Socorro. They
were delighted that one of the murderers had been captured and promptly
counted out to me $250 as their part of the reward offered for the
apprehension of one of the criminals. Colonel Eaton, head deputy
sheriff of the county, issued me a receipt for the body of Abran Baca
delivered inside the jail of Socorro County, New Mexico. This receipt,
forwarded to the governor of the territory, promptly brought me a draft
for $250 and a letter of thanks from his excellency.
Early in April, about one month after the capture of Abran Baca, I
learned from Santiago Cooper, a friend that lived in Ysleta, that he
had seen a man at Saragosa, Mexico, who, from the description, he
believed to be Enofrio Baca. I told Cooper I would give him $25 if he
would go back to Saragosa and find out to a certainty if the person he
had seen was Enofrio Baca. A week later Cooper came to me and said the
man at Saragosa was Baca and that the murderer was clerking in the one
big store of the town. This store was a long adobe building situated
against a hill with the front facing so that one riding up to the front
of it would bring his saddle skirts almost on a level with the building
because of the terraces in front of it made necessary by the slope of
the hill. Enofrio was of florid complexion with dark red hair, which
made it easy to identify him.
I kept this information about the murderer to myself for nearly a week
while I pondered over it. I was anxious to capture Baca, yet I well
knew from previous experience that if I caused him to be arrested in
Mexico the authorities there would turn him loose, especially when the
influence of wealthy relatives was brought to bear. Knowing he would
follow the law to the letter I dare not take Captain Baylor into my
confidence. Saragosa, a little town of about five hundred inhabitants,
is situated about four miles southwest of Ysleta. While it is only
about a mile from the Rio Grande as the crow flies, yet, because of
the many farms and big irrigation ditches, it was impossible to enter
or leave the town only by following the public road between Ysleta and
Saragosa. It has always been the delight of border Mexicans to get
behind an adobe wall or on top an adobe house and shoot to ribbons any
hated gringo that might be unfortunately caught on the Mexican side of
the river. I knew only too well from my own experience that I could not
go into Saragosa, attempt to arrest a Mexican, stay there five minutes
and live, yet I determined to take the law in my own hands and make the
attempt.
I took into my confidence just one man, George Lloyd. If ever there was
an ace in the ranger service he was one. I unfolded my plans to him. I
did not have to point out the danger to him for he had lived on the Rio
Grande ten times as long as I.
"Sergeant, that is an awful dangerous and risky piece of business and
I will have to have a little time in which to think it over," he said
when I talked with him.
The next day Lloyd came to me and said, "Sergeant, I will go anywhere
in the world with you."
Though willing to accompany me I could tell he doubted our ability to
execute the capture.
I planned to attempt the capture of Baca the next morning and sent
Cooper back to Saragosa to look over the situation there once more. He
informed me on his return that Baca was still clerking in the store. I
now told Lloyd to keep our horses up when the animals were turned out
to graze next morning. This move caused no especial thought or comment,
for the men frequently would keep their horses to ride down town. As
soon as we had crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico I planned to quit
the public road, travel through the bosques, pass around on the west
side of Saragosa and ride quickly up to the store in which our man was
working. Lloyd was to hold the horses while I was to dismount, enter
the store and make the arrest. Then, if possible, I was to mount Baca
behind Lloyd and make a quick get-away.
Our plans were carried out almost to the letter. We reached Saragosa
safely, and while Lloyd held my horse in front of the store I entered
and discovered Baca measuring some goods for an old Mexican woman. I
stepped up to him, caught him in the collar, and with a drawn pistol
ordered him to come with me. The customer promptly fainted and fell on
the floor. Two other people ran from the building, screaming at the
top of their voices. Baca hesitated about going with me, and in broken
English asked me where he was to be taken. I informed him to Paso del
Norte. I shoved my pistol right up against his head and ordered him to
step lively. When we reached our horses I made Baca mount behind Lloyd.
I then jumped into my saddle and, waving my pistol over my head, we
left Saragosa on a dead run. Our sudden appearance in the town and our
more sudden leaving bewildered the people for a few minutes. They took
in the situation quickly, however, and began ringing the old church
bell rapidly, and this aroused the whole population.
As I left Saragosa I saw men getting their horses together and knew
that in a few minutes a posse would be following us. When we had gone
two miles almost at top speed I saw that Lloyd's horse was failing,
and we lost a little time changing Baca to my mount. We had yet two
miles to go and through deep sand most of the way. I could see a cloud
of dust and shortly a body of mounted men hove in view. It was a tense
moment. Lloyd thought it was all off with us, but we still had a long
lead and our horses were running easily. As our pursuers made a bend
in the road we discovered nine men in pursuit. As soon as they had
drawn up within six hundreds yards they began firing on us. This was
at long range and did no damage. In fact, I believe they were trying
to frighten rather than to wound us as they were just as likely to hit
Baca as either of us. We were at last at the Rio Grande, and while it
was almost one hundred yards wide it was flat and shallow at the ford.
I hit the water running and as I mounted the bank on good old Texan
soil I felt like one who has made a home run in a world series baseball
game. Our pursuers halted at the river so I pulled off my hat, waved to
them and disappeared up the road.
We lost no time in reaching camp, and our appearance there with a
prisoner and two run-down horses caused all the boys in quarters to
turn out. Captain Baylor noticed the gathering and hurried over to
camp.
"Sergeant, who is this prisoner you have?" he asked, walking straight
up to me.
I replied it was Enofrio Baca, the man that had murdered Mr. Conklin.
The captain looked at the run-down horses, wet with sweat, and asked me
where I had captured him.
"Down the river," I replied, trying to evade him.
"From the looks of your horse I would think you had just run out of a
fight. Where down the river did you capture this man?"
I saw the captain was going to corner me and I thought I might as well
"fess up." I told him I had arrested Baca at Saragosa and kidnaped him
out of Mexico. Captain Baylor's eyes at once bulged to twice their
natural size.
"Sergeant, that is the most imprudent act you ever committed in your
life! Don't you know that it is a flagrant violation of the law and is
sure to cause a breach of international comity that might cause the
Governor of Texas to disband the whole of Company "A"? Not only this,
but it was a most hazardous undertaking and it is a wonder to me that
the Mexicans did not shoot you and Lloyd into doll rags."
Captain Baylor was plainly out of patience with me.
"Gillett, you have less sense than I thought you had," he declared,
heatedly. "If you have any explanation to make I would like to have it."
I reminded the captain of the tragic fate of Morgan and Brown and how
the authorities at Guadalupe had turned their murderers, Skevill and
Molina, loose. I declared that had I had Baca arrested in Mexico he
would have gone scot-free with his rich and influential friends to help
him. Baylor declared that two wrongs did not make one right, and said
I should have consulted him. I finally told the captain frankly that I
had been in the ranger service six years, had risen from the ranks to
be orderly sergeant at a salary of only $50 a month. I pointed out that
this was the highest position I could hope to get without a commission,
and while one had been promised me at the first vacancy yet I could see
no early hope of obtaining it, as every captain in the battalion was
freezing to his job. This remark seemed to amuse Captain Baylor and
somewhat eased his anger.
I went on to say that I not only wanted the $500 reward offered for
Baca, but I wanted the notoriety I would get if I could kidnap the
murderer out of Mexico without being killed in the attempt, for I
believed the notoriety would lead to something better than a ranger
sergeancy. And this is what really happened, for I subsequently became
First Assistant Marshal of El Paso under Dallas Stoudenmire at a salary
of $150 per month, and in less than a year after my arrest of Enofrio
Baca I was made Chief of Police of that city at a salary that enabled
me to get a nice start in the cattle business.
"Sergeant, you can go with your man," Captain Baylor finally said, "but
it is against my best judgment. I ought to escort him across the Rio
Grande and set him free."
I lost no time in sending a ranger to the stage office at Ysleta with
instructions to buy two tickets to Masilla, New Mexico, and one to El
Paso. The stage was due to pass our quarters about 12 o'clock, so I
did not have long to wait. I took Lloyd as a guard as far as El Paso
and there turned him back, making the remainder of the journey to
Socorro, New Mexico, alone with the prisoner. I reached the old town of
Masilla, New Mexico, at dark after a rather exciting day. I was afraid
to put Baca in jail at that place, as I had no warrant nor extradition
papers upon which to hold him and feared the prison authorities might
not redeliver Baca to me next morning. The stage coach from Masilla
to Rincon did not run at night so I secured a room at the hotel and
chaining the prisoner to me we slept together.
On the following day we reached Rincon, the terminus of the Santa Fe
Railroad at that time. I wired the officers of Socorro, New Mexico,
from El Paso that I had captured Baca and was on my way to New Mexico
with him. Baca's friends had also been informed of his arrest and lost
no time in asking the Governor of New Mexico to have me bring the
prisoner to Santa Fe as they feared mob violence at Socorro. When I
reached San Marcial I was handed a telegram from the governor ordering
me to bring Baca to Santa Fe and on no account to stop with him in
Socorro.
Because of delay on the railroad I did not reach Socorro until late
at night. The minute the train stopped at that town it was boarded
by twenty-five or thirty armed men headed by Deputy Sheriff Eaton. I
showed Eaton the governor's telegram, but he declared Baca was wanted
at Socorro and that was where he was going. I remonstrated with him
and declared I was going on to Santa Fe with the prisoner. By this
time a dozen armed men had gathered around me and declared, "Not much
will you take him to Santa Fe." I was furious, but I was practically
under arrest and powerless to help myself. Baca and I were transferred
from the train to a big bus that was in waiting. The jailer entered
first, then Baca was seated next to him and I sat next the door with my
Winchester in my hand. The driver was ordered to drive to the jail.
It was a bright moonlight night and we had not traveled far up the
street before I looked out and saw at least a hundred armed men. They
came from every direction. Boys, did you ever encounter a mob? I assure
you it is far from a pleasant feeling when you face one. The men
swarmed around the bus, three or four of them grabbed the horses by the
bridle reins and held them, while others tried to force the bus doors.
I asked the jailer if I could depend on him to help me stand the mob
off, but he replied it would do no good. I was now madder than ever,
and for the first time in my life I ripped out an oath, saying, "G--
d--n them, I am going to stand them off!"
As the doors were forced I poked my Winchester out and ordered the mob
to stand back or I would shoot. The men paid no more attention to my
gun than if it had been a brown stick. A man standing beside the bus
door seized the muzzle of my rifle and, with a quick jerk to one side,
caused it to fly out of my hand and out upon the ground.
By this time another of the mob grabbed me in the collar and proceeded
to pull me out of the bus. I spread my legs and tried to brace myself,
but another hard and quick jerk landed me out on the ground, where one
of the men kicked me. I was tame now and made no effort to draw my
pistol. One of the crowd said to me, "What in h--do you mean? We do not
wish to hurt you but we are going to hang that d--n Mexican right now!"
I then informed the mob of the nature of Baca's arrest and told them
that the hanging of the prisoner would place me in an awkward position.
Then, too, the reward offered by the territory of New Mexico was for
the delivery of the murderer inside the jail doors of Socorro County.
The leaders of the crowd consulted for a few minutes and then concluded
I was right. They ordered me back into the bus, gave me my Winchester
and we all started for the jail. As soon as Baca had been placed in
prison Deputy Sheriff Eaton sat down and wrote me a receipt for the
delivery of Baca inside the jail doors.
By this time day was just beginning to break and I tried to stay the
hanging by making another talk. The mob interpreted my motive and
invited me to step down a block to their community room where they
would talk with me. I started with them and we had gone only a hundred
yards before the whole mob broke back to the jail. I started to go
with them but two men held me, saying, "It's no use; they are going to
hang him."
The men took Baca to a nearby corral and hanged him to a big beam of
the gate. The next morning Baca's relatives came to me at the hotel
with hats in their hands and asked me for the keys with which to remove
the shackles from the dead man's legs. As I handed them the keys I
felt both mortified and ashamed. A committee of citizens at Socorro
waited on me just before I took the train for home, counted out to
me $250 as their part of the reward and thanked me for capturing the
two murderers. The committee assured me that it stood ready to help
me financially or otherwise should I get involved with the Federal
Government over the capture and kidnapping of Enofrio Baca.
I presume the relatives of young Baca reported his kidnapping to our
government, for a few weeks after his capture Mr. Blaine, Secretary of
State, wrote a long letter to Governor Roberts regarding a breach of
international comity. Governor Roberts wrote Captain Baylor for a full
explanation of the matter. Captain Baylor, while never countenancing
a wrongdoing in his company, would stand by his men to the last ditch
when they were once in trouble. He was a fluent writer and no man in
Texas understood better than he the many foul and outrageous murders
that had been committed along the Rio Grande, the perpetrators of
which had evaded punishment and arrest by crossing over into Mexico.
Baylor wrote so well and so to the point that nothing further was said
about the matter. Only an order came to Captain Baylor admonishing him
never again to allow his men to follow fugitives into Mexico.
Soon afterward the Safety Committee of Socorro, New Mexico, wrote to
Captain Baylor saying, "We are informed by a reliable party that Jose
Baca of Ysleta, Texas, has hired a Mexican to kill Sergeant Gillett.
Steps have been taken to prevent this. However, he would do well to be
on the lookout." Baylor at once went to Judge Baca with this letter,
but the jurist denied in the most emphatic terms any knowledge of
the reported plot. Also, there was a report current in both Ysleta
and El Paso that a reward of $1500 had been offered for the delivery
of Sergeant Gillett's body to the Mexican authorities at El Paso del
Norte. Upon investigation I found that no such offer had ever been
made, but for safety's sake I kept out of Mexico for several years.
The kidnapping of Baca aroused much comment and gave me a deal of
notoriety and, as I had anticipated, it was not long in bearing the
fruit I desired,--promotion into larger and more remunerative fields of
work.