Wagons West Chronicles October Issue 2016 October Issue

October 2016

“THE OLD WEST IS A TIME AND PLACE OF THE HEART”

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

CHAVEZ DIES ON SURROUNDED BY
THE SCAFFOLD MARSHALS
Condemned Man Was
“Game” to the Last.
April 16, 1899, Call, San
Francisco, California — Manuel
Chavez was executed this morning:
for one of the most brutal and cowardly murders ever recorded in this
State. Indian blood flowed in the
murderer’s veins and, true to the traditions of his race, he walked upon
the scaffold and went to his death
with the resignation and indifference of a stoic.
The condemned man waived the
reading of the death warrant, and
with Guards Arbogast and Merritt on
either side walked firmly up the steps
of the scaffold and took his position
on the trap. He was preceded by
Rev. Father Lagan of San Rafael and
Rev. Father Vallidamat of San

Francisco.
Guard
Arbogast proved himself the worthy successor of Amos Lunt as
hangman, and no
bungling marred the
fulfillment of the law’s
decree. The trap fell at
10:32, and life was pronounced extinct in ten
and a half minutes.
The body twitched and
jerked so convulsively for five minutes that the majority of those present were convinced the fall of five
feet and seven inches was insufficient
for Chavez’s light weight, and that he
died of strangulation.
In addition to Dr. Lawlor, the
prison physician, Drs. W. J. Wickman
and J. Keck of San Rafael were present at the execution.
A peculiar incident occurred during the progress of the execution,
which was especially marked by the
superstitious. As Chavez entered the
execution chamber a little English
sparrow flitted silently in at a window
and, perching upon a rafter near the
scaffold, appeared to watch the gruesome spectacle. As the trap fell it
gave a faint “cheep” and ten seconds
afterward darted out again into the
sunlight.
The crime expiated by Chavez was the
murder of Gregoria
Rodriguez in San
Diego County on May
14, 1897. Five days
previously the woman,
who had lived with
Chavez for some time,
left him and went to
the house of a neighbor. He followed her
and, upon being told
she would not return,
slashed her on the
arm. She ran and fell
fainting on the rear
porch. Chavez then
cut her throat and
stabbed her a dozen
times.

Bill Dalton and Bill Dolan
Believed to be Wounded–A
Woman Shot Three Dead
Bandits Left on the Field by
the Bandits.

April 21, 1894, Gazette, Fort
Worth, Texas — The report
received of a battle between the
Dalton gang and deputy marshals
near Ingalls, fifty-five miles from
this city, is confirmed today. The
fight occurred at the house of
Bruce Miller, one of the outlaws.
The officers surrounded the
house, all of them armed with
Winchesters, just before daylight. Bill Dalton.
The Dalton bandits were inside. finding in shooting distance of the
No shots were fired until one of the house twenty men well-armed, the
desperadoes came out one at a outlaw returned to the house.
time, unarmed and surrender or Fully a half hour’s consultation was
hostilities would be commenced. had by the bandits before a stir was
Continued on page 4
After looking over the field and

ROUNDING UP
OUTLAWS IN THE
COLORADO BASIN

Active Campaign by
the Governors of Four
States Against
“Butch” Cassidy and
His 500 Freebooters.

April 3, 1898, Call, San
Francisco, California —
“Butch” Cassidy is a bad
man. He is the worst man in four
states. These states are Utah,
Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming,
and when the four Governors met
in secret conclave on Monday it
was for the purpose of deciding

upon a plan of campaign against
the most notorious outlaw the West
has ever had to cope with. The
achievements of Jesse James and
his followers pale into tawdry
Continued on page 4

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result of reading the publicatin and refuses to or is unable to return to the 21st Century.