Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881Gillett, James B.
History
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Gillett, James B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Gillett, James B., 1856-1937; Texas -- History -- 1846-1950; Texas Rangers
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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