Mysterious Murder
source date: 1890
availability: public-domain

Mysterious MurderOn Tuesday morning last, Sheriff Whitehill received a letter from James Metcalf, of Man- gas springs, stating that Mr. Metcalf’s sheep herder had found a Mexican shot and dying in the hills, four or five miles from the ranch. Accompanied by Judge Isaac Givens, the sheriff repaired to the scene of the supposed murder. An inquest was held, the verdict of the jury being: “that the deceased had come to his death from the effects of a gunshot wound inflicted by some person unknown to the jury.” The story told by Mr. Metcalf’s herder is to the effect that, while herding the sheep last Mon- day, about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, he heard a pistol shot and saw a black horse with a saddle and bridle on, running away from the vicinity of where the shot was fired ; a man on foot was running after the horse. A short time afterwards one of his dogs bayed some- thing which attracted his attention to the dog. He went to the place to learn what the dog was barking at, when he found the man, now known to be Andreas Enriques, shot through the body in the region of the heart, but still alive and conscious. He asked him, who shot you? and was answered quien sabe. He offered the wounded man a drink from his canteen but he was too weak to drink; he left the canteen with the man and went to look after his herd, returning in a short time.