Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1889-01-04
source date: 1889
availability: public-domain

Murder At Georgetown Early last Sunday morning, December 30, the dead body of Donaciano Gonzalez, with a bullet wound in the breast above the region of the heart, was found in the main street, oppo- site the meat market of Storz & Henchling, in Georgetown. There being no justice of the peace there, and the nearest one being notified and failing to attend to hold an inquest, county commissioner Bragaw summoned a jury and di- rected Dr. W. B. Carson to make a post mortem examination and act as coroner: This inquest was held at 2 p.m. Monday, rendering the fol- lowing verdict. “We, the undersigned acting as coroner and jury in an inquest holden at Georgetown, in said county on the 31st of De- cember, 1888, upon the body of Donaciano Gon- zalez, lying there dead, find, that the deceased came to his death by a shot from a pistol in the hands of Thomas Harrington.”Signed — Wm. B. Carson, M. D., acting coroner; J. C. Luff, Jacob Helde, G. O. Smith, John A. Deemer, Michael Huges, Loyal L. Case. After the discovery of the dead body much ex- citement was created, the Mexican people were greatly exasperated, and there were fears of mob violence should Harrington be found.

ng coroner; J. C. Luff, Jacob Helde, G. O. Smith, John A. Deemer, Michael Huges, Loyal L. Case. After the discovery of the dead body much ex- citement was created, the Mexican people were greatly exasperated, and there were fears of mob violence should Harrington be found. Upon assurance that he should be safely delivered at the county jail and securely held for trial they agreed to make no disturbance and let the law take its course, there being no constable or deputy sheriff in the precinct. Harrington, who had taken refuge in the house of his mining partner, surrendered to citizens who held him in a store building until the departure of the stage at 1 p.m. Sunday. He was then sent under charge of Charles Ritner and Everisto Cook to Silver City for delivery to the sheriff at the county jail. Arriving here these gentlemen de- clined, because of lack of sufficient knowledge of the circumstances, to swear to the complaint required for the issuance of a warrant to hold him. Upon the return of the stage to George- town on Monday, it was learned there that no complaint had been made and it was possible that Harrington would be released. D. P. Carr, who had investigated the case to some^extent, volunteered to go at once to Silver City and obtain the required warrant, which he did from Justice Isaac Givens on Monday evening.

t no complaint had been made and it was possible that Harrington would be released. D. P. Carr, who had investigated the case to some^extent, volunteered to go at once to Silver City and obtain the required warrant, which he did from Justice Isaac Givens on Monday evening. Thomas Harrington, whose alias is “Curley,” although working for some months past leasing in the mines at Georgetown, is of the genus hoodlum and tin horn. He has the reputation of being very vicious and desperate when drinking to which he was addicted. The remains of Gon- zales were buried at Georgetown on Monday. A large number of citizens of both races at- tended. The vacancies in precinct offices leav- ing no one authorized to check disorder, disarm drunken men, or arrest belligerents on the incipiency of trouble, have emboldened the vi- cious and turbulent of both races in Georgetown resulting in the serious, perhaps fatal wound- ing of one Mexican and killing of another, and terrible beating of a white man, engendering such a bitter feeling between certain classes of the two races as may lead to more killing if not promptly and firmly held in check . . . There were no eye witnesses to the killing, but there is every link in the chain of circumstances showing that Harrington fired the first shot. He enticed the man out of the saloon into the semi-darkness of the morning, without any quarrel having taken place, and in a few minutes the fatal shot was fired. It was one of those foul murders re- sulting from the vicious, depraved disposition in man which causes him to kill another to see him fall.