A TRAGEDY IN NEW MEXICO.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1224, 14 August 1885, Page 3

A TRAGEDY IN NEW MEXICO.

A wholes.de murder, remarkable even among the bloodstained records of the above country, was perpetrated near Benilo City, Lincoln County, New Mexico, on 3rd May, eight persons being shot dead by a burglar who met his reward, but unfortunately after the massacre was consummated It appears that a miner named Nelson, who had joined the Benito City camp some four years before, c >ming from Nebraska, effected a burglarious entrance into the house of M. iS. Mayberry, a ranchman living almost close to the town, about three o’clock in the morning. In doing so, however, he aroused one of the ranchmen named Flynn, who gave the alarm and jumping out of bed at the same time, was shot dead on the spot. Mayberry and his family rushing down stairs, were met by the desperado and shot down in succession, the victims being the proprietor himself, his wife, two sons, a little daughter, and a neighbour named Peter Wilson, who, hearing the shooting, seized his gun, and made for the scene of disturbance, but the mur--> derer was too quick for him, and he was shot down before he could defend himself. By this time the town had become alarmed and a number of citizens armed themselves and started for the house, which they surrounded about seven o’clock to prevent Nelson’s escape. He surprised them, however, from the real", tired intothem, killing Hermon Beck, one of the party on the spec, and, mounting his house, made a dash down the street, firing his Winchester rifle incessantly in order to inspire terror and enable him to escape. But he had to run the gauntlet of a smart fu-illadc from housetops and windows, and be fore he got clear off he was shot through the head and died instantly. The above account which comes to us from Las Vegas, further says that Nelson, during his four years residence, had always been a quiet, orderly citizen, we presume—as quiet orderly citizens go in those parts .Since the tragedy it is surmised that several recent undetected burglaries have been his > work.