A coroner's jury, examining into
the cases of the death of Manuel Madril, who died at his home in
Hillsboro, Saturday, under suspicious circumstances, has found
that "The deceased came to his death by poison administered by his
wife, Valentina Madril".
As a result of this finding
three people are under arrest here today, one being his wife,
charged with the murder, the others, Armie Lyons, a negress, and
Francisco Baca.
Saturday morning Manuel Madril
died. The circumstances of his death were so suspicious and
symptoms of acute poisoning were so plain that the attending
physician at once placed the entire matter before the district
attorney, Mr. Wolford, whose investigations resulted in the arrest
of the persons named.
Armie Lyons, the negress, after
being put through a severe examination, made what amounts to a
partial confession, implicating the other two. Last Thursday,
according to the Lyons woman, Valentina Madril, the wife sent her
to the drug store in Hillsboro for some poison.. She called for
rough on rats, because she thought she could get that without
arousing suspicion, and the druggist sold her Ballard's rat
poison. The next morning, just as the stage for Lake Valley was
passing the door, the negress says she saw Madril's wife pour the
poison into Madril's coffee. He drank the coffee and at once
became violently ill, his death following quickly. Francisco
Baca is alleged to have been cognizant of the intention to poison
Madril.
Albuquerque Morning Journal, April 2, 1907
Colonel Hopewell Says Both Women Are Degenerates
and Not Mentally Responsible.
Petitions Ask Commutation.
"I have not delivered any petitions to the acting governor in
connection with the Hillsboro murderesses," said Colonel W. S.
Hopewell, who returned last night from Santa Fe, when asked as to
a story that he had been the bearer of a petition from Sierra
county asking for the commutation of the death sentence of the two
women, Valentina Madril and Alma Lyons.
"I have been asked by Sierra county people to give
the governor my views of the matter and have done so in writing. I
do not think these women should be hanged, for familiar as I am
with the details of the murder, and knowing the guilt of the
women, I do not think either of them morally or mentally
responsible. All of the parties to the crimes have worked in my
employ at one time or another and I know their mental calibre,
Lyons, the father of Alma Lyons was here yesterday on his way to
Santa Fe in connection with the effort for commutation. These two
girls were raised under most unfortunate conditions, and
conditions which forbade their having any highly developed moral
sense or any clear conception of right and wrong. Under the
circumstances I believe it would be wrong to execute them. Life
imprisonment seems to me the most proper penalty"
Colonel Hopewell says that so far as he knows the
acting governor has not yet reached any conclusion in the matter.
Albuquerque Morning Journal, May 28, 1907
GIRLS DOOMED FOR MURDER MAY ESCAPE GALLOWS
Strong Feeling In Hillsboro That Hanging of Women Would Be
Disgrace Despite Heinousness of Crime
PETITION TO GOVERNOR URGES COMMUTATION
Prisoners Are Young and So Densely Ignorant That It Is Scarcely
Possible They Realize Enormity of Offense
It is difficult to correctly weigh
public sentiment in Hillsboro and Sierra county as to the
execution of the two women, Valentine Madril and Alma Lyons,
condemned to hang here on June 1. A great many people have signed
the petition for a commutation to life imprisonment, and there is
a strong feeling that it would be a disgrace to hang the women,
horrible and cold-blooded as was the crime they committed. It is
advanced that both are very young and intensely ignorant, and that
it is likely they did not and do not yet realize the enormity of
the crime.
On the other hand there are a great
many people who believe the women should be hanged and that
failure to hang them would be failure to execute justice. This
feeling is especially strong in the community in which the women
lived.
There are also the usual number of
people who do not believe in capital punishment. A canvas of the
county would show a division of sentiment. The strong argument
against hanging is that the prisoners are women. A petition signed
by a great many people has gone to the acting governor asking for
commutation.
Albuquerque Morning Journal, May 25, 1917 (special
dispatch from Hillsboro dated May 24)