Time Machine: 70 years ago, Eagle County’s only capital punishment recipient receives death sentence

30 years ago

July 12, 1996

Following news of the Surface Transportation Board’s denial of a request from the Union and Southern Pacific Railroad to abandon the Tennessee Pass line, officials from East West Partners called off plans to redevelop the 62-acre railroad property in Minturn.

East West Partners and Southern Pacific Railroad cited “financial infeasibility” as a result of the decision, the Vail Trail reported.

“The companies, which announced a joint venture to develop the yards in January, had anticipated a green light from the STB,” the Trail reported, quoting Southern Pacific vice president David Steel.

“The usefulness of this site as a rail yard is yet likely to come to an end, and there is potential for future development,” Steel said. “Unfortunately, preliminary studies convinced the partners that the kind of redevelopment we were seeking would entail infrastructure costs that the market would be unable to support.”

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50 years ago

July 12, 1976

A bill establishing a 133,915-acre wilderness area in Eagle and Summit Counties was signed into law by President Gerald Ford.

The bill was signed against the wishes of the Denver Water Board, the Vail Trail reported.

The board claimed that “the bill deprives Denver of the easiest and cheapest access to Western Slope water, and feeling was high that Ford might veto the bill for that reason,” the Trail reported. “Ford’s action came after deeply concerned Vailites called and telegrammed over the weekend, urging him to approve the bill.”

A friend of Ford’s reported that the president signed the bill against the wishes of advisers who counseled him to veto the proposal to try and gain delegate strength on the eastern slope, the Trail reported.

“While the Water Board is understandably disappointed, they remain undaunted,” the Trail reported. “According to a Denver Post article, the water department intends eventually to seek presidential permission to build facilities within the wilderness under an exemption clause in the bill.”

70 years ago

July 16, 1956

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Besalirez Martinez, convicted of murdering a Red Cliff man in 1954, will be put to death.

Martinez was being housed on death row at the Canon City penitentiary, The Associated Press reported, citing a court opinion written by Justice Otto Moore.

“The guilt of the defendant was established beyond any possible question of doubt and the circumstances of the killing were such as to fully justify the jury in inflicting the penalty of death,” Moore wrote.

An Eagle County District Court jury convicted Martinez and sentenced him to death in January 1955 for murdering Perfecto Cruz, a Red Cliff tavern owner. It was the only death penalty sentence ever to be carried out on an Eagle County man in Colorado.

“Trial testimony showed that Martinez entered a bar and poolroom operated by Cruz, who was unarmed, and shot him three times with a rifle,” The Associated Press reported.

90 years ago

July 7, 1916

Avalanches were still occurring in the Eagle County near Fulford, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported, with the worst slide of the season happening in early July.

The cascade “passed over the workings of the Morning Glory mine, which is located on West Lake Creek,” the Enterprise reported. “James Lefoe of the Moffat road was at the mouth of the tunnel and gave the first alarm as the huge mass of snow which overhangs the quartzite capping of New York mountain tore loose and started on its downward path towards the creek. Mr. Lefoe dodged into the tunnel and thus escaped without a scratch.”

Two other men were not as well off as Lefoe, but did manage to escape with their lives, the Enterprise reported. Their names were Weiskopf and Story.

“The latter was pelted with chunks of the ice as they shot over the cliff until he saw a million stars, and Weiskopf emerged from the shower of ice, snow and rocks with his neck full of snow and bumps on his back too numerous to mention,” the Enterprise reported. “It was a miraculous escape and caused a suspension of operations on the Morning Glory until after the Fourth.”