Died in custody
Jim Devine
Jim Devine was held in a store room at Raton in April 1881 for safe keeping while awaiting trial. According to the Las Vegas Morning Gazette, that night a party of men took him from the store room and hanged him from a piñon tree near the railroad. The newspaper does not say whether the people holding him resisted the mob, gave up keys, or handed him over. No official response to his death is reported.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Las Vegas Morning Gazette reported that a party of men took Jim Devine from a store room in Raton, where he was held for safe keeping, and hanged him from a piñon tree near the railroad.
Reported by: Las Vegas Morning Gazette (reporters).