Colonia Morelos & The Outlaw Narcross of Texas

Two Mexican officers rode into the colony and reported that they had been on the trial of two noted outlaws for a period of twenty days.  One of these outlaws was the notorious Narcross of Texas, who with his companion, had murdered a man in the state of Chihuahua to obtain his money.  The officers had followed their trail to a point where it led down the mountain into Pulpito Canyon, a few miles east of Colonia Oaxaca.  Fearful of their lives should they continue the pursuit into such a wilderness of trees and ledges, the officers, by taking a circuitous route and by travelling day and night, came in ahead of the outlaws to Colonia Morelos and demanded the services of three of the colonists in search for the fleeing convicts.  The lot fell upon David Winn, Benjamin Eccles and myself.  We were instructed to attempt no arrest of the bandits but to locate them merely ad return and report.  About five or six miles up the highway leading from Morelos to Colonia Oaxaca, we met a couple of mounted men with a pack animal, making their way leisurely in the direction of Morelos.  These, we suspected of being the men we were looking for.  To avoid having hem suspect our errand, Dave Winn asked them if they had seen any mules up the road, to which they responded in the negative.  We continued following the highway leading from Morelos to Colonia Oaxaca until well out of sight when we haled to consider the next step to be taken.  It was decided that Winn should return to the colony to make a report and the other two were to ascend a high point commanding a view of the country for miles around to follow the movements of the strangers.

On the brow of the hill overlooking Morelos they halted, put their horses out to pasture and then Narcross, leaving his companion to watch the horses, walked into town for some provisions.  At the Huish store he was making his purchase when the two Mexican officers, having been apprised of his presence, entered from the opposite end.  Simultaneously the four men drew their guns on Narcross and ordered him to put up his hands.  Hurriedly he raised his arms in the air, but only for a moment, when he shot them downward and seizing two of the guns, he forced them to one side and lunged for the door.  As he did so he attempted to pull from beneath his clothes a revolver but was hindered by the trigger getting caught in his raiment.  As he passed out of the door and was about to turn the corner of the building he was shot from behind and fell to the ground, at the same time crying for mercy.  He was disarmed and lodged in the tithing office building for the night, in the absence of a jail.  The other convict made his escape amidst a fusillade of bullets that fell short of their mark.  Narcross was to stand trial in the state of Chihuahua and large part of the distance he must be taken in a light rig.  The jolting of the vehicle, together with the intense heat, produced intolerable suffering for the wounded man.  Infection set in and before he could be brought to trial for the murder, he had passed to a higher tribunal.

Thomas Cottam Romney The Mormon Colonies in Mexico page 125