Our Board member, Senior U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo, will present the account of one of the most intriguing legal cases in New Mexico history – the case of Territory of New Mexico vs. Paul Angel. In the spring of 1861 about the time the first shots were fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor – the shots that started the Civil War – a brutal murder took place in Las Vegas, Territory of New Mexico. One Paula Angel stabbed her lover to death. She was charged, tried before a jury of twelve men, found guilty, and sentenced to die by hanging, and was hanged – all in the span of a few weeks. Paula Angel was the only woman ever put to death in the Territorial or modern history of New Mexico. The presentation will include insights as to the trial, with a review of the original court docket book, the jury instructions and other fascinating aspects of this criminal proceeding.
These talks are FREE and open to members and volunteers. General admission $10 – cash or check. Please RSVP to Laura Griego at [email protected].
