Santa Rita Cemetery - Ghost Town of Riley NM
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Santa Rita Cemetery - Ghost Town of Riley NM
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The grave of Daniel Bustamante is located in the cemetery of Santa Rita Mission Church in the Ghost Town of Riley, New Mexico.
Daniel Bustamante and two others were killed while attempting to arrest Bronco Bill Waters and Kid Johnson after they pulled off what is known as the last great train robbery in the Old West.
In May 1898, famous train robbers Bronco Bill Waters and Kid Johnson robbed a southbound Santa Fe Express near Belen. They escaped with $50,000 in cash and several bags of coins.
Deputy Sheriff Daniel Bustamante, Deputy Sheriff Frank Vigil, and two Navajo guides tracked the criminals. Finally catching up to them about 20 miles west of Santa Rita, AKA Riley, New Mexico, Bustamante, Vigil, and one of the trackers were shot and killed during a shootout while trying to arrest the train robbers. After retrieving their horses, the remaining tracker returned to Magdalena, where he sent the sheriff a telegram.
Before fleeing to Arizona, Bronco Bill and Kid Johnson buried most of the loot. Eventually found in Arizona, Kid Johnson was killed, and Bronco Bill was arrested. Waters was returned to Socorro for trial and sentenced to life in prison. However, in 1918, he was released for good behavior.
Bronco Bill returned to Socorro County and searched along the Rio Salado for over a year, never finding the buried $40,000. Waters died in 1921 while working as a ranch hand on the famous Diamond A Ranch after being blown off a windmill by a dust devil. Unfortunately, he never told anyone where the loot was hidden.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
March 2nd, 2022
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