by J. Young

Juan Bautista Patron was born on the 20th of November 1852, presumably in the vicinity of Santa Fe. He was the third child of Isidro and Felipa Martinez Patron and grew up on a modest farm near a flowing stream close to Santa Fe. In his youth, Juan was taught to farm and contributed to his family’s livelihood by cultivating vegetables.

In 1859, Santa Fe had an estimated enrollment of 200 children in schools. With a desire for his son to prosper and have greater opportunities, Juan’s father opted to enroll him into a Catholic school, which was under the leadership of Bishop John B. Lamy. During his time in the school, Juan acquired the necessary literacy skills to read, write and speak fluently in both English and Spanish. An enthusiastic music lover, Juan additionally demonstrated an affinity for musical instruments such as the piano and singing.
By 1865, approximately 500 students were enrolled at Santa Fe, and Juan was one of them. After completing his primary education, Juan attended El Colegio de San Miguel College (currently known as St. Michaels) where he excelled academically. His academic achievements were recognized by the bishop who recommended him for further studies at Notre Dame. However, Juan chose to create his own path in New Mexico by pursuing politics. At the young age of 20, Juan was appointed as Lincoln County Clerk from 1872 to 1874. During his time in Lincoln, he also selflessly volunteered to teach young children without receiving any payment. Juans’ dedication to public service is a testament to his commitment to uplifting the community and the importance of education in his life.
Juan was not just some soft desk-jockey either, when things got ugly, Juan could too. There was trouble when five brothers named The Horrells moved into New Mexico from Texas with an obvious hatred for other races. leaving a trail of dead hispanic men along the way.
One night in Lincoln the Horrells were drinking and later that night began a fight with a large group of hispanics who did not cower, in fact they chased them down and killed two of the Horrell brothers. Their bodies were riddled with bullets. The remaining Brothers sought legal help but Sheriff Ham Mills refused. So the remaining Brothers recruited some help and snuck into Lincoln on the eve of December 20, 1874. They arrived during a wedding and afterwards a baile at the covento/dancehall.
The Horrells had about twenty-five men with them. They heard Juan Patron was the leader in their brothers’ killings and went to the long adobe building where the dance was held and surrounded it. The men fired into the building killing Isidro Patron, Jose Candelaria, Isidro Padilla and Mario Balazan. One of them was Juan’s father. Several others survivors were wounded, including Juan when hot lead passed through his torso. Lincoln residents gathered about 50 men and set out to lynch the remaining Horrells but could not get to them. Eventually the Horells were run out of New Mexico. 
In Lincoln, there was an incident involving two Hispanic ranch hands who were shot by two of the town’s Anglo residents, John Riley and John Copeland, after they were caught stealing. This event further exacerbated the already tense race relations in the community. Juan, a respected Hispanic leader in Lincoln, took action to address the situation. Following a report by Copeland and Riley to the Probate Judge, Saturnino Baca called for an investigation. The Clerk of Court, Juan Patron, expressed his desire to have the two men arrested immediately, but he was unable to do so without following proper legal procedures. Consequently, Patron decided to gather a posse for a good ol’ fashioned lynching, but Copeland and Riley had already left town when the group arrived.
The next day a mob showed up at Copeland’s home, but he was absent. Unfortunately for John Riley he was there as well as an army doctor from Fort Stanton by the name Henry G. Tiedemann. The mob ordered Riley back to his home which was just up the road from Copelands and they followed him.
When they arrived at Rileys, they found Copeland. This allowed the Army doctor to ride up to Fort Stanton for help since he was left alone. In the meantime, the mob ordered Copeland and Riley to escort them to the dead body which they did without hesitation. When they arrived at the corpse a man in the mob named Lucas Gallegos put his pistol to Riley’s head and asked him if he shot this man. Some of the others had already dismounted and began to bury the deceased. Just in time a detachment of soldiers were at a fast Gallop towards Copeland’s place when they spotted the mob and rode in that direction. Juan Patron and his mob quickly dispersed, abandoning their prisoners. 
On September 15th, 1875, an altercation between Juan and Riley was witnessed by many in front of Sheriff Baca’s home. Unfortunately, the exchange ended violently as Riley shot Juan in the back with a carbon rifle. Although Juan narrowly avoided serious injury, he required medical attention and was taken to Fort Stanton by a Buckboard driver. According to the Mesilla newspaper, Juan was heavily under the influence. Riley was able to plead self-defense and avoid charges after claiming that Juan had been following him all day and eventually drew his pistol. Back at Fort Stanton, Army surgeon Carlos Carvallo saved Juan’s life. Juan suffered a significant injury to his left leg which caused him to walk with a limp for the remainder of his life. Despite this challenge, Juan contributed significantly to his community, serving as a County Commissioner for Lincoln County from 1877 to 1878 and holding an officer position in the New Mexico legislature as well as Speaker of the House. In 1878, rumors of his inclusion on Dolan’s hit list arose during the Lincoln County War, leading Juan to flee his home and seek refuge temporarily at Fort Stanton before ultimately relocating to Las Vegas. The widow, Mrs. McSween, was able to use Juan’s home after hers was destroyed, providing some temporary relief.
Patron’s residence served as a social gathering spot during the peace negotiations between James Dolan, Jessie Evans, William Campbell, The Kid, Tommy O’, Yginio Salazar, and Doc in February 1879. According to an article in the Mesilla Valley Independent on July 5th, 1879, Patron was present in Lincoln during the shooting. It was also mentioned in the article that Campbell intended to kill Patron that day, but was prevented from doing so. Tragically, later that night, Campbell and Dolan went on to murder Mr. Chapman, who was a lawyer for McSween.

Patron’s house, a historical residence that once provided shelter to infamous figures such as Billy the Kid, Tom O’Folliard, and potentially Doc Scurlock during a staged house arrest. These individuals were under the watchful eye of Deputy Longwell and Sheriff Kimbrell before being called upon to testify in a court of law. Patron’s place holds a significant place in history for its involvement in this captivating account of law enforcement.
Mr. Juan Patron entrusted Dr. Ealy with their shared vision of constructing a church and school in Lincoln. After leaving Las Vegas, Mr. Patron made Santa Rosa his new home, where he met Miss Beatriz Labadie – the daughter of Mr. Lorenzo Labadie, a former Indian agent for Fort Sumner. Prior to their marriage towards the end of 1879 in Anton Chico, it seems that the couple had conceived a child out of wedlock. They went on to have two children, a daughter named Rayitos and a son named Juan Jr.
The peaceful life of Patron was abruptly interrupted when men, possibly receiving payment from James Dolan, began to hunt him down. This fear may have been put forth by Patron’s paranoia. His daughter recounted the alarming situation, “Several times, groups of men arrived at Santa Rosa, searching for my father. Despite his eagerness to confront these hostile individuals, the Labadie family expressed grave concern for his safety and repeatedly begged him to remain indoors.” After a family discussion, the Patrons resolved to relocate to nearby Puerto de Luna in order to ensure their security and well-being.
At Puerto de Luna, Juan collaborated with Padre Augusta Francois Joseph Redon to raise funds for the construction of a new Catholic church, which was successfully built and named Nuestra Senora de Refugio. Additionally, Juan managed a general store and may have operated a drinking establishment. 
Juan had a history of being boisterous and showing a lack of respect while under the influence of alcohol. On March 20th, 1884, he was charged with criminal behavior for threatening to shoot Andres Senas. However, the charges were ultimately dismissed.
On April 9th, 1884, a man in his 20s named Michael Maney (name could be Mitchel Mancy) rode into Puerto de Luna to cash a money order for his boss, W.W. Cox, who had connections to Dolan and the Santa Fe Ring. Following the transaction, Maney visited Moore’s Saloon where he reportedly encountered Juan around 7 p.m. and engaged in gambling. After losing his money, Juan requested a few drinks from Maney and was loaned a silver dollar for another round of monte, which he ultimately lost. These events have become legendary in the area.
During their conversation at Moore’s Saloon, William Owens joined in with Juan and Maney. The three men then walked over to a nearby saloon, housed in Alexander Grezelachowski’s building, only to find that it was closed. They returned to Moore’s Saloon, where it’s said that Juan began to insult Maney, who was carrying a Colt .44. Juan questioned Maney, asking why he would want to carry a six-shooter, to which Maney responded that it was a habit. Juan persisted with his comments and implied that Maney was carrying the gun for him. Maney denied this, and Juan continued to insult him and threatened to kill him with his own six-shooter.
It appears that Juan may have been experiencing a heightened sense of caution due to past attempted assassinations on his life, intuition about the individual in question, or effects from alcohol. Following their separation, Maney returned to the saloon while Juan arrived later carrying a Remington .44 and expressed his intention to leave with his brother-in-law Cresenciano Gallegos, noting that he was feeling fatigued.
Juan’s hand was resting on the handle of his .44 while he stood staring down Maney, who was approximately 10 feet away at the bar. In a loud and commanding voice, Maney politely requested that Juan remove his hand from the firearm as it was making him feel uneasy. Juan gripped the handle more tightly, but Maney persisted in his request. After contemplating for a moment, Juan reluctantly removed his hand from the firearm, and the tension in the bar began to dissipate.
Just as things seemed calm, all of the sudden Juan tried to jerk his gun up but it got caught in his pants. Maney reeled his gun up and told Juan to stop. Juan tried again for his gun and barely got it out when two Shots erupted. Maney fired a shot into Juans chest, Knocking him back as the bullet struck his heart. The second shot was fired from Patron’s gun and struck the wall. Another shot from Juans gun erupted, wounding a bystander in the arm. During the excitement Maney’s gun went off one more time striking the oil lamp causing the room to go dark. The guests at the saloon bolted out the door.
After the murder of Juan, Maney fled in fear that Patron’s associates would attempt to retaliate. Maney sought temporary refuge along the banks of the Pecos river, where he remained concealed until the following day. A quick investigation conducted by the Justice of the Peace, Pablo Anaya, determined that Juan was a victim of murder. In response, a posse comprising 50 men was promptly assembled and divided into various teams to locate the assailant. Maney was ultimately found at Canon de Diaz and apprehended without incident after being surrounded by the authorities.
Mr. Maney was brought before Justice of the Peace Pablo Anaya, where he provided testimony that he had acted in self-defense. Despite this, Justice Anaya issued a judgement that Mr. Maney should be incarcerated for murder. Following this decision, Mr. Maney was taken to Las Vegas jail.  Maney contested the charge and subsequently applied for a writ of habeas corpus on the basis of wrongful imprisonment.
He was later released on a 10,000 bond to WW Cox.
As per the report from the Las Vegas Gazette on the 12th of April, 1884, it was stated that Juan Patron was laid to rest at the Santa Rosa cemetery. It has been recorded that the ceremony was presided over by Reverend Father Redon of Anton Chico, attended by a large gathering of people. The bereaved wife and relatives had the heartfelt sympathies of everyone in town.
According to some sources, there is speculation that the first ceremony held at the church in Puerto de Luna, which was reportedly built with Juan’s assistance, was actually his funeral. While this is a possibility, it is difficult to verify whether or not he was laid to rest there, as it contradicts the historical record presented in the local newspaper at that time.
Given the lack of definitive information available, further research and investigation may be necessary to locate Juan’s gravesite. In my opinion, the newspaper is correct.
Juan B. Patron was just 31 when he was taken from this world. His widowed wife, was with child when Juan was killed. She named her boy Juan Patron jr. on his birthday, July 1, 1884.
It is widely speculated among many that Juan Patron met his demise at the hands of a hired assassin. It is plausible that Juan may have lived in a constant state of fear after being shot in the back and having his life once again threatened following his recovery. Additionally, the presence of Maney in the vicinity on that fateful day, allegedly on errands for Cox who also provided his bail, is bound to raise suspicion among the public as this name is tangentially associated with the infamous Santa Fe Ring. Not to mention, the judge in the case was former governor Axtell.
When looking back at how many chances Maney gave to Patron and to defuse the situation, it seems unrealistic that he was there to murder Juan B. Patron, but then again, who knows for sure.