Deputy Sheriff Frank Vigil

Frank Vigil

Deputy Sheriff Frank Vigil and Deputy Sheriff Daniel Bustamante were shot and killed about 20 miles west of Santa Rita while attempting to arrest a group of men who had robbed a Santa Fe Railroad train in Belen.

The two deputies, along with two Native American trackers, trailed the men and located their campground. As they attempted to arrest them, the men opened fire with Winchester rifles, killing both deputies and one of the trackers, whose name is not known. The remaining tracker retrieved their horses and returned to Magdalena, where he sent a telegram to the sheriff.

Deputy Vigil was survived by his wife, adopted Native American daughter, and brother.