Monadnock Moment No. 179

Era 7: Emergence of Modern America - 1890 to 1930

Murder in Mexico

In early January of 1916 local residents were closely following the adventure and misfortune of two Keene boys who were many miles away and just over the border in Mexico. George Newman and Thomas Holmes accidentally became involved in bandit activity and fighting that was taking place in Mexico.

Both Newman and Holmes were Keene natives whose parents still lived in Keene. Both men were mining engineers. They were staying in El Paso, Texas, and working at a mine near Chihuahua, Mexico. On January 10, 1916, Newman, Holmes, and 16 other mine owners and employees were traveling by train to the mine. A group of bandits led by Jose Rodriquez stopped the train near Chihuahua in an attempt to rob it. All of the miners were taken out of the train by the bandits. Holmes hid in a bathroom on the train, however, and jumped into the darkness alongside the track. He escaped into the night with the sound of shots ringing in his ears.

Although injured in his escape, Holmes eventually made his way to Chihuahua where he reported the train robbery. The authorities investigated and found that all of the other miners, including George Newman, had been lined up outside the train and shot. There were no survives. The people of Keene were saddened and horrified by the murder of young George Newman, but they were also relieved by Thomas Holmes' miraculous escape from Jose Rodriquez's Mexican bandits.