Very little offered in this Story of the Century is actually accurate. Tiburcio Vasquez was a 'bandido' active in California from around 1854 to 1874. He became an outlaw when he was implicated in a murder committed by another bandit and fearing arrest, decided to go all the way. The business in this story about a dying sister was totally made up for the episode.
What was typical of these stories plays out here as well. As a Railroad Detective, Matt Clark (Jim Davis) is assigned to the case of Vasquez relative to a train robbery. His assistant Frankie Adams (Mary Castle) goes undercover of sorts as a worker at a Mexican monastery where the Padre Amador (Edward Colmans) resides. He's a family friend of the Vasquez family and knew the outlaw from an early age. He is not sympathetic to the bad side of Vasquez and shows a willingness to have Vasquez give himself up and atone for his outlaw ways.
The capture of Vasquez portrayed here is a rather weak affair. Using the old 'hide in the wagon' trick, Matt and several authorities descend upon the home of a fellow outlaw who cashed a check for Vasquez stolen during an earlier robbery. It seemed to me that Clark acted rather hastily to draw fire on the outlaw when a little more savvy could have gotten him and his men in better position without all the gunfire. But then you wouldn't have had a shoot 'em up finale.
Following a trial for murder, Vasquez received a sentence of death by hanging. The story got that part right, one of the few facts in this tale that actually happened. Vásquez calmly met his fate in San Jose on March 19, 1875. He was 39 years old.
What was typical of these stories plays out here as well. As a Railroad Detective, Matt Clark (Jim Davis) is assigned to the case of Vasquez relative to a train robbery. His assistant Frankie Adams (Mary Castle) goes undercover of sorts as a worker at a Mexican monastery where the Padre Amador (Edward Colmans) resides. He's a family friend of the Vasquez family and knew the outlaw from an early age. He is not sympathetic to the bad side of Vasquez and shows a willingness to have Vasquez give himself up and atone for his outlaw ways.
The capture of Vasquez portrayed here is a rather weak affair. Using the old 'hide in the wagon' trick, Matt and several authorities descend upon the home of a fellow outlaw who cashed a check for Vasquez stolen during an earlier robbery. It seemed to me that Clark acted rather hastily to draw fire on the outlaw when a little more savvy could have gotten him and his men in better position without all the gunfire. But then you wouldn't have had a shoot 'em up finale.
Following a trial for murder, Vasquez received a sentence of death by hanging. The story got that part right, one of the few facts in this tale that actually happened. Vásquez calmly met his fate in San Jose on March 19, 1875. He was 39 years old.
