American Illustration 45 Winners

The Strange Death of Melvin Mills

A founding father’s riches-to-rags story ended with an intriguing twist—but only the walls of his enigmatic mansion may know the truth. Whispered on the wind, printed in old books, and handed down from one generation to the next, New Mexico’s stories of daring and devilish deeds, heroes and villains, haunted houses, and at least one recurring apparition have stood the test of time.

The Unsolved Fountain Murders

The State Senate pro tempore’s office, located in the Capitol building basement in Santa Fe, contains a wall of photographs of holders of that position. Among them is a 1931 black-and-white of a bald man with a walrus mustache: Oliver M. Lee, the only one who ever stood trial for killing a child. Eight-year-old Henry Fountain and his father, Albert, a lawyer and politician, vanished near White Sands National Park on February 1, 1896. Their mysterious disappearance has haunted New Mexicans ever since.