The murder almost a century ago of a prominent Bernalillo businessman is the inspiration for a new fictional novel coming out June 28.
Author Mattison Casaus’ first novel, A Piece of the Town, intricately weaves a narrative that blends truth and fiction about the 1932 murder of George Silva and the iconic Silva’s Saloon in Bernalillo.
Casaus is a writing professor at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, and began writing the novel as a project during the COVID-19 pandemic, which then evolved into a full-fledged short novel.
The fictional saga weaves together generations of a family, exploring the enduring trauma stemming from the murder. Drawing inspiration from personal connections and historical realities, it delves into themes of identity, family dynamics and the far-reaching impacts of historical events.
“I know this story has been written before,” Casaus said. “And they did a beautiful job but they’re not necessarily as close to the family as I am, so I got a little bit more of family anecdotes and maybe family rumors that weren’t necessarily in the first published version of the story.”
The crime
The following is from a 2005 article by Enrique Lamadrid and David Garcia from the University of New Mexico’s Southwest Hispanic Research Institute.
A ballad titled El Corrido de George Silva was composed by Ramón Luna, a composer and close friend of Silva to commemorate the tragedy and its impact on the Silva family.
On October 9, 1932, 22-year-old George Silva, who belonged to a prestigious family with Latino and Lebanese roots in Bernalillo, shut down his gas station for the night, never to be seen alive again.
For two months, family and friends searched for Silva fearing the worst but hoping for the best. It was not until the Silva family offered a reward to find Silva dead or alive that teenagers found his body in December.
During the police investigation, it was revealed that William Smith, a man from out of state, and his young accomplice George Wilds, tricked Silva into going on a ride in a rental car, saying they were going to a party out of town.
Smith intended to rob Silva and crack the safe at his gas station. While driving, Silva caught on to the ruse and tried to escape by attempting to jump out of the car on the highway west of town. That’s when Smith shot him in the back and the back of the head and then hid his body behind a juniper tree in an arroyo several miles outside of Bernalillo.
After the family offered a reward, Smith convinced two high school boys to “find” the body so he could claim the money. The police became suspicious when the teens claimed to be looking for a Christmas tree nowhere near the Jemez Mountains.
Following the discovery of Silva’s body, his grief-stricken mother died suddenly in late January.
The investigation led police to Smith, who was writing bad checks in Albuquerque. He claimed self-defense and showed disdain for people of Mexican descent, reportedly saying taking “easy money from a Mexican” should carry little consequence.
Originally charged with first-degree murder by District Attorney Eugene Luján, Smith’s case took a turn when a new district attorney, Thomas Mabry, modified the charges and Smith accepted a guilty plea for second-degree murder.
The decision sparked outrage within the Latino community in Bernalillo, leading to a junta de indignación (meeting of indignation) on March 30, 1933. The meeting drew resolutions strongly condemning Mabry’s actions. Reports indicated a turnout of 300-500 attendees.
Smith was sentenced to ten years in prison, which many considered too lenient.
Silva’s Saloon
In the year following the murder in 1933, Felix Silva, George Silva’s brother, opened Silva’s Saloon in Bernalillo. Today, it’s cherished by the community and a destination for tourists traveling along the historic Route 66.
According to the Weekly Alibi, before he opened the saloon during prohibition, he made moonshine in his family’s apple orchard. He bootlegged his apple brandy by concealing it in the false bottom of a truck bed with hay bales stacked on top during runs to Oklahoma.
The saloon has been steeped in local legend since it opened the day after prohibition was repealed. According to HuffPost, Silva’s illicit activities didn’t cease there; he persisted in serving liquor illegally on Sundays and catering to Native Americans, actions that were still illegal in New Mexico at the time.
Three generations of Silvas have overseen the saloon for nearly a century. Felix’s son, Felix Jr., began working at the bar as a young boy and took over after Felix Sr. died in 1995. He continued to oversee the saloon until his recent death on March 24, when his daughter Denise Silva took charge of the saloon.
The Novel
The novel drew inspiration from the events surrounding George Silva’s murder. However, instead of crafting a strictly historical account, Casaus opted to utilize her literary license to infuse more fictional elements into the narrative.
“Adding more fictional elements made it a little bit longer but if I just focused on what I just heard, it would have been very short,” Casaus said. “That made it challenging but fun.”
According to Casaus, while there are fictional aspects, the primary setting of the story is Silva’s Saloon.
“If you’re a reader of family drama or if you enjoy stories that span multiple generations especially a family of Mexican heritage, then I think that this book is for you,” she said.