Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-21

rope, and leave strangulation to finish
the job. Torres was raised about two
feet from the ground and there left to
die, and meet his maker unshrieved.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODY.
As soon as the body was discovered,
the coroner, Frank Ely of Anaheim, was
notified. He at once went to Santa Ana
and summoned the following jurors j.
HI. Moesser. foreman; Geo. E. Peters,
r.. HI Dibble, j. M. Holt, Walter Bur-
ton, j. s. Roberts, j. B. Moulin, M. j.
Strickland and Jas. r. Funk.
The testimony of Cogburn, Morgan,
DR.. Hill and one of the inmates Of
the prison was taken, and the jury re-
turned the following verdict: That de-
ceased was named Francisco Torres, a
native of Mexico, aged 80 years, and
that he came to his death on the Goth
day of August, 1892, by. strangulation
by being hung by the neck with rope
to a telegraph pole, on the corner OF
Fourth and Sycamore streets, in Santa
Ana. done by parties unknown to the
jury.
AS soon as the body was cut down it
was taken to the undertaking establish
ment of S. W. Smith & Son, from which
place it was buried at 2:10 yesterday
afternoon. To the HERALD man Mr.. g.
s. Smith, the junior member of the
above firm, said that large numbers of
curious-minded people had viewed the
remains, which, while never pleasing IN
life, were doubly repulsive in death.
ToRREs's CRIME.
On the morning of July 31st last the
dead body of William McKelvey was
found at the Modjeska ranch. The i'm
mediate disappearance of Torres at once
directed suspicion against him as the
murderer. He had been notified by
McKelvey that his poll tax was due and
payable, and that it was his Nickel
vey's) duty as foreman to hold that
amount back from his wages. Torres
refused at first to receive any part of the
money due him, but later returned and
called for settlement. At convenient
moment when McKelvey's back was
turned, Torres struck him several times
on the back of the head with heavy
club, each blow leaving it's deadly mark.
Torres almost Immediately disappeared.
THE MgRDERER CAUGHT.
On the evening of Tuesday, August
9th, Constable Wood arrested Mexican
at Mesa Grande, in San Diego county,
who answered to the description of
Torres, and took him to the county seat.
On Thursday, the 11th inst, Sheriff
Lacey, of Orange county, lodged the man
in Jail at Santa Ana. He acknowledged
that he was Torres, that he had killed
McKelvey, but claimed that he had act
ed purely in Helf-defense.
His examination commenced at Santa
Ana Tuesday, lasting until Thursday, at
the conclusion of which he was bound
over to appear before the superior court
on a charge of murder in the first degree.
The theory, or claim, of the defense, as
stated above, was self-defense, Torres
stating that McKelvey had assaulted
him with club, and that. to save his
own life, he (Torres) had wrenched the
club from his assailant's hands and
turned the tables.
The weakness of this plea is empha-
sized by the fact that Torres also stab
bed McKelvey TO the heart after club
bing him into insensibility, and the
further fact that McKelvey's purse was
found upon Torres when the latter was
captured. s.
THE LOCAL FEELING.
A curious feature of the affair is the
complete matter-of-fact manner in
which the occurrence is viewed by Santa
Ana people,. Out of dozen interviews
upon the subject, the only expression
seems to be that it is mildly deplorable,
and that it might have been better to
let the law take it's course. No one ap-
pears to have theory even as to who
composed the lynching party; and no
one seems to care. The authorities
have only the rope with which Torres
was hanged and the sledge-hammer
used to break open the Jail door, but it
is doubtful if these are used to trace the
identity of the avengers.
Some few people seem to think the
lynching excusabie, on the ground that
Mexican friends OF Torres were prepared
to swear him clear upon his trial The
theory of Torres defense was peculiarly
weak, from the fact that McKelvey was
q powerful man, while Torres was but