The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-09-27
A STORY OF VIOLENCE.
TWO LAREDO OFFICERS AR.
RESTED FOR KIDNAPPING.
A Deserter From the Mexican, Amy
- - Arrested by Them Has Disappeared "a
~ and His Friends Believe That ..S@
He Was Murdered.
Special TO The Statesman.

special 10 The statesman.
LAREDO, Tex, Sept. 22.-For sew
ersl days there have been ugly ru~
mors atloat concerning kidnapping
case in which two men lost their lives,
but nothing sufficiently definite for
publication occurred until II o'clock
last night, when Chief Deputy Sheriff
Anton Magnon and his assistant
Jacob o. Salazar were arrested on q
charge of kidnapping preferred by
District Attorney Hicks before Dis
trick Judge Mclean. Reporters
are not able to learn all the
facts upon which the state
bases its charge but the defend
ants story is as follows: AT the in
stance of Colonel Villsenor, command
ing in Nuevo Laredo, Magnon arrest
ed in this city last Saturday night a
deserter from the Mexican army, OF
course desertion is not on extraditable
otfsnse but the purpose of the arrest
was to learn from him the where.
abouts of some Mexican army arms
brought to this side by subsequent de-
serters.
The deserter, whose name was Bar
| cenas, was arrested and carried to Jail
about IL o'c!ck at night. AT O'Clock
Morgan, who by virtue of his high
position had free access to the jail,
called there two hours afterward
Learning nothing of interest from
Barcenas he turned him out of iail
and has, he claims, never seen him
since
About 2 hours after cries "Help,'
Murder" ~ am drOwning,n were
heard abont half mile ABOVE the
city in the Rio Graude rive. Magnon
and Salaszar, who appeared in that
neighborhood at that hour, went to
the rescue and saved two men, one
OF whom was a captain in the Mexi-
can army and the other private.
They were allowed to return to Mex
leo. Since then the skiffman, who
was Known to be present and who
PHYS his business on the river, and the
deserter have been missing. This
body of the skiffman was found 20
miles below but nothing has been seen
or heard of Barcenas since that tragic
night.
His mother and wife claim to have
evidence to show that Magnon and
Salazar accompanied him, in fact
forced him to go to the point from
which the cries proceeded and that
they assisted them to push off the
boat. 1t is said that the Mexican
colonel named had offered reward
for Barcenas.
Sheriff Benavides today Cancelled
the commission of the two officers and
they have been arrested anG are out
On bond. The sheriff has not yet se-
lected chief deputy. New develop
ments are hourly expected and it is
believed that some very prominent
frontier people are mixed up in the
terrible affair. Magnon says he knows
nothing of any attempt to kidnap
BarceDas; that he turned him loose as
he had to and has not seen him since,
The examination will begin next
Monday when some sensational de-
velopments are expected. " is re.
ported very late tonight that the body
OF Barcenas has been found and that
his hands were tied behind his back
and that there were signs of violence
on him. This report is followed inn
mediately by another to the effect
that Barcenas was carried to Monterey
next day after the alleged kidnapping
There are hundreds of reports aflOat
aud great deal of excitement exists.
1t will therefore be impossible to get
the straight of the story until the ex.
animation occurs.