San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-06-02
MURDERED HIS WIFE.
MANUEL HERRERA sLASHES HER
THROAT WITH A KNIFE.
He Then Ran Away and Escaped
in the Dark-He Has Treated
her Cruelty aud Always
Quarreled with Her.

A bloody murder was COM
mited in the business part of San
Antonio last night.
Manuel Herrera, a Mexican, Gu
his wife's throat, and then fled to
let her die in her own blood.
The horrible deed occurred on
Losoya street, in yard ...adjoining
the Texas Steam Laundry, about
l1.45 o'clock. The victim is
Polinaria Herrera, and she was
about As years Of age and the moth
er of three children. Poliuaria
lived with her children on Losoy q
street, in house in the rear of
Sckerl's tailoring establishment
Her husband, it is said, has al
ways treated her cruelty, and last
night he called around at the
house and began to quarrel with
her. She has sued him for divorce
and the case is now pending.
A reporter for the LIGHT was
among the first to learn of the
crime, and Immediately repaired
to the scene. The dead woman was
found lying in the yard, on her
back, and pool OF blood at her
left side.
Manuel had cut her jugular vein
and she was dead almost immedi'
ately. The cut is about two inches
long and Is across her throat.
The first to hear Of the occur
renee was officer O'Day, who was
standing at the corner of Avenue Q
and Houston street when he heard
the screams. Mrs. Sckerls, wife OF
the tailor, who lives just in front OF
the house occupied by Polinaria,
stated to the reporter that she
heard them quarreling, but paid no
attention to them, as she knew
they we're on the outs, and that
when she heard the woman and
her children scream she ran out to
see what he was doing to her. She
went into the house after light
and found the woman as above
stated.
Frank Janock, of the Vendome
flats, had his suspicious aroused
by seeing a Mexican, in his shirt
sleeves, running hurriedly through
the alley between the Maverick
hotel and the Vendome and into
Houston street, where he disap.
peared in the dark. Janock said
the man was breathless and very
excited. He asked him what the
matter was, but the Mexican made
no reply and increased his pace.
THE CAUSE.
Margarita Losoya, the centena'
rian owner of this property, a
little over one year ago, and from
whom Losoya street was named,
died last May, one year ago, and
willed the property to Mrs. Herrer-
| ra, her niece, whose maiden name
was Cervantes. She willed her a
considerable sum Of money besides
and tied it up so that the niece
could not give it to the husband,
who is a dissolute man, timer
by trade, and who was then in
Mexico, having deserted his wife
for three years, going to Mexico.
He learned of Mrs.Losoya's death
and lost no time in coming home
and has since been importuning
his wife for the money left her by
her aunt. She steadily refused
and their quarrels were numerous
and heated; so much so, that the
children, aged between IL and y
respectively, seemed to have be-
come so accustomed to wit.
ness the turbulent scenes that the
bloody murder Of their mother last
night did not appear to have
frightened them nearly 80 much
as the great crowd Of strange peo-
pie who flocked to the scene OF the
crime.
The little girl, aged 9, stated to a
LIGHT reporter that her father be-
gan quarreling with her mother
near the street, in the yard, and
struck her mother with his
hand. Her mother screamed,
"Call the police! call the
police % and then her father
slashed her motherlacross the neck
with big knife. Her mother ran
and held her by the hand, her
father pursuing her and stabbing
her mother, until she fell about
half way down the yard between
their little home and the street.
The child was evidently pulled
down by the mother when she fell
Her little dress, her face, bare
arms and lower limbs were COW
cred with her mothers life blood,
and when viewed by the reporter,
the little orphan was an extreme
" heartrending sight.
A neighbor who ran into the
ward said Herrera ran through the
alley in the rear of the Maverick
hotel, and escaped through Jetfer-
SON street, across Travis park. He
passed a man named Grant, driver