The record-union., 1895-04-01
PASTOR TORRES BRUTAL MURDER.
WantonIy Assaulted on the Street by
Four Toughs.
The Tama1e PeddIer Knocked Down
and Kicked to Death-The MUIR
derers Escape.

Here is a case of murder, the perpe-
traitors of which have not even the ex-
cuse to offer that it was done in self-de-
Tense while committing a robbery. In
this case the victim was brutally assaulted
on the street by quartet of toughs,
who, for the pure cussedness, knocked
him down and stamped on him until he
received fatal injuries.
The victim was Pastor Torres, tamale
vendor, who lived on Fourth street. be-
tween K and L. On Saturday night. in
front of the Colusa House, close by, four
men attacked him, and after beating and
kicking him to their hearts content they
left him dying in the gutter.
Torres was found soon afterward and
taken into his home, but be never spoke,
and died yesterday morning about $50
clock. He was struck under the ear by
one of his asSailants, and was also Injured
internally by the kicking he received, as
blood flowed from his mouth before he
died.
Officer Douglas was nearly block
away when the trouble occurred, and
gave chase to the gang, but they escaped,
having too much start of him.
Charles Moreno, who was going home
with Torres, gives the following account
of the outrage: Torres had been drink
ing, and had had little trouble with
some parties up the street and [ per-
suaded him to go home. We went down
X street, and turned down Fourth to-
ward his home. We had nearly arrived
there when we met four men coming up
from toward l. street. We took the in
side of the walk so that they might pass,
but one of them ran up against us and
pushed US several feet.
oSl- cd hot do
"He ans wered, L want this, you --
- and struck Torres on the side of
the head, knocking him down. Then
two of them came at me and struck me.
AS could not fight the crowd, l ran up
TO Is street to see if | could find an officer,
but did not see any. l saw boy, and
asked him to see if he could find one, but
he went instead down to where Torres
was. AS l did not see any officer near, I
went back to help Torres, and found him
lying in the gutter.
1.-The Salvation Army was coming up
the street from L street, and some OF
them helped me get him in the house.
He did not speak, and we did not know
he was so badly hurt
"One of the men had on light coat
and the others had on black or dark suits.
The tallest one was about six feet tall and
the others were between that and five
feet six inches. They had run away be-
fore l got back there. I do not think l
could identify any of them, They had no
reason for attacking u.s.
Special Officer Lang of the Salvation
Army, who was one Of those who helped
carry Torres into the house, stated that
there were some men answering to the
description of these four who had been
annoying the army down on L street,
and he and one of the regular officers had
been watching them, but As he did not
see the affair with Torres he could not
say whether or not they were the same
ones.
a Turk, who rooms next door to Tor
res house, was Oh the upper porch and
saw the men knock Torres down, but
does not know that he could identify
them, as they were forty or fifty feet
away.
Joe Lastro, the boy who was asked by
Moreno to find an officer, states that he
saw the men knock Torres down, and
that two of them went away, while the
other two struck him and kicked him.
DE went down part of the way from the
corner and could see what was being
done. He had seen the men at different
times, but did not know who they were
or what their names were.
DR.. G. a. White performed an autopsy
on the body in the afternoon, and his GER
tificate states that on opening the chest
cavity the right lung was found much
engorged and presented a bruised ap-
pearance, and was quite firmly adheI ent
to the chest and walls because of old
pleurisy. The left lung had also slightly
bruised spot. The stomach was found to
be ruptured near the upper end. and to
this cause he ascribed Torres death. The
stomach wall was thin and easily torn,
being in a state of Inflammation, and
death was probably due to the shock fol-
lowing the rupture described.
Torres was 26 years old and a native of
Mexico. He had only been married
about six weeks. his wife being the pro-
prietress of the tamaIe factory. He is de-
scribed as quiet, inoffensive man.