The herald., 1896-01-05
MURDER and ARSON FOUL
Peter DeviIle Stricken i'm
His Home
MYSTERIOUS ROADSIDE TRAGEDY
Skull and Jaws of the Victim
Crushed
HIS BODY THEN BURNED
Doors Left Ajar by the Assassin in
His Flight
Search Being Made for the Dead Mans
Pretended Cousin
Last Meal in Life With strang ger-A Strange
Horse Seen Near the Sc. ne of the
Tragedy - The Officers
All at Sea
Doors Left Ajar by the Assassin in
His Flight
Search Being Made for the Dead Mans
Pretended Cousin

No cry in the night, no fugitive form
skulking away through the shadows, no
person with actions denoting guilt, point to
the agency which appearances indicate
we're human and ushered the soul of eccen-
trio old Peter Deville, or ''One-Arm Pete"
as he was familiarly called, into the great
unknown. Death came to the aged man
about 10 o'clock Friday night from the
effects of brutal assault with some heavy
instrument at his roadside resort and gro
Gerry, about four miles east of Los Angeles,
on the road to Whittier.
A few minutes after 10 o'clock Sheriff
Burr received the following telegram from
Manhattan junction, station at which the
Terminal and Santa Fe tracks cross and
which is located near old "Pete's'' road
house. 1t was signed M. Mendoza
Peter Deville's house is burning. He is
missing. Come at once. Looks like foul
play.
Deputy Sheriff Aguirre was notified at
once Of the receipt of the telegram and, be-
ing an intimate friend of Mendoza, ex-
pressed the opinion that there must be
strong basis for the message, or it would
uOb nave Dccu Soub ny 01SiiuOLds OHcEIl
Burr Immediately detailed Under Sheriff
Clement and Deputies Aguirre and White
to investigate the mystery. The officers
hastened to the scene of the tragedy. ar
irving before the entire destruction of the
building which had been the home and the
funeral pyre of the old man.
The body of the deceased was not found
till the flames had subsidized and the en-
bers of the burned building were extin-
guished. The charred remains of human
being, resembling, at first inspection,n no one
who had been seen III. the neighborhood were
finally discovered in the smoking bedroom.
A closer examination added to the horror
of the scene, for the left arm and both
legs had entirely Disappeared. The top of
the skull was gone and both upper and
lower jaw broken in two. The right arm
was only partially burned, one spot of
flesh and a small piece of an undershirt
remaining to point out the identity of the
charred remains. The spectators gathered
closely around and some one said he knew
the cloth was like underclothing worn by
Deville. Another spectator noticed that
the hair on the arm under the cloth was
very long and said he knew that old Peter
had considerable hair on his arm.
Before the fire could be extingushed it
had consumed everything to the floor, and
The house was cheap frame one story
and cellar affair, and faced the road from
the south. There was door in front, but
ingress was obtained by door on the west
side near the front of the house. The first
room which the caller would enter would
be the saloon and grocery sales room.
Back of this room was store room, sepa-
rated from the first mentioned room by a
hall, which ran from the west to the east
side of the house. The doors through
which one would pass from the first men
toned room to the second mentioned room
were directly opposite each other. Imme-
diately adjoining the first room on the east
was the bed room of the deceased. This
room was entered by door opening from
the hallway. Back of and opposite the de-
ceased's bed room was store room, and
the kitchen was in the extreme rear.
When the officers arrived on the scene
the three doors by which one could pass
from the bed room to the outside were
seen to be open.
Peter Deville. by close application to
business and economy had, SO his neigh
bors said, accumulated considerable
money, but very thorough search brought
no money. or receptacle in which money
would be likely to be hidden, to light, No
weapons or heavy instrument. by which
death might be produced, were found.
An examination of the skull of the
charred remains revealed nothing which
would account satisfactorily for the disap-
pearance of tine upper part of the skull and
the breaking of the two jaws.
Near the front door of the house, and
considerable distance from where the body
lay when found, was a mass of clotted
blood. All around the body were rags
which had been saturated with coal oil and
which, even though almost entirely con-
sumed, sent forth unmistabable odor.
Coroner Campbell was notified of the
tragedy and took charge of the remains.
fl.,vrn
were taken to the undertaking rooms of
Kregelo q Bresee. An order was given
that the box should not be opened till the
inquest, which will take place at 10 oclock
this forenoon.
The dead man had 'stump" left arm,
having lost his arm while prospecting. At
the extremity of the stump was a hook,
but diligent search did not result in the
finding of the hook.
"One-arm Pete's' road house has been
the lounging place for Mexicans and
Basuues for many years. and its reputaTion
was somewhat doubtful. Pete himself was
q man of about 30 years, kind and peace.
able, and spoken of by his neighbors as a
good friend of the homeless and outcast
He was not supposed TO be a man who
would seek quarrel, and has been known
to use extreme measures to prevent trouble
in his house.
F. E. Allen, zanjero, took charge of the
destroyed property, yesterday, for Public
Administrator Frank Kelsey.
Many stories are afioat concerning
things which are assumed to point to the
manner in which the old man met his
death, but nothing tangible has been un
earthed by the sheriff or his deputies.
II Several years ago, it is said, '.Pete'' was
brutally beaten by some unknown persons
in quarrel over a woman. Afterward one
of his assailants died and "Pete'' claimed
that the dying man confessed the assault
and told him who assisted him. When
importuned to tell who the living assailant
was ''Pete" refused and his friends had
almost lost interest in the assault which
nearly resulted in ''Pete's'' death, when
the last horrible tragedy occurred and
brought the matter back freshly to their
minds.
There is cousin spoken of, also, at least
. man who called himself the cousin of the
dead man, and this mysterious person mas
not been seen in the neighborhood of Man
haitian or the road house for about month.
There did not appear to be great familiar
~ between the two men, although the