El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-29
A SHELTER SCRIMMAGE.
A Mexican Buries IL Axe in the Head
of Another. and Gets Shot.

Word reached the HERALD office at
500 p. M, yeste rday of d possibly fata'
scrap at The smelter settlement. The
matter was investigated and the fol-
| lowing story developed:
! Two Mexlcans, Sauas Rodriguez aud
| DomingO Garcia were at Stupe ; can5I-
ma drinking mescal at p. M, and was
very natural got into a discussion Oa Il
| wide and var. ed assortment OF things
germane and ungermane to the mat
! ter in hand, as it were, or words to
! that effect. Finally the orators with
drew by special request to the rear of
| the cautina where the Dolemic as was
| continued with more or less
pyrotecnnic array and display
OF the vernacular in all of its ramided
rami flea ions. Presently Garcia lost
| his temper, and raOblng heavy axe
aimed blow at rodriguez that would
have ended his sweet life then and
there. only Garcia was muy borrecho
and the blow fell short. However, it
did scrape the skin of the other man.
bar k for some distance, and reduced his
shirt to bric-a-orac. rodriguez who
| was also enjoy ing jag OF extended oi-
menSiouS, tired to stumble out OF the
| way, when Garcia let him have it
again. This time the axe hit Rodrl-
| gutz on the left size OF the head, ana
| had the weapon hit one inch higher, he
would now DE prospecting along the
| banks of the river StyX. As it was,
the axe glanced off the side of the
skull, after cutting a terrible cash
Garcia thought he hal killed his
anta gonist, and put for the river settle
lment. In tae mean time word was
brought to Constable james E. Park er
of the scrap, and that officer lmme-
diately went to the saloon. Rodriguez
was shown to him in a back room ying
unconscious on the floor. The IN ureu
man was at once sent to his home where
| his head was sewed up and he Was
| otherwise cared for. y man present,
| told the officer he would point out the
man who did the slashiDg. Parker
| dire cted the man to lead on, and was
| led to the bank of the river where
Garcia was standing preparatory to
| work ing his passage. The con
| st ble's call for Garcia to deliver him
self up only resulted in the latt r 5
making a frantic dive for the Mexican
shore. Parker hurried to the bank
| with his gun, and after calling with
| no result for the fugitive to stop, sent
bullet after him. Garcia was about
| $50 feet off, and as only his head wa>
| visi BILE, the officer aimed at that The
| bullet went straight to the mark. 1t
| crashed through Garcia's right jaw,
| went through th,, palate and lodged in
| the tissues al the base OF the spine.
Garcia sank, so that it was thought
| he would drown, but came to the sur
| face and then sank again. Bat as he
| had come up the second time, Cunstabls
Parke had several Mex cans in the
river after him. The injured man WIS
brought ashore, ana sent by the officer
| to the company's hospital where every
thing possible was done for him.
Garcia was very drunk, and that with
his wounded condition made him d
pitable spectacle. As 1t was found that
when given food it went down into his
| wind-p pipe only to be coughed up, DR..
Stafford performed the delicate opera
ton Of tracheotOmy, and Garcia Is now
b. eathing through hOla in the vici-
nifty Of his adams apple" nourlsn-
meut being given by inject ons.
Herald reporter saw Garcia this
morning but he cou not talk, aud
was in such pain that two Mexicans
had to hold him by the haads. He Is
given bad reputation at the settle
inert. he is said to have been in cut
ting and other murderOus ARRAYS be-
fore, and is regular bad mau from
Bitter creek with, frills on his pants,
and all that sort of thing. Garcit's
demise would lie cOnsid ercd at The set
tlemen as good radiance of bad rub
bish
Rodriguez was also visited in No. 81
~the settlement. His head as hand-
LIN dunn ma or' : sh lko proportions
but hNsptherwiso appeared mild and
pCacea BE like. He sad Garcia had 10
Just cause for his attack. aud did not
know VIII o. twas made for. They both
had been dr. mixing, and got into Il dis
pute when Garcia pulled the axe en-
him. There was considerable excite
ment at the settlement last nish', but
that has Quilted down. The cor sta BILE
says he aid not shoot until the las.