El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-12
Like Old Times.

Like Old Times.
The town was treated to real old
timer this morning in the way of pis-
toll duel between two Mexicans who met
on the field of honor. the way in
which the principals went at the affair
of honor reminds one of the old days in
Kentucky when all affairs of the kind
had to be settled so.
About three years ago q Mexican by
the name of Ramon Gomez married
the sister of Antonio Belarde, and
while the lives of the married couple
moved along as smoothly as possible
the story goes that young Antonio was
always making trouble for the man
who married his sister, finally causing
family trouble to grow out OF the per-
sistent interference. The husband be-
gan to tell Antonio that he was good
for nothing and was a coward and that
he awas indecent and was not fit for
nice people to associate with.
Antonio had stood the messages
which had been brought to him from
Ramon by the go-betweens about as
long as he could, and had finally con-
cluded that he had had enough, and
had long since stopped associating
with his brother in law. The trouble
came to head about three days ago,
when Ramon sent Antonio nj
WOTu b0dt ne WIS d CO"dT0,
and would have fought if he had dared
after having received so many mes
sages from him. This made AntOnio's
hot Mexican blood boil and so he sent
q message back to Ramon that he was
as good man as he was any day, and
whenever he named the day they could
come together. So the go-between ar
ranged for them to meet in q pistol
duel this morning.
Ramon Gomez. owns store at the
corner of South Stanton and Seventh
streets and it was there that the three
met this morning for the duel.
Ramon Gomez and Antonio Belarde
agreed that they would fight with the
same size guns and that would have
referee aud they chose Pablo Alverez
to act in that capacity.
The three met about eleven O'Clock at
the store of Gomez and started off down
the river to where the new levee is be-
ing built. After arriving on the place
chosen for the fight they at first de-
cided that they would stand about ten
was decided that ten feet was too close
SO they stood about ten yards apart.
Each was armed with forty-five cali
bre Colts. One of them claims that
the other had double action gun
This could not be verified.
The two men stood at their places, so
the referee says, and ''whR 1 asked
them if they were ready they said yes,
and as soon as they fired the first shot
1 went as hard as could for town and
l didn't see any more of the fight"
Antonio didn't wantsto talk about the
fight, but he said: 81 didn't want to
fight and 1 didn't want to kill Ramon,
so shot him in the legs and hit
there too. When we took aim aimed
at his feet and he aimed at my head,
but he was so scared and nervous tn at
he missed me. after he had shot five
times at me. 1 only shot three times
and hit him twice. l think, then he
fell and l ran up to him and he
shot at me while he was falling.
didn't want to kill him after he was
down so ! hit him over the head with
the pistol. He said to me, Don't hit
me, you coward. shoot me here if YOU
want to kill me- That made me come
to myself so threw his gun away and
mine too and raised up his head in my
arms until somebody came. And that's
all [ am going to say" Antonio is not
hurt in any way more than little
scratch on the right cheek.
The referee said he didn't do any of
the shooting but they had arrested
him any way. He seemed to think it
was strange that they should put him
in Jail, and all the time tried to make
every body understand that he was not
guilty.
The wounded man was carried to
Hotel Dieu. The reporter found him
sitting up, and as composed as if moth
ing had happened to mar the pleasures
of the morning.
Ramon Gomez, the wounded man,
says he can't speak English. When
he was taken to the hospital the three
doctors, Wegefarth, Gallagher, and
were in attendance. it was
decided to take the leg off at the knee.
The wounds which were received by
Ramon Gomez are two shots from
forty-five calibre gun. They pulveriz-
ed his right leg from the knee nearly
to the ankle. The man had wonderful
nerve. The wound which he received
in the head was nothing more then
flesh wound made by the butt of the
pistol in the hands of Antonio, after he
WAS down, and that will not give him
any trouble.
The reporter called at Kohlberg's
cigar store, as ali the three men work
there, and the report from the store is
that they are all three good, sober, in
dustrious, and hard working boys, and
while it was known that there was
some hard feeling between the brothers
In law 1t was not thought seriously of.
The wounded man is resting easv up
to the hour of going to press, and the
other two, the referee and one of the
principals, are in the city Jail.