Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-04-07
A MYSTERIOUS
SHOOTING
Sotero Martinez Received Fatal Wound
While on His Way Home on Saturday
Evening.
CITY ATTORNEY ACCUSED
Martinez First Stated That Il. [. Ortiz Shot Him, but
Later Wlthdraws Ills Statement-The Bullet En-.
tered the Mans Chin and Ranged Downward
t0 the Lungs
10 the Lungs.

mysterious SnOOtlnB aHalf occurred
on Saturday evening near the Guada
| lupe church, in which Sotero Martinez
was wounded, probably fatally. Mar
| tinez is said to have been intoxicated
when shot and accused City Attorney
Hilario l.. Ortiz of having shot him.
but later withdrew the accusation. The
shooting was done, it seems with a 22-
caliber revolver and the shot entered
Martinez chin, ranged downward
through the throat and entered his
lungs. After being shot Martinez ran
to the house of his brother-in-law, 81
mon Arias. A physician was sent for,
but refused to come. In the meantime.
III. L. Ortiz and several others arrived
and cleaned and dressed temporarily
Martinez wound and then took him in
a cab to the office of DR.. j. M. Diaz.
The following is the story of the
shooting as told by H. L. Ortiz this
and was on my way home on the Aqua
Fria road ON the south side. While l
was down town, saw Sotero Martinez
beastly drunk enter saloon. On my
way home, at the Galsteo street bridge
Bernardo Rivera caught up to me and
we walked together down De Vargas
street Near the Guadalupe church we
heard shot in back of us coming from
between the house of Luciano Baca
and Ceciliano Borrego. Immediately
tla cI
for Gods sake, I am Sotero Martinez
Some one was then heard running along
the river bed at top speed. We hurried
down to the river bed from Guadalupe
church. Who's shot | asked as I saw
a dark figure running near the old
Frank Chavez saw mill. But there was
no answer and the figure was soon out
of sight. We then returned to the street
and saw three men ahead. We walked
up to them and found they were Juani-
to Herrera, Esteban Lujan and another
man. We asked them who had fired
shot, but they said that they did not
know and that it apparently came from
across the river. They had also seen a
man runninr along the river bed. We
then went ". ie> house Of Simon Arias.
think ne lha, Martinez had probably
gone there. Ne fould hiII here nieel-
ing severely. asked him: 'Sotero, VINO
shot your He answered, Il thought
you did, for I recognized your voice
and you were coming toward me with
another man. Was there any trouble
between you and I?' He replied New
er, in the world" Ortiz then asKed to
be searched, but those present refused
to do so until Earl Lamberson arrived
with hack and searched Ortiz.
At The office of DR.. Diaz, Martinez
said II only accused Ortiz because !
heard his voice as I ran past him and
he asked Who's shot?'" Later Martin
ez denied that Ortiz had shot him and
refused to make a statement to District
f. C. Abbott. He also refused
to bring complaint against Ortiz be-
cause he was uncertain as to who shot
him.
DR.. Diaz believes that Martinez
wound was made either with heavy
buckshot or with small caliber re-
volver. Ortiz is total abstaincr and
was Of course, perfectly sober on Sat
urday evening. He never carries re-
volver. Martinez is known as relia-
BILE, hardworking, inoffensive man. He
is about As years of age and married.
Bernardo Rivera tells virtually the
same story as Ortiz. No arrest has
been made as yet.
This afternoon Martinez was report
ed as somewhat improved and that he
has fighting chance to recover. Dis
trict Attorney e. c. Abbott will spare
no means to get at the bottom of the
mysterious shooting.