The Elbert County tribune., 1905-11-30
APADACA KILLED
SHOT WHILE RESISTING ARREST
FOR MURDER.
OUTSIDE OF COLORADO LINE
Charged With Murder Of Girl in Las
Animas county-officers Had Been
Hunting for Him For a Long Time.

~'e' bSa WIN "urucr OF 0tFi IN las
Animas county-officers Had Been
Hunting for Him For Long Time.
Trinidad, Colo.-Lewis Apadaca,
who was wanted for the murder of
Sofeia Madrid. sixteen-year-old Mexi-
can girl, was killed Thursday morning
by Deputy Sheriff Frank Trujillo and
D. Archuletta, who went to arrest him
The killing occurred at the ranch OF
Apadaca's father, forty-five miles
south of Trinidad, just across the line
In Union county, New Mexico.
Apadaca is alleged to have killed
the girl at Trinchera, in this county, a
year ago last August. 1t was a most
cold blooded murder. Apadaca had
repeatedly asked the girl to marry
him. but she refused, being engaged to
another man residing on nearby
ranch.
Since the murder the officers of this
county have been on the trail of Apa-
daca but were never able to catch him.
Trujillo learned from reliable
source that Apadaca was at the home
OF his father and he and Archuletta
went to the ranch, arriving there
about 5 O'Clock this morning. A half
hour later, when the family were
getting up, the two deputies entered
the house unannounced. They were
met by Apadaca's father who asked
them what they wanted. Trujillo
told him they came to arrest his son
for the murder of the Madrid girl. The
old man denied that his son was in
the house and at the same time he at
tempted to reach his rifle which was
standing in an opposite corner of the
room. He was stopped by Trujillo,
when he backed up against the bed
room door and told the officers they
could not enter that room.
The two officers talked at some
length with the old man, until finally
Lewis Apadaca, who was in the bed
room, called to the officers that he
was there and that he was coming out
Lewis knew from his fathers voice
where he was standing and the Off
GERS thought the son was going to use
his father as human breastwork
while he shot at the officers
Just as Lewis opened the bedroom
door, however, Trujillo pulled the old
man to one side and both deputies
fired, killing Lewis instantly before
he had time to fire a shot They put
four bullets in him.
The officers left the body at the
ranch, secured a six shooter and a
rife which Lewis had in the bedroom,
ported to Sheriff Dick Davis, turning
over the weapons to him.
The body of the dead man will prob
ably be taken to Clayton, New Mex
leo. as the killing was in Union
county.
At the time of the murder Apadaca
made his escape to the hills on horse
back and has eluded capture until to-
day. He was born and raised in that
section, knew every foot of the coun-
try, all the trails, SO that pursuit of
him was sure to be a failure. He has
frequently visited his fathers ranch
and Deputy Sheriff Trujillo has made
at least a half dozen trips there, but
was never able to find his man until
to-day. The parents of the murdered
girl are old residents of this county,
prominent and quite wealthy.
When the girl was murdered the en-
tire male population of Trinchera or
,ganized into posse and hunted the
hills for weeks for Apadaca They in
tended to lynch him or burn him at
the stake II caught. While Apadaca
was fugitive from justice he had as
a partner Dave Arguello, another Mex
lean, who is charged with the murder
of Celia Dussart at Bowen some two
years ago. Arguelo is now in Jail at
Ration awaiting trial for the killing of
Deputy Sheriff Fernando Garcia about
2 month ago while Garcia was attempt
ing to arrest him. These two were for
nearly two years in hiding in the hills
and camping at Mexican sheep ranches
in southern Colorado and northern
New Mexico.
The action of the officers meets with
general approval among the residents
of Trinchera.