Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-10-01
ROBBERY EVIDENTLY
MOTIVE FOR CRIME
Officers Believe Skeleton Is That
of Demented Man Who Had
Plenty of Money When Last
Seen at Lava In
December.

Hillsboro, N. NJ. Oct. 1.-(Spec-
ial. Three of the four men arrest
ed for the killing of the unknown
man whose skeleton was found re-
Gently on top of a knoll one mile
from Lava, have given bond but the
fourth Is still in custody and 1t is
believed that the three released will
give testimony against him
The officers in charge of the case
have made considerable headway in
Identifying the skeleton as being
that of a man, who disappeared
from Lava on December % last year,
and also dn weaving a strong line of
circumstantial evidence against the
natives under arrest. That the man
was murdered and that robbery was
elusive.
Man Was Identified.
The man supposed to have been
killed arrived at Lava on a Santa Fe
passenger train. He was known to
have considerable money on his per-
son and was laboring under the de-
fusion that some one was after him
trying to kill him. When the train
reached Lava the man got off one
side of the train while the man or
men he thought were after him
boarded the train from the opposite
side. The demented man, according
to the information obtained by the
officers, hid behind the station house
until the train left. When 1t had
gone he went into the station house
and tried to trade some gold for pa
per money, but failed. However. he
succeeded in parting with SIS OF It
In a trade for a horse worth $16,
This horse was purchased from the
section foreman at Lava. The Sec
tion foreman is one of the men un-
told him when he bought the horse
that II he ever came back he would
return 1t.
Rode Into tornado del Muerto.
The man left Lava on the horse
going toward the east, riding out in
to the tornado del Muerto so nam
ed because of the fate of many an
unfortunate traveller who has died
from thirst while trying to cross It.
1t is doubtful If the man in his in
sane condition would have survived
trip across II had he not been kill
ed by robbers. The day following
the day he left Lava. the horse came
back. with the saddle and bride on
1t. No search was made for the
man and little more was thought of
him until the skeleton was discov-
cred.
Bullet Hole I'm Vest
The flesh had withered away, but
the clothing was quite well preserv-
ed. The vest had been ripped open
as II by some one looking for money
lining, but the pieces showed two
telltale bullet holes. Both were on
the side and showed that the shots
had been fred from below as IL the
man who wore the vest was on a
horse and the person who fired the
shot had stood on the ground. The
skeleton showed where the bullets
had ploughed through II cracking
the shoulder blade.
Though the bones We're found
within a mile of Lava, the authori-
ties believe that the killing took
place three miles away and that the
body was dragged to the top of the
knoll, VIII sre 1t was found.
in the clothing was found a
watch. thirty-five cents in money
and a key to a fire-proof safe. This
key Is numbered and from this num-
ber the officers hope to find a clue,
which may lead to the identity of
the man. The vest on the skeleton
Is of the same material as a coat
found near ;he railroad track some
distance from the skeleton and this
evidence causes the authorities to
believe that the killing did not take
place on the knoll.
The evidence against the several
men under arrest will consist OF the
display of money by some of them
shortly after the man disappeared
and unaccounted for until the skele-
ton was found. II the two can be
substantially connected.