Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-12-25
SUPPOSED LEDESMA
TURNS OUT TO Be
WRONG MAN
REMARKABLE CASE OF
RESEMBLANCE DEVELOPS
Exact Counterpart to
Smallest Details of DeSper-
ate Full BIooded indian Muir
deref Still At Large,

IBy Morning journal Special Leased wire.I
Las Cruces, y. NJ, Dec. 23.-Nico-
las Ledesma, the noted indian des-
perado. is still at large. The author
tiles, completely baffed by one OF the
strangest resmblances on record, have
released the prisoner brought here
last week by Deputy Sheriff Felipe
Lucero and positively Identified as Lee
desma. The annals of criminOlOgy in
the southwest contain probably no
stranger case.
The man incarcerated here was ar
rested at Nogales, Ariz., last week by
Captain JEFF Kidder, of the Arizona
Rangers. The man was turned ver
to Deputy Lucero, of Dona Ana coun-
ty. and brought here heavily manacled
On last Friday. He was absolutely
identified all along the line. He
claims. however, that his name Is
Francisco Leon, of S~olomonville, Ariz.
The prisoner, however, was found to
have all the Identification marks of
Ledesma; the bullet scar on the left
elbow; another on the right shoulder
and a knife scar on the back of his
neck. On being brought here the sup
posed Ledesma was confronted by
Jose Chavez, of Mesilla, the man
whom Ledesma stabbed, and for
which offense the arrest was made; by
Pedro Salcido, constable of Mesilla,
who has known Ledesma for many
years. and by VIII Barker. who works
on Turney's ranch, where Ledesma
was working at the time the stabbing
was committed. Each of these men
declared positively that the prisoner
was not LedesTha and the sheriff in
charge was compelled to turn the man
loose. The deputy secured his man
after an arduous and patient trip
it is hard luck that all his efforts have
proved in vain. Lucero struck Ledes-
mas trail at Picacho. west of Las
Cruces: followed him to Cambria.
thence to a ranch near Deming,
to Deming n to Gage, where
Ledesma tried TO sell his horse;
thence to Victoria, where he sold the
horse, saddle and gun with which he
escaped from Mesilla for SIS. The
desperate with the deputy on his trail
then went TO Gage, thence to Lords
burg, SolomonVille and Wilcox, Ariz.
Al WILCOX a man who got on the same
train from which Lucero had allghted
was pointed out as Ledesma. Lucero
wired Captain Kidder TO arrest the
at H~uachuca. which was done
and Kidder toe the man to Nogales.
A bartender at Wilcox who claims 10
been a cellmate of Ledesma in
the ! una BtlliAtiilAdAN saw 1h''h
information that Ledesma had
the train. At Victoria the
prisoner was Identified as the man
who. mad sold the horse and saddle
was similarly identified at Gage
and Deming. The deputy sheriff
identified the horse and saddle as the
same that had been taken from Me-
silla by Ledesma. The chain of evil
dence was absolutely complete. That
the man should fail to be Identified AT
Mesilla completely mystifies the Of
ncials. What became of the real Lee
desma, IL this man Is indeed Leon. IL a
dark enigma. Leon, who If he is Leon
is Ledesma's perfect double claims to
have never beer in New Mexico.
There is no doubt whatever that De-
putty Lucero was on the right trail as
far as Wilcox, and in all probability
Leon was pointed out to the officer as
part Of a pre-arranged plot to put him
off the track.