Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-11-13
GONFESSES TO
DASrARDLY CHIME
Mystery Of Nepesta Murder
Cleared Away
CLEVELAND NUN
THE MURDERER
kansan, the Victim-Both Well
Known in Rocky Ford

kansan, the Victim-Both Well
Known In Rocky Ford
The mystery of the dccomposed
body found in the bed oi the Ar
kansas river bottoms near Nepesta,
in Pueblo county. Saturday. Sept. II.
has been cleared The remains are
now known to have been those OF
Thurman Walker, aged 1o years. a
farmer boy of Valley Forks. Kas..
and the self-confcssed murderer,
Cleveland Mum, aged 20 years. a
beet worker in the Rocky Ford dis
trict, is confined in the Pueblo coun-
ty Jail charged with the crime.
The story OF the crime reveals a
blood curdling and cruel murder:
Shot in the head while he slept the
| Walker boy was murdered for the
money that he was thought to have
on his person. But the perpetrator
OF the crime was badly fooled, for all
that he secured for the terrifying
moments that preceded his crime, the
stealthy approach upon the sleeping
victim and the task that he had in
| disposing of the body and finally the
tormcnts that have pursued him for
three long months and which proba-
bly, will follow him to his grave. was
watch, n saddle and little money.
Both young fellows had been en-
| ployed on the Beatty ranch at Mama
| nola and on Aug. 10 they left for an
overland trip to Cheyenne, Wya.
The tragedy occurred the same
night that the two left for the north
They made camp near the bridge
over the Arkansas river near Nepcs-
ia. and it was there that the cIcverly
laid and well planned plot was con-
summatcd
In the bright moonlight the mur-
dercr admits that he lay beside his
friend, and while pretending to be
asleep. watched the eyes Of his in
tended victim to determine the mo-
ment he fell unconscious. He then
quietly arose. drew his 3S-caliber pis-
tol from its holster, and pressed the
muzzie against the temple of Walk
cr. The cold steel must have dis
| turbed the lad. for he turned his
head. and Mum drew back, startled
and afraid.
But he was determined. The lust
| for blood was in his veins, and he
was bent upon obtaining the money
that he thought his friend Walker
carried. Walker again was sound
| asleep. and again the steel was press
| ed aginst his he'd. the finger of his
murderer convulsed. and bullet en-
tered his brain. Walker expired al
cording to his statement. then rn-
dressed him and attempted to carry
him to the river bank. The weight
was too much for him and he finally
cut strip from his saddle and tied
it about the neck of his victim. Luck
was evidently against him. for the
strap broke and he was obliged to do
a better job. He then bound a rope
about his throat and dragged him to
\ the river bank and hurled the body
in.
| He then returned to the camp.
where he destroyed all evidence OF
the visit. searched tho clothes thor
oughly and. according to his state
ment. found no money: Those at
the ranch are of the opinion. howev-
at the time. Num- took the watch
and saddle and left for the south.
| On Sept. IL the body was found
but no c1cws of any kind pointed TO
the perpctrator OF the crime.
Deputy sheriffS and officers in the
vicinity went to work upon the case,
and Num- was at last suspected He
maintained that he had left Walker
some time after they left Manzanol7
and that the latter was headed ior
Texas at the time.
Sheriff Potter of Otcro county fin.
ally took the case in hand and found
in a La Junta second hand store the
saddle that formerly had been usci
by Walker He then sent for Walk
cr's brother. had the saddle positive.
Iy identified and brought Mum he.
fore the dealer who was doubtful but
finally said that Mum was not tn,
man OF whom he had bought it
Num- maintained his innocence and
was released. He did not leave the
, country but returned to the RockS
Ford sugar beet fields where he wa
found at work Thursday afternoon
by Potter and Marshal Camp.
He was taken to la Junta in tho
evening hut maintained that he knc"
nothing of the murder A severe
sweating broke down his story and
he finally confessed substantially 4,
the story is told above
As the murder was committed -
, Pueblo county Num- was taken tc
Pueblo last Friday morning and .
direct information charging him will
murder in the first degree was PIE
ferrcd against him and he was lodge
0 in the county jail.