Arizona republican., 1909-05-15
JUAN LOPEz'S THEFT
 0F FANCY FOOTWEAR
It is Generally Believed That He Was Alone in the Job.

]
 T can hardly think that Hoghe 1 stood in with it." said Deputy Sheriff
 Wood yesterday.
 No" added Deputy Jeff Adams, | 'I don't believe he got into it inten-
 tionally"
 T could hardly suppose that Hoghe would become an accessory before
 the fact in a thing like that" said
 Ben Davis, but it looks like a plot
 a put up job from the beginning" This conversation was in relation
 to the theft yesterday morning of Deputy Wayne Davis fanciest red
 shoes, the pair worn only on the
 merriest occasions, after which they
 are brushed carefully, polished and laid away for the next joyous event. The shoes are supposed to have
 been stolen by "Bertuco" alias Juan Lopez, with or without connivance by outsiders. Lopez is a confirmed
 thief and spends more than half his 1 time in jail for petty larceny. His | especial weakness is the shoes of | others. One day he stole the shoe; | from the feet of fellow prisoner who was asleep. This theft was committed on the morning of the day | when one of LopeZ's many terms expired. The shoes were not missed | until after his departure and he was later found with them on and ! was compelled to return them. They
 were wrapped up and put under the desk of The sheriff and later Lopez came when no one was in the office
 and lifted them again. He was l caught as he was leaving t,,s build | ing with the Iackage under his arm But reveI;iIg to the latest exploit
 of Bertuco. He had been serving an- other term which in the natural and | legal course of events would not ex- pire for some days to come. He is however, a willing soul, and he had
 lately been employed about the Jail and grounds as a trusty.
 | Yesterday morning early, in rum maging about the sheriff's rooms he came upon the irresistible shoes of ! Deputy Davis. He had never before been in close contact with such | grandeur in the way of footwear. He | had, it is true, seen such wonders of | the shoemaker's art in shop win ! dows but his touch had always been
 barred. by heavy plate glass.
 He put one of them on and felt like
 another man. When he put the 1 second one on he felt like two other men. It is surmised that he had no | intention at that moment of stealing | the shoes; that he merely wanted to | get out of his common every day self | for a few moments.
 But here is where Supervisor Hoghe came within the range of suspicion. | He hurried into the office asking if ! he could get a prisoner to put to work 1 in his hay field for the day. He
 was told that there were no better 1 haymakers extant than Lopez; that was really the only thing he was | good for The shoes Lopez was wearing at that moment ought to
 have dazzled the eyes of Mir. Hoghe,
 but he apparently never noticed them and he hurried away with Bertuco. 1 In the light of later events. it ap- | peared that the whole performance
 was like what is commonly known
 as the rush act"
 A little before noon, Mr. HOghe re
 turned to the sheriffs office to in quire if anything had been seen of
 Bertuco. He had deserted the hay
 field without his knowledge and con , sent, MT. Hoghe said.
 As may be gathered from the open ing dialogue there is an inclination to exOnerate NIT. Hoghe of any com
 plicity, and excuses are even offered
 for Lopez. for it would have been
 little less than sacrilege to wear such
 shoes in an alfalfa field. Lopez was
 plainly not dressed. or rather, over
 dressed, for the part, and he had a
 right to leave without notice
 Mir. Davis will return this morn
 ing from Yuma, where he went with
 some convicts on Thursday. If he
 had his way, he would probably start
 back to the penitentiary tonight with
 Bertuco under a life sentence