Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1909-12-17
CONFESSION
|. MADE BY
boy
AARON TORRES ADMITS BEING
MURDERER OF sERAPlo
MEMOIR
TELLS SHERIFF ROMERO ALL
AFTER BEING "swEATED" BYI or
FIcER PRISONER BREAKS
( DOWN
CInCD T0DDCc IuDI IChTCn
SON SAYS FATHER WAS CLOSE
BY AT THE TIME OF THE
KILLING
TELLS SHERIFF ROMERO ALL
ELDER TORRES IMPLICATED
SON SAYS FATHER WAS CLOSE
BY AT THE TIME OF THE
KILLING

The Serapio Memoir murder mys-
terry took a sensational turn today
when Aaron Torres twenty-two-year-
boy, who was arrested together with
his father. Catalina Torres, Monday
on suspicion of being the slayers
of the wealthy San Miguel county
ranchman, broke down while being
"sweated" by Sheriff Cleofes Romero
and Undersheriff w. H. Stapp, and
made complete confession. The
boy said that he fred the shot which
killed Memoir and furthermore ad-
mitted that his father, Catalina Torres
was nearby at the time of the ira
gedy, although he denied that the ell
der Torres, had hand in the killing
However, the fact that the boys faith
sr was witness to the murder makes
him liable as an accessory. Following
the confession which was made this
morning in the private Office of Sher-
iff Romero in the court house, and
which was reduced to writing and
signed by the murderer, the slayer
and his father waived a preliminary
examination and were remanded to
the county jail to await the action of
the grand jury without bail. Since
his arrest, Catalina Torres, mas stead
fastly refused to talk, and even after
he had been told that his son had con-
fessed continued to maintain his
sphynx-lihe silence.
Sheriff Romero, who with Deputy
Sheriff Pedro PadilIa, fastened to the
scene of the murder Monday morning
as soon as he was notified of the ira
gedy, returned last night. The sher-
iff spent two days at Gonzales iIves-
tigating the murder of Serapio Men
zor and when he reached home last
night he had enough circumstantial
evidence against the Torres, father
and son, to convince him that either
one, or both of them, were the slayers
of the ranchman. Today's confession
proves that Sheriff Romero was not
mistaken.
According to the facts unearthed by
Sheriff Romero Memoir was killed
between the hours of 10 and II
O'Clock last Sunday morning about
mile and half from his ranch home
near Gonzales, remote settlement
in northeastern San Miguel county.
The body was found about twenty
four hours later by one of the dead
mans sons, who, when her father
did not return, went out to look for
him.
While the officers would not give
out the details of the younger
Torres confession, 1t is said that the
boy related how he had had trouble
previously with Memoir and that he
and his father, went to the Memoir
ranch Sunday morning to have it
OUT with Memoir. He was found in
specting a bunch of sheep grazing
some distance from the ranch house.
He was evidently taken unawares
and shot down by the Torres boy, as
in his confession young Torres is said
to have told how, after Menzor had
expired, his father, who was an eye
witness to the killing, took from the
dead mans body a belt OF cartridges
and a revolver and hid it in rocky
crevice nearby. Sheriff Romero will
return to the scene Of the crime as.
soon as the snow melts and look for
this weapon and belt.
According to Sheriff Romero, the
ball which killed Memoir literally
tore the top of his head off, having
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