Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-10-07
ROBERTS OCHOA A
A FINANCIAL WRECK
Pending Definite information Three
of His Friends Are Restrained
of Their Liberty.

women of questionable character
found himself early Tuesday morning
in state of entire financial collapse.
He was not only without money but
a cheap watch and a gold finger ring
which he carried in his watch pocket
were also gone Aside from the ring
and the watch his shortage amounted
to S10750 which disappeared in
manner that could be explained in no
way except by directing suspicion to-
ward his most intimate friends. This
wealth was in a purse that is now
only a memory and he had an addi-
uonal 20 cents in another pocket
which the thieves overlooked, that he
used for more vino colorado to soothe
his wounded spirits.
The situation was explained TO Jus
tice p. p Parker and Constable Ivy
and as a result of their efforts a
matron named Jesus Baldenegro and
a reputed co-worker by the name of
Ramon Valenzuela were given pre-
liminary examination yesterday and
held to answer To the grand jury in
the sum of $500 which bond has not
been forthcoming. A third person
who was summoned as a witness in
their behalf and who came unwilling
ly, was at the conclusion of the exam
ination taken into custody as either
principal or an accessory and will
be given an examination when his
attorney announces a convenient sea-
son. There may be others who belong
to the same lodge and Constable Ivy
has his ears open, listening for the
careless using of the password. And
il all came about this way:
Roberto Ochoa is middle-aged
man of strong physique, though he is
suffering from a mild form of paraly-
sis which makes him nervous and in
terferes with his naturally agile
movements. He is also quite partial
to wine, when it can be secured, the
red variety preferred. He came down
from Florence last Sunday with about
$3.50 i'm his purse. On Monday he be-
gan TO indulge his appetite and dur
ing the afternoon he called on Jesus
Baldenegro. The visit lasted until
evening when she suggested that they
go down to Salt River and enjoy the
surf" He was agreed and she asked
him for a dollar with which TO rent
a horse and buggy.
1t was produced and while she went
after the buggy he took occasion to
count his money in order to ascertain
how well it was holding out, and
found he had just S107.50 in the purse
and IS cents in another pocket. Re
turning with the buggy Jesus insisted
that they should be chaperoned by a
trusted friend, one Joaquin Valencia,
who, by the way, was the unwilling
witness mentioned above. OchOa de-
INJURED at first but finally consented
and the trio drove to the river in the
shades of twilight. Joaquin testifies
that Jesus and Ochoa had their
swim but he did not care to battle
though as he had labOred hard in the
brick yard all day he took off his
shoes and washed his feet and his
head
The first discovery of anything ir-
regular was when Jesus and OchOa
emerged from the water and the lat
ter saw his watch lying on the ground
nearby, and asked Joaquin to hand it
to him, which he did, this being Joa-
quin's recital. 1t was then long
past midnight, the water having been
so inviting they had tarried unseem-
ly long. Starting home they had not
gone more than 200 yards until they
overlook Ramon ValenZuela and the
party came up the suburban road to
the residence of a mutual friend, one
Francisco Franco, midway between
the river and Phoenix.
Here they tarried for yet another
hour or so during which Ochoa dis
covered that his wallet was gone. He
was yet convivial having had a bottle
Of wine along on the river side. and
though the purse was missing he
found the other IS cents which he
sent by a messenger for more wine.
on disposing of it he sought repose
but had nowhere to lay his head and
no money to buy a place so Fran
cisco Franco arranged a pallet for
him in the open and he retired while
the other friends came on to town.
The next ay the full appreciation of
his poverty dawned upon him and
suspecting that there were other
ways of losing money than through
hole in his pocket he appealed to the
law 1t would appear that Jesus Bal
denegro was the author of the con-
spiracy but the actual theft seems
TO rest between Ramon and Joaquin.
If the latter's story be true it is like
ly Ramon went through Ochoa's
clothes, took the money and dropped
the watch during the several hours
in which Joaquin was washing his
feet Otherwise Joaquin may have
been the man with deft fingers and
Ramon an innocent victim, though
his near presence at that lonely spot
at such an unseemly hour is hard
to account for. Again, it appears
that Ochoa did not know of his loss
until he arrived at Frances house
in which case he may have been
touched" by some of them on the
way up from the river. He says he
remembers that at one time, one Of
them dealt him a rather singing
blow on the arm while he was in the
buggy and it is not impossible it was
done to divert his attention from