Bisbee daily review., 1914-05-21
SHORT FREE FROM JURY.
COroner's Body Recommends
 That He Be Exonerated of Killing of Mexican, Soto;
 Soto Fired First, Is Evidence.
Evidence Against Short Proved Weak; Action of Jury Does
 Not Prevent Further Steps
 But Makes These Unlikely.

Luke Short, the line rider in the United Customs service who was ar- rested last Monday evening for shoot ! ing and killing Eduardo Soto, an ] American Mexican employed by Joe ! Kline, was discharged from custody at noon today by Coroner Maclay in laccordance with the recommendation made in the verdict returned by the jury which heord the evidence at the inquest.
 ! In concurring with the action taken by the jury. Assistant District Attor- ney Parso exEsplained that the yer dict would not be a bar to shorts .rearrest should it be deemed adyis- able and he coIld see no reason for idisregarding the recommendation of the jury He said the evidence would be submitted to District Attorney Gil more, who could have Short arrested again and tri.d if he considered 1t justified
 The verdict of the jury was that ."Eduard6 Soto came to his death from gunshot wounds at the hands of Luke Short and We recommend that Luke Short be exonerated from an blame and discharged from cus- tody"
 JURY DECIDES QUICKLY
 The jury was comprised of J. A. Hewitt, Garland Coffey, C. S. Erskine, c. E. Bates. II. B. Russell and Cy Broome It returned its verdict after only a few minutes deliberation The courtroom was crowded When the verdict was read shorts friends stepped forward and congratulated him. Mrs. Short was present during the proceedings
 The only witness who gave any valuable testimony on the main point at issue. the question of who fired the first shot, was Caleb Holden. who drives one of the city sprinkling wagons, and he stated clearly and definitely that the Mexican fired first Holden said
 'I was filling the wagon tank at the corner of avenue and Eleventh street. and as shut the water off saw two MeXicUns coming down the street in a delivery wagon. One of them carried a siX-shooter As he passed me, he tucked it under the bib of his overalls and soon after. ward I saw him pull it out again. I saw Short following the two men and thought his purpose was to take the gun from the Mexican, whom alterward learned was Soto
 TRIED TO WARN SHORT.
 As the MeXicans reached the cor ner I heard Soto cock his pistol I started to warn short but a moment later Soto fired at him Short re- turned the fire and Soto fired again. Each time as Short fired. ! noticed the Mexican finch as if he might have been struck When ! noticed the two men again Soto had slipped off the wagon, and he fired two shots from behind It."
 Pompeo Yillagrana. who was in the seat with Soto when the shooting occurred, did not tell a clear story. He said that as Soto and be were driving along Eleventh street Soto holding the lines Short came up. pistol in hand Ho would not say who shot first saying that it all seemed to be at once. He said he dodged to escape being hit and did not know what happened afterward He said he thought Short fired first because Soto handed the lines to him before he began shooting
 Villagrana declared that he did not know until the shooting started that Soto was carrying a gun. All he could say of the trouble between Short and Soto was that when he and Soto delivered a couch to the Short home some time ago. Short bit at Soto and Soto ran. The witness said he did not know what caused Shorts , anger
 LELEVlER's TESTIMONY. Ives G. Lelevier local agent of the Constltutionalists told of the occa- D sion six or seven days ago when soto's brother-in-law cane 10 him and told him that Short was supposed to be locking for Soto with a piR