El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-26
BOY LED BY OLD
MAN To BANDITRY
Youthful Prisoner at Mara
thon Relates His Story
To His Guard.
BY KENNETH 4. HUNTER.
international News Service.

Marathon, Tex, May 2S-Sergeant I.
Sturmwald. troop A, 14th cavalry, who
guarded Lieut.. Col Natividad Alvarez
and Manuel Torres. Mexican prisoners
in the Boquillas raid, today told a story
of a conflict between pity and duty,
in which duty won Tersely, with no
heed Of the throbbing chorus, his story
played on the heart strings Of his au-
dience He said:
1T was nv business to watch the
prisoners on the long ride TO Marathon
I from the river For the minute il was
all the business I had and they were
surely watched Our first camp was IT
Mckinney Springs. There we gave the
Mexicans steak and onions and coffee
Just what the men had They couldn't
seem TO realize it. Alvarez refused 10
eat at first, but he ordered Torres to
do So
Feared Poisoned Food.
The tiente coronel. il seemed, feared
the food was poisoned and wanted to
have someone else try it Torres is lit
tie more than a boy When We took the
road again he told me his story His
father, he said, was a poor farmer IN
the Sacramento district They had lit
Ge to eat, and when, six months ago.
Alvarez. at the head of a group Of so or
more bandits. told him there was food
and new clothes to be had in abundance
he followed. He had been reared, to
said, TO hate the 'gringo,' and rather
liked the idea
Torres claimed he had not been in the
actual raid on Deemer's store. but he
admitted getting his clothes from some
Of the raiders who had
After the Raid.
He told how the band broke up in5o
pairs after the American pursuit be-
came q certainty. and how he hid in the
desert for three pights, until his tongue
was swollen and black and he thought
ne must die Of thirst II was then that
he went to a water hole, though the
hole was covered by American cavalry
men. and begged drink
Torres expected, he said. 10 be shot,
but he wanted drink first Then. as
We went on, he begged me TO intercede
for him He showed me a bit OF hand
kerchief, which he said was his moth
er's- He showed me a bit Of ribbon, that
his senorita had given him as a token
of love and luck. And he told me, final
y, that if would get him a lawyer he
would be grateful and when free would
come and work for me, or do anything
1 asked. as long as he had breath.
I pitied him, away down deep, but
I couldn't show 1t l looked at the tiente
coronel, who had led the boy, and
thought evil things I remembered how
the raiding mUrderers had killed a tiny
child. and how they had dared to come /
on American soil
4 told Torres to be still; that I could +,
do nothing
Pleads To Be Shot.
Then he pleaded to be shot It would 1
be more honorable, he said, than TO be I
hanged. as he had heard hanging was {
the custom in 'gringo' land
Again told him to be still
We drove at night, mostly to avoid
the heat and all through the night 1
Torres would talk 10 me, in his soft
pathetic Spanish, for quick end
You can't appreciate the effect Of il /
and their chains, and /
the despair of boy who had been led.
But they're here now. and turned over 1
to the sheriff. Pm through. and I've (
lived up TO the oath took when L en-
listed But I'm glad I'm through. and |
that my oath was not broken Nv hope
is that won't have another detail like I
il"