Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-26
SLAYER Of CeIestino 0tero Ac-
Quilted in Ell PaSo Court
lea of Self defense Is
Sustained on Hearing.
WIFE OF DEAD MAN
REPEATS HER STORY
Much of Evidence Introduced
in Conspiracy Case at San
la Fe Recently Is Reproduce
ed at Later Trial.
ESPECIAL p,spAros 70 MORNING JOURNAL

Irl pasO, Tex, Jan. 2b.--E1eBo Ba-
On. former district attorney or So
eorro county, New Mexico, was ac-
Quilted by a jury here tonight, on 4
charge of having murdered Celestlno
Otero, in FL Paso. January 81, 1915.
Baca claimed self-defense.
Otero was killed in front of sa-
loon at the corner of Seventh ana
santa Fe streets in this city, after
keeping an appointment previously
made with Baca. Baca went to the
place Of meeting in an automobile
driven by Or. Romero, and immedl-
ately after alghting from the car the
difficulty which resulted in the death
Of Otero began.
Baca was attorney for Jose Ynez
Saazar, the Mexican general, recently
ACQUITTED on a charge of perjury in
connection with a habeas corpus pro-
ceeding resulting from Salazar's cross
ing into the United States.
Baca, with several other promi-
nent men of New Mexico, was acquit-
ted several weeks ago at Santa Fe,
n. NJ. on a charge of having aided
Salazar in his escape from Jail at Al
buquerque, where he was held pend
ing trial on the perjury charge.
MIS-. OttiO = iINiutiRNs
The prosecution closed its case in
chief this morning. Mrs. Otero had
testified that she and her husband
had come to FL Paso to collect money
from Elfego Baca due her husband
that they had lived in and near Al
buquerque for several years; that she
knew Baca by sight and. that she mad
seen hin and her husband in CON
versation on a number of times. she
was with her husband when Manuel
Vigil gave Otero $40 to go to El Paso
and meet Baca: she knew General
Salazar and was living on the Vigil
ranch when he was hiding there after
his escape from the Albuquerque jail.
All testimony in reference to Salazar
was objected to and the objections
were sustained by the court.
The testimony of several witnesses
for the prosecution was TO the effect
that they heard shots, some one, 9TH
ers as high as three or four. one
claims to have seen Baca throw
pistol in the direction of the body OF
the man on the ground: others saw
near the body what seemed to be
knife none seemed to know who fired
any of the shots. Luz Alvarez testi-
fled that as she was coming from her
work she saw man killed. Il heard
the first shot" she said. but ] do not
know who did the shooting. ! heard
three shots. ] never saw Baca until
he stood up in court here"
Picked Up Pistol.
Jim Briggs testified that he picked
up pistol close to the body Of the
dead man, Otero. He phoned the po-
lipn nf fha in his
pocket. Later he took it out and il
discharged while in his hand. 1t
was the seventh cartridge that dis
charged and there were six others in
the magazine. While he did not see
who fired the shot he heard, he saw
smoking pistol in Baea's hand
Ira E. Taylor, a Santa Fe conduc-
tor, who was on switch engine in
the vicinity of the tragedy, said he
saw Mr.. Baca standing near an au-
tomohile and he saw him throw
pistol away, get into the car and go
up the street. The witness phoned
the police and then went over to
where the man was lying. He did
not see a pistol. He saw blood on
Otero but had no Idea of how many
shots were fired, or how many times
the man was hit.
i. A. Mccoy, u switchman, testified:
What attracted my attention was the
automobile coming from the south.
heard some shots and Immediately
turned my head, but | do not know
who fired the shots, although | un-
derstand Mr.. Baca fired some of them.
! Know there were two men in the
car which turned right on the Santa
re track, but cannot tell whether or
not There were any more. ! did not
see Otero shot. I saw him right after.
lie was staggering. kinda falling. |
saw his hands. and he did not have a ,
pistol that | saw. There was a weap-