Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1919-01-08
From fridays Daryl

Sunday night, December 10Th, at
the resort operated by Nellie Stew
art on South Granite street, were
barred yesterday morning when the
Stewart woman, who had heretofore
maintained strict silence regarding
the homicide, appeared in the office
of Police Chief Bloom and related
the CHASTITY story of how Mexican
named Manuel Gonzales had been
beaten to death by three other Mexi-
can patrons of her place on the date
mentioned Following the confession
of Miss Stewart, Chief Bloom at
once caused the arrest of three Mex
lean soldiers who are stationed at
Fort Whipple, the men giving the
names of Monica Baca, Juan Apo
daca and Felix Griego, when booked
at the county jail Bloom and ono
of the military police then went to
the Stewart place and found the dead
body OF the victim in a small wood
shed at the rear of the house where
it had been thrown on Sunday night
following the killing. A subsequent
search of the quarters of the three
accused men at the post resulted in
the finding by Captain Van Horn
of number Of blood-stained articles
of clothing which the soldiers had
cast off after returning to the post
from the scene of the crime
Nellie Stewards Story.
The story told to the officers by
the colored woman is substantially
as follows
On Sunday night Nellie had been
entertaining the four men, all OF
whom were Mexioans All OF them
were in a high state OF intoxication.
Apodaca. one OF the soldiers, had
been asleep on a bed in the house,
and the man who was later killed
had attempted to rob him of peck
etbook containing about 500 at
about midnight. Miss Stewart saw
the man trying to rob the soldier and
demonstrated at such action. At
about that time. the soldier woke up
and learning that he had been rob
bed, he called to his two companions
and all three began to beat Gonzales
The pocketbook was recovered but
the beating continued Nellie said
that the men hit the other Mexican
with a lamp and also picked up 4
slop jar and struck him with it Con
zales attempted to get out through
the back door. and the trio followed
him into the back yard, one of the
assailants picking up an old broom
and beating the man with it The
fight continued until the gang reach
ed the shed at the back of the lot. At
that point the negress said that she
saw the victim fall His clothing
had been almost completely torn off
of him by that time. and the three
soldiers carried the body to the shed
and shut the door. They immediate
" left the place and came down
town.
Feared to Tell Officers.
Nellie, who had been very much
frightened by the occurrence, and
fearing that she would again be put
in jail-a place by no means strange
to her-went out to the shed, she
said, and having once heard that
dogs and cats would eat the corpse
Of human being if they had the op-
portunity. she wired the door shut
with baling wire, locked up her
house and went to the home of her
mother in the west side of town.
She did not go back to her Granite
street place, she said. because she
was still afraid of the dead body
which she knew was reposing in the
bdNN Nti L. IIONENCl. NCSlClQ dN
morning, she came to the conclusion
that the officers should know of the
killing and decided to tell Chief
Bloom. The latter after hearing the
grewsome tale, notified Sheriff Davis
and Coroner Mel -ane and then went
to look at the body.
Corpse Frozen Stiff,
Unwiring the door, Bloom found
the nearly naked body sprawled out
on the dirt floor. The corpse had
been frozen until it was as hard as
iron. The head and face were badly
cut and scratched A sharp splin-
ter off the broom handle had pene-
trated the mans check and had come
out near the eye From the wounds
about the head, the officers were
led to believe that one of the as
sailants had used knife on the I'M
fortunate Mexican. Coroner Nc