El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-12-19
Too Men Killed
By Companions,
Coroner Finds
Mexicans Not Shot by Off
GERS Who Were Pur-
suing Them.


/ Jose Lopez Of Juarez, and Ehdaro
I Esquibel. who were killed during q
running fight with deputy sheriffs at
/ 4 o'clock Thursday morning. were not
| killed by The officers but came TO
I death from the hands Of their own
companions. according to the finding
Of coroner r. B. Rawlins. Follow
/ ing an inquest and court OF inquiry
the coroner issued the verdict that
the deceased came TO their deaths
by gunshot wounds inflicted by IN
known parties in the automobile they
occupied"
Five witnesses. including two Of
the deputy sheriffs who engaged in
the battle were examined The first
witness was Eddie Hodo, an employe
az merry 80 round at Bassett and
Alameda streets, who was sleeping IN
the carOusaL
Shots Came Rapidly.
AT 4 o'clock Thursday morning
heard three or four guns firing" he
said The first three shots came
rapidly and from the same gun Then
there were number Of scattering
shots saw a big automobile fol-
lowing a Ford car. A few minutes
later I noticed two men lying on the
pavement but didn't 90 near them. 7
heard one OF them groaning and
thought he had been hit by an auto
mobile"
J. z. shaughnessy. another en-
ploye at the carousal. corroborated
the men raise up and faH back over
the other" he added The two au-
tomobiles were running about 125
feet apart and about 10 or IL miles
an hour" he said
a Il. Hughes, OF the American Z
dairy, testified that he saw the cars Z
IN the chase and heard the shots I
Later he said he saw the two bodies 4
IN the road He said the automobiles 4
we're running slowly and that he no ]
wore a scabbard Of small size.
officer Tells Of Fight.
Deputy sheriff Juan Para. who
was in the battle, testified concern
Ing the details OF the fight
7 was with T. G. Giron and II. B. (
Garcia IN a car" he said We were
coming from the lower valley and H. I
Reynolds was our chauffeur 7 saw 4
the Ford coming from TIE canal on 4
boulevard It speeded past I
Us In the same direction we were I
going and Giron said Let's follow 1
that car. The Ford speeded Up and /
5iron urged our driver TO speed I'd I
We followed a distance and then 4
Giron blew a whistle as a signal 70 4
the FORD 20 stop At that the occu-
pants began firing on Us Giron and .
Garcia then started shooting. the I
former with a Winchester rifle There Z
we're a great many shots fired. Then
we saw the two bodies thrown out T
Of the car We stopped minute
and looked at than Then we re-
sumed our chase The Ford. however
scapeu IN the mud at the bridge on f
.taynor street and drove toward Mex I
leo We were running about % miles
an hour then we came back to the I
bodies Lopez was not quite dead I
and said 70 me- Juan take me TO Z.
: hospital n
An Investigation OF the shooting 4
vas conducted by deputy sheriff J. c. n
5tansel, who testified as follows, re-
sard1ng the autopsy performed on the
lodies: II
Or VIII Rogers performed the
autopsy. I knew one OF the men as
-llaaro 6squlve- rms man nao q
-ulshct wound. The bullet had cut n
through the eighth lib and carried a II
portion OF the rib into the heart \
lursting that organ There we're nc u
-oles in the coats the man wore. but n
lis shirt had been pierced The bull n
et was - ealioer. soft nosed-
Wound Powder Burned. II
Pie other man whom I now know l
10 be Lopez, was shot from the right II
tide The bullet ranged 20 the left 4
tide and came out This wound was
ladly powder burned Esquibel also n
rad deep cut on the TOP Of his head \
Fhich looked as though he had been Il
struck on the head with a revolver
1his penetrated 20 the skull and 4
,ould not have been so Inflicted had n
be received L when he struck the 4
lavemeut I identified him from his
passport picture. Esouibel had given
ne some Information regarding
ImuEglers and 7 had told him not TO
'e seen with me OF he would be killed
'y the bootleEgers- have IN my
possession four cartridges, one Is a
g automatic and the other three are
l8 callber. These were taken from
he pockets OF Lopez"
Giron corroborated the testimony
Z PARA. He told Of returning the
ire OF the fleeing men and how he
ad seen someone omen the Ford door
nd throw the bodies out The Of
icer said he had known Esuuibel and
hat he telephoned the police fol-
owing the shooting and after his re-
wru n the hnTfeE