The Delta independent., 1919-07-04
YOUTHFUL MEXICAN KILLS TWO
coUNTRYMEN WITH AXE

One of the most CHASTITY murders IN
the history of the community was
unearthed Friday afternoon with the
finding of the bodies of two murdered
men In shallow grave at the rear oi
the house where they were domiciled
while tending beets on the j. w, Stor-
ment place, Friday afternoon
Early in the morning fellow Mex
ican named Jose Barrera, youth OF
about eighteen years, who had Deeh
working with the two men three OF
four weeks. called at the Storment
residence about half mile from MS
own house, and though. he could not
sneak English. by signs and gesticui-
ations managed to make them under
stand that the two men had attacked
him, knitted him, robbed him OF Sloo
in bank notes and gold. and after iir-
ing revolvers at him fled to the hills.
Russell Storment, seventeen year
old son of Mr. and Mrs. Storment then
drove down town and brought the
young fellow to the sheriffs office
where an interpreter was secured
Through the interpreter Barrera gave
r. very graphic description OF the al
legged robbers, explaining that when
they left they carried two watches.
one a Swiss movement in gunmetai
case. The other he said was gold
watch. He also stated that one OF
them wore a pair of black shoes with
white tops.
Sheriff Wilson at once wired other
sheriffs in surrounding counties giving
them the description as furnished him.
Soon after dinner Mr.. Storment and
f. ]. Painter were working near the
place and came to get water. They
looked about inside the house and IL
struck them that there was consider
able more blood on the walls ani
floor than there should be from
mere knife thrust in the hand They
noticed place where some bloody
body had been dragged across the
floor and porch and then discovered
n pile of loose dirt n short distance
back of the house. On further inves-
tigation they discovered that some ar
ticles of clothing had been partly
burned and were still smouldering.
Removing these they dug down a
short distance with shovels and found
bloody axe and underneath this the
aihost nude bodies OF two men. Here
they stopped and notified the sheriTs
office and Mr.. o. G. Taylor. coroner
mt Hotchkiss.
On receiving this information Roy
Gregg, undersheriff at once took Bar
rera into custody and on searching
him found the two watches which he
had stated the Mexicans wore when
they departed for parts unknown.
The dead bodies were brought into
town and the coroner's inquest held
Saturday afternoon. A jury composed
OF william Miller. w. A. Shepherd
Tom Addleman. Il. A. Cunningham, j.
T. Crawley and n. s. Anderson, heard
the Testimony and after deliberating
short time rendered verdict that the
two Mexicans came to their death
from an axe in the hands of Jose Bar
rera.
II was necessary to employ an IN
terpreter. Mike Martinez. serving in
that capacity. Barrera told substantial
ly the same story on the witness
stand which he had told on his visit
to the sheriff's office. except that ne
denied that he had told the sheriff
that the men who had robbed him Wore
the watches and shoes he had de-
scribed.
Several witnesses including Under
sheriff Gregg. ]. w. Storment. e. j.
Painter. Russell Storment and A l..
Cerst, testified as to the things found
there. A number OF articles of wear
ing apparal-conts. shirts. shoes and
neckties-were found stuffed down in
the out house. and these were identi-
fled by the prisoner as the property
Of the dead men.
When confronted with the dead
bodies he stated that he did not know
whether they were the men with whom
he had been employed and who had
robbed him or not, but that the stature
and build appeared to be the same
Indeed. so frightfully mutilated we're
the features OF one tnat no one could
have identified him.
The various articles of wearing ap-
parel including the white topped shoes
(the latter found under the back
porch) were introduced in Court. as
we'll as the watches OF the murdered
men and some photographs.
They appeared to be about 22 ana
25 years of age One was named Al
pheus Camasillo. but the other mans
name was not obtainable. The three
had been here but few weeks, ship
ping over from Pueblo.
On Monday Barrera weakened ana
made full confession OF the murder,
stating that he had been attacked by
tho two men. knitted and robbed and