The Mankato free press., 1921-09-16
TELLS STORY
Tied Up BY the Thumbs
And Beaten, He Claims
FOOD CUT SHORT ALSO
Charges Baldo Diaz With Max.
ing Moonshine; Warrant Is
sued For Arrest -
From Fridays Daily

From Fridays Daily
1t was q tale of alleged cruelty and
barbarity that would outrivaI the dark
ages that little Joe Diabela told to De
putty Sheriff Harry T.. Moore of Am
boy, County Attorney Z. 4. Phillips
and q representative of The Free
Press when brought to this city by
Deputy Sheriff Moore. Joe is q Mexi-
can about twelve years OF age, and
has been working all summer with
his mother and a man named Baldo
Diaz on the farm of William Sauer IN
Shelby township.
According to the story OF little Joe,
q bright, good looking boy, the trouble
started about three years ago when he
alleges that his mother ran away from
his rather who was then living In S.
Joseph, Mo. He stated that his father
had been working in the Berry foun-
dry in St Joseph for over ten years,
and had always been very kind to him
and his brothers and sisters. Baldo
Diaz was boarding at their home, and
one day about three years ago. An
gela Diabela, his mother ran away
with this boarder, and he thinks that
they first went to Omaha. One day
last spring a Mexican came down to
St Joseph and told the lad that his
mother was very sick and would not
live, and that he would have to 60 70
Minnesota and see her.
Wanted To See His Mother
Il wanted to see my mamma be-
fore she would die," said Joe, land
accompanied the man to Vernon Cen
ter. / learned that mamma was not
sick at all. This was last May. Since
then they have whipped me many
times, when i could not keep up with
Baldo Diaz when pulling weeds out
of the sugar beets. Mamma says that
Diax is my stepfather, but she was
never married To him, SO far as
know. My father had gone down to Il
Paso Tex, to get my grandma to come
and keep house for him. when they
told me that my mamma was SICK.
and think that IL he was at home he
would not have permitted me to come
up here ] wish ] had not come, and
would like to get back to my own pa
sent me TO school" said the child with
n wistful look in his black eyes.
The boy stated that his own mother.
and Diaz mad frequently beat him un-
mercifully and even tied him up by
the thumbs with the tips OF his toes
barely touching the ground leaving
him there for perhaps an hour at q
time. When he could not keep mp In
the fields wedding beets he was beat
en-, and his fOod cut short.
Not Given Enough 20 Eat
When he asked for more to eat he
wes told that the harder he worked
the more he would get TO eat. Not
even being treated In q humane way
By his mother, the lad ran away We'd
neSCiay TO the home OF a nearby neigh
Dor, Mr. and Hrs. Aziie Marsh OF Shell
by township. According To the boy !
own story his mother came over tn
the Marsh place Wednesday and when
she saw little Joe she seized him by
The throat, choked and beat him In a
most cruel manner. According to the
statement OF Mrs. Marsh to County
Attorney Phillips, the mother made
the remark that when she got Joe
home she would hang him up for
about an hour to cure him Of running
away Mrs. Marsh became very In
disrant- and told ths Mexican wo-
man that she dare not do anything
OF TIE kind. Mrs. Marsh, Il Is alleged,
went along home with the Diabela
woman and saw that the boy was not
tied I'D as the mother had threatened.
Boy Said He Was Cuffod
ice stated to The Free Press that
when Mrs Marsh went home his mo-
ther cuffed him around roughly and
said that she would surely hang him
uD il she was not afraid Of the law.
He says that she tied his hands be-
hind his back and threw him into a
room and locked the door. He man
aged to get the window open and tum-
bIed out of the window. After con-
siderable squirming around he got his
arms loose and again went to the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Marsh. 1t was
then that Deputy Sheriff Harry I.
Moore was informed of what was go
ing ON and brought the lad to Man
kato to County Attorney c. K. Phil
lips.
Says They Made Moonshine
The fad when questioned said thai
Baldo Diax and Mrs. Angela Diabela
had been making moonshine wh1skey
from a mixture Of corn, molaSSes and
sugar. When Diaz was drinking, Joe
says that he often whipped him and
was very Cross.
County Attorney c. z. Phillips made
out a warrant for the arrest of Baido
Diaz and Mrs. Angela Diabela ON the
charge of manufacturing moonshjne
whiskey, and also issued a search
warrant. for the search OF the prem
ises of the Mexicans on the William
Sauer place.
County Attorney Phillips says that
II the boys story Is true as to the
crueities practiced on him, he will
prosecute the pair on that charge also
n~Dc t1/vCnNC nTrC