Arizona republican., 1922-01-10
MOTHER MAKES LAST
HOUR PLEA FOR SON
SENTENCED TO HANG

''He was always a good boy. All
the time he work and help me with
( the others.
| This was the appeal OF Carmen
| Silva, mother of Ricardo Leuterio,
sentenced to be hanged at Florence
at daybreak Friday when she sought
| out the governor yesterday in the
| hope that the death sentence might
be commuted to life Imprisonment
| In the absence of Governor Camp
| bell she learned from his secretary
Henri Behoteguy, that the law re-
| quires the che executive to await
| recommendation OF the board of
| pardon and paroles before taking ac-
! ton.
Accompanied by one OF her six
! children, the woman and boy sat in
| the governors office as much az
nome as in their own humble SIR
roundings So keen was their anx-
iety that they failed to be awed by
the fine furnishings and the pres
| ence of state officials. Their one
thought was of the boy behind the
bars.
Keep him there If he stay in
! prison l see him from time to time
| but if it is death / see him no more"
said the mother.
! The day after Christmas she went
| to Florence to see Ricardo who is
/ but "a years Of age, and the man Of
| the family since his twelfth birthday
when his father died.
II no say goodbye to him because
| maybe he have good luck and | see
him again his mother prayed rath-
or than said.
If the board Of pardons and paroles
! does not commute the sentence Car
men will not see her boy again. With
no funds to make the trip. she will
have to stay at home as the hours
! slowly pass for her sons time on
earth.
Ricardo was born IN Minas Prize,
! tas. Sonora, and has lived in Arizo-
na for nine years or more. He first
went to Bisbee where he worked
! in the mines Later he was a cation
! picker in this valley and was en-
! ployed at the Phoenix Iron works
when he figured in the tragedy which
convicted him of the crime of mur.
| der
4 Lauterio was convicted of murder
in the first degree by a iurv i'm the
superior court early in FEBRUARY of
! 1921. He was sentenced to be hanged
on April Il by Judge Stanford but
secured a stay of execution on an
| appeal. The supreme court upbeId
the decision of the lower court and
~eset the date of his execution for
next Friday, Jan. 13. Lauterio was
charged with ling his alleged
! sweetheart Adelina Sosa. on tho
morning of Nov. 8, 1920. in a tent
on ranch no, Invest of Phoenix
Lauterio on the stand admitted
having killed Mrs. Sosa. but declareo
he was insane at the time with ioaI-
| ousy He declared Mrs. Soga had
Tilted him for another man
Il would rather kiss a dog than
! YOU Lauterio testified during his
trial were the words spoken bv Mrs.
Sosa that drove him into such a
| frenzy that he drew his knife placed
! it against her temple and struck #
two blows with the palm of his hand
! driving the blade 30 the hilt in her
/ temple. Thi:, according to the testi-
nony, occurred about $3.50 O'Clock in
the morning and AIRS. Sosa died
! about 8 o'clock the same night I'm ST
| Joseph's hosl ital wnere she had been
/ taken. LauterlO, following the stab
| bing, ran to a nearby cotton field
/ and attempted suicide bv taking
strychniDe but officers counteracted
! the effects Of the poison by forcing