Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-04-24
| MAN IS DEAD,
Z OTHERS HURT
IN GUN BATTLE
House of An Alleged Boot
logger Near Los Angeles
Is Raided By a Band OF
100 Masked Men.
(By The Associated Press.)

u tdl ~ LOudg VI wv Ai''H~
of an alleged bootlegger by a band
of masked men estimated to have |
numbered more than 100.
The dead and wounded are said
by county officials who are en-
deavoring to fix the responsibility
for the raid to have been both
peace officers and members of the
masked band.
The dead man is Constable M. B.
Mosher of Inglewocd, and the
wounded are his son, Walter Mosh-
er, his deputy, and Leonard Ruigg
a special deputy sheriff.
They were shot by Frank Woern-
er, night marshal at lnglewood,
when he went to the aid of the
alleged bootlegger and his family.
The forces of the district attor-
neys, the sheriff's and the coron-
er's offices have been combined TO
the entire affair an fix
the responsibility.
According to the investigating
officials. the raid was on the home
of Matthias Elduayen. who, with
his brother, Fidel, was seized and
bound. Then they were threatened
with death by hanging and shoot
ing and finally dragged from their
home and carried six miles, where
they were left, tied.
Compelled to Stand Nude.
Next, it is charged, Bernardo
and Mary Elduayen, 13 and 10
years Of age, respectively, daugh-
ters of Fidel Elduayen, were COM
PEELED to stand nude before the
raiders.
In addition, a neighboring fam
lily, including six children, one Of
whom was believed to be dying of
double pneumonia, was forced to
flee from their home and hide for
hours in a field.
All inmates OF the Elduayen
home were asleep when the raiders
arrived. Violent hammerings at
the front and back doors aroused
them. Some of the raiders tore
open the front screen door and
forced an entrance.
Demand a Drink.
"I answered the knocking at the
back door," Mrs. Angela Elduayen,
wife of Fidel told the investigating
officials today. several masked
men, wearing hoods which covered
all of their faces except their eyes,
were there. They demanded
drink. We told them we did not
have anything to drink, but they
pushed open the door and in a
minute the house was filled with
twenty or thirty men. All wore
masks. Many flashed revolvers in
our faces"
Grabbed and Bound Two.
"They accused me of running a
STILL" said Fidel Elduayen. They
demanded to know where it was.
Before we knew what it was all
about, they grabbed me and my
brother, Matthias, and bound us.
Then they ransacked the house.
They tore up everything. They
overturned the mattresses. They
even went to my daughters bed
room.
1.-THE two girls were in their
night gowns. The masked men
yelled to them to dress at once.
The girls closed the door, but the
men threw it open again. They
made the girls take off their night
clothes and dress in front of them
with the door open"
The wrists of Fidel Elduayen
still bore the marks of the ropes
with which they had been tied.
Threw Woman Against Door.
After the men had torn up
everything" Fidel continued, they
dragged us out Three or four
handled me and several Matthias.
They threw my wife brutally
against the door. She pleaded to
be taken with us, but they made
her go to the rear of the house.
Just as we got outside and
were lined UP by the front porch,
the shooting started.
"a little fellow, wearing short
overcoat and white mask, acted
as leader. He cried out: one two.
three, four
THAT seemed to .be signal, and
the gang rushed together.
Saw 100 Masked Men.
when we were taken outside, |
we saw probably 100 masked men,
in addition to those who had en-
tered.
"The leader yelled, "A motorcy-
Gle cop and some fools are COM
ing!'
1--WE were held by some of the
men while the shooting was going |
on. / looked at the automobiles |
parked along the road, but the Ii
cense plates were all covered. My |
captors saw what | was doing and !
made me look in another direc-
ton"
Put i'm Touring Car.
Matthias and / were put in a
large black touring car with some |
men who were not masked.
"They took us to the Inglewood |
police station and tried to make /
the officer there take us prisoners, |
but he refused. The men told him !
they were federal officers and had |
raided some bootleggers,
Next we were taken to the Re-
dondo beach police station. The
men tried to make the officers
there take us as prisoners, but they
also refused.
Before taking us to the stations
the ropes with which we had been
bound were removed and we were
"Our captors threatened to hang
US ~ WC uiu lipl ttii tiiC IoNdNiSi
of a still they kept talking about.
They said they would hang US TO
tree il we did not tell
"All we could say was that we
had no still.
Then they stopped by the tracks
Of the Pacific Electric railway and
said they woufd tie us on the tracks
and let us be killed if we did not
tell.
Finally they left us five or six
miles from home, after threatening
10 shoot us If we ever told anything
hat happened"
Stole Some Wine.
Matthias Elduayen told a similar
story. They explained they had
4 bonded winery in their barn and
had about SO gallons of wine in it.
rhey said the raiders stole about
so gallons of the wine from the
winery and gallon of liquor from
.he house.
Marshal Woerncr, who hot the
-hree officers, had responded to
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