San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-16
ARRESTS ARE
EXPECTED IN
LER;|MA MURDER
Officers Trail Automobile
Used by Slayers
Of Farmer.
FOUR MEN INVOLVED
Aged Mother Of Dead Man
Tells Of Seeing
Him Shot.
FOUR MEN INVOLVED

A clue which is expected TO lead to
the arrest of persons responsible for
the murder of Teodoro Lerma, Mexi-
can farmer. who was killed at his
home east of San Antonio early Sum
day morning, was being followed by
Deputy Sheriffs Antonio Diaz and
John Subira Tuesday. The deputies
left the sheriff's office about 10 80
but W to noon had not reported. Chief
Deputy Alphonse Newton Jr.. CONT
IDENTIFY expects the arrest OF the MUIR
derers during the day.. j.
Although the chief deputy declined
to make public information obtained
by the deputies, he admitted that one
man is under surveillance and that
the prints Of an automobiles tires near
the scene of the murder have been
copied and an effort is being made
to locate a car bearing tires similar
to them. The chief deputy also stated
that the officers have heard of four
men who were near, the scene OF the
murder Saturday night. Some time
Tuesday it is believed. officers will
search house in the vicinity of San
Antonio in an effort TO find the
weapon with which Lcrma was shot.
Aged. Mother Tells OF Killing.
Macedonia Lcrma, 90-year-old moth
err of fedora, who was the only
other, person at home on the night of
the shooting made n signed state
ment before Justice of the Peace II.
Neil Campbell Tuesday morning. Her
statement in part, follows:
my name is Macedonia Lerma.
am 90 years of age and am the mother
of the deceased. Teodoro Lerma, who
was killed at the Beck ranch, about
twelve miles from San Antonio, near
the Gonzales road, on October IL. /
lived at the ii. +. Beck farm on the
night of the killing. My son, VINO
lived with me, and went to bed about
s o'clock. About 10 o'clock heard
the deceased groaning. He had fallen
in my room. He was sleeping in the
room next to me. l then saw man
with a lamp in his hand and pistol
in the other and at that time the man
with the pistol in his hand shot my
son twice while he was lying on the
floor. l noticed that the person who
done the shooting was a tall. slim
map and wore a white shirt and dark
trousers. l got up and lighted a cam
die and went into the room where my
son was sleeping TO call him, still not
knowing it was my son who had been
killed.
Murderer Stole Nearly $500.
"Wlfen l saw the deceased was not
in bed went into my room and found
the person lying on the floor was my
son. AS soon as the party shot my
son he closed the dor between my room
and the room where. deceased was
originally sleeping, and left through
the window through which he en-
tered.
After the killing we found that over
$500 had been taken from trunk
which was in the room where the de-
ceased slept. / do not know who it
was that killed my son. / did not
examine the remains to see where the
shots took effect. We notified jeff
Beck of the killing and he telephoned
the sheriff's department who arrived
about 1 80 a. m. After examining
the body it was turned over to the
Riebe Undertaking Company. My
son was "a years old. There was no
one in the house at the time of the
killing outside of my son and self. !"