The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-06-23
ENDS CAREER OF
MEXICAN OUTLAW
Border Desperate Who Com.
mitted Many Crimes With Ak
Is Killed by Deputy

Luna, Mexican outlaw, murdered Qua
dalupe Moreno and kidnapped the
beautiful sixteen-year-old widow Of his
victim, a few days ago, he committed
the last Of series Of bloody exploits.
Luna was trailed to his camp in the
chaparral. Is miles from here, by q
sheriff's posse and there shot and
killed by Deputy Sheriff Victor Or
tega. With the death of Luna and
the confession he made to Mrs. Mo-
reno there was solved the mystery Of
several murders and assaults which
have been committed In the Rio Hondo
section Of the lower Rio Grande Dor
der in the last two years.
For three days Luna kept Mrs.
Moreno a captive In his remote camp,
submitting her to many tortures. Ac-
cording to her sworn story, Luna en-
tered the Moreno home i've miles from
Rio Hondo, late at night. He awakened
her first and asked If her husband was
at home. The latter answered for
himself, and Luna then struck Moreno
over the head with q pistol and then
picked up an az with which he con-
tinued beating him until he was dead.
The bandit then grabbed Mrs. Moreno
and placed her on q horse in front Of
him and fed. He threatened to kill
her If she made an outcry. They
travelled most of the night, finally ar.
irving at Luna's camp.
Kept Girl Prisoner.
The camp is about two miles from
Rancho Nueva and five miles from
Los Leones. Here the girl was kept
In captivity from Thursday morning
until Saturday afternoon. During
this time Mrs. Moreno did not eat
anything, although Luna brought her
food. He went to the Chapa ranch
house, some distance from the camp
to obtain food, she said. 1t was at
the camp that Luna told her Of his
crimes.
According to Mrs. Moreno, she was
repeatedly threatened with death by
Luna while In camp. He spent much
of his time telling her Of the many
crimes he had committed. He said
that he killed Miss Marie Schroeder
at Rio Hondo two years ago; that he
was the man who brutally assaulted
e. f. Ehlers of Rio Hondo and at
tackled Mrs. Ehlers, few weeks ago.
His purpose, he said, was to kidnap
Miss Ruth Ehlers, their daughter, but
he was foiled in this effort.
The killing Of the Schroeder girl
was described as the most atrocious
In the history Of the lower border
country. The girl was accustomed to
60 to and from school, about three
miles from her home, on a horse. She
failed to return home one evening.
Nothing was thought of it at the time,
as she frequently spent nights with
friends in San Benito. Next day, when
she failed to appear, a search was
started. Her horse was found, and
later her badly mutilated body was
discovered hidden in underbrush.
Got His Man-Dsad.
Posses beat the country for several
days, and one man, q Mexican, be-
neved to have had some knowledge Of
the crime, was killed when he resisted
officers.
Luna, according to information OBJ
tanned. was feared by all the people
Of the Rio Hondo district because of
his brutality and treachery.
Luna had been suspected for some
time of having been implicated in the
Ehlers crime. At the time this crime
was committed, Sheriff Sam Robert
son put Victor Ortega on the case.
Ortega expressed the belief that Luna
was the guilty man, and he spent most
Of his time after the Ehler crime
searching for Luna.
Robertson offered q reward Of 500
for the murderer of Guadalupe Moreno,
dead or alive, and Ortega, with the
faithfulness with which he started on
the case, got his man-dead.
Luna was twenty-four years old and
It is believed by peace officers that his
death will remove the ringleader Of q
group Of bandits who have been COM
uniting crimes in the Rio Hondo dis
trict. and hiding in the stretches of
brush land between that place and the
bay.