Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-08-24
TWO MEN FLEE
AS MERCADO IS
shot TODEATH
Man Tried Here Three
Years ago for Murder
of Guillermo Sayas;
Mexico Agent

Higinio Mercado, Jr., was kill
ed here yesterday.
The well known border char
acter was shot to death in an
alley in the Fourth Ward Of this
city, and his smoking pistol,
picked up by his side, bore evil
dence of a battle with his assail-
ants.
Mercado's body was fairly
riddled with bullets. Thirteen
bullet wounds, in almost every
conceivable part of the body,
we're found by the officers.
A card on his body showed
fhe was special agent of the
governor of Nuevo Leon, Mex
leo.
No arrests havehbeen made in
connection with the shooting.
Higinio Mercado, who was about so
years old, was tried in district criminal
court here three years ago on a charge
of murder in connection with the kill
ing of Guillermo Sayas. Sayas was
taken out in an automobile with two or
three other men, was shot through the
body from behind, the body disembowel-
ed, and sunk in the river
Higinio was tried in this case along
with his brother, Manuel Mercado, and
a third brother, Jose, was a witness in
the case. Much interest was shown in
! the case on both sides of the river
| Sayas was alleged to have killed Jose
de la Cruz across the Rio Grande some
time before, and the Staying was said
to be the outcome Of feud which start
ed over girl.
| Was Seen Here Sunday
| H. B. Galbraith defended the Mercado
brothers, while Milton H. West, at that
time district attorney, and John |. Klei-
Der, employed as special counsel, pro-
secuted 4le case. Building up net
work Of circumstantial evidence the
prosecution secured a life term for
Manuel, and 10 year sentence for Hi
jinio.
The case was reversed in the appeals
court, and on second trial Manuel was
given 20 years, and is in the penitentiary
now. Higinio was found not guilty.
Mercado was seen in the city Of
Brownsville yesterday morning by Lieut..
tof Police John T. Armstrong. At that
time Mercado VISA with, another man
whom Armstrong did not know.
The shooting took place at 1:20 YES
terday Afternoon in a house in an alley
between Tyler and Harrison and Sew
enteenth streets. According to the
story Of the affair told Armstrong.
Mercado was in the room with two 9TH
er men, who, with a third man not pre-
sent at the time, had rented this room
three weeks before
MercadO Used Gun
When the shooting started Mercado
was shot three times through the body.
FIghtlng on with the courage Of des-
peration, ne struggled with the two 9TH
er men, the three of them finally going
out into the yard. Ten more shots
were fired after the men went out of
the room.
Mercado's pistol, 38-40 calibre, was
found with five shells fired, and he
died with stick Of wood, which he
had probably snatched up to fight Off
the otner men, clutched in his hand. Ap-
parently none of the shots from his pis-
tol touched the other two.
Witnesses said they saw two men
running down thealley in the direction
# Fort Brown after the shooting. The
officer expressed the opinion that they
had gone on across the river into Mex
leo.
Three bullet holes in the wall Of the
house showed that three shots had been
fired inside the room, Armstrong said.
He said the shooting by the other two
(COntinued on page 81