The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-31
DESERT DEATH
STORY IS TOLD
BY SURVIVOR
Youth Relates Graphic Tale
of Horrors Faced in
Tragic March.
INFANT FIRST TO DIE
Mother and Two Brothers
Then SuCCumbed to
PitiIeSS Heat.
BY BEN AVERY
United Press staff Correspondent

SONOITA, Sonora, Mexico, July
31.-While four bodies, including
those of 16-year- mother and
her baby, lay buried in the desert
sands 200 miles west of here, three
survivors, half-crazed by five days
Of wandering across burning wastes,
told today of how they faced in
real life the same tragic situation
which Thomas A. Edison once
imagined.
A desert-faring stage left Nogales,
Sonora, July 20, bound for Mexicali,
with five passengers, the owner and
his son. Of these seven people,
three. Vincente Gutierrez, the stage
owner; his son Vincente Jr., Is, and
Juan Ojeda, husband Of the girl
mother who died in the desert with
her baby, returning to civilization.
The others, Mrs. Rufina M. Ojeda
and her 7-weeks-old daughter Con-
suela; Jesus and Ramon GRANTEES,
were buried in shallow graves along
the roadside where they fell dead,
victims of heat and starvation.
Son Tells Story
Vincente Gutierrez, son of the
stage owner, first to rally from the
half -crazed state in which they were
found, told the story which was so
strikingsly a real life answer to
Edison's famous question as to what
members of a similar, but imagi-
nary, group, should do.
1--WE travelled slowly until passing
over the divide of the Planchas de
Plata mountains and reaching the
mesaS that slope toward the Gulf
of Lower California" young Cutter
rez said.
Then after reaching Sonoita we
struck deep sand and the stage
just crawled along. The road was
deep ruts in the sand stretching
across the desert.
ut was some time last Tuesday
that the stage broke down. 1 don't
remember whether it was morning
or afternoon. We were far out in,
the desert. We had but little water
and were without food.
Stage Beyond Repair
81 thought I could fix the stage,
but I finally decided it was hope
less, after working for hours under
the hot sun. 1t must have been 1870
degrees of temperature.
Back little ways there was
crossing road. It was only trail.
We decided to leave the car and go
there, so that we could get help if
anyone should come along.
1--WE walked for three DAYS and it
seemed like the air was burning our
skin. The sand was so hot we would
lift our feet to cool them off holding
them in the air. Already we were
tired of living and walking and ter
ribly thirsty, but we must go on.
Then the little baby died. Sonora
Ojeda would not let us bury it. She
carried it to her breast and tried
to keep walking and would not let
any one touch it. At last she gave
up and fell at the side of the road.
She did not drop her baby and
think she is not dead. But she
would not move and we could not
bury her because of a dizziness that
made us stagger.
Two Brothers Die
The GRANTEES brothers, Jesus
and Ramon, died the next day. They
just sat down beside the road and
fell over on their faces. We can
not bury them, too.
My father and I and Jesus Ojeda
walked on and pretty soon we don't
remember anything. l don't know
what happened then. I thought
We had died, too"
While telling the story from his
little bed in. the Sonoita hospital. the
youth cried and shuddered. His
eyes rolled in fear and an attendant
was forced to end the interview.