Statement given by Bobby Davila in September 1946
Item
Dublin Core
Title
Statement given by Bobby Davila in September 1946
Subject
TESTIMONY
CRIME and Race
MURDER
DISCRIMINATION against Mexican Americans
Description
Statement given by Bobby Davila in September 1946. Two boys are served carbonated water instead of malts at Metzger's. Insulted by the boy who didn't want to serve them, the boys come back at the end of his shift to fight. The fights soon escalate when one of the Anglo American boys brings a gun. Before the fighting begins, cars passing by disrupt the fight and the Mexican American boys run away. As they run away, Jesse Garcia is shot in the back of the head.
Creator
Davila, Bobby
Source
Perales, Alonso S. Are We Good Neighbors? 1948. EBSCO Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 2
Date
1946-09
Contributor
Perales, Alonso S.
Rights
Content compilation of The Latino/Hispanic American Experience Leaders, Writers and Thinkers copyright 2012 by Arte Publico Historical Collections. All rights reserved.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
pera0095
Coverage
SAN Antonio (Tex.)
Scripto
Transcription
SEPTEMBER 1946
BOBBY DAVILA.– On September 2nd another boy, Lorenzo Tellez and I went to Metzer's to drink some malt. An American boy served us carbonated water. We asked him why he had served carbonated water and he replied that we did not have to go in there in the first place. He brought us the malts and we ate them, paid our checks and left. We were mad because he served us carbonated water and because of the way he had talked to us. I told Lorenzo Tellez that I wanted to see that boy again that night when he came out. At 7:45P.M. we went to a garage on Poplar and Laredo Streets. From the garage we went to Metzger's on N. Flores Street to see about the boy that had waited on us there that afternoon about 5:45 P.M. We left the garage at about 9:45 P.M. We got there before they closed Metzger's so we waited until they closed and for the boy to come out. The boy was talking to some big boys about the trouble we had with him and the big boys came over to us and asked what we wanted. We said we did not want anything from them. One of the big boys said I hear you want to fight the Soda Fountain boys. I said yes that's right. This big boy had a pine (steel pipe) about two and one half feet long. This big boy said: "well, start fighting". We fought. We saw some cars coming and we thought it was the police and we also saw one of the American boys' father come on foot so we all ran. We hid in a big truck in this garage on Poplar and Laredo Streets. About 5 minutes later about 15 or 16 of these Anglo-American boys passed by the garage in a car. They did not see us so they went on by and a few minutes later we all went home. When we ran from Metzgers [sic] these boys had said they would be read for us the next night.
The second time, about 9:30 P.M., about 13 Mexican boys met about as many Anglo-American boys at Metzgers [sic]. Every one had a stick, a rock or an iron or something to fight with. One of the Anglo-American boys had a gun. I went over to the boy with the gun and told him to put away the gun and I would fight him. He was holding the gun by his side pointed at the ground and Davila tried to grab it and he told him to keep back and he fired the gun on the ground by Davila's right foot. At this time two cars drove up and the boys that were with Davila started to run. When Davila was running we heard another shot, but we didn't know that anyone was hit. Very shortly thereafter we learned that Jesse Garcia had been shot in the back of the head. Davila identified Kelly Adams as the boy that had the gun and had shot in the ground by his foot.
(This case was tried before the Honorable Charles W. Anderson, County Judge of Bexar County, Texas, who declined to render a verdict, stating that he was not satisfied with the evidence presented to him, that he wanted his Juvenile Officers to investigate the case further, and that he preferred to have the case tried before a jury.
Accordingly, the case was tried in the Juvenile Court before an Anglo-American jury, who acquitted the defendant Kelly Adams.)
BOBBY DAVILA.– On September 2nd another boy, Lorenzo Tellez and I went to Metzer's to drink some malt. An American boy served us carbonated water. We asked him why he had served carbonated water and he replied that we did not have to go in there in the first place. He brought us the malts and we ate them, paid our checks and left. We were mad because he served us carbonated water and because of the way he had talked to us. I told Lorenzo Tellez that I wanted to see that boy again that night when he came out. At 7:45P.M. we went to a garage on Poplar and Laredo Streets. From the garage we went to Metzger's on N. Flores Street to see about the boy that had waited on us there that afternoon about 5:45 P.M. We left the garage at about 9:45 P.M. We got there before they closed Metzger's so we waited until they closed and for the boy to come out. The boy was talking to some big boys about the trouble we had with him and the big boys came over to us and asked what we wanted. We said we did not want anything from them. One of the big boys said I hear you want to fight the Soda Fountain boys. I said yes that's right. This big boy had a pine (steel pipe) about two and one half feet long. This big boy said: "well, start fighting". We fought. We saw some cars coming and we thought it was the police and we also saw one of the American boys' father come on foot so we all ran. We hid in a big truck in this garage on Poplar and Laredo Streets. About 5 minutes later about 15 or 16 of these Anglo-American boys passed by the garage in a car. They did not see us so they went on by and a few minutes later we all went home. When we ran from Metzgers [sic] these boys had said they would be read for us the next night.
The second time, about 9:30 P.M., about 13 Mexican boys met about as many Anglo-American boys at Metzgers [sic]. Every one had a stick, a rock or an iron or something to fight with. One of the Anglo-American boys had a gun. I went over to the boy with the gun and told him to put away the gun and I would fight him. He was holding the gun by his side pointed at the ground and Davila tried to grab it and he told him to keep back and he fired the gun on the ground by Davila's right foot. At this time two cars drove up and the boys that were with Davila started to run. When Davila was running we heard another shot, but we didn't know that anyone was hit. Very shortly thereafter we learned that Jesse Garcia had been shot in the back of the head. Davila identified Kelly Adams as the boy that had the gun and had shot in the ground by his foot.
(This case was tried before the Honorable Charles W. Anderson, County Judge of Bexar County, Texas, who declined to render a verdict, stating that he was not satisfied with the evidence presented to him, that he wanted his Juvenile Officers to investigate the case further, and that he preferred to have the case tried before a jury.
Accordingly, the case was tried in the Juvenile Court before an Anglo-American jury, who acquitted the defendant Kelly Adams.)
Text Item Type Metadata
Original Format
paper
Collection
Citation
Davila, Bobby, “Statement given by Bobby Davila in September 1946,” Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Digital Collections, accessed April 29, 2024, http://usldhrecovery.uh.edu/items/show/9.