Page 44 - AreaNewsletters "Oct 2021" issue

...Continued from last page
hide his face with a black hat pulled down low and his overcoat collar turned up.
Perry Ridenour decided to call Under- sheri Duncan Lowell and then went to nd Marshall Ray Lewis.
Nelson went home to
get his gun while Dale Ridenour quietly told Mrs. Barker, “Stall that guy in the third booth as much as you can. I’ll explain later.”
Perry Ridenour returned to the café with Marshall Lewis, and Nelson returned with his gun. The Marshall took a seat at the counter, ordered a cup of
co ee, and took o his glasses in case he had to go into action.
Perez seemed to sense he was
being watched. He abruptly
got up and walked to the door.
Dale Ridenour quickly bolted
the door and Marshall Lewis
walked up to Perez, telling him
that he was under arrest and to put his hands up.
Perez was lightning-fast as he pulled out his gun and shot the unarmed Marshall twice. Nelson, Dale Ridenour and a third man, Gene Dodge, wrestled with Perez on the oor. Nelson red at Perez twice, striking him in the ear and nger. Perez red twice, wounding Nelson once in the hand. Dodge managed to get his hunting knife to Perez’s throat and ordered him to October 2021 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters”
“Drop that rod!”
The furious ght ended as quickly as it started.
Undersheri Lowell arrived and found that Marshall Lewis was dead. The Undersheri glanced at the wild-eyed creature still being held on the ground by three men and asked, “Who are you?”
“Perez,” said the man. “Manuel Blanco Perez.”
While the coroner removed the body of the slain marshall, an angry crowd was gathering on Wilcox, debating whether or not to lynch Perez in Courthouse
Marshall Ray Lewis
Square. Undersheri Lowell was able to dissuade the crowd and hustled Perez into the basement jail cell in the Douglas County Jail, just across the street from the
B&B Café. He then made arrangements to transfer Perez to the modern El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs for
safekeeping, but Perez started ghting so hard that Lowell called the Denver Police for help. Three Denver detectives arrived shortly with a straitjacket and leg irons.
Perez calmed down and admitted to shooting the two Denver o cers after beating the woman. He said he shot the o cers because they were going to arrest him, and he did not want to be arrested. He also admitted that he shot Lewis for the same reason.
44
...an angry crowd was gathering on Wilcox, debating whether or not to lynch Perez in Courthouse Square.
CASTLE ROCK HISTORY