The life and adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the celebrated California bandit
page: (Cover) [View Page (Cover) ]-I~O 'l THE CALIFORNIA jIGf4W4YMEN. SAN FRANCISCO: OF AND Iz/ K .01- 7Lr page: (TitlePage) [View Page (TitlePage) ] THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES -OF--- JO.AQU-IN,, MURI.ETA- TIIF JL4 ,Vuit A iIO~A BNI 9 I f O '.1 :4 THIRD EDITION. REVISED, AND ENLARGED BY THE AUTHOR, THE LATE JOIN R. RIDGE. SAN; FRANCISCO FRED'K MAcCRELLISH & CO., PUBLISHERS. -osy". W110, JI my CIL tool, page: 0[View Page 0] HAVARD COLLEj URI 6abared according to Act of Congress in tba yen ISM, by 1'.MACCUw&M & Co., in Oce of the District Counof the United S otr for the DbCct of C ,in a. i ' 0 The undersigned, having purchased the copyright of the "Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta," deem it proper to preface this publication of this latest edition by some brief mention of the lamented author, JoHN R. RIDGE, who was a Chero- kee Indian. His Indian name was Chee-squa-tah-lo-uee, which, being interpreted into English, is "Yellow Bird," and this name, which the reader will perceive is not a fictitious signature, was that adopted by Mr. Ridge in the title page of most of his works. The father of Yellow Bird was' a Chief, his mother a white woman, a na- tive of Connebticut, in which State she married the young Chief, he being at the time at the institution of Cornwall, where he had just finished his English educa. tion. When Yellow Bird was ten years of age his father was assassinated, at the instigation of a rival Chief, and his mother fled with her children from the Indian territory. Yellow Bird was sent to school in Massachusetts. At the age of seven, teen he returned to the Cherokee Nation, which had been ever since his father's death the scene of fierce contentions between rival factions. In these contests,. which were bloody, the young man niingled, with varied fortune, until the age of twenty-three, when, his patrimony being wasted in the struggle and the scale turn. ing against him, the power of his father's enemies being too firmly secured to be shaken without a strong military force with which to operate against them, and he being himself hunted from pillar to post by the stronger party, he turned his steps once more to California. Doubtless he cherished still some plrn for obtaining what he considered his -just rights in the Cherokee Nation, but what they are none now can tell. His sudden death, while he was yet in the full vigor of manhood, took him away from many unfinished and long-cherished plans. In California his career was a literary and political one, and many of his poems will always remain as an enduring portion of American literature. , Before. his death he had prepared a revised edition of his story of Joaquin Murieta, to which he had added much new and heretofore unpublished material. The manuscript has been purchased by the undersigned. and with the following preface, written by the author for this -edition, the narrative Is laid before the public. FEE .MACCEELMsH C. AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. The continued and steady demand for the "Life and Adventures of Joaquin Mu- rieta" induces the author to issue a third edition, revised and enlarged, according to the scope of additional facts, the knowledge of which has been acquired since the publication of preceding editions. This would seem to be the more necessary, as a matter of justice both to the author and the public, inasmuch as a spurious edition has been foisted -apon unsuspecting publishers and by them circulated, to the in- fringement of the 'author's copyright and the damage of his literary credit-the spurious work, with its crude interpolations, fictitious additions and imperfectly din- guised distortions of the author's phraseology, being by many persons confounded with the original performance. t PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. I page: 0[View Page 0] 4I '1 I -f I I I mts 1YTHOOD, EARLY EDUCATION AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE-HIS AC- QUAINTANCE WITH AMERICANS IN MEXICO-HiS WINNING OF THE BEAU- TIFUL ROSITA-HIS ARRIVAL IN CALI- FORNIA-HIS HONEST OCCUPATION AS A MINER-HIS DOMICIL INTRUDED UPON BY LAWLESS NEN-THEIR OUT- BAGES UPON HIM AND, HIS MISTRESS -HIS REMOVAL TO A NEW LOCALITY- NEW INTRUSIONS AND OPPRESSIONS. Sitting down, as Inow do, to give to the public such events of the life of Joa- quin Murieta as have come into my pos- session, I am moved by no desire to ad- minister to any depraved taste for the dark and horrible inhuman action, but rather by a wish to contribute my mite to those materials out of which the early history of California shall be composed. Aside from the interest naturally excited by the career of a man so remarkable in the annals of crime-for in deeds of dar- ing and blood he has never been exceed- ed by any of the renowned robbers of the Old or New World who have preceded him-his character is well worth the scrutiny of the intelligent reader as being a product of the social and moral condi- tion of the country in which he lived, while his individual record becomes a part of the most valuable, because it is a part of the earliest history of the State. We must here premise that there ex- .isted another Joaquin, contemporaneous- A A, ly with the subject of this narrative, who bore the several titles of O'Comorenia, Valenzuela, Botellier and Carillo. His true surname was Valenzuela, and he was a distinguished subordinate of Joa- quin Murieta. He used, however, by many persons to be mistaken, for his chief ; and certain individuals who knew him simply as "Joaquin, " and who saw him after the announcement of Murieta's death, insisted with great pertinacity that the terrible bandit was still alive. Joaquin Murieta was' a Mexican of good blood, borne in the province of 86- nora, of respectable parents, ,and edu- cated to a degree sufficient for the coin- mon purposes of life in the schools of his native country. While growing up, he was remarkable for a very mild and peaceable disposition, and gave no sign of that indomitable and daring spirit which afterwards characterized him. Those who knew him in his school-boy days speak affectionately of his generous and noble nature at that period of his life, and can scarcely credit the fact, that the renowned and bloody bandit of Cali- fornia was one and the same being. The first considerable interruption in the general smooth current, of his exist- ence, occurred in the latter portion of his seventeenth year. Near the rancho of, his father resided a "packer," one Feliz, who, as ugly as sm itself, had a daughter named Rosita. Her mother was dead, and she, although but sixteen, was bur- dened with the responsibility of a hovse- " k oAQUIN MURIETA. dIAPTER I. :4 I I page: 6-7[View Page 6-7] I 6 JOAQtJIN ifURTETA. keeper in their simple home, for he father and a1 younger brother, whose name will hereafter occasionally oc cur in the progress of this narration Rosita, though in humble circumstances was of Castilian descent, and showed he superior origin in the' native royalty o her look and general dignity of her bear ing. Yet she was of that voluptuous order to which so many of the dark-eyed daughters of Spain belong, and the ric blood of her race mounted to cheeks, lips and eyes. i Her father doted upon and was proud of her, andit was his greatest happiness, on returning from occasional packing expeditions through the moun- tains of Sonora (he was simply employed by a more wealthy individual) to receive the gentle ministries of his gay ~and smiling daughter: Joaquin having noth- ing to do but ride hisfather's horses, and give a general superintendence to the herding of stock upon the rancho, was frequently a transient caller at the cabin of Feliz, more particularly when the old man was absent, making excuses for a drink ofwater or somesuch matter, and prolonging-his stay for the purpose of an -agreeable chit-chat with the by no means backward damsel. She had read of bright and handsome lovers, in the stray romances of the day, and well in- terpreted, no doubt, the mutual emotions of loving hearts. Indeed Nature herself is a sufficient instructor, without the aid of books, where tropic fire is in the veins, and slowing health runs hand in hand with the imagination. It was no wonder, then, that the youthful Joaquin and the precocious and blooming Rosita, in the absence, on each side, of all other like objects of attraction, should begin to feel the preserce of each other as a necessity. They loved- warmly and passionately. The packer being absent more than half the time,' there. was every opportunity for the youthful pair to meet, and their intercourse was, with the exception of the occasional intrusion of her brother Reyes, a mere boy, absolutely without or restraint. Rosita was one of those e beings who yield all for love, and, ere, C- she tobk time to consider of her duties to n. society, to herself, or to her father,t she s, found herself in the situation of a mere r mistress to Joaquin. Old Felia broke in f at last, upon their felicity,-by a chance - discovery, Coming home one day from, s a protracted tour in the mountains, he d found no one in the cabin but his son Reyes,' who told him that Rosita and s Joaquin had gone out together on the path leading up the'little stream-that t ran past the dwelling. Following p the path indicated, the old man came upon the, pair, in a position,' as yron has it in the most diabolical ofhIris works, "loving, natural and Greek."n 1 His rage knew no bounds, but Joaquin did not tarry for its effects. On the con- trary, he fled precipitately from 'the scene. Whether he showed a piiper regard for the fair Rosita in so doing, it is not our province to discuss. All.We have to do is to state what occurred, and leave moral discrepancies to be har. monized as they best may. At any'rate, the loving girl never blamed him for his conduct, for she took the earliest op- -portunity of a moonlight night, to seek him-at his father's rancho, and throw herself into his arms. About this time, Joaquin had received a letter from a half brother of his, who had been a short time in California, ad- vising him by all means to hasten to that region of romantic adventure and golden reward. He was not long in Pre, paring for the trip, Mounted upon-a valuable horse, with his mistress by his side upon another, and with a couple of packed mules before hini, laden, with, provisions and necessaries, he started for the fields of gold. ~His journey was at. tended with no serious difficulties, and the trip was made with expedition. The first that we hear of him in the Golden State is that in the spring of 1850, he is engaged in the honest occupation of a miner in the Stanislaus placers, then I rf ti o a n c i' e t a JOAQUIN MURIET4. eckoned among the richest portions of One pleasant e sJoqinwa aemines.. He was then eighteen years sittingAn his dooway, er a f age, a lttle over the medium height, work, gazing forth n'othe a lendexily btgracefuly built, and active waters of thetapilaus ver s a young tiger. His complexion was tending to the nrue eal oie either very dark nor very light, but who was singling a dre lawes fe lear and brilliant, auyd his countenance native land, a bad c the s.pronouneed tp have been at that time, above alluded to approached the h e xceedingly .handgpme and attractive. and accostedits ownerain a very un ut-a Hislarge black eyeskindling withthe en- ing and supercilious manner, asking husiasm of his earnest nature; his firm by what means hea d-d ca -nd wellformed mouth, his well-shaped sued to be work*g a minmig claimon. head, from which the long, glossy black American ground. Joaquinwho pke haWIhung down over his shoulders, his very good English, having ofte met lery voice, full of generous utterance, with Americans in Sonorareplied'agt, and the frank and.cordial manner which under the treatyOf Guadalupe ldalgo, distinguished him, made him beloved by he had a right to become a citizen ofh aIl with whom he came in contact. He United States, and that as euch he con- had the confidence and respect of the- sidered himself, whilecommunity-around him, and was "Well, sir," said one of the party, "wO fast amassing a fortune in his rich Miing allownoMexicans to work inthis region, clim. 'He had built him a comfortable and you have got to leave this-laim.e dining residence,,in which he had domi- As might have been expected, tha ciled his heart'streasure-the beautiful young Mexican indignantly remhonstra girl whom we have described. ted against such anoutrage. H had The country then was full of careless learned to believe thatto beanAmerian- and desperate men, who bore the -name was to be the soulof honor andmagnan- of Americans, but failed to support the iniity, and he could hardly realize that honor and the dignity of that title. A feel- such a piece of meanness ad in1ustce ing was prevalent among this class, of. could be perpetratebeyany port tof contempt for any and all Mexicans, race whom herhabeenled so highly to whoin they looked upon as, conquered respect. His remonstrances only.pro subjects of the United States, having no duced additional isult and insolence, rights which could stand before a .and finally a huge fellow steppedforwar& haughtier and superior race. They made 'and struck him violently inIhe face. Joa,. no exceptions. If theproud blood of the quin, with an ejaculation of rage, spa' Castilian mounted to the cheek of a toward his bowieknife whichlay caOthe partial descendant of the Mexiques, bed near by where ho had carelensy showing that he- had inherited the old thrown it on his arrival from w ark, when chivalrous spirit of his Spanish ancestry, his affrighted mistress, fearing that his they looked upon it as a saucy presunp- rashness, in the presence of suchan ov tion in one so inferior to them. The pre. powering force might be fatalto him, judice of color, the antipathy of races, frantically seized and held him. Atthis which are always stronger and bitterer moment his assa agai with the ignorant and. unlettered, they and, rudely throwing the yong Womlw could not overcome, or if they could; aside,Ae hr 'csd ofdblowd .would not, because it afforded them a which soon felled him, bruised adleed- convenient excuse for their unmanly ing, to .the floor Rositaa s e cruelty and oppression. outrage, suddenly seemed traneformd: (. page: 8-9[View Page 8-9] - 8 ito a beingof a different nature, andher- self seizing the knife, she made a venge- fal thrust at the American. There was fury in her eye and vengeance in her spring, but what could a tender female accomplish, against such ruffians ? She was seized by her tender wrists, easily disarmed, and thrown fainting and help- less upon the bed. Meantime Joaquin had been bound hand and foot, by others of the party, and, lying in that condition he saw the cherished companion of his bosom deliberately violated by these very superior specimens of the much -vaunted Anglo-Saxon race! Leaving him in his agony, they gave him to understand that, if he was found in that cabin, or upon his claim after the expiration of the neIt ten days, they would take his life. The soul of the young man was from that moment dark-. ened, and, as he himself related after- wards, he swore, with clenched hands, as his mistress unbound him, that he would live for revenge. She, weeping, Implored him to live for Jer, as he knew she only lived for him, and try to forget iW some other and happier scene the bit- ter-misery of the present. He was lre- vtiled upon by her kindness and her tears, and soon" after the young couple took their departure for a more northern portion of the mines. The next we hear of them, they are located on a nice little farm on the banks of a beautiful stream that watered a fer- tile valley far out in the seclusion of the mountains of Calaveras. Here the some- what saddened adventurer deemed that he might .hope for peace and again be happy. But it was not so destined. One day, as le was engaged with axe and mattock in clearing his ground, sev- eial-Americans rode up to the fencing of his little rett-eat, and notified him that they allowed no infernal Mexidan intrud- ers, like hin, to own land in that sec- tion. Joaquin's blood boiled in his veins, but he answered wildly that the valley was unoccupied save by himself, that he acknowledgedallegiance to the Ameri- can Government, that the treaty of peace between the United Statesand Mexico gave him his choice of citizenship either in California or in Mexico as he liked, that he had been already driven from, the mines without any erime or offence on his part, and allhe now asked was -a very small patch of ground and the shel. ter of a humble home for himself and "wife." He was peremptorily told to leave, and, we blush to say it, com. pelled to abandon the spot he had se- lected and the fruits of his labor. It is honorable to him to say that his spirit was still unbroken, nor had the, iron so far entered his soul as to sear up the innate sensitiveness to honor and' right which reigned in his bosom. Twice, ruined in his honest pursuit of fortune, he resolved still to labor on with unflinch- ing- brow and with that true moral bravery which throws, its redeeming light forward upon all his subseqimatly dark and criminal career. How deep must have been the anguish of that young heart, and how strongly rooted the native honesty of his soul, none can, know or imagine but they that have been tried in like manner. - He bundled up his little moveable property, and again started forth to strike once more, like a braveand- honest man, for fortune and for happi- ness. He arrived at Murphy's Diggings, in Calaveras County; in the month of April, 1850, and went again to mining, this time- without interruption; but meeting' with nothing like his former success, he soon abandoned that 'busi- ness, and devoted his time to dealing "monte," a game which is common in Mexico, and had been almost universally adopted by gamblers in Mexico. It is considered by the Mexican in no manner a disreputable employment, and many well-reared young men from the Atlan. tic States have resorted to it, in time past, as a "profession " in this land of luck and chances. It was once in much I / / JOAQU17 MURIETA. .9 better odor than it is now, although it is at present a game which may be played on very fair ad honest principles,, provided anything can be strictly honest or fair which allows the taking of money without a valuable consideration in re- turn. It was therefore looked upon as -o- departure from rectitude on the part of Joaquin, when he commenced the dealing of " moute." Having a very pleasing extdior and being, despite of all his sorrows, very gay and lively in his disposition, he attracted many persons to his table, and won their money with such skill and grace, or lost his own with such perfect good humor, that he -was considered by all the very beau ideal of a gambler and the prince of clever fel- lows. His sky seemed clear and his prospects bright, but Fate was weaving her mysterious **eb around him, and fitting him by the force of circumstances to become what nature never intended 'he should be. His half brother, of whom we have spoken, resided on a small tract of land in the vicinity of Murphy's Diggings. Joaquin had paid him a visit, ad. re- turned to the Diggings on a horse bor- rowed from lis brother. The animal, -which his brother had bought and paid his money for, proved to have been originally 'stolen, and being recognized by a number of individuals in town, as well as by the owner, a stout rough. grained man, named J-s, an excitement was raised on the subject. Joaquin s'ud- denly found himself surrounded by a furious mob, many of them strangers io him, who were by no means sparing, o their threats and insults "So ray covey," said J-s, laying hi band on Joaquin's shoulder, "you ar the chap that's been a stealing horse and mules around here, for the last si months, are you?" - - "You charge me unjustly," replied Joaquin. "I borrowed this horse of m3 half brother. who bought it from at L1 JOAQUIN MURIETA. American, which he can easily prove, as well',ns show a bill of sale besides. " This is all gammon," said 3-s " and you are nothing but a dirty thief." "Hang him!" "Hang him I" cried out several voices from the crowd, and the young Mexican was at once seized and bound. Some one, more moderate than the rest, suggested that it would be bet- ter, before proceeding to extremities, to see what the half brother had to say for himself.- "Yes, nab hin too I" exclaimed vari- ous persons in the mob, and they at once started for the half brother's house,'tak- ing their prisoner along with them. " All I want you to do, gentlemen," said Joaquin, "is to give my brother a chance to provp hi A d my innocence, Let him have time to sut" on .hi wit- nesses." This remark was oly. answered with jeers and contempt. p4rv ing at the place sought for, the, brother of Joaquin being readily found, he was seized, with scarcely a word of explanation, hurried to a tree and swung by the neck, amid the hootings of the mob, until he was dead. Joaquin shed tears of agony at -the sight, and begged that they would proceed at once to deal out the same fate to him. But the original intention, with regard to him, ,was changed, by some sudden revulsion of feeling in the crowd, and a far more humiliating punishment inflated. The unhappy young man was bound to the same tree upon which the lifeless form of his brother was swinging, and publicly disgraced with the lash. An eye-witness of this scene declared to the author that he never saw such an ex- s pression ir all his life as at this moment passed over the face of Joaquin. He cast a look of unutterable scorn and scowl- x ing hate uponhis torturers, and meas- ured them fromhead to foot, as thoughhe d would imprint their likenesses upon his y memory forever. In grim silence h re- n ceived their blows, disdainin to ter a 0 I page: 10-11[View Page 10-11] 10 JOAQUIN MURIETA. JO AQUIN' .MURIBTA. 11 groan. The deed being over andiis hands unbound, he resumed thgarb which had been stripped from his shoul- ders, and was left alone with his dead' brother. Who can tell the piercing grief of his now'desolate heart, and the tempest of angled wrath and woe which swept over him as he lowered the dead form of his brother, and, with the few friends who came to his assistance, proceeded to pay him the last sad rites of rude and humble sepulture? - Standing over the grave.of his last and dearest relative, he swore an oath of the most awful solem- nity, that his soul should never know peace until his hands were dyeddeep in the blood of his enemies I Fearfully did he keep that oath, as the following pages will show. CHAPTER II. A CHANGE IN JOAQUIN'S CHARACTER- MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCEs--MUR- DERS 'UPON THE HIGHWAY-AN OR- GANIZED BANDITTI-RANCHES LOSE THEIR STOCK-THE KILLING OF THE DEPUTY SHERIFF OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY - ENCOUNTER WITH THE BANDITS BY THE SHERIFF OF YUBA COUNTY. A change came over the. character of Joaquin,suddenlyandirrevocably. Wan- ton cruelty and the tyranny of prejudice had reached their climax. The soul of the injured man grew dark, and the bar- riers of honor, rocked into atoms by the strong passions which shook his heart like an earthquake,crumbled around him. Ile was no. more the genial, generous, open-hearted Murieta, as of yore. He walked apart in moody silence, avoided all intercourse with Americans and was seen to ride Qff into the mountains in company with such of his countrymn~p as he had never before condescended to be associated with. dt was not long before an Americamr was found dead in-the vicinity of Mur- phy's Diggings, having been almost liter- ally cutto pieces with a knife. Althougln horribly angled, he wasrecognized as- one of the mob engaged in the whip-, ping of Joaquin and the hapging of his- brother. A doctor, passing in the neighborhood of this murder, was met shortly after-, ward, by two men on horseback, who- fired their revolvers at him, but, owing- to his speed on foot, and the unevenness of the ground, he succeeded in escaping with no further injury than having a bul- leti shot through his hat, within an inch of the top of his head! A panio spread among the rash individuals who had composed that mob, and they were afraid to stir out on their ordinary business. . Whenever any one of them- strayed out of sight of his camp,. or ventured to travel on, the high- way, he was shot down suddenly aid mysteriously. Report after report came into the villages that Americans had been. found dead on the highways, having been either shot or stabbed, and it wAs invaria- bly discovered for many weeks, that the- murdered men belbnged to the mob who, had outraged Joaquin. It was fearful and it was strange, to see "how swiftly and mysteriously those men disappeared. J-s, the'owner of the horse which had been the occasion of the mob, was among the missing, but whether he slid off for distant parts, in fear of his life, or fell a victim to the wrath of the avenger, I have never learned. Certainit is that Murieta's revenge was very nearly com- plete. Said an eye witness of these events, (an acquaintance of mine, named Burns,) in reply to an inquiry which I addressed him: 'I am inclined to think Joaquin wiped out the most of those prominently en- gaged in whipping him." Thus far, who can blame him? But the iron had entered too deeply into his soul for him to stop here. Ile had con- treated a hatred for the whole American race, and was deeinined to shed"their blood, whenever and wherever an oppor- tunity occurred. It was no time now, for him to retrace his steps. He had^ committed deeds which made him amen- able to the law, and'his only safety lay in a persistence in the unlawful course which he had begun. It was necessary that he should have horses, and that he should have money. These he could not obtain except by robbery and murder, and thus he became an outlaw and a ban- dit on the verge of his nineteenth year. The year 1850 rolled away, marked with'the eventful history of the young man's wrongs and trials, his bitter re- venge on those who hadperpetrated the' crowning act of his deep injury and dis. grace; and, as it closed, it shut him away forever from his peace of mind and purity Of'heart.. He walled forth into the fu- ture a dark, determined' criminal, and all his proud nobility of soul, save in fit. ful gleams, existed only in memory. In 1851 it became generally known that an organized banditti were ranging the country; but it was not yet ascer- tained who was the leader. Travelers,, laden with the produce of the mines, were met upon the roads by well dressed men who politely requested them to "stand and deliver; " persons riding alone in the many, wild and lonesome re- gions, which form a large portion of this country, were skilfully noosed with the lasso, (which the Mexicans throw with great accuracy, being able thus to cap- ture wild cattle, elk, and sometimes even grizzly bears, upon the plains,) dragged from their saddles and murdered in the adjacent thickets. Horses of the finest mottle were stolen from the ranches, and, being racked up, were found in the possession of a determined band of men, ready to retain them at all hazards, and fully able to stand their ground. The scenes of murder and robbery shifted with the rapidity of lightning. At one time the northern counties would be suffering slaughters and depredations, at indther'the southern, and',before one would have imagined it possible, theeast and the west and eVery point of-the com- pass would be in trouble. There had been before this, neither in 1849'nor in 1850, any such thing as an organized banditti, and it had been a matter of sur- prise to every one, since the countryy was so well adapted to a business of this kind -the houses scattered at such distances along the roads, the plains so level and open in which to ride with speed, and the mountains so rugged with their 'ten thousand fastnesses, in which to hide! Grass was abundant in the far-off valleys whichllay hidden in the rocky gorges, cool, delicious streams made music it the feet of the towering peaks, or came leap- ing down in gladness from their sides- game abounded on every hand, and nine unclouded months ofthe year made a climate so salubrious that nothing could be sweeter than a- day's rest under the tall pines, or a night's repose under the open canopy of heaven. Joaquin knew his advantages. His ~ superior intelli- gence and education gave him the re- spect of his comrades, and appealing to the prejudice against the "Yankees," which the disastrous results of the Mex- ican 'war had not tended to lessen in their minds, he soon assembled around him a powerful band of his countrymen, who daily increased, as he ran his career of almost magical success. 'Among the number was Manuel Garcia, more fre- quently known as" Three fingeredick," from the fact of his having had 'one of his fingers shot off in a skirmish with an American party during the Mexican war. He was' a man of unflinching bravery, but cruel and sanguinary. His form was large and rugged, and his countenance so fierce that few liked to look upon it. He was different from his more'youthful leader, in possessing nothing of his gener- ous, frank and cordial disposition, and in being utterly destitute of one merci- ful trait of humanity. His delight was page: 12-13[View Page 12-13] JOAQULN .&URIETA. 11 in murder for its own diabolical sake, and-he gloated over the agonies of his, unoffendingvictims. He would sacrifice policy, the safety and interests of the band for the mere gratification of this murderous propensity, and it required all Joaquin's firmness and determination to hold him in check. The history of this monster was well known before he joined Joaquin. He was known to be the same man, who, in 1846, surrounded with his party two Americans, young men by the names of Cowie and Fowler, as they were traveling on the road between So- noma and Bodega, stripped them entire- ly naked, and, binding them each to a tree, slowly tortured them to death. He began by tllrowing knives at their bodies, as if he were practicing at a target ; he then cut out their tongues, punched out their eyes with his knife, gashed their bodies in numerous places, and, finally flaying them alive, left them to die. A thousand cruelties like these had he been guilty of, and long before Joaquin knew him'he was a hardened, experienced and detestable monster., When it was neces- sary for the young chief to commit some peculiarlyhogrible and cold-blooded mur- der, some deed of hellish ghastliness at which his soul revolted, he deputed this man to do it; and well was it executed, with certainty and to the letter. Another member was the boy, Reyes Feliz, whom I have before mentioned, as the brother of Rosita, and who wasleft by, his fugtive sister a year or so before in the province of Sonora. The old father, the Packer, was dead, and Reyes, hav- ing no ill-feeling whatever against Joa- quin and his sistei-, had hastened with the remnant of his father's property, to join them, and had arrived in California a few weeks after the affair of the mob at Murphy's Diggins. He was now a mere youth of sixteen years, buthhe had read the wild romantic lines of, the chiv- alrou s robbers of Spain and Mexico, un- til his enthusiastic spirit had become im- brued with the same sentiments which actuated them, and he could conceive of nothing grander than to throw himself back upon the strictly natural right o man and hurl defiance at society and its, laws. There isniany a villain nowadays, for the mere romance of the thing. Reyes Feliz was a devoted follower of his chief; like him, brave, impulsive, and generous. A third member was Claudio, a man about thirty-five years of age, of a lean, but, vigorous constitution, a dark com' plexion and possessing a somewhat sav- age but lively and expressive counten- ance. He was indisputably brave, but. exceedingly cautious and cunning, springing upon his prey at an unexpected moment and executing his purposes with the greatest possible secrecy as well as precision. He was a deep calculator, a wise schemer, and could wear the ap- pearance of an honest man with the same grace and ease that he would ex- hibit in throwing around his command. ing figure the magnificent cloak ir4 which he prided. In disposition he was revengeful, tenacious in his memory of a wrong, sly and secret in his windings as a serpent, and, with less nobility than the rattlesnake, he gave no warning before he struck. Yet, as I have said before, he was brave, when occasion, called for courage, and although ever ready to take pa advantage, he never flinched in the presence'of danger. This extreme caution, united with a strong will and courage to do, made him an ex- ceedingly formidable man. A fourth member was Joaquin Valen- zuela, named in a preceding page. His chief threw upon him much responsi- bility in the government of the band, and entrusted him with important expedi- tions requiring in heir execution a great amount of skill and experience. Valen- zuela was a much older man than his- leader, and had acted for many years in Mexico as a bandit under the famous guerilla chief, Padre Jurata. Another, 4istinguished member was Pedro Gonzales, less brave than =Any others, but a skillful spy and ,expert horse thief, and, as such, ,an'invaluable adjunct to a company of mounted men who required a continual supply of fresh horses, as well as a thorough knowledge of the state of affairs around them,. , There were many others belonging to this organization, whom it is not nee- essaryto describe. It insufficient to pay they composed as formidable a force of outlaws as ever gladdened the eye of an acknowledged leader. Their, number at this early period is not accurately known, but a fair estimate would not place it at a lower figure-than fifty, with the advan- tage of a continual and steady increase, including a few renegade Americans,- of desperate characters and fortunes., Besides Joaquin Murieta, there were others of the banditti who were accom- panied by their mistresses. The names of these devoted but fair and fraif ones will be of frequent occurrence in the sue- ceeding pages. Such was the unsettled condition of things, so distant and isolated were the different mining regions, so lonely and uninhabited the sections through which the roads and trails were cut, and so numerous the friends and acquintances of the bandits themselves, that these lawless men carried on their operatioAs with almost absolute impunity. It was a rule with them to injure no man who ever extended thdm a favor, and whilst they plundered every one else, and spread devastation in every other quarter, they invariably left those ranches and houses unharmed, whose. owners and inmates had afforded them shelter or assistance. Many persons who were otherwise hon- estly inclined, bought the safety of their lives and property by remaining scrupu- lously silent in regard to Joaquin, and neutral in every attempt to do him an injury. Further than this, there were many large rancheros who were secretly connected with the banditti, and stood JOA Q UIN M URJBTA. ready to harbor them in times of danger, and-to furnish them with thebest animal that-fed on their extensive pastures. The- names of several of these wealthy, and highly respectable individuals are well known, and will transpire in the course; of this history. &t the: head of this most powerful combination of men, Joaguin ravagect the state in various quarters during the year 1851, without at that time being generally known as the leader; hi* sub- ordinates, Claudio, Valenzuelaand Ped Gonzalez, being alternately mistaken for. the chief. Except to a few persons, even his name was unknown, and many were personally acquaited withhim, and fre- quently saw him in the different towns and villages, without having the re- motest idea that he stood connected with the bloody events which were then fill- ing the country with terror and dismay. He resided for weeks at a timein differ- ent localities, ostensibly engaged in gambling, or eniployed as a vaquero, a packer, or in some other apparently hon- est avocation, spendmig mu-chof his time in the society of that sweetest of all com- panions, the woman that he loved. ,While living in a secluded part of'the town of San Jose, sometime in the sum- mer of '51, he one night became violent- ly engaged in a row at a fandango, was arrested for a breach of the peace, brought up before a magistrate and fined twelve dollar. He was in charge of Mr. Clark, the Deputy Sheriff of Santa blara coun- ty, who had made himself particularly obnoxious to the banditti, by his rigor- ous scrutiny into their conduct, and his determined attempts to arrest some of their number. Joaquin had the com- plete advantage of him, inasmuch as the Deputy was totally ignorant of the true character of the man with whom he had to deal. With the utmost frankness in his manner, Joaquin requested him to walk down to his residence in the skirts of the town, where he would pay hm the money. H]' iii page: 14-15[View Page 14-15] In proceeded together, engaged in They proceeded together,-engaged In' pleasant conversation, until" they reached the edge of a thicket, wheni the young bandit suddenly drew a knife and Informed Clark that he had brought hiti there to kill hm, 'at the same instant stabbing him to theheart-before he could draw his revolver. Though many per- sons knewthe author of this most cool and bloody deed, by sight, yet it was a longtime before it was ascertained that the-escaped znurderer was no less a per- sonage than the leader of the daring cut- throats who , were then infesting the country. In the-fall of the same year, Joaquin removed' up in the more nbrthern'part of the State, and settled himself down with his mistress at the Sonorian Camp, a cluster of tents and'cloth houses, situated about three miles from the city of Marys- ville, in Yuba County. It was not long before the entire country rung with the accounts of frequent, startling and dia. bolical murders. Seven men were murdered within three or four days in a region of country not' more than twelve miles in extent. Shortly after the murders thus men- tioned, two men who were traveling on, theroad that leads upFeather River, near to the Honcut Greek, which puts into that stream, discovered just ahead of them four'Mexeans, one of whom was drag- ging'at his saddle-bow, by a lariat, an American whom they had just lassoed around the neck. The travelers did not think it prudent to interfere, and so hur- ried on to a.place of safety, and re;&rted what they had seen. - Legal search being made upon this information, four other men were found murdered near the same place, bearing upon their throats the fatal mark of the lariat. Close upon these outrages, reports came that several individuals had been killed and robbed at Bidwell's Bar, some ten or fifteen miles up the river. Con- sternation spread like fire,; fear thrilled the hearts ofhundreds, and all dreaded to travel the piablic rads. Suspicion asidirectedtorthe "So1horian Camp,"'it being occupied exclusively by Mexicans, many of whom had no ostei- ible - employment, and yet rode fine hores, and: spent money freely. This suspicion was confirmed by a partial t on- fession obtained from a Mexican thief, who had fallen into the "hands of the O Vigilance Committee" of Matysville, and had been run up with ,. nope several times to the limb of a treedy otder of that forinidable body.' He confessed to the commission of no crime himself, but pointed to the Sonor- ian Camp as theretreat of certain parties who had been carrying on the system of robberies 'and murders' complained of. Obtaining a description of the principal characters at the suspected camp, the Sheriff of Yuba County, R. B.Bchanan, accox -anied bya man familiarly known as "I e Bowen," proceeded on a iion- light night to examine the premises, and to consummate an arrest of one or more, by surprise. Hitching their horses a half mile distant, they advanced on foot to the dangerous neighborhood. 'Comn- ing suddenly upjon a small tent a few hundred yards from the main camp, not having observed it in the obscurity of the bushes, they were barked at by a ferocious dog, who appeared likely by his fierce' outcries to arouse the whole encampnient." "It won't do," said Buchanan, "to be bothered with such a howling as this, and we musta kill that dog. : 1Astrikes me that I dah manage it. if we appear to be frightened, and beat a retreat, he will come directly up to take'hold of one or the other of us; then we must let him have a little cold' steel." Accordingly the two moved off hastily and, true to the prediction of Buchanan, the animal -rushed forward with frantic ferocity.,- Bowen, being a little behind, he sprang - with one floun.l upon hia 14 JOAQUINHT LTJtrA. back, got him down. in an instant, and ,was giving ,him more than under the ircumstances, was at all comfortable, when Buchanan, having the beast at a disadvantage, drew a bowie-knife, and plunging it into his heart laid him -dead on the spot. This done they con- tinued their advances, but by the stir- ring to and fro on the outskirts of the camp, they soon perceived that the dog had given a little too much warning. In a somewhat isolated corner near a piece of fencing they discovered stand- ing-by a fire near an open teit, a Mexi- can *rapped in his aerappe who was peering out anxiously into the shadows, and who appeared to answer to a des- ,cription of one of the Sonorian des- -perados, as given by the thief hereto- fore mentioned. as having been in the hands of the Vigilance Committee. "Let us get down on our hands and knees," said Buchanan, "or we may be discovered." Crawling in this manner they reached the fence, and looking through they dis- 'covered that the Mexican was missing. The fellow has seen us," observed .Buchanan, "and we must look sharp or lie and his crowd will have the advan-' tage." He and Bowen. then commenced craw- Ing through the bars 9f the fence, and while in the act were startled by three-' distinct shots, which were soon again re- peated. Extricating themselves as soon .as possible from the fence, they rose to -their feet, and discovered three Mexicans ,blazing away at them with revolvers from a point near a bush, behind which -they had been hidden. Of course the Sheriff and his assistant were not long in returning the fire, and a very brisk on- gagement ensued. The Mexicans, ap- parently unhurt, retired, and Buchanan and Bowen were left to their own com- pany. The former then found that lie had been severely wounded, and after walking a few hundred yards from the scene of conflict fell to the earth, and JQOAQ~TIN MENLO.!TA was unable to rise. The ball had struck him near the spine, and passing through his body, had come out in front near the navel. He had evidently received it while in 4 stooping posture at the fence. Leaving him as he lay, Bowen hastened to his horse and hurried to town for as- sistance, which shortly arrived, and Bu- chanan was taken back. to Marysville and properly cared for. He lay a long timein a very dangerous situation, bit eventually recovered, much to the grati- fication of the comnunity,'who admired the devotion and courage with which he had well-nigh sacrificed his life to the discharge of duty. MHe was somewhat as- tonished to learn, a considerable period afterward, that he had received his wound in an actual personal encounter with the redoubtable Joaquin Murieta himself. He it was who had been standing before the fire in front of the tent, and had with his quick eye discovered the two hostile formd as they approached him through the patches of moonlight. CHAPTER IH. DEPARTURE OF THE ROBBERS FOR THU COAST RANGE-MOUNT SHASTA THU GREAT LANDMARK-THE ROBBERS AMONG THE INDIANS-THE TALL MIS- SOURIAN A DEAD -SUOT-BLEACHING fSKELETONS AND PERFORATED SKULLA -REYRS FELIZ AND THE FAITHLESS SPOUSE-OLD PETER AND HIS TWO DAUGHTERS-THE LASSOING OF AN ELK BY THE ELDEST DAUGHTER- SHE FALLS INTO THE HANDS OF THU ROBBERS--HER TIMELY ESCAPE. The bandits did not long remain in the vicinity of Narysville. after this oc- currence, but rode off intothe coast range of mountains to the west of MountSham. ta, which rears its white shaft, at all sea, I'l I I I I page: 16-17[View Page 16-17] sons-of the year, high above every other peak, and serves at 'a distance of two hundred miles to direct the course of the mountain traveler. Gazing at it from the Sacramento Valley, it rises in its gar- ments of snow, like some mighty arch- angel, filling theheaven with his Polemn presence. In the rugged fastnesses of the wild range lying to-the west of this huge mount, arange inhabited onlyby human savages and savage beasts, did the out- laws hide, themselves for several long months, descending into the valleys at intervals, with no further purpose than to steal horses, of' which they seemed determined to keep a good supply. They induced the Indians to aid them in this laudable purpose, and so effileiently did these simple people render their assist- ance, that the rancheros of that region loaded the very air with their curses of the " naked devils," who tormented them to such an intolerable degree. On one occasion, during these depredations upon locomotive property, an exasperated party of Americans, who had been on * the track of their stolen animals, came up with the Indian thieves, and man- aged to hem them in between a perpen- dicular wall of bluffs and a deep river, so that there was no escape for them but to swim the stream, which swept by in a mad and foaming torrent. -They fired upon the Indians, who .leaped into the water, many of them dyeing it with their blood, and a few successfully swim- ming across. In the midst of the firing a tall Mexican, mounted upon a fine horse, dashed down the banks, firing his revolver as he went, and plunged into the stream, His horse struck out boldly with him for the opposite shore, and he had gained the middle of the current, a distance of a hundred yards from his pursuers, before any effectual shot at him was made. He was about to escape, and nothing would now avail but a dead aim and a-steady nerve. The best iarks- man in the crowd, a lank Missourian. dismounted from his horse,'drew hisrifle ft his shoulder whild the others looked anxiously on, and taking a long " bad,r fired.,. The. Mexican leaned Ib-rward a moment and the next" Instant floated. from'the saddle-and sunk, while his fine- charger breasted tie waves and ascended the bank with a snorting -nostr'il and dripping mane., lNo one was willing to risk the dangerous passage evento pos- sess so noble an animdl, and they re- turned with their recovered property to- their homes. This tall, Mexican was a. member of Joaquin's band, who had led the Indians in 'that very unuiecessful' thieviiig expedition. . In that desolateregion, through which,. at long intervals, only few straggling- miners passed, on. their lonesome pros- pecting tours, human skeletons'-ere found bleaching in the sun, some lea ving- no trace of the manner in, which they- perished, while others plainly showed. byAhe perforated skull that thewleaden- ball had suddenly and secretly done its. work. The ignorant Indians suffered for many a deed which had beein perpe- trated by civilized hands. It will be re- collected by many persons who 'resided' at Yreka a-id on Scott's River, in the fall and winter cf 1851, how many prospec- tors were lost in the mountains and never- again heard from; how many were found. dead, supposed to have been killed'by- the Indians, and yet bearing upon their, bodies the marks of knives and bullets. quite as frequently as arrows. In one of the descents of the banditti into the valleys,, they ventured -into the; plains which skirted Feather River, and. on the edge of which is situated the- town of Hamilton. This was along dis-- tanco from the coast range, but the fall. months of 1851 were clear and ild, and. camping out was a mere pastime. Here. the bandits were frequently scattered,. two or three riding together, others' re- maining at the temporary camp, others. again running off horses from Neil's- Ranch, and others playing cards in 'the- &ig hesitatn' to link heor 4oungp the thegay and galant egialier ner to hi races. "'he i tQ 'S p hhefog ,ea t y surprised to lee him one eyeng an- him, whoi he deposited in tedi , ith a nonchalent air and thebriefefiO luction-" Therp' my wife." Residing in the vicinity of Hamiton -was ahter, who was known bythe ,simplename of "Peter." He was half Wyandot and half French, and had two daughters, aged respectively eighteen. ,And sixteen. Old Peter was probably the most honest man in all that section .og.-country. Ever since the death of his wife--half French and half Wyandot like himself-which had happened in Iowa many years before the time of his introduction to the reader, he had fol- lowed the life of a trapper and hunter, taking his two girls along with im. Ie had remained some years in the Roeky Mountains, and thenae had ranged dovn by gradual removes, into 'California. He had horses, a heavy tent, plenty of clothing, and a purs generally well filled with money. This he earned solely by hunting, there be- ing a good cash market for all the-veni- P o " - II' - son and bear meat which he dould fur. nish. Peter prided himself upon ,two * 4Mngs, his own honesty and the virtue many Pesons now ling who remember the girl, ,n i the younger sister, AI oug nslkfledin the Luierit oftewoos, was not so daring, but was exceed 'yseftdtoer father'by her nacat co gpasylng and attbndingtothe domestic affairs of the camp. The "father isualy wore a buckskin suit, whilethe garbof the girls consisted of a calico or woolen skirt ad bodicea silk handkerchief care ytie4 under the -chin,;and-upon their small and well.shaped feet handsomebead moccasins. A couple of the bandits werd one morn- ing galloping overthe plaIn, i.the direc- tion of a band of lopse bos with a view of lassoing one or two of them, when a huge ellc rapidly crossedthe line of their progress. The animal w mask- ing the best speed he could, and well he might, for not more than fifty yards be- hind there came thundering after hia a mounted Aigure, witlh disheveled hair and eager eyes and urgent pressingap9f the pursuing steed. s the ter's daughter, lasso in hand, njoymg I! 11' 16 JOAQUIN MiTRiETA. .16 I JOA Q U& MVRtBTA. page: 18-19[View Page 18-19] 18 301 QUill .3rrJtIETA. JQ4~U~ MURIETA. ., ~19 her favorite pastime 9f'elkchasing. It may well be conjeid that 'the ban- dits were somewstastonished at this unu sight, forhey had never seen or heard of this extraordinary maiden befr.' Neither the elk nior the girl paid any attention to them, but dashed 6"pQursued and pursuing. The robbers, exhilarated by the spectacle, put spurs to their horses and folowed in the chase: Onward sped the wild hunters for a mile or more, till now she gains upon the panting beast, reaches within twenty or thirty feet of him, whirls the. adjusted loop around and around her head to give it impetus, and lets loose the springing coil. Forth it flies on its lengthened mission, and the noose drops down over- the branching horns. The well-trained mustang stops short in his tracks, the cord tightens at the saddle-bow, and the flying elk, suddenly jerked backward, falls heavily to the ground. With a shout of applause the robbers recognize the capture and rein their chargers to the spot. Addressing the girl in Span- ish, they found she spoke English, and so conversed with her moderately well in that language. The elk being some- what refractory, they politely offered to help her home with it, and did so, driv- ing it forward while she galloped on ahead. Arriving at her father's camp, it was courtesy to ask the strangers to alight and refresh themselves. They partook of the wholesome repast spread before them by the younger sister, and had finished their last cupofcoffee, when old Peter entered. He looked at his new- found guests with a degree of suspicion, and saluted them but coldly. He took no apparent interest in the rehearsal of his daughter's adventure, and, when the strangers arose to depart he did not ask them to call again. One of them, how- ever, the smooth spoken and graceful Claudio, did call the next day, and old Peter peremptorily ordered him away. There was something in the old man's look that even as brave a scoundrel as Claudil did notlike necessarily to ley with, and thinking discretion the better part of "loIr,' ho left la Peter,, it sees, knew instntiely that he war a rascal, and was, not disposed to waste any ceremonious c6urtey upon hn. After the expiration of a few '4ays, the young Diana concluded to ride over in- to the woods that skirt Butter rei;e' a clear, pebbly-bottomed stream that em- pties into the Feather Riter, some dis- tance above Hamilton. She took her rifle with her--a- small-bored,. silver- mounted piece, with an elegant curly maple stock-thinking that she would' bring in a number of the gray squirrels' with which the grounds abounded; for the purpose of converting them into a pot-pie. The sharp crack of her rifle was the death-knell of many an "adjidaumo," and soon, with a string of the bushy- tailed "varmints,". at her saddle-bow,. she grew weary of the sport, and reclined' for* brief rest upon a plot -of dry grass underneath an oak tree, leavingherdoelle- pony to feed at his discretion in the neighborhood. It was not long before- she fell asleep. How long she had slum- bered she could not say, but she was sud- denly awakened by a strong pressure up- on her wrists, and opening her eyes ina fuller consciousness, she found herself in the grasp of apowerful man. It was the late companion of Claudio, in the matter of the elk adventure and the subsequent repast at old Peter's camp. The villain had secured the girl's wrists with a piece of cord, and now held a knife at her throat, threatening to kill her in- stantly if she dared to scream out. Never- theless she did scream, until a gag was thrust into her mouth by a second party whom she had not until then discovered, and who proved to be Claudio. The two were proceeding to drag the terrified girl into an adjacent thicket, rendered well nigh impervious by a mazy entangle- ment of wild peavines, when a horsernam dashed up, and cocking his revolver, commanded the rascals to desist.. The& girl was surprised to @ee that.tihey In- stantly obeye.g She was unbound, her flertored to head dhePOnyled'to whee she was standing. After she was mounted, and on the point of departing, her strangerescuer rode dosely up to her and said: oi lYoung woman, you've heard of Jo- quin Mreta. I'm the man. When Youear peoe abusing me; hereafter, perhaps yo'll think I'm not quite so big a scoundrel as they say I am, after all. ,Now, hurry, home, before some other danger overtakes you.", With a grateful heart, the maiden bade him adieu, and galloped off. When at a distance of about a hundred yards, the group still gazing at her, she sud- denly halted, and turned around as if to come back, but stood still, facing them. While they were wondering what on earth she could be at,they soon perceived that she was deliberately leveling her rifle to draw a "bead " on some one of the party. Claudio instinctively w~eled from the front of the tree, where he was standing, with a sudden effort to slide behind it, when the rifle cracked, and the bark flew from the exact spot at which he would have been struck to the heart if he had remained a moment longer. With a sharp feminine whoop and a gay laugh of defiance, the spirited damsel put wings to her- horse's feet and was soon out of sight. Old Peter, I have already said, was an honest man, but, much as he hated vil lains he was never heard, so long as he remained i the country, to speak a harsh word of the robber Joaquin. If any are curious to know of the sub sequent history of the old hunter an his two daughters, they will find it,I think, in the first series of the published sketches by A. .Delano, Esq., entitled "Chips of the Old Block." 7i CHAPTER 'IV. TRW or sDiorrDT6 soiA-'tsi TAKE UP M UTiAT, Au- noxo ci bTA-Joi&qUINS FELICI- TY UNDER THE EVERGnE OAKs- MEDViEstIs COMANIiT ER BANDS, UNiDtR CLAUDIO ALNU- ELA AND IEBEEIfNGEED ACK, LEAVING HIMSELF oNLY A FEW AT- TENDANTS-JrHE WOMEN DRESSED IN MALE (THE.-JoAQUIN A VISITOR IN THE: TOWNs, UNREcOGIZE- DARING FEAT AT MOKELUMNE H -- ETURN TO rHE rINDEzVoUS--ILL- ING OF RUDDLE-COMIC ADVENTURE AMONG THE DIOLER INDIANS. As soon as the spring opened in 1852, Joaquin and his party descended from the mountains, and by forced marches in the night, drove some two or three hundred horses which they had collected at their winter rendezvous, downthrough the southern portion of the State, into the province of Sonora. Returming in a few weeks,,-they took up their headquar- ters at the Arroyo Cautoova, a fine tract of rich pasturage containing seven or eight thousand acres, beautifully wa- tered, and fenced in by a circular wall of mountains, through which an entrance was afforded by a narrow gate or pass, at which a very formidable force could be stayed in their progress- by a small - body of men. This rich and fertile basin lies half-way between the Tejon and the Pacheco Pass, to the east of the Coast Range, and to the west of the great Tu- -lare Lake, thoroughly embosomed in its I rugged boundaries, 'and the more valu- I able as a retreat, that it was distant at d least one hundred and fifty miles from d any human habitation. From the sur- rounding eminences an approaching ene- my could- be seen for a long way off. This region was in one respect in partic- ular, adapted to the purpose for which it was chosen, and that is, it abounded i8 JOAQUJIf if 1YRIETA. page: 20-21[View Page 20-21] 20 JOAQUINf MUETk. in game of evegy d :ik, antelope deer, grizzly bears, 'quails, grouse, am evexy specierafsma 4ap o desimJ f9Kafor1ed, g fpsluqit selec e94AOamp cqgvrregs oie dence asM rpa'y gg glesaniiday foun r ou him R&Ia Fl9 goInpa ioi rephnXng upon mprelu qarpt thapA ever blossomed with it im tatiyp flowers beneath the sati,sli pe 4p pe9d feet jf the fairest daughters o San Francisco.' The brow of h~is swvee athu friend old sometime grow sa4, as she recurred to t)he bapp: and peaceful lives which th'y hd livedbitwith, once lvedbut him i woman's true nature 1he loved him inspite of all his crimes aud her soul was again lighted up as sh gazed into those dark and glorious e which had neverquailed. before morta man, and lost their fierceness only, when they looked on -her. Besides, in her tender heart she made for him many al. lowances; she saw-many strong pallia- tions of his conduct in the treatment which he had received; she knew the secret history of his soul, his sufferings, and his struggles with an evil fate, and the long agony which rent up by the roots the original honesty of his high- born nature. More than this, he had told her that he would. soon finish his dangerous career, when, having com- pleted his revenge, and having accumu- lated an equivalent for the fortune of which he had beenrobbed by the Ameri- cansi he would retire into a peaceful por- tion of the State of Sonora, build him a pleasant home and live alone Ior love and her.. She believed him, for he spoke truly of his intentions, and wonder not, yadenizens ofcitiesi she was happy, even in the wilderness. It mattered not how the world regarded him, to her he was all that was noble, generous and beauti- ful. After spending a few weeks at the rendepxous, Joaquin divided his party, then consisting of about seventy men, in- t- te, it ' i- 1iq . tea t tan sas Ld he 'had a pigrpose to effeptwhch re- R, 4 T64 least PPR fiten, ~mred 9r, two s, jhqq~ndAni s I hhnI fT a~e s5 qns a aepee e cpre n~idb i- eygss g'eliz,.Pgyo~enza! and Jan. ~- gTiee femalpqs, gho were dresie4 iu f ae attire and well armed, w re also in itCompany; ht stos," Jaun~mi. 1 14 1 MIS a s1 tress, and th'o fh ye eiz,"m Ppdro 7 (*onsle. 41,jths py w w1l e mounted, a4 rode no one knew whither, , except Joaqxin himself. Arrivig at ,Mokelurpne Hill,in palaveras County, e they ttook up qua Iters with oM of their Mexican .nequaintances in that plsep, l an4, pwsqig through the streets, or ,visiting the saloons, were looked upqn -as n4hngmore $han pcable Mexi- - cans residing in the town. This was - in the month of April. While here, the women appeared in their ,popettire, and were admired for their exceedingly modest and quiet deportment. The men issued forth at night upon no praise- worthy ,missions, and, mounted upon their magnificent chargers, .scoured an extent of many miles ere they returned stealthily back to their hiding place, and the arms of their languishing loves. Joaquin bore the appearance and charac- ter of an elegant andsuccessful gambler being amply provided .with means from his night excursions. In the meantime his men were, in different directions, prosecuting with ardor the business uppn which they had been sent,; and there wa a universal cry throughout. the lower country, that horse thieves were very nearly inlpover- ishing the ranchos. Joqquin gathered a pretty good knowledge of what his fol- lowers were about from the newspapers, which made a very free use of his own name, in the accounts of these transac- tions, and handled his character in no / 1. ad lae i t cernedly in'A "crowY -lstnt long, and-earnest conversations in re- lation to binelt;e"nd lapjghed in l'is sleeve at the m"any" conjectures which were mae as to his whereabouts and intentions. Alfter remaningas long as he desired at Mokelimne Hill, about the rs May he prepared to take his departure, which he resolved to do at. the hour of midnight. Ils horses were saddled, the wonien dressed in their male clothes, and everything ready, when Joaquin sauntered out into 'he streets, according to iis custom, and visited the various 'dinkiig and gambling salons, with which every California town and village abound. Whilesitting at a monte table, at which he carelessly put down a dollar or two to while away the time, his atten- tion was suddenly arrested by the dis- tinct pronunciationof his name just op. posite to where he sat. Looking up, he observed; tree or four Americans en- gaged in loud and earnest conversation# in relation to himself, in which'one of them a tall fellow, armed with a revolver, re marked, that he "would justlikeonce in his 1ie'to comtie across Joaquin, and that he wonl kill him as quick as he would a snake." The daring bandit, upon hear iug thisspeech, jumped upon the mont table in vier of the whole house, an drawing his six.shooter, shouted out "Iami Joaquin ! If there is any shooting to d leain in 11" So sudden and startling was iiis movement that every on qu-iledbefore him, and'in the midst'o the consternation ,nd confusion which reigned le gathered his cldk aboutii and walJ-ed out unharmed. After th od avovaw of himself, it was necessary he hey of,'itd ikth rsiiiMI ,fhat they hadjning gf teadd i- eir very idst the man ho, bovi others, they would have secure Returning tolsredzv1atAoo Cantova, he f und thats'iiaiauding bands had gathered some two or three hinredheadofhorses,andwere patient- waiting his further orders. He de- a potion"of them to take the animals into Sonora for safekeeping, and made remittances of money at the same time to a secret partner of his in that State. Towards the last of May, becoming again restless, and tired of an inactive life, he started forth upon thehighroads, attended as before, when on his visit to Mokelumne Hill, simply by Reyes Felhz, Pedro Gonzalez, Juan and the three bright-eyed girls, who, mounted on very elegant chargers, appeared as charming a trio of handsome cavaliers as ever de- lighted the visions of romantic damsels. Meeting with no one for a week or two but impoverished Frenchmen, and dilapi- . dated Germans, in search of "diggins," and having sent very nearly all his moiey to Sonora, Joaquin's purse was I getting rather low, and he resolved to attack the first man or men he might e meet, who appeared to be supplied. He d was this time on the road to San Luis Gonzagos, to which place a young Amer- g ican, iamed Albert Ruddle, was at the g time driving a wagon loaded with gro- .e ceries, -Overtaking this young man on Df an open plain, Joaquin,1eavnghisparty h behind, rode- up to him where he sat m upbn one ofthis wheel horses, and polite- is - ly biddinghinii" goodmorning," request- ry ed of hinM the loan of what small change _________ I page: 22-23[View Page 22-23] 22 JOgULV *tT1zTA. he mig ave about m marking at " It is true I amn a robber, but, as sure as I lve, I merely wish to borrow' this money, and I will as certainly pay it back to you as my name is Joaquin. It is not often that I am without funds, but' such is my situation at present." Ruddle, without replying, made a sud-, denemotiontodrawhispistol,upon which Joaquin exclaimed:,- "Come, .don't be foolish-I have no wish. to kill you, and let us have no fight."4. ' Ruddle made another effort to get his pistol, which,from excitement, orperhaps from its hanging in the holster, he could not instantly draw, when the bandit, witha muttered oath, slashed him across the neck with his bowie knife and dash- ed him from the saddle. Searching his pockets, he found about three hundred dollars. His party coming up, he rode on, leaving the murdered man where he lay, and his wagon*'and team standing by the road. Joaquin's conscience smote him for this deed, and he regretted the necessity of killing so honest and hard working a man as Ruddle seemed to be.* It happened that just. at this period, "apt. Harry Love, whose own history is one of equal romance with that of Joa quin, but marked onlywith events which redound to his honor, was at the head of a small party, gotten up on his own re- sponsibility, in search of this outrageous bandit. Love had served as an express rider in the Mexican war, and had borne despatches from one military post to an- other, over the most dangerous tracts of Mexico. He had traveled alone for hun- dreds of miles over mountains and des- erts, while beset with a no less danger than the dreaded."guerillas," who hung upon the skirts of the American army, laid 'in wait at mountain passes..and watering places, and made it their busi- a"This e'ircimstan wa relateito the writer by n amd brown whowasthieottbraite with Jea- quin, and to whom tMe robber talked freely. Aes to merderevery un ate jt MP glOF,"er that fellInt*_-their lns tdn fleet horses and eprt In the useof Nle lasso, it require a well mounts hoise- man to escape them on the open plains,' and many a hard race with themhas the, Captain had to save his neek and the valuable papers in his charge. He had been, moreover, fr9m his early youth, a hardy pioneer, experienced in all the dangers and hardships of a border life. Having these antecedents in his favor, and possessing the utmost coolness in danger, he was a man well fitted to con- tend with a person like Joaquin, than whom the lightning was not quickerand surer in the execution ofa deadly errand. Love was on the direct trail of Joaquin, when Ruddle was murdered. With the utmost speed consistent with the caution necessary to a surprise of the bandit, he pursued him by his murders and robber- ies, which left a bloody trail behind him, to the rancho of San' Luis (fonsagos, which is now well known to have been a place which regularly harbored the banditti. Arriving at that place at night, he ascertained by certain spies whom he had employed, that the party of whom he was in search, were staying in a canvas house on the edge of the rancho. Proceeding cautiously t9 this house with his men, the Captain had just reached the door, when the alarm was given by a woman in a neighboring tent, and in an instant Joaquin, Gonzalez, Reyes Feliz and Juan had cut their way, through the back part of the canvas and escaped into the darkness. On entering, no one was-to be seen but women, three of whom, then dressed in their proper garments, were the bandits' mistresses, of which fact, however, Love was igno- rant. Leaving. the women to shift for themselves, the fugitives went to their horses, which were, hitched in an adja- cent thicket, mounted them, and rode directly over to Oris Timbers, a distance of eight miles, where they immediately 28 st~etw~1t ~had f ior~0,and~dXY0SSpSat.,rawas inormued 14Pt a y, ,of 0~h~neig boring uonan-Iea ire~h*C a ogas~. They~~ ~ ~~~ reandcne~0 the Anext terin hs d~5ta hywr atnig e back (a movement only a few innumbernd tey horsen whly unanticipated by. Love) to the their poesssioh twenty splelngd horsee ,c19th house where theyt had left their one coveredhi he whole number who quickly doffed their female chief Ihrcere e ho neme attie and rode ofwiththeir companions Tisarrangement wasspedilyefsectedp n thbills, from which they had just and the ag ctisfaction and mutual Scone. Driving the stolen horses before ted with great sat is ed regal 'them, the parties started in high glee assurances heir a couil regard. .across the Tulare Plains, for Los Ange- whichrsuld acncil o shis lee.L'oe flloed hemno urterwhich resulted in, sending spies Over his- less V'ye, followed, them no further,# nins o'dscover traces Of the ma, -having business which recalled him. dominions tdiscortrae ured The owner of the Oris Timbers Rancho, raudingband. Infotmatiowas returned however, attended by a few Americans, i a day odresse, han sverexwith fell upon their trail, indicated by the suPen deed, and covered wit Captain, and pursued them without -splendid jewelry, andeh-eicampedarn mch daiffcut into the country Of the number of fine horses,9 welie camped On much difficulty Not coun p wth lite stream about fifteen miles from Tejon Indians. Not com i us wto he capital. The cupidity of the old ,them, and perhaps not very anxious to he and his right-haiad men was raised 'do so, the owner of the horses proceeded che hi s rit.hand me resolved 'with his attendants to the seat of gov- to the highestpitcheand the? rea eminnt f te TjonUco DigerNa-to manage the matter in hanld with great ernment Of the Tejon Root Digger Na- tk1.adcuin;Which last, by the ition", in order to see the old chief, Bapa- skillsand caution; whchparticula .tarra, and if possible to make an arrange- a is a q California Indians, ment with him by which to' recover his distinguishes thex lrna d a ,prpery. heysoo reche th cai-amounting to so extreme a degree that .property. They soon reached the capi-- might safely be called cowardice. Joa- ,tal, which consisted of twenty or thirty it ty be aceained that .very picturesque-looking bark huts, scat- quin and pary, having ascertaied that .tered along the side of a hill, in front of Timber Ranchero, and feeling perfectly ,the largest of which they found old Sa Tir anget so harmless a people as ,patarra, seated upon his haunches in all secure ons disencumbered themselves Of the grandeur of1" naked majesty," enjoyed their weapons andresovd hesend o .ing :a very luxurious repast of roasted fewas n d reosed gendin _a9 n addie nl-wow15. Hlis swar- few days in careless repose and genuine -aCorns and dried angle-o various di- rural enjoyment- Juan was one evening .thy suWjects were scattered in vrosd- ithgas watching, the horses rectins-round him, engaged for the lying in the grass athig Ihehose rtionsaondhmeggehorte y gfed1 around him, while Gonzalez, most part in the very arduous task of as they f4 Muriet wereeach of them ,doing nothing. The little smoky-look. Felz an ea wer a of tem ing children were sporting, like as black separately seated under a liveoak tree, ,species of water fowl, in the creek which enjoy and loving partners. Theeven- ,ran a, short distance below, while the beloved adlvn ates heel woen wehre pudisnce belo, se ng shades were softly stealing around women werein pounding with stone inhem, and all nature seemed to lull their ,pesles n sone ortasndustniously te,ietdallspiritstosecurty d reo. preparing their acorn bread. The dell- unquiet Spirits tomencury ad figures cacies of the chief's table werehsoon Just at e this meent e butunfortuately ~spea beor hs gesswhich, though might have been seen, btufru~l spread before his guests, whch t.nd weeno, r epncat-like in the direc- ,tempting, they respectfully declined, and wereothcee pctingie i and the .entered immediately upon their business.tion Of the UUPetin u page: 24-25[View Page 24-25] 24- 1 U4 b b Y i s IoA e bogj rd& Ufl~h~ oes~~ officed tNib ]feast sis&Wheediside ashnlijistolcdeka or ainife drawn, they wdul& h've ef the gi ondthe wing of th windd- so g~iely deeloPed iS the bum'p of cau- tiono1the headof a Californfi Indian! But cuking I ejlly dveloped, and serves teifpirposes quite as well some- as downright courage. As soon as this feat was acsmiliehed, the woods became alive with forms, fads and voices. A trumpial march was )ade with the captives to tIe capital. - 'hey were stripped entely naked, and their richlo0thing covered .ie wether beaten backs'and scaly legs of the tejons; but grea wa's 'the astonWishment of tne6 natiyes, Whenthey didovered the sex of the three youthful naiiibrs,;who Weie kindly periiitted, in pity for their mo- desty, to wear some of the old cast-off shiftsthat lay around in the dirt among the uits. ,The woen were robbed of their jewelry to 'the amount'. of three housand dollars, ind the men of seven thousand dollar& in gold dust, besides their idhij animalS and stolen horses. They were left also withotit a solitary weapon. sever were men no humilia- ted. The Poor, iiserable, coWardly To- jons had ablieea- greater triiph over * themilinnall thelmericansput togethner- Joajtdlid lbck'ed grim for a while, but fially buqrst into a loud laugh at his ridiculous position, and he eVer after- wards endured his captivitywith a quiet smile. The "mAost potent, grave and reveisehd seign~r, Sapatarra, immediately des- patched' one half of the -toleh horss it the' OHs Timberd, while he etained the 'the' ; ccotding to agi6e6niht. 1e 16e -his 'prisoners of wai' ' in cus- li d fha f dentWrd "the he" S ta ' I tfh d'untyJIudge Oi'LoA dithat 1ie had i apary of Mfiens-i - in custody,'and wnted his advie a whit todo with their. The-iadgeeup- bsing that tahe capture was the resul of a little feud between so'the "greasers" and the Tejons, advised him to release- them. Accoidingly'one fine morning, I the prisoners under the supervision Ot Sapatarra, surrounded by his guard; who were aimed with 'the reVolvers and knives which they'had taken from the bindits, were led forth fIom the village with suoh solemnity that they imagined that they were going to none other than. a place of execution.' Atired at a group of live.oaks, they were bound, naked, the- wornen included, each to tree. Sapa- tarra, dressed for the' oeeasin with a broad-biimmed hat and a bob-tailed red flannel Shirt,-which gave hisancient aind. venerable legs a mostunique appearance,. madea aoig speech, which was a; tix- ture of Digger and Spanih, 'on the merits of the'transaction that was about. to occur, enlarging upon the eno mity of -the crime which had been committed,u (although it looked very much like selfv- condemnation'5n him to denounce steal- 1 Ing, inasmuch as the old fellow-had hibi.- self stolen many a horse and eaten him. besides!) And went off into extreme glorifbation over the magnanimity which. wobld allow such great riAsals to escape- with their lives.. He then gave ordersto. have them whiped, and seven large,. stout fellows Sstepped forth, shed their' newly acquired shirts for a freer play of- limb, anid; with a bunh of willow rods,- each to his place, gave the unfortunate'. party a very decent and thorough flog- Sagatarra then declared the ends of jistice'satisfied, and dIsmissed'the 1piin- oners fi6nie custody. q gg06ke111goonegt9 jggw8Wief gn * ' % a e t tBl dthbeg- I shdab E'Eo!#fNew * W~eb1ed, ind'lo~d#id di5~ eetde I - br##'wkIuc Fii; 'Jtian ~d 4onkelez 1 pt6i6theed yip '8Iiatari& sud Ethe 1 *616T Tejoi nation. Bid Joautin mub- s] bed hiS ma'thig bck ad laughed-pro- t digiously, delaing upon his lionr as a man that not a iaS of old Sapaarra'sa heMd sbdid be harmed at any time in i ttb Nture. CHAPTER V. orok 8Aa OTHa16Abnoi nii R3YE5 aLZ MS *IaC A --D ZZ - -ZL5A etFIIN ML - cdNENESI T rA~6OR-N 01PTE DjjbPbouTy SF1 OP SkBAA ]AW1ACOUNT WIDhn(J ' RN 3iEAN 3BY T=BS:.F'DGF1tRD JAO1% AND JOAqMJIN--EETiNG EAlWREN JoA- QtTINAND JOBI LAKF-DFAbirO' Iiiin Th nghit sueceeditn third dismissal byodI Saarra, they alept in the w d; naked as they wefrithdta titell -6fcoi-ring; bat fortffgitelyit wis near'the uner, anA the ir podseised a rrtfelg spl~aiit icoolnes. 'The -iext day Iissne t ghid naoya, Reys reli*ho&was behind, Was -Mitnokgd by afzslf bda, id iftei'behig horribly ii'6din th ltws 6f e"thofrdcious di Snl usekbil hta dstrudioh -b fegnh dW h. TMe bst lavibg turned him over two or thfSe tiMnes with The cril dt061WfJheI diTO8 btL9yhth 1 el'hi oj eSf. The bleedfigfy6iut'h with stoical enduidnee, legged hioe6ipanionis to leav-e-irt6. hti fitt&, sshS believed that, etiit oet- tainly di6, nd their attendance could be- f nobenefit to'hm.'Seeing the neces- sity-of living on to some place where bhef c6tild obtain food and clothing, they restoved himi to a shady plase dinong some rocks near to -astreamof Watr and-left him to (ie--a11 but1 his-sor- towing thistress, who resolved toremain, Withhimir whatever might befall. They- tnnied to look as they depArted, and the- last they saw was the faithful girl -iith the lover's ,heaa upon herlup;,pouring her tdars dipon him like a healing bitn *6i her heart. Give me not a, sneer thourtigidorighteoiis for ithe' love of wvomaan'is-beautiful at all-tinies, whether- she sniilek under gilded canopies, in her- satin girments, or weeps over ; world- hated criminal, slone and naked in a. desert. After! a day or two's trave, .Joaquin. and party-arrived; nearly worn outing. the vicinity of the San Francisco Rancho, at the Tejon Pass, where they metwith Mountain Jim, an Americati desperado- and co-operator with Joiquin's band, who had beenont upon his "own hook," robbing - and stealing for safew weeks then past. He- was astounded at the- spectacle which they presented; and. begged Joaquin to allow him the privi- lege of laughing one good'hearty laugh before he listened toany explanation of the mysteig.' The rfiviled Was readily granted; aid - the jolly bandit went through the performance with-great seit and unction;making the woodsechban4 reNecho with his uost refreahing'eald1of utnerrinient.' The women hid themselves inthe brush; and wee like motherEe, page: 26-27[View Page 26-27] 26 JQAQUig &.d~ensswithest -beingslddofit. The uyatery being eleaxpd up nd ex- plaa#o, being ven -in'detail, Mpun- tain Jim,-rodeof to the rancho, or rather to iis hiding place in its vicinity, and soon returned with clothing fr4e party -shirts andpantaloons-but no dresses for females, at which, however, they did not grumble, preferring these garments, perhaps, to any other-at any rate, .well satisfied to adopt any sort of dress which would relieve them of the very primitive .style in which they- then appeared. .Mountain Jim also brought a couple of horses, one of which, a fin black animal, saddled and bridled in a most superb manner, he designed for his chief. He handed him at the same time with pre- senting the horso, a Colt's six-shooter and ,a silver mounted bowie knife. Thus, in a few moments, was the naked and defence- .less fugitive booted, spurred and fully -equipped-in an instant transformed into a powerful and dreaded outlaw ; and this -by the efficiency of that combination' -which his own daring genius had set on foot and successfully maintained. Hav- ing some mysterious power over persons then connected with the two wealthy ranchos, Camula and San Buenaventura -whether through a sentiment of fear with which he inspired them, or from a distinct understanding that they should harbor and assist him, in consideration of a share of his plunders, I am not pre. 'pared to-say-he sent Gonzales and Juan -with the women to visit those ranchos and obtain an outfit suitable for their business,'with instructions for them 2to remain there until he should call or send for them. He and Mountain Jim rode back into the woodsto the place at which he had left Reyes Feliz and his weeping companion. Contrary to allexpectation They found him not only alive but able rto.sit up; His faithful mistress had sup. -plied him with the only food she could .obtain, but which served much better Ahan none-namely, a sweet-stnelling ioot whiop gpews i grag dagarall1 over -tba4region, p gese"ihig 1 In taste an4 dppa rages thecpugnjP cely ofourgrden. and also some lber- ries which grew w $ bus around her- She*,asuring bimtenderly; and dressing his woimds with leaves-anx- iously 'oping that he 'would soon be well enough to proceed on theirjourney. Mountain, Jim drew from his wallet some shirts and pantaloons, which he presented to, the unfortunates-a most grateful sight, and an opportunity to look decent, of which they immediately availed themselves. With- difficulty Reyes Feliz was mounted behin4 his brother-in-law,- and Carmelita took her seat behind Mountain Jim and off they rode in a gallop in the direction of the Mission of San Gabriel. Arriving in San Gabriel after nightfall, they went imme. diately to their nsual meeting place in an oiit-of-the-way house, and there very unexpectedly found Claudio and his band, who had returned from the State of Sonora sooner than expected, and not finding his leader at Arroyo Cantoova, preferred going out on a marauding ex- pedition to remaining idle. He had, placed the horses with which'ie had been sent to.Sonora, upon, a rancho well known to Joaquin, and where they would be perfectly safe. till called for. In the vicinity of San Gabriel he had committed many robberies since his return, and had a purse amply filled-with the needfuZ, which he immediately ten. dered to his leader. But he had been, greatly harassed by Gen. Bean, of, thAt neighborhood,,who had used every exer- tion to apprehend him, and had com- pelled him severallimes, with his whole party,toseeksafety in flight. The greater part of this news was highly gratifying to Joaquin, and he shook his faithful. subordinate most cordially by the hand. "But," said he, " we must never leave hero, Claudio,, till that man is killed. ie is dangerous and, we must put him out of the way," I JVA4' vt 2?4tTIA. 'his-h'd. Wl 'proidyde& with biaket, proi- sion ad lenty f brandy, the ban- disco~ine'hemsalfod'to stay of some6 two weeks at the Mision of San Gabriel. lyes Fells r4nad inactive, still attended by his faithful aNmeliti. Horses were sent over to Cimula -and Santa Buenaventura after Joaquin'sgen- tle love-mate, and the wife of Gonzales, who arrived In due time at the Mission, restored to their usually elegantappear- ance, and glittering with jewelry, Gon- zales and Juan were at this time very carefully hiding from the lynx-eyes of a man whom theydreaded-namely, Capt. Harry Love, then Deputy Sheriff of Los Angeles County, who knew Gonzalez personally, and had caught a glimpse of that noted tlief and his worthy colleague Juan, on the skirts of the Buenaventura Rancho, which was known by a very few to be a harboring place for Joaquin, and closely watched on that account. ~ In a day or two news reached Joaquin that Gonzales had been arrested by Love while on a careless spree at alittle "one horse " grocery on a by-road that led up lnto the'mountains, and that Juan had made his escape after a very close clip ping along the top of his head bya bullet from the Captain's revolver. Hc learned, in addition, that Love was hur Tying off atothat moment with his un fortunate confederate, in the direction o the county seat of Los Angeles, wher he would certainly be hung. Deter mined to rescue him at all hazards, hi .commanded Claudio to get his band i readiness, aiid attended by Mountai Jim, he started at full speed to overtak Love, and to save the life of his valuabl subordinate. Having ridden all night *and with the utmost urgency-as their bloody spurs' and the foam of thel ,orses attested-they came in sight o the objet of their pursuit just at day break in the morning. Gonzalez, ant cipating a rescue, looked back, and see 5 1' wigatiain, aedhM&n kertilif. E whisitiding bfthesie aof e nufebtere, but totatin the powe of his epto, beinginaied. Thismidement costi0 a his ife; forLove, knowlngtheiminiient risk which he ran 1 proceeding alone with a member of so formiible a; frat6r- nt, no sooner saw the act than hidriew his pistol and drove a ball through the villain's heart. Casting a glance behind him he discovered a pursuing party, en- veloped in a cloud'of dust coming like'a whirlwind, and putting spurs to his horse, rode off at the top of his speed. The bandits dashed up in a few moments to the place where Gonzalez lay, and found him a ghastly corpse. They shed no tears, but gnashed their teeth, with rage and disappointment. It was no use to follow Love, for his horse was fresher than theirs, and he had already left them far in the distancQ, Leaving the now worthless carcass of their comrade, they rode over to the nearest rancho, and very coolly informing the owners that there was a dead man lying on the side of the road, proceeded on their return to San - Gabriel. Arrived at that place, ,Joa- quin Immediately learned two important facts-one of which was that Three . Fingered Jack, with his party, was at a Los Angeles, and the other that Capt. - e Wisoja, Deputy Sheriftof Santa Barbara County, had been at San Gabriel making - inquiries as to his whereabouts, and most f. diligently intent on capturing him,. If e possible. Wishing to avoid Captain Wilson, and anxious to see Three FiAg- e ered Jack, he selected three of his best a men out of Claudio's band, and started n down to Los Angeles. He there met e with both Three Fingered Jack and Val- e enzuela, who each gave a good account , of their operations, and were excessively r glad to see him. r Remaining for a day or two at a regu- f lar hiding place which he had in that - town, and sallying out occasionally at i. night to' tike his latitude;Joaquin ascer- e- tained that Captain Wilson was at one 27 page: 28-29[View Page 28-29] II ~~T~49U X4qw e ny a r u entw Ve nh 4i& st figt o dianiR ro t te hotel t,,whic lo son Waf3~piqg. He, ir M epnon with W D e iv seped,, out to -witne~siin was looking on with Much: interest, wen a dashing young fe wode u bv his side on a. fine hors, and stopping over his saddle bow, hissed i hi9 ear, am Joaquin." The astounded hearer started at the sentence, and had scrcely looked around before a pistol ball pene- trated his skull, and he fejl dead to the earth. With his accustomed whoop, the daring murderer put spurs to his ani- mal and galloped off. The fight between he Indians was a sham affair got up, by Three-Fingered Jack to effect the very purpose which was consummated. 4the immediate consequence of this 9, Los Angeles became.too hot a place for die robbers to stay in; for the whole community was aroused and thirsting for vengeance. Accordingly Joaquia held a hasty conference: with his follow- ers,. which resulted in sending Valen- ziela and band, accompanied by MUoun- ain Jim, into San Dipgo County, with directions to steal horses and convey thiemn to Arroyo Cantoova, while Three- Frpgered Jack with his band should accompany his chief wherever he might choose'to go. .Choosing to return once wore to.San Gabriel, they started in that direction,, and met with no incident or individual on the road until they came - to a dark hollow, walled on each side with precipitous rocks, through whjch a n6isy stream was leaping and gl4icing -n the moonight; at this place two helpless Chinaman were ncampe4 by the loot of a sycamore tree, and it being ,near eleven o'clock, at night, were sleep- ing off their fatigue and the effects of their uxurious pipes of opiumb. Thoir pick and prospecting, pans showed them supplied ha due amount prqy Was ##!W 9R fre aits, untpa wlk eduI y the unconsidous Celeptipla, twhoyvprp nor 7 blanketsadsoktlz. p~~o~ and seing a horrible looig vi Standingqvei, and glaring upon them; raised.a hideous shrien, arising, fell upon theb- knpda before him, 'with the most lugubrius .supplicstions, in a: by no means euphonious tongue. Jack told them to "dry up,' but thy con- tinued -pleading for "nrcy when he knocked one of them, down with his re- volver, and cocking # presented it at the head of the other, o closed his eyes in an agony; of despair. In a voice .f thunder he 14 fhe terrified Chinaman to "shell, out," or hewould blow a hole through hirrin a minute.Readily con. vinced of the truth of this remnarkthe poor fIllow nervously jerked out, his purse and handedM *Athe robber, and searching the pocet of his companion. who lay, stunnd by his kde, took put his also and presented it witha shudder. The amount was small--not more than twenty or thirty dollars-which so en- raged the sanguinary monster ,that he drew hip Inife and cut both, of their throats, before Joaqui4 could possibly interfere to prevent it.. The youngehief, who always regretted unnecessary cruelty, but knew fall well that hecould not dispense with so brave a man as earcia,;said nothing to him, but-only groaned and rode on. The party reached Sa 'Gabriel without further incident. and there related this last adventure. *eneralBean, a mnan of infience and. wealth, had, during doaquin's abosnge, een giving serioustrouble to. (laudio, and band, who had been -compeled to lie put isi thQ woods to avoid him., pJa- quin himselfthought it prudenttq keep 49 out of his .,wy 0Jay concealed with Claudio for the space of six weeks, ogi&daU . A1rtlftd The baadittk had I sig"IyI 4fkied- neve'ryatenit:. One A egg g ~~a e y haiigr hm starC 'frdv& ,his at*om at aiibW1 GO* on hkit6bee lintthevUdItedien fdhist home,I t few ttlole ofihrei~ingeedJa'ck and JtidistftedJby tnih selves to 'head atoftd himoand wayily him on the road. They had scarcely taken theitposi- tions behind some rocks before Bean rode up. 'J 14at1iUfli ,ut'fhii nt6fim and sel tIiiaf, hihada@pan- ISlei ~tIid' i'o he 1~k u#6n his hafnches, ad jus titth~inihent Thi-e- F146red' oflaqgda from th6 e sad- & ant h upo the groAd. At the mom enit titJack iMd'hoid of hin he was hith ff9i;th at q6aquin, but being pulled bick 06 suddenly, his pIstol fieup many f et above the prop- er level and: .fra discharged into the empty air. Bean beihg a powerful man,, rose this feet with Three-Fingered Jack upon him, and, drawing his knife, en- deavored to use it, but his equally p6w- erful antagonist seized his wrist with his left hand, and drawing in his turn a glit- tering bowie knife, sheathed it three times in his breast, then withdrawing the bloody blade he rudely shoved him back, and the brave but unfortunate man fell dead athis feet. The ighoble wretoh, not satisfied with the successful termi- natiobi of the combat, displayed his brut.- al disposition by kicking the 'dead body. ii the faco, 'nd discharging two loads from his revolver into the lifeless head. 'Thus perished General Bean, a gener- ous, noble hearted'and brave man. Had he been less brave, he might have exer- cised more caution and preserved' his life'; but he was a man who never knew fear. After this outrage, which though dark enough, was yet only an act of self-pre- tid t a & ao n at MWr o li e hdh Tibd dikffioyiif rd aM4&Wtik Wrh0, d i ih eintf thrW h io df JA6h'6ilifn it ktei fA1t'o'f t'IW drith of August. ltdiig ang obte evening in adiaice of his men, as was freientil hi, tom he met an'old acquiintaince who had bei ati estee6aed trill ci his more honest and happy days, a yonn Iifia rhose naine. wa Joe take. Joeug was delighted to see him, ad rode up to hinm and embrsped hun, as th9y'UIO sat on theii 'horses, witl tlat generidus warmth of feeling whichmage af bter- wise unmesningcusatom of the Mexica s beautiful, "Joef said he, as' he bridlied-a' tear fr M his eyes, " I am net theihnin that I was; I am a deep-dyed scoundai but'so help me 1odI- I was driven to it by op- pression and wrong. I hate my enemies, who are almost all the Ameicans, but I love you for the sake of old times. I don't ask you, Joe, to love or respect me, - for an honest man like you cannot, but I do ask you not to betray me: I am un- known in this vicinity, and no one will suspect my presence,- if you do not tell that you have seen me. My former good friend, I would rather do aniting In the world than kill you, but, if you be- tray me I will certainly.do it." Lake'assured him that there was no danger, and the two parted, for the wide gulf of dishonor yawned between them, and they could never again be united. Lake rode over to the little town of Hornitas, and feelingit to be his duty to warn the citizens that so dangerous a page: 30-31[View Page 30-31] :8s jkfO49U, W~4. wan waeMfr a~tdo 4w fp r- leans gealer privately'thpt be. baksqn the bloody put rioat )(ufetsi A )gexi- can was standing by wrappd In his serape, who bent his head onhis bosom and smiled. About sundown of the neist day, solitary horseman ose head was covered witla a ps fusion of red air ode up very leisurely to the front of a trading -post, at which Lake and some other gntlemeu were stand- ing, politely raised blishat, and addressed an inquiry to Lake, which caused him to step forward from the crowd the better to converse. "Is your name Lake?" said the red. haired stranger. "The same," was the reply. "Well sir, I am Joaquin I you have lied to me." Lake being unarmed, exclaimed, "Gen- tlemen, protect me," and sprang back towards the crowd. Several persons drew their revolvers, but not before the quick hand of Joaquin had presented his and pulled the trigger. The aim was fatal, and Lake fell in the agonies of death. The niar'derer wheeled his horse in an instant, and by a sudden bound, passed the aim of the revolvers which were discharged at him. In another in- stant he was seen .on the summit of a hill, surrounded by no less than fifty well-mounted men,-with whom he slowly rode off. Such was the magical luck which pursued this man, following him like an invisible guardian friend, in every hour of his peril, and enabling him to successfully perform deeds which would turn any other man's blood cold. So perfect was the organization which he had established that that apparently harmless Mexican who was standing near while Lake betrayed Joaquin, and who livedgnsuspected in that very town, was none other than a paid member of his'band, who acted as a spy. VHAPT2E1~ VI-.. AQA4WX a .u 1ToE aMMaror- 4NCZ.s-UnT*Avass Irio EITRU1TO UNIPLOGREDF IEGIojEg---rD5 Tgg ySIO AZM ospwg~o-sawm s19T4sNDWoWDERs.-4WARVpoUS. XOVTW', BINo eBEN BYOTUERS-- D.MORIPTION :O',r:s. SINULAR AS- Eor 'AND P EWNOMENA-DscovERT or 2CUL1 ~lWs A zor uvs A1 ANCIENT BIRIL PLAC--NO.ER DOMOILE -0IR A TOAD--A WEIan) Such daring fpets as the one last. recorded, and such equally daring and bloody ones as those which Immediately preceded it, caused the organization of, so many formidable companies of arme& men, In the difreni counties through which the robber chief had more recet-- ly passed, swora to capture him, that he became somewhat tired of the exercise. of so' much vigilance a" the circumstan- ces required of him, and concluded to. spend the remaining portion of the dry season in some spot in the mountains' which should be absolutely free from in- trusion. Accordingly, not ring whith- er he went, so that he reached a secluded. place, he struck out, with his whole band, in an easterly direction, taking.: along with the company, at the request of certain members whom he wished to. please, a number of free and easy senori tas from the town of Jackson. Beside these were his own beautiful partner,. and the wife of the late Gonzalez, who, had already consoled her widowhood with an ugly, brutish member of the- band named Guerra. Carmelita remained at San Gabriel with Reyes Feliz, who. was still languid and feeble by his wounds from the grizzly bear. The party, after two days' riding found. themselves at the summit of the Sierra Nevada, whence they descended towards the great Utah Basin. Pasing, down a- succession of slopes,. wooded with pine. -1 I and juniper, thoy suddenly entered into an eidently n *and'unbxplored region, aitenetieg in saiN#j4 plin overed with ~ g bushes and rocky,intereninghils, dotted with stinted cedai, and eilitened with small valleys, which4vere *atered by bright and sparkling, streams. Fol- lowing one of these they 'discovered that It emptied-as they could trace it for a long distance by its willowy margin, and gradual descent- into a vastlake. As they approached this sheet of water they felt an increasing warmth in the atmos- phere, and pretty soon a hot wind from the direction of the lake. Suddenly, as if to belie the heat, there came down upon them what appeared a terrific snow storm, but they soon discovered that there was no moisture in the flakes, and that they did not melt either upon them- selves or their horses, but left both with Aa ghastly whitehess which it was diffi- cit to shake off. When they told of this event afterward they did not even then know what to make of it, but the writer has since learned that a similar phenom- enon has occurred at Washoe and other points on'the rim of the Utah Basin, and is simply a shower of alkali dust caught up by the whirlwinds In the adjacent deserts, and descending; when their force is spent. Astonished beyond meas- ure at this circumstance, so much so that even Three-Fingered Jack crossed, him- self, and prayed to the Virgin Mary, while the hitherto gay feminines offered at the shrine of the same -Virgin vows of eternal chastity. They rode on,'and the sham snow storm being past they reined up o1 the margin of the expanse of water to which they had been for so. many miles 'tending. 'Here, although prepared for almost anything that might happen, by what they had recently passed through, they were struck with new wonders. And well they might be, for they were on the shoe of an inland sea, as mysterious as might have been. -the dira lake of Awubet, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Wier.' They stood by what 1s nowrknowns*a lAke Mono, the name which was giA it by the Indians who iAshabit that region. This lake, now included in the newlyr organized county of Mono, marked at that time the probable junction of the' somewhat vaguely ~-defined- boundary lines of Calaveras, Mariposa and Fresno counties. It is twenty-seven miles long' and sixteen broad, curving somewhat la the shape of a crescent , with a large' island in the middle,'five miles in length and whitened on the edges with peculiar incrustations. A white vapor, like in- cense from an altar, continually rises from this island, caused by the- presence of the hot 'springs which it contains; and the subterranean heat is such that although a night's lodging on the island is tolerable, it is not altogether comfor- table. Nevertheless there are also springs of fresh water in the island, and some salt. Near by is a smaller island, lying- dim and dingy by the side of the- other. Although the waters of the lake are- clear, they have a Lethe-like and drowsy appearance, and within their slumbering- depths no living thing is found, with the, single exception of an insect, which is'pe culiar to the lake, and which has been dis- covered nowhere else in the world. This, nondescript is shaped somewhat like a snail, has something like rudimental wings, is about three-quarters ofan inch long, and of a brownish color. They skim in swarms over, the surface, or crawl upon the bottom, and in mild weather myriads are heaped upon the shore, and stretched out at times in liv- ing masses, as many as three feet deep. They constitute food for the miserabl'e- Root Diggers who haunt those parts, and also glut the innumerable gulls. that roost on the island and occasional rocks which break the mirr9r of the' water. The birds natied form the only life above the surface, unless we except a few desolate and lonesome looking page: 32-33[View Page 32-33] JOAQUI2(MURIETA. ~S'6 wineri9pa P, 08iiou4* ulfuv 9I -ducks and geese flock thither andIMP4 lerMuAPp Ahe plp t MWlib- Ib # Wv Trpj izq le pu iy4ge th etre, ibih is,9fp g 14ert ih. 4Ipe epp1ble 4 iffe ge4P in he them s plae. though nuerqpT 4treai of f4esp wAer ot illy dispnbog" 'in the lak~eA~a contents tredsQ stggnglyirnpreg- nated with alelie matters 8tQbe A int for, us. This curious lakei an ou94ight thousanil feet , bove the legeI of the Seeing, curling' pfe on a piep of ,e land btped, with pies and ceqlars, about a milg dist at, #9aquiand party galloped in that direction. Ariving at the spot they discovered an Indian vil7 lage opmppsed, of, a fw battered rush houses, from wyhisch a, set of scraggy fig- urs, big and little, males and female, were scansipering in gre;t consternation. Joaqiintold Juan to catch oneof them and bring him back. Juan dismounted and started to execute the job. After.a hard race he succeeded, and -Ireturned with a terrified native, a weather beaten veteran, whom he jerked, along some- what unceremoniously ;by the top of his head, and wheeled into the circle of the admiring. spectators, for the purpose of having him give an account of himself. It was difficult to persuade the poor fel- low that he was not to suffer instant death. But hismind being relieved, he proceeded to make himself as intelligible as the nature of the case would admit of. Hearing him call the lake, to which they pointed, "Mono," which is a word in the Spanish signifying monkey, Joaquin addressed him in Spanigh, but found that he knew nothing of the language. The pAoce.ded to a life v ,y, where t1ere wp, sppie bunch gass, d eampd for thed4h. 1v4%ig pag ~ iththezn a pupply f prPyisio s gich weFe not ypt gexhpustd, , *Ing femne hands to prqpfre IPeir g eal, the time pased ofi pqast1tlg enough, and jeet Tpe cFriosity 9f the bandits beingsst- is#qd,after a few day' exploration of this region, and 1nkij g'hy i6ng see As new ail as; stangp gights fudpr on,;thpy broke up camp ad jorApe4py alog the, eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada southward. They fpund nmany beautiful resting plaes, here theytAr- ried for a day or twoac ording as the fancy seized them. Still in search of in- cident and novelty, they kept their course southward-the character of the country varying between that of undulating plains, covered with sage brush, and rug- ged hills and mountain spurs, together with abyssmal vales, through which pre- cipitous streams thundered--until -they arrived at the eastern verge ofTulare county. HFere -they again, came into a region of striking desolation, and were destined to meet with new and un- dreamed of marvels. It was a rough tract of brOken mountains, seeming to be separate and apart from the Sierra Nevada Range, whose sublime ,peaks rose on the right, erowned with snow, and its entire face was blackened and crisped from the effects of volcanic action. It was a region treeless and waterless withnthe exception of boiling springs, -which bubbled up in the most unexpect- ,ed places. Birds there were none, save a species of lonely snake killers, which half run and half fly over desert spots, ,and make war upon every reptile and serpentt they meet. Having traveled with great difficulty, owing to the treacher- ous character of the encrusted ground, for about twenty miles, they reached a -scene which had probably never before been witnessed by civilized or semi-civil. -ized eyes. But there it was, and the re- port of the robbers with regard to it has since been abundantly confirmed., It was simply a huge mounfin, as com- pared with the surrounding objects, ris- ing say'some fifteen hundred feet in height and terribly excoriated, if we may so use the term, by the demon of fire. Like a vulgar monster, sick at its stomach, it continually vomited forth from numbers of mouths large volumes of mud and steam; a regular mud vol- ,cano ; and, in its belchings, it sent forth different colors of mud-scarlet, yellow and indigo, which, thick and glutinous, rolled dowi its sides and hardened. Near its base there was an opening which they had not at first observed, it being on the opposite side, which revealed a tremendous boiling pool, forty feet long by twenty feet wide, 'nd reaching down into cavernous depths from which low rumblings came up like muttered thun- der. The ground was hot for a mile around this mud monster, and all the small peaks adjacent were heated. This region, so apochryphal then, has since been thoroughly explored, and the cele- brated "Silver Mountain" of the Coso mines lies to the north of the spot de-, scribed, about-twenty-five miles. On the edge of the big cauldron above named the party saw tracks of naked feet, and the bones of rabbits," and such small deer," which had be6n'apparently cooked on the heated rocks that formthe rim of the cavern. There was, doubt. less, a tribe of people somewhere in the vicinity who adopted this unique mode 3 of converting the sublime and terrible into the useful. Following the tracks over the crispy ground, and circling the bed of an extensive lagoon, now dry, they reached a footpath and descended suddenly, and with a transition truly wonderful, into an exceedingly beautiful valley; and here was an Indian village. The inhabitants were entirely naked, men, women and children, of pigmy size, very dirty, and altogether a very inferior specimen of the sufficiently inferior Root Digger race of California. This tribe live on lizards, crickets, roots and worms, fish and occasional rabbits which they snare. Giving these poor creatures a few presents, the bandits passed on in the path which led through the village, and reaching the pine-clad spurs of the eastern slope, were gratified 'with the sight of what is now known as Owen's Lake, a body of water filling a huge basin scooped out for it in the elevated land. It is forty miles long and from five to ten miles wide. The waters are clear and brackish, and abound in fish. On one of the streams putting into this lake the robbersfixed their camp. . They were supplied with fish by the Indians, and hunters of the party brought from the hills, 4ot unfrequently, anms of deer and antelope. Here the -obbers rested and luxuriated, converting the Indians into servants, laughing at their oddities, and riding or strolling around at their pleasure. In one of his excursions out into the weird realm, upon whose con- fines he was quartered, Joaquin noticed on a wall of cliffs sculptured figures, of life size, of men and animals. They ap. peared to be ancient, and rude as they were, were certainly above any art in the possession of the miserable race then living in those parts. He also found, in an obscure crevice, a rough earthern pot, in which a horned frog had taken up his abode. For how many centuries he had lived there, a venerable hermit, it would be hard to tell. Similar earthen potshave since been found in theneigborhood,and -0 A Q UIN. M WS page: 34-35[View Page 34-35] & I iv ancient burial places are visible, with circular-mounds of stones heaped upon them, about ten feet in diameter, and, mouldy with time. CHAPTER VII. THE BANDITTI LEAVE THEIR REsTING PLACE-INDIAN GUIDE-ARRIVE ,AT TULARE RIVER-VALENWZUELA -DES- PATCHED ON A SPECIAL MISSION- REYES FELIZ HUNG-ANGUIsH OF ROSITA-FATE OF CARMELITA-DES- PERATE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE ROB- BERS AND A PURSUING PARTY-JOSE RAMUNE CARREJO'S RANCHO A HAJt- BORING PLACE FOR JOAQUIN-CAP- TURE AND EXECUTION OF MOUNTAIN JIM-MESSENGER SENT TO VALEN- ZUELA-ROBBERY NEAR DEAD MAN'S CREEK-TERROR OF A CHINAMAN- THE ROBBERS GO INTO SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY-GENEROSITY OF MURIETA. In this locality, described in the last chapter, the banditti remained until the end of the month of September, when they obtained an Indian guide to lead them through the mountain passes of that quarter, over to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The guide 'took them through a broken mass of volcanic' ground to a deep gorge, now known as Copper Cafilon. The passage is only wide enough, in many places, for a man to ride through, and the rocks tower up' on each side to a height of three hundred feet. Thence he led them through some rugged mountain spurs into the Mescal Valley. Thence to another patch of crisped and blackened soil into a second lovely valley, whose name I have for- gotten, but which is five miles long and well watered; thence over a gradual rise, into Kern Pass; thence down the western slope of the Sierra Nevada; thence along the low, wooded foot-hills that skirt the Tulare River, Here they- were within sixty miles of the little town of Visalia, and here, they being- then well acquainted with the country,. the guide left them. From this point Joaquin despatched Valenzuela to the Arroyo Cantoova,. there to make encampment and collect herds of horses. He himself with Claudio, Three-Fingered lack and the rest of the band, struck over into San Luis Obispo, county, with fifty followers he rested at the Mission of San Luis Obispo, where he recounted the adventures related in the preceding chapter. A portion of his- band in a short time went over and stopped at Santa Margarita, about fifteen or twenty miles distant. There were persons connected with both of these. extensive ranchos who knew more aboutJoaquin's concerns than they.cared. to acknowledge. While at San Luis Obispo, Joaquin one day took up the Los Angeles hta/, and was. reading the news, when his sight. seemed suddenly blasted, and he let the paper fall from his hands. His affrighted mistress-sprang to his side, and clasping his hands, begged him to tell what was the matter. He. shook his'head for a moment, and the tears gushed from his eyes-aye, robber as he was-as he exclaimed, with quiver- ing lips: "i Rosita, you will never see your broth- er again. Reyes Feliz is dead. He was hung two days ago by the people of Los Angeles."I Pierced with anguish, the fair girl sunk upon his bosom, and from her dark eyes, overshadowedby the rich, luxuriant hair, which fell around her like a mid- night cloud, the storm of her grief poured itself forth in fast and burning drops, which fell like molten lead upon her lover's heart. Why should I describe it? It is well that woman should, like a weeping angel, sanctify our dark and suffering world with her teaTs. Let JOA UIN MURIETA. 35 34 them flow. The blood which stains the fair face of our mother Earth may not be washed out with an ocean of tears. It was indeed true that Reyes Feliz, in his seventeenth year, had met with what is almost always the outlaw's fate -an ignominious death upon the gal- lows. Having recovered from his wounds, he left San Gabriel and went down to Los Angeles, attended by his faithful Carmelita, where he had been only a few days before he was recognized by an American as one of a party who had once- robbed him in the vicinity of Mokelumne Hill, Standing without the least suspi- cion of danger, in a "fandango house" at Los Angeles, he was suddenly arrest- ed and covered with irons; he was charged with being a party to the assas- sination of General Bean, and although no evidence appeared to'implicate him In this transaction, yet enough was elici- ted to show that he' was undoubtedly a thief and a murderer. He was according- ly taken to the gallows, where he kissed the crucifix and made oath that he was innocent of the murder of General Bean, but guilty in many other instances. Though doomed to die at so early an age; young, healthy and full ofthe fine spirits which give a charm to early man- hood; beloved as men are seldom loved; a wild untameable boy; he quailed not in the presence of death, but faced it with a calm brow and tranquil smile. 'There came over him no shudder or paleness as the rope was adjusted around his neck, and he himself leaped from the platform just as it was about to fall from under him. Alas, for the unfortunate Carmel- ita ! She wandered alone in the woods, weeping and tearing her hair, and many a startled ear caught the wail of her ,voice at midnight in the forest. She fled at the approach of a human footstep, but at last they found her cold- and ghastly form stretched on a barren rock, in the still beauty of death. The Mexicans buried her by the side of her well belov- ed Feliz, and the winds shall whisper as JOAQUIN MURIETA. mournfully over their graves, as if the purest and best of mortal dust reposed below. All-loving Nature is no respecter of persons, and takes to her bosom all her children, when they have ceased their wanderings, and eases their heart- aches in her embracing arms. We may go down to our graves with the scorn of an indignant world upon us, which hurls us from its presence-but the eternal God allows no fragment of our souls, no atom of our dust, to be lost from our universe. Poised on our own immortality, we may defy the human race and all that exists beneath the throne of God! - A few days after the distressing news which they had heard, Joaquin and his sweet Rosita were sitting in front of an old building at the Mission, enjoying, as well as they could, the cool of the even- ing-for the month of November was still pleasant in the southern counties- when a Mexican rode up on a gallop, and hastily dismounted. : He advanced to- ward Joaquin, who rose at his approach and, seeing that he was a stranger, gave him the secret sign by which any mem- ber of the organizationmight recognize another, though they had never met.' It was satisfactorily returned, and the stranger immediately inquired for Joa- quin, and expressed a wish to see him. He was of course informed that he was addressing that individual himself, whereupon he proceeded to unfold the object of his mission. "I am," said he, " most worthy Senor, deputed by a person whom you wot of, residing near the rancho of Gen. Pio Pico, to say to you that there is danger where you now are. A party of Ameri- cans, well armed and mounted, have passed the rancho Los C6yotes in- this direction, and it is no doubt their inten- tyon to surprise you at your present re- treat. I'myself passed them this morn- ing, without being perceived, encamped about fifteen miles from this place, and I seriously believe that you had better look out." page: 36-37[View Page 36-37] 36 . "Very well," replied the chief, with- 1/ out changing countenance, "this is as good as I want; hold yourself in readi. ness to serve me as a guide to their encampment, for I intend to surprise them." Summoning Three-Fingered Jack and Claudio, he informed them of the facts which he had heard, and of his inten- tions, directingthem to prepare the band immediately for action. In an hour afterwards the different members came galloping up from various parts of the rancho, booted, spurred and equipped in brilliant style, to the number of forty-five men. They were fine looking fellows, and scarcely any of them over thirty-five years of age. Under the guide of the Los Coyotes messenger, who was fur- nished with a fresh horse, they started just as night set in upon their danger- ous expedition. After a ride of two hours and a half they arrived at their destination. The fires were still burning, but the camp was abandoned. It was too dark to follow a trail, and they stopped for the night. At daybreak thby arose, mounted their horses and pursued a very fresh trail which led through the woods, as if carefully to avoid the main roads. By the number of tracks it was evident that they were" in pursuit of a strong force. . The trail led precisely in the course of San Luis Obispo, and it was apparent that the Americans had started for that place about the same time that Joaquin had, left it; but he having traveled the main road, thus missed them on the way. Arriving at ten o'clock within two miles of the Mission, he halted and sent a spy forward to examine and report, who re-. turned in a short time with the informa- tion that the party, consisting of fifty, men, had left the Mission at daylight on that morning, with the evident purpose of taking the beaten road straight back to their encampment of the day before, the tracks of the banditti being still fresh on the ground. It was plain there- fore, that finding unmistakable indica- tions that the bandits had stayed at their encampment, and had' followed their trail toward the Mission,' they would hurry on to overtake them, and would be able to make the entire circuit before sundown of that day. The young chief clapped his hands together in perfect glee. "We have them boys! we have got them dead!" He wheeled his horse directly around, and led-his company' about three miles back on the trail which they had just come, and halted at the junction of two deep gulches, rugged and shaggy with overhanging rocks. - Directing his men to hide their horses at &distance of three or four hundred yards from the trail, he ordered them next to conceal themselves in the nooks and crevices of the surround- ing bluffs. They lay there as still as deatlr for about two hours,' when the clatter of horses' feet was heard distinct- ly in the distance. Nearer and nearer, they came, and in a few minutes a fine looking young man, with blue eyes and light hair, rode up within twenty yards of Joaquin, followed by about fifty other Americans, armed with rifles and revol- vers. " I don't like the looks of this place at all,"' said the young man, and hardly had the words escaped his lips, 'before the rocks blazed around him, and the sharp reports of twenty or thirty pistols rang in his ears. His hat was shot from his head, and his horse fell under him. A dozen of his followers bit the dust. "Dismount, boys, and scald the rocks! Give them no advantage! Fage them in their very teeth ! It is our only chance." They 'sprang to the rocks at the word, each man to the quarter which he chose, and hand to hand bearded their hidden foes in their dens. It could scarcely be called a battle between two distinct forces rit was rather a number of separ- ate single combats, in which nothing I I 31 could avail a man but'his own right arm and dauntless heart. Joaquin sprang from his hiding place to have a freer sweep of his arm, when he met at the very threshold the young Anglo Saxon. A flash of recognition passed between them, and Joaquin turned as if to leap upon a rock at his right, but at the mo- ment that his antagonist jumped in that direction to intercept the movement, he wheeled to the left, and throwing out his foot with a sudden and vigorous stroke, knocked the young man's heels ' from under him, and he fell with violence upon his face. Before he could rise, the wily bandit leaped upon him like a pan- ther, and sheathed his knife in his heart. It was too sad, but as I have said before, an invisible guardian fiend pursued ev- erywhere this extraordinary man. Hav- ing no time to repeat the blow, especi- ally as it seemed unnecessary, he drew forth the dripping blade, and rushed to another scene of the conflict. He was met at almost every step, and fought his way like a tiger, gashed and bleeding, but still strong and unfainting. Dead men lay upon every side, both Amer- cans and Mexicans, and in front of Three- Fingered Jack were stretched five men, with their skulls broken by the butt end of his revolver, which he had used as a club after emptying its contents, and at the moment that Joaquin's eye met him, he was stooping, with glaring eyes and a hideous smile, over a prostrate Ameri- can, in whose long hair he had wound his left hand, and across whose throat he was drawing the coarse-grained steel of his huge home-made bowie knife. With a shout of delight he severed the neck joint and threw the gaping head over the rocks, He was crazy with the sight of blood, and searched eagerly for an- other victim. He scarcely knew his lead- er, and the latter had called to him three times before he recovered his senses. "Ah, Muriet," said he, smacking his -lips, "this has been a great day. Damn 'em! how my knife lapped up their blood." JOAQUIN MURrETA. JOAQUI1N MURIETA. The fight now having lasted half an hour, and there being no 'prospect that either party would conquer, so equally were they matched,' it gradually sub- sided, and each side gradually drew ofT from the other, with a tacit understand- ing that they were mutually satisfied to cry quits. Joaquin looked around and saw that he had lost twenty men, among whom was the invaluable Claudio, and ascertained the loss of his enemies to be very near the same, perhaps a little over. Mounting their horses, the bandits rode off in silence toward San Luis Obispo, while the surviving Americans found as many of their horses as had not left them during the conflict, and retired to their homes in'Santa Barbara, County, having made arrangements on the way for the burial of their deceased comrades. During the following night a company from the Mission went over to the bloody scene with picks and shovels, and buried the dead bodies of the bandits near the spot where they fell. On the next morn- ing Joaquin summoned the Los Coyotes messenger, and said to him: " Go back and. tell my friend, who sent'you, that the 'danger is passed, -and hand him'this purse. For yourself, take this one," handing him another well- filled bag. Attention having being attracted to the San Luis Obispo rancho, the bandit thought it prudent to go elsewhere. Accordingly word was sent over to their friends - who were rusticating at Santa Margarita, to join them, and they forth- with started to a well known harboring place not more than a thousand miles from Jose Ramune Carrejo's rancho. ilere they remained until such as were wounded recovered their usual health and strength-and here, again, Joaquin heard news similar to that which shocked him at San Luis Obispo, namely, that Mountain Jim had been hung at San Diego. This misfortune happened to the jolly robber from his own carelessness. He and Valenzuela had stopped at a 7( page: 38-39[View Page 38-39] 39 -8JOAQULIN }{URIETA. drinking shop on the San Diego River some fifteen or twenty miles from th bay of that name, and had taken a glase of execrable brandy, when a party of four or five Americans rode up and alighted, who looked so very suspiciously at Valenzuela and partner, that the former took his friend out, and told him that it was his opinion they both had better leave as quick as possible. Mountain Jim was under the influence of liquor, and laughing at what he chose to term the silly fears of Valenzuela, he went back Into the house swearing and swagger- ing. Pretty soon after, a dozen more Americans approached on horseback, see- ing whom, Valenzuela mounted into his saddle and called to Jim to come along. But Jim only laughed, and took another glass of liquor. "Curse the foolI" muttered the ban- dit, " he will. be the death of both of us. For my part, I will keep my own dis- tance from those scurvy looking fellows, at any rate." - The new party no sooner arrived than they rushed up to the door of the drink- ing house and drew their revolvers-a scuffle ensued inside,and Valenzuela, well aware of what was going on, and that it was uselessto contend against such great odds, merely fired one shot into the crowd at the door, which took effect in the abdomen of one of the party, and wheel- ing his horse broke off like a thunder- bolt. - Several of the Americans.pursued him, but his fine, swift animal distanced them so far, that they might as well have attempted to catch the red-winged spirit of a storm. Poor Mountain Jim! He was never destined to tread the moun- tains again. He was taken to the town of San Diego, and hung with as little ceremony as if he had been adog. Well fitted was he to grace a gallows, for his merits certainly entitled him to a distin- guished elevation. From his present stopping place Joa- quin sent messenger,oabout the first of December, to the Arroyo Cantoova. to see Valeuzuela, if he was there, and if he e was absent to await his return, in order s to inform him that it was made his duty to continue the business in which he was engaged, through the entire winter, or until such time as Joaquin should arrive at the rendezvous. The messenger re- turned after a few days and stated that he had iound Valenzuela and band at the Arroyo, with tents pitched, and a herd of fine horses amounting to between five and six hundred, feeding on the pasture, and that the bold leader had signified a willing obedience to his chief's mandate. "He is a glorious fellow," exclaimed ' Joaquin. "He didn't practice under that hardened old priest, Jurata, without learning something." Spies were now ranging the country every day, picking up valuable informa- tion; and among other things, it was- ascertained that an opinion prevailed that Joaquin had gone to the State of Sonora.' Thinking it a favorable time, he issued forth with his whole force, uni. ting Three-Fingered Jack's party with Claudio's, which last was now under the leadership of a member of the band named Reis-and startedlip into Mari- posa county for the purpose of plunder. On the. road that leads from Dead Man's Creek to the Merced River, he met four Frenchmen, six Germans and three Americans, walking and driving mules before them, packed with provisions, blankets and mining utensils.rHaving so large a party with him, numbering about thirty men, he had no difficulty in stopping the travelers as long as he wished to detain them. His men stood around with pistols cocked, while Joa- quin dismounted, and walking up to a terrified Frenchman, 'who was armed -with a revolver which he was afraid to use, took him by the top of his head, and jerked him around once or twice, slapped *him across the face with his open hand, andtold him to '-shell out." TheFrench- man hauled out well-filled purseoand was handing it over, when others of his .4 -companions made a show to draw their pistols and defend their gold dust. The robbers were too quick for them, and more than half of the unfortunate miners were shot down in their tracks. Joaquin brandished his glittering blade in the faces of the survivors, and threatened to to cut every one of their windpipes if they didn't hand out " what little loose change " they had about them, in half a, minute I His polite request was com- plied with, and the little loose change .amounted to about $15,000. He then bestowed a kick or two on some of the .number as a parting tribute of regard, :and told them to "roll on." Three-Fin- gered Jack insisted on killing the whole 'company, but the clgef overruled him. Riding forward after this transaction, they had not gone more than two miles when they met a Chinaman with a long 'tail, carrying a large bundle suspended at each end of a stick laid across his shoulders, walking leisurely along with his head bent to the ground. Looking, up and seeing so large a number of armed men before him, his eyes rolled in sud- den fear,.and he ducked his half shaved head in -nmistakable homage and re- spect to-the revolvers and bowie knives which met his vision. No one harmed him, and he shuffled on vastly gratified and relieved. He had passed only a few minutes when he was heard howling and screaming in the most harrowing manner; and looking back they .discov- ered the horrified Celestial, with his tail flying in the wind, running toward them .at the top of his speed, with arms saw- ing the air, and bundle le88, while the ground clattered under his wooden shoes; and just behind him, with blazing eyes, and his huge home-mad6 knife in his right hand, appeared Three-Fingered -Jack, who had stopped at a spring and was.tying his horse to a bush at the mo- ment that the Chinaman came up. It -was toogood an opportunity to be lost, andhe darted likea wild hyena at the astounded Oriental, who applied himself to his heels with the utmost vigor that he could command. Joaquin bowed him- self upon the saddle in a convulsion of laughter at the ridiculous appearance of the Chinaman, but speedily confronted Jack and told him to stop. Woh Le fell upon his knees in deepest adoration of his preserver. Joaquin bade him go on his way, and laughingly reprimanded Jack for wanting to kill so pitiful a look- ing creature. "Well," said Jack, "I can't help it; but, somehow or other, I love to smell the blood of a Chinaman. Besides, it's such easy work-to kill them. It's a kind of luxury to cut their throats." Proceeding across the woods and moun- tains, the banditti n a few days struck the main road leading from the town of Mariposa to Stockton, in San Joaquin county. Robbing once in a while as they went along, they arrived late one night at a ferry on the Tuolumne River, Tuolumne county, and finding the boat locked to the shore so that they could not exercise the privilege of crossing themselves which was their usual cus- tom, they rode up to the ferryman's house, and very nearly beat the door down before they could arouse him. He came out at last with a terrified look, and asked what they wanted. "We want to cross the river," replied Joaquin; "and before doing so we wish to obtain from you the loan of wlat spare cash you may have about you. You have the best evidence of the urgency of our request,", cocking his pistol'and presenting it close to the fellow's head. " Never mind the evidence, Sefior; I believe you without it. I will certainly loan you all I have got." So saying, he lighted a candle and got out a purse from under his pillow, con- taining a hundred dollars. " Come, said Jack," bursting a cap at his head, "Iyou have got more;, And was cocking his pistol for another trial, when Joaquin very fiercely told him to know ctOA QUIN X UBIETA 8 page: 40-41[View Page 40-41] 40 his place. Turning to the trembling ferryman he said: "Isthis all you have got?" Precisely all, Seflor; but you are wel- come to it." "I won't take it," said the young chief, with a flush of pride; "you ate a poor man and never injured me. Put us over the river and I will pay you for your trouble." I mention this incident merely to show that Murieta in his worst days had yet a remnant of that noble spirit which had been his original nature, and to correct those who have said that he was lost to every generous sentiment. CHAPTER VIII. ARRIVAL AT STOCKTON-JOAQUIN RIDES BOLDLY THROUGH THE CITY-DARIiNG ATTACK ON A SCHOONER IN THE SLOUGH- DEPARTURE FOR ARROYO CANTOOVA-HAPPY REUNION OF THE BANDITS-JOAQUIN REVEALS HIS FU- TURE PLANS- GUERRA'S WIFE BE- COMES RESTIVE-AMERICAN HUNTERS FALL INTO A TRAP-HOW THEY GOT OUT OF IT. The party arrived in the neighborhood of Stockton after two days' travel, and camped on the plain, uuder an oak grove, about three miles from that city. They were seen at their encampment, but not suspected. Indeed it was then, as it is now, so common a thing to see compa- nies of men engaged in the various occu- pations of packers, cattle drovers, horse traders, hunters and the like, stationed by the banks of some cool stream, or rest- ing under the shade of trees at a distance from any 'house, or with their tents pitched in some lonely place for weeks at a time, that it was scarcely just to __~~ suspect a: party to be criminal, merely from circumstances like these. The knowledge of everybody that it was the' habit among all classes to go armed and to camp out, in every sort of a place,. materially aided the banditti in their- movements, for it gave them the oppor- tunity to remain perfectly, safe until. they chose to avow their real char-, acters by some open outrage and vil- lainy. One fine Sunday morning, while the- bells were 'ringing for church in the goodly city of Stockton, and well-dressed gentlemen were standing at the corners. of the streets, marking with'critical eyes- the glancing feet and the flaunting dres- ses of the ladies who swept by them in the halo of beauty and perfumery, a fine- looking man whom they had never.,seen before-having long, black hair hanging- over his shoulders, and a piercing black eye-rode through the streets, carelessly- looking at the' different objects which. happened to attract his attention. So, finely was he dressed, and so superbly- was his horse comparisoned, that with- out seeming to know it, he was the ob-. served of all observers "What- a splendid looking fellow V" observed the ladies. "He must be a young Mexican gran- dee, at least, on a journey of pleasure," said one. "I think," said another, "it must be Gen. Vallejo's son." ' " I don't believe he has any," said a third; and they became so much interes- ted in their conjectures about the young- man that it is doubtful whether they- paid much attention to the very prosy minister who was then acting- as the, "bright and shining light" amidst the, surrounding darkness. The youthful cavalier, after attracting: uncommon attention, by riding over the city, finally stopped at the side of a house, upon which were posted several notices-one reading as follows: JOAQUDT MURIETA. '41 .1 "FOR SAIL. "the surseribur ophfers for sail a yauf boterhiclit at the hed- of the Slew terms cash or kabbige turnips and sich like will bea taykenr." To which fine specimen of polite literature was appended the name of a worthy citizen, who was then fishing for his living, but has since been fishing for various distinguished offices in that county. Another one was a "notis" that some person either wanted to hire some one else, or be hired himself, as a cook-it was impossible to tell which. A third was an auctioneer's notice. "lonor before the 25 da of Dec I will offur to the hiest bider a brownmuleaate yeer old, a gilding 16hans hie and a span of jack~ consistin of long years and a good voyce." I have a notion to publish the name signed to this rare advertisement, espec- ially as the auctioneer 'seems to have been something of a wag as well as ig- noramus. But, perhaps, it will be bet- ter not. A fourth was headed, in good English, and a fair running hand. "Five Thousand Dollars Reward for Joa- quin-dead or alive." And stated that the citizens of San Joa- quin county offered that amount for the apprehension'or the killing of that noted robber. Seeing this, the young Mexican dis. mounted; and taking out his pencil, wrote something underneath, and leisure- ly rode out of town. No less than a dozen persons, stimulated by curiosity, went to the paper to see what was written, when they read the following in pencil: e" I will give $10,000. Joaquin." Numerous were the exclamations of astonishment at this discovery, and nothing else was talked of for a week, among the ladies at least, who- got hold of the fact almost before it. was die covered, and insisted each to the other that they had remarked that the young man had a peculiarly wild and terrible *See newspapers of that period. JOAQUIT MURIETA. look, and they had suspected very strongly though they had never men, tioned it to any one, that it was 'none, other than the noted personage whom it proved to be. Joaquin appeared on this occasion mbis real features. He frequently went after- wards, however,into that city completely disguised, and learned many things im- portant for him to hear. Ascertaining one evening that a schooner would go down the slough in a few hours, bound for San Francisco, on board of which ,were two miners from San Andreas, in Calaveras county, with heavy bags of gold dust, who designed to take their departure for the States, he took three of his men who were lounging around town, with him, and jumping into a skiff shot down the slough, and tying up his. boat in a bend of the water, hid in the tues and patiently waited for the schoon- er to come along. The mosquitoes bit him unmercifully, and he was almost. tempted to abandon the enterprise on their account, but the prospect of so good a haul was, on reflection, not to be resisted. . He cursed , himself for not bringing some matches with which he might have kindled a fire, and sought the protection of its -smoke ; but perse- verance is always rewarded, if the object desired lies in the bounds of possibility, and waiting like a martyr for three mor- tal hours, in those tudes, which are a per- feet "mosquito kingdom," where huge- gallinippers reign as the aristocracy, he- at last saw the white sheeted schooner stealing along in the crooks and turns of jut the crookedet strem in the wiwle 'word, so narrow and so completely hid in its windings by the tall flags which overspread the plains for many miles to the right and left that the white sail looked like a ghost gliding along over -the waving grass. As the vessel came opposite, Joaquin and companions slyoved their boat out into the stream, and tying it to the schooner's side, leaped on board of her, and commenced firing without page: 42-43[View Page 42-43] 42 saying a word. They shot down the two young men who managed the vessel 'before they had time to use their double- barreled shot-guns, which they always carried for the purpose of shooting water- fowl in the slough and up the San Joa- quin River, and rushing aft attacked the two miners, who had risen at the the re- port of the pistols, and were-standing with their revolvers drawn and cocked, ready for action. They and the robbers fired simultaneously. Two of Joaquin's men fell dead on the deck, and the miners fell at the same time. Their wallets were soon stripped from them by Joaquin and his surviving companion, and finding some matches, they set fire to the vessel, and left her to burn down. They rowed theirgkiff to the head of the slough in Stockton, and wended their way back to their encampment.'Ere day- light there was no trace of murder on the slough, but a dark hulk which was hardly visible on the water's edge. By this operation Joaquin realized twenty thousand dollars. Having now between forty and fifty thousand dollars in gold dust, he ordered his bands to pack up, and started for the rendezvous of Ar- royo Cantoova, passing by Josd Ramune Carrejo's rancho, and taking the lovely Rosita along with him, who had been staying there during his trip to Stock- ton. He reached the Arroyo about the mid- dle of the day, and it was a beautiful sight that met his eye as he gazed over the extensive valley, and saw a thousand fine horses feeding on the rich grass, ot galloping, with flowing manes and ex- panded nostrils, in graceful circles over the plain. "Valenzuela has done his work well," said the elated chief, "ten times better than I had expected he would. " Seeing one of his herdsmen looking at him a short distance off as if endeavor- ing to recognize him, he rode up to him and asked him in reference to Valen- suela.* "He has been gone,"-said the vaquero, " about a week-we expect him every d a y . " I+ The newly arrived party then rode up to the tents under the trees, and dis- mounted. The busy cooks hurried up the fires, and the fresh venison and bear meat was soon smoking on the irons, and emitting a most delicious savor, such as tempts the appetite of a hardy moun- taineer. Broiledquails and grouse, sweet and oily, the *latter of which had been brought from the,'tall spruce trees at'a height of three hundred feet, by the long maple-stocked and silver-mounted rifles which stood at the corner of one of the tents, were hanging in front of the blaze, suspended by their necks to branching sticks driven into the ground. The hot coffee steamed up from the large pot with a most stimulating 'effect; every- thing was spread forth in superabun- dance, scattered over a large white cloth that covere# a,-few yards square of green grass, and ;t a signal from the cooks, who were also the waiters, forty fierce and hungry brigands sat down, and with the utmost expedition consistent with respect for their leader, made havoc among the victuals. Just at this mo- ment a mounted company dashed up at full speed, giving the well known whoop by which they could be recognized as friends, and dismounted. It was Valen- zuela and a portion of his band, the re- mainder of whom soon after came in, driving two hundred and fifty fine Ameri- can horses before them. The circle was enlarged, the cooks went to work afresh, and soon the whole banditti were seated at theample banquet. Generous wines stood sparkling in their midst, with which scarcely any refused to refresh themselves. Conversation flowed freely, and each one had a tale to tell of liair- breadth escapes and daring deeds. On the following morning Joaquin col- lected his bands arQund him, numbering from a late accession of "fighting mem- bers," as he called them, one hundred I men and explained to them fully his, views and purposes.. He informed them that he could com- inand, if he desired,'in all two thousand men who were ready to organize in So- nora, Lower California, and in this State, that he had money in abundance deposited in a safe place, meaning with his secret partner in Sonora; that he intended to arm and equip and make a clean sweep of the southern counties; that he intended to kill the Americans by wholesale, burn their ranchos and run off their property, at one single swoop, so rapidly that they would' not have time to collect an opposing force before he would have finished the work and found safety in the mountains of Sonora; that when he had done this he would wind up his career, divide his substance with the band now attending him, and spend the rest of his days in peace; that he was now preparing for this grand climax, and that this was the reason that -he had been so steadily col- lecting horses. These avowals leaked out through persons not sufficiently reticent on the ranches in the habit of harboring Joa- quin, and came to the .ears of Captain Harry Love, whom we have before men- tioned, and others, causing them to use renewed exertions to capture or slay- the daring robber. The-banditti shouted in loud applause of their gallant leader. Their eyes kin- dled with enthusiasm at the magnificent prospect- which he presented to them, and they could scarcely contain them- selves in view of the astounding revela- tions which he had made. They had entertained no 'adequate idea of the splendid genius which belonged to their chief, although they had loved and ad- mired him throughout his dangerous career. They were fired with new ener- gy, and more than ever willing and anx- ious to obey him at all hazards, and under the most disadvantageous circum- stances. I On this same day he dispatched a re- mittance of $50,000 to his secret partner in Sonora, under, a strong . force com- manded by Valenzuela, and directed Three-Fingered Jack, with fifty men, to drive off to the same State a thousand head of the horses which had been col- lected. Joaquin was accordingly left at the rendezvous, with twenty-five men, who had nothing todo but kill game, and attend to their horses, and clean their arms. The widow of Gonzalez, and present wife of the brute Guerra, who looked more like a grizzly bear than a human being, wished to go off with Three-Fin- gered Jack, but Guerra begged his bro- ther bandit, of whom he was afraid, so hard to leave her with him that Jack forced her to stay. Guerra was by no means so kind to her as Gonzalez had been, and one night while he was asleep she was about to cut his throat, when Joaquin, who was lying in the same tent. fiercely told her to behave herself, and assured her with, an emphasis that he would hold her responsible if Guerra was ever found dead about camp. She threw her knife spitefully toward Jea- quin and laid down again by her adora- ble spouse, who snored in blissful ignor- auce of his wife's affectionate purpose. Lounging in his tent one misty day-. for the rainy season had set in-Joaquin was aroused from the luxurious lap of his mistress by one of his sentinels, who galloped up and informed him that he had just discovered a fresh trail through the grass, about a mile and a half below on the Cantoova Creek, and from appear- ances he should judge there were eight or ten men. It was important to keep a sharp lookout, and to allow no Ameri- cans to leave that valley with the knowl- edge that it was occupied by any body of men whatever, as such a circumstance would materially interfere with the gi- gantic plans projected. Accordingly, it was not long before Joaquin was mount- cd upon one of his swiftest horses and JOAQUIN MURIETA' JOAQUIN .MURIETA. 43 page: 44-45[View Page 44-45] 44 JOAQUIN MtRIETA. accompanied by fifteen picked men. They proceeded to the-trail indicated by the sentinel and rode rapidly for two hours, which brought them insight of ten Americans, who halted in curious sur- prise and waited for them to come up. "Who are you?" said Joaquin, "and what is your business in these parts?" They replied that they were hunters in search of bears and deer. "We are hunters, also," rejoined the bandit, " and are camped just across the plain here. Come over with us, and let us have a chat. Besides, we have some first rate liquor at our camp." Suspecting nothing wrong, the hun- ters accompanied them, and having dis- nhounted at the tents and turned out their horses to graze, found themselves suddenly in a very doubtful position. They were 'surrounded by a company more than double their own, who made demonstrations not at all grateful to their sight, aid in a few moments they realized the bitter fact that they were driven to the extremity of a hopeless struggle for their lives. They remon- strated with Joaquin against so shame- less an act as the cold-blooded murder of men who had never injured him. "Yibu have found me here," he replied, "and I have no guarantee that you will not betray me. If I do not tell you who I am, you will think it no harm to say you have seen a man of my description; and if I do tell you, then you will be certain to mention it at the first opportunity." At this moment a young man, original- - ly from the wilds of Arkansas, not more than eighteen years of age, advanced in front of his trembling comrades, and standing faee to face with the robber chief, addressed him in a firm voice to the following effect:-. "I suspect strongly who you are, sir. , I am satisfied that you are Joaquin Muri- eta. I am also satisfied that you are a;a brave man, who would-not unnecessarily l commit murder. You would not wish f to take our lives unless your own safety l I JOAQVIN MLRIETA. 4 demanded it. I do npt blame o, foI lowing the business you do, for desiring to put an effectual seal of silence on our tongues. But listen to me just a mo- ment. You see that I am no coward. I ) do not look at you with the aspect of a man, who would tell a falsehood to save his life. I promise you faithfully for my. self, and in behalf of my companions, that if you spare our lives, which are completely In your power, not a word shall be breathed of your whereabouts. I will myself kill the first man who says a word in regard to it. Under different circumstances I should take-a different , course, but now, I am conscious that to spare our lives, it will be an act of mag- nanimity on your part, and I stake my honor, not as an American citizen, but as a man, who is simply bound by jus- tice to himself, under circumstances in which no other considerations can pre- vail, that you shall not be betrayed. If you say you will spare us, we thank you. If you say no, we can only fight till we die, and you must lbse some of your lives in the conflict." Joaquin drew his hand across his broW, and looked thoughtful and undecided. A beautiful female approached him from the tent near by, and touched him on the shoulder. "Spare them, Joaquin, she tremu- lously whiappred, and looking at him with pleading eyes, retired softly to her seat again. liaising his fine head with a lofty look, he bent his large clear eyes upon the young American as if he would read him like an outspread page. He answered his glance with a look so royally sincere that Joaquin exclaimed with sudden energy: "I will spare you., Your. countrymen have injured me; they have made me what I am, but I scorn to take the ad- vantage of so brave a man. I will risk a look and voice like yours, if it should ead to perdition. Saddle their horses or them, " he said to his followers, "and et them depart in peace." -The party were very soon mounted again, and showering blessings on Joa- quiu, who had become suddenly trans- formed into an angel in their estimation, they took their leave. I have never learned that the young man, or any of his party, broke their singular compact, and indeed it seems to me that it would- have been very questionable morality in them to have done so, for certainly, how- ever much they owed to society, it would have been a suicidal act to refuse to enter into such an agreement, and as nothing but a firm conviction that they intended to keep their word, could have induced Joaquin to run so great a risk, they were bound to preserve their faith inviolate. If they had a right to pur- chase their lives at the price of silence, they had an equal right, and not only that, but were morally bound to stand up to their bargain. It would be well if men were never forced into such a position, but society has no right, after it has happened, to wring from them a secret which belongs to Cm, and not to. the world, In such matters God is the* only judge. CHAPTER IX. ARRIVALS FROM soNORA - THE MYS- TERIOUs DEATH OF GUERnA-o1ER- ATIONS IN CALAVERAS COUNTY - HAm-BBEADTH ESCAPE OF JOAQUIN. The month of December was drawing to a close, and the busy brain of the ac- complished chief had mapped -outthe full plan of his operations for a new year just at hand. It was the year which would close his short and tragical career with a crowning glory,-a deedof daring and of power, which woeld re- deem with its refulgent light the dark- ness of his previous history, and show him to after times not as a mere outlaw, committing petty depredations aud rob- beries, but as a hero who has revenged his country's wrongs, and washed out her disgrace in the blood of her enemies. It was time for Three-Fingered Jack and Valenzuela to return from Sonora, and'he waited patiently for their arrival, in order to replenish his purse largely during the first months of the new year, so that he might execute his magnificent purpose without embarrassment or ob- struction. In a few days Garcia and Val- enzuela returned, accompanied byan old guerrilla comrade of the latter, named Luis Vulvia. The two had lost five men from their bands, killed in several skirmishes, on their way back, with the citizens of Los Angeles county. Further than this they had received nqinjury, and were in fine health and spirits, although their horses were somewhat jaded. Each leader handed to Joaquin a well-filled purse of gold coin. Having rested two days, the major portion of the banditti mounted fresh horses, and leaving the remainder, numbering twenty-five men, at the rendezvous, under the command of Guerra, with whopi- they also left the females, not thinking it prudent, in view of the bloody scenes -which would be enactedto take them along, they set out for Calaveras county. They had not been gone more than three daysbefore a quarrel arose between Guerra and his affectionate wife; which ended in his giving, her a wholesome thrashing. Shesubmittedtotheinfliction with great apparent humility, but the next morning at breakfast time, when Guerra was called and did not come, several of his companies went in- to his tent to arouse him and found him stone dead. There was no sign of vio- lence on his body, an d it remained a complete mystery how he died.: He had been a hard drinker, and finally his death was attributed to an over-indul- gence the night before. But the fact of the case was, that the unconscious sleeper had received at midnight just one drop page: 46-47[View Page 46-47] A of molten lead into his ear, tipped from, a ladle by' a small and skillful hand. Byron hassaid in oneof his misanthropic' verses: Woman's tears produced at will,. Deceive in life, unman in death," and the truth of this bitter asseveration was partially illustrated when the incon- solable widow wept so long and well over, the husband, whom she like a second, nay the thousandth Jezebel, had made a- corpse. It is barely possible, however, that her tears were those' of re- morse. .She accepted for her third hus- band a young fellow in the band at the rendezvous, named Isidora Conejo, who loved her much more tenderly than did the brutal Guerra, whom she so skillfujy put out of the way. This young man was afew yearsherjunior, but she looked as youthful ashimself. Twice widowed, her sorrows had not dimmed the lustre of her eyes, or taken the gloss from her rich daik hair, or the rose from her cheeks. Her step was as buoyant as ever, the play of her limbs as graceful, the% heave of her impulsive bosom as entran,. cing and her voice as full of music, as if she had never lost Gonzalez or mur- dered Guerra. There are some women who seem never to grow old. As each t successive spring renews the plumage c of the birds, so'with them the passing years add fresh beauty to their forms, t and decay long lingers ere he has the f heart to touch their transcendent loveli- o ness with his cold and withering fingers. o The fascinating Margarita was one of v these. .d Joaquin with his party, fully bent on a the most extensive mischief, reentered 'g Calaveras county about the middle of a December. This county was then, as it t' is now, one of the richest in the State of a California. its inounntains 'weie veined a with gold-the beds of its clear and far- s rushing streams' concealed the yellow Im grains in abundance-and the large it quartz leads, like the golden tree of the F Hesperides, spread their fruitful'branches ti abroad through the hills. Its 'fertile valleys bloomed with- Voluptuous .ffow- ers, over whieh you mightwalk as on a, carpet woven of iainbows-e-:--r waved with the green and yellow harvests, whose reedy music charmed' the ear. The busy whels of the sawmills, with their glittering teeth, 'rived the mighty pines which stood like green and spiral towers, one above another, from base- to summit of the majestic peaks. Long tunnels, dimly lighted with swinging lamps or flickering candies, searched far into the bowels of the earth for her hid- den secrets. -Those which were aban- doned served as dens for the cougar and wolf, or, more frequently as the dens of thieves. -I - Over this attractive field of his enter- prises, Joaquin scattered his party in different directions. 'He entrusted Rels with thecommand of twenty men; Luis Vulvia with that of twenty-five, retain. Ing about fifteen for his o'wn use,'among whomn was the terrible Three-ingered Jack, and the no less' valuable Valenzu- ela, and employed the remaindeas spies and bearers of news from, one point of action to another. Reis went up to the headwaters of the Stanislaus'River, be. tween whose forks the rich valleys, cov. ered with horses, afforded a fine theatre for his operations. On all the moun- ain-fed branches and 'springs of these orks, the picks and shovels of thousands. )f miners were busy, and the industri- us Chinese had pitched their littleloth illages in a ,hundred spots, and each lay hurried to and fro like innumerable, ints, picking upthe small but precious, rains. ' Luis Vulvia-as daring a man s'Claudio, and'as cunning-proceeded to he headwatersIof the Mokelftine River; nd detached portions of these twro bands, t intervals 'ranged the intermediate pace. Joaqiin himself had no particu. ar sphere, but chose his ground, accord. ig to circumstances. Keeping Three- 'ingered Jack with' him" most of the. !me, he fet once in ia while gavre him- the charge of small party, with liberty to do as::'he pleased-.-a favor which thed bloody monster made good use of, sof much so that scarcely a man whom hei t ever met, rich or poor, escaped with hisf life. The horse which this, hideous fel- ' low rode might have rivalled ." Buceph- alus" in breadth of chest, high spirit and strength oflimb, united. with swiftness. No one but a powerful man could have rode him; but Three-Fingered Jack, with a fine Mexican -saddle, (the best saddle in the world) fastened securely with a broad girth made of horse hair,I as strong as a band of iron, and curbing him with'a huge Spanish bit, with which' he might have, rent his jaw, managed the royal animal with ease. To see this man, with his large and rugged frame, in which the strength of a dozen com- mon men slumbered, his face and fore- head scarred with bullets and grooved with the wrinkles of grim thoughts, and his intensely lighted eyes glaring malici- ously, like caverned demons, under his shaggy brows; to see such a man mount. ed upon a raven-black horse, whose nos- trils.drew the air like a gust of wind into his broad chest, whose wrathful hoof pawed the ground as if'the spirit of his rider inspired him, and whose wild orbs rolled, from side to side in untameable fire; would aptly remind one of old Saan himself, mounted upon a hell-born beast, after he had been "let loose for a thous- and years." 'Among the many thrilling instances of the-daring and recklessness of spirit which belonged to Joaquin, there is one which I do not feel at liberty to omit, especially as it comes naturally and properly in this connection. Shortly after he parted from Reis and Luis Vulvia, he went up into the extreme north of the county. There, at the head of a. branch of the South ,Fork of the Mokelumne River, in a wild and deso- late region near the boundary line 'of Calaveras and El Dorado counties, werd located a company of. miners, consisting of twenty-five men. They were a lopg distance from any neighbors, having gone there well armed on a prospecting tour, which resulted in their findiAg dig- gings so rich that they were' persuaded to pitch their tents and remain. One- morning while they were eating their breakfast on a fiat rock-a natural table which stood in front of their tents- armed as usual with their revolvers, a- young fellow with very dark hair and. eyes, rode up and saluted them. ,He- spoke very good English, and they could scarcely make out whether he was a Mexican or an American. They requested him to get down and eat with them but he politely declined. lHe sat with one leg crossed over his horse's neck very much at his ease, conversing freely on various subjects, until JimBoyce, one of the partners, who had been to the- spring after water, ,appeared in sight. At the first glance of him the yoIng horseman flung his reclining leg back over the saddle, and spurred his horse.. Boyce roared out: " Boys, that felloW is Joaquin I --n it, shoot him!" At the same instant he- himself fired, but without effect. Joaquin dashed down to the creek be- low with headlong speed, and crossed with the intention, no- doubt, to escape- over the hills, which ran parallel with. the stream, but his way was blocked up, by perpendicular rocks, and his only practicable path was a narrow digger- trail, which led along the side of a huge mountain, directly over a ledge of rocks a hundred yards in length, which hpng beetling over the rushing stream be- neath, in a-direct line with the hill upon -which the miners had pitched their tents, and not more than forty yardsdis- tant. It was a fearful gauntlet for any man to run. Not only was there dan- ger of falling a hundred feet from the rocks, but he must run in a parllel line with his enemies, and in pistol range for- a hundred yards. In fair view of him stood the whole company with their- 4OAQUIN MURITA. ' 4 46 MA Q UZZY A(MURTA. page: 48-49[View Page 48-49] :I 48 revolvers arawn. He dashed along that fearful trail -as if he had been - mounted on aspirit-steed,shouting ashe passed: I am Joaquin!I kill me if you X0 a an" ~ch Shot after shot came clanging around m his head, and bullet afterbullet flattened the on the wall of slate at his right. In the caP midst of the first firing his hat was tw knocked from his head, and left his long mil black hair streaming behind him. He ma had no time to use his own pistol, but mi knowing that his only chance lay in the wb swiftness of his sure-footed animal, he the drew his keenly polished bowie knife in led proud delance of the danger, and waved the it in scorn as he rode on. It was per- ma fectly sublime to see such superhuman nig daring and recklessness. At each report, lia which came fast and thick, he kissed the out fishing blade and waved it at his foes. pu He passed the ordeal, as awful and har- tez rowing to a man's nerves as can be con- tra ,ceived, untouched by a ball and otherwise bui unharmed. In a few moments a loud da) whoop rang out in the woods a quarter in of a mile distant, and the bold rider for was safe I ani ut mo in rid on CHAPTER X. rov tan JIM BOYCE AND COMPANIONS MAR pla 1mAIY AND FOLLOW ON THE TRACK hit OF JOAQUIN-BRILLIANT STRATAGEM lef OF THE ROBBER CHIEF-HIS INGEN- lat IOUS MANAGEMENT IN RELEASING hit LUIS VULVIA-HE PASSES HIMSELF rie OFF AS S. HARRINGTON, OF SAN JosE doi --THE 4qUIEN sABE RANCHO, MUNOs,' the AND JOAQUIN GUERRA'S RANCHO sat HARBORING PLACEs FOR JoAQUIN tov MURIETA-THE ROBBERS IN AN ABAN- ag DONED TUNNEL-LOVE SCENE ON THE in SOUTH FoRK oF STANISLAUS RIVER, sai A2ND ROWrr WAs-BRoKEN IN UPON- GIRI ABDUCTED BY THE ROBBES- HER SUBsEQUENT FATKL Joaquin, knowing well the determined aracter of Jim Boyce, and deeming it )re than probable that he had hoard of differentlarge rewards offered for his pture, or death, amounting to fifteen or enty thousanddollars, he madeup his nd speedily, that an attack would be de upon hirai by the whole party of [ners,if he remained at his encampment, ich was some five miles distant from eirown. Concludingtheycouldnot col- t their horses together and prepare eir arms and ammunition in a proper nner for an attack or pursuit, before, ght, he conceived a plan, the most bril- nt and ingenious that ever entered an tlaw's brain, by which to defeat their poses andcarry out his own originalip- tion of robbing them. Knowing that a il could very well be made In the night I that it could only be followed in the-- ytime; he ordered his Inen, number- g fifteen, to saddle up and make ready a ride. They obeyed with alacrity, d without question, andin a few min- es were on their horses and ready to ive forward. The chief led the way silence, proceeding over the pine ges in an easterly direction. He rode vigorously until night,, over very, ugh ground, having traversed a dis- ace of twenty miles; but wishing to ce a still greater distance between m and the encampment which he had t, he did not come to final halt until a e hour. Building a, huge fire, and ching their animals near by, the wea- d bandits hastily threw their blankets- wn and stretched their limbs upon em for repose. Sentinels alternately up until daylight, so that at the first uch of dawn the whole band arose and aIn started, havinglost only four hours sleep. They journeyed on in the me course, as briskly as possible until 49 JOAQU2h MURIETA. JOAQUIT MURIETA. I I moon, when, having reached a nice little valley, covered-with grass and wild clo- ver, and watered by a beautiful spring which bubbled up from the roots of a -clump of evergreen oaks, distant about' twenty miles from their last encamp- ment, they stopped for two hours to let their horses graze, and to refresh their own rather empty stomachs with the' sardines and . crackers which they .generally carried with them. Here they left strong indications that they had spent the night, but established the con- trary fact by riding on for the remainder -of the day, whose close found them at .anotherdistanceoftwenty miles. Build- ingfiresas before, and eating a hasty sujp-- per they again mounted, and having made a circle of five miles in their course, -suddenly turned to the westward, and encamped about three o'clock in the morning at a spot, distant another com- mon day's journey from the last starting point. Thus traveling and resting, after the lapse of afew days they found them- selves in the original trail upon which they started. Jim Boyce and company had struck the path of the robbers on the next morning after their departure, and had encamped'each night at the fires which they-had left, expecting, as was natural, thAt they would core to a final stopping place when they had proceeded as far as they liked. Joaguin smiled with exquis: ite satisfaction when he perceived that Boyee was certainly ahead of him, and from every -indication unsuspecting in the remotest degree, that his arch enemy was at that moment in his rear. At night, after a long day's ride over rugged mountains and deep gulches, Jim Boyce and his company, numbering twen. ty-five men, including himself, were seated around one of Joaquin's late fires, which they had re-kindled, quietly en. joying their pipes and laughing over the stereotyped jokes which had descended, like Shakspeare, from one generation to another, and are too good ever to be worn out. The heavens -were cloudy, and a boundary of solid darkness lay around the lighted ring in whibh they gat. In the ragged clouds a few stars. dimly struggled, and the lonesome scream of the cougar, like the wail of a lost spirit benighted in the infinity of darkness, gave a wild terror to the sur-. rounding woods. Suddenly and startlingly, the simul- taneous reports of fifteen pistol rent the air, the dark outer wall of the fire circle blazed as if a cloud had unbosomed its lightning, and the astonished survivors of the company bounded up to-seefif- teen of their number stretched upon the earth, and to meet with the deadly repe- tition of the fifteen revolvers. Panic stricken and bewildered, the survivors of the second discharge, numbering three men, anong whom was Jim Boyce, fled headlong into the darkness, and taking no time to choose their ground, hurried madly and distractedly away from the horrible scene. Joaquin stepped quietly into the circle to see.if Jim Boyce was killed, but Three-Fingered Jack leaped in like a demon, with his huge knife in his mutilated hand, which had lost none of its strength, but did its three-fingered work far better than iany other whole hands could do it, and soon- quenched the last spark'of beating life in the pale forms around him. . Every one must know that death from a bullet flings a sudden and extreme paleness over the countenance, and thus the light from the fire falling upon the ghastly faces around, displayed a sight so hideous and harrowing, that Joaquin exclaimed, with a shudder: ' Lot's leave here. We will camp to- night somewhere else." Searching the bundles upon which the company had been seated, he found in different buckskin purses a sumramount- ing to not less than thirty thousand dol- lars. He also added fifteen exceUent horses and ten powerful mules to his live stock. page: 50-51[View Page 50-51] Jim Boyce and his surviving compan- ions wandered to the distant settlements, which,' after, many har4s'hips, they reached in safety, and it is pleasant to add, that in a short time they raised an. other company with whom they went back to their rich diggings, and spite of. their immense loss by Joaquin's rob- bery, made for themselves ample for- tunes, with which they returned to the 'Atlantic, States. Should Jim Boyce chance to read-this humble narrative of mine, I beg him to receive my warmest congratulations., On one of the head branches of the Mokelumne Rnver, on the last day of December, a large crowd was gathered in and arounda cloth building, in a little mining town, which looked like a half venture towards civilization in the midst of that wild and savage region. A tall, dark-skinned man sat in the middle of the room, with a huge log chain around one of his legs. His brow was tall and massive, and his large gray eyes looked forth with that calm, cold light which unmistakably expresses a deep, calcula- ting intellect, divested of all feeling, and independent of all motives which arise' from mere impulse or passion-an intel- lect which is sole in itself, looking at the result merely in all its actions, not considering the question of right or wrong, and working out a scheme of un- mitigated villainy, as it would a math- ematical problem. To the right of this man sat a huge old fellow, with blue eyes, sandy hair, and a severe look, whose scattered law books and papers on the- table near by, proclaimed himtheJustice of the Peace in that district-an office, by the way,asimportant at that time in Cali- fornia, and possessing a jurisdiction as extensive as many of the County Courts in other and older States of the Union.. The prisioner was none other than Luis Vulvia, who had been arrested on a charge of murder and robbery in that town on the day before, under the fol- lowing circumstances: AGerman, living by himself in a1w iso- lated tent, was heard to scream " mur- der"-three times; hearing which horr- ble cry, fiv6 or ix men -some two hun- dred yards olitran upto the place, and at a glance comprehended the whole scene. The German lay'withhis throat cut from ear to ear, and his pockets turned inside- out. Lookipg hastily around on the- outside, tbey discovered two men,. apparently Mexicans, who dodged on, the fuiher side of a deserted cabin. and disappeared. behind some,, rocks.. Going to the rocks and finding no fur-. ther trace of the fugitives, they went back and alarmed the whole town with. a statement of the circumstances. Elery eye was vigilant tin every quarter, andn just as Luis Vulvia, who had observed, the fast increasing excitement, and. guessed pretty nearly the character of its cause, was mounting his horse in. front of a liquor saloon, he was suddenly knocked down with a bludgeon, disarmed. and securely bound. The people - massa securely guarded him during the night which was just at hand, intending to hanghim without a trial on the mor- row, but were dissuaded-by Justice Brown, the tall, severe looking man spo- ken of, who being a man of influence, and a good speaker withal, convinced them that it was betterto proceed with him legally, as there was but little; doubt of his being found guilty as one of the murderers,.in which casehe would deliver him over to theirjust vengeance. Thus the case stood, up to the moment in which the subject is introduced, ,The witnesses, who ranat the cry of murder to the tent, and saw the two. Mexicans dodging around the house, could swear no further than that oneof them was of about, the 'same size and. shape'as the prisoner. -The barkeeper of the liquor saloon testified' in addition to this, that the prisoner rode up to his, door and dismounted just before his ar- rest. It was well known also, that a dozen or more robberies had lately been I 50 JOA Q UIN N UBIETA G. JAJQOi TAI A committed in that :neighborhood, and that various personshad met upon the roads a gang of suspicious looking Mexi- cans armed to the teeth. This constitu- ted all the testimony against Vulvia,, whose person-was unknown to the com- munity, but whose name was familiar to all by reputation. Had he been. recog- nizeg4 as that noted character, no further inquiry would have been made, but he would have, been hurried to the -first convenient tree and hung instanter. He stoodon a dangerous brink. Being asked by-the Justice if he had any proof to offer in his own behalf,.he replied that hedepended upon sone of his acquaint- ances coming in during the day, who would establish his character as an honest man to the satisfaction of the Court. He affirmed his innocence in a calm tone, and an unflinching manner, although, could-his heart have been read, he relied upon the possibility of a rescue by his comrades,. which was indeed a feeble hope, looking at the immense crowd who stood scowling upon him from every side. -A silence of half an hour rested in the Court, while the Justice was en- gagedin drawing up a transcript of the- case as far as it had proceeded, when a yeongman superbly dressed, and adorned with a splendid gold watch and chain, entered the room with gentlemanly dig. nity,'and politely addressed the Justice to the following effect: I"My name, your Honor, is Samuel Harrington. I am a merchant and packer in the town of San Jose, and I am just now on my return from the more northern mines, to 'which I have been packing flour and other provisions. I, am encamped within five miles of this place, and having heard from a citizen of your town this morning, that a dark- skinned man, with grey eyes, was in cus- tody on a charge of murder, and that al- though there was no positive proof against him, yet there was so strong a prejudice against Mexicans, that there was great danger of -his being hung by theinfuriated poplacpit just struckme that the prisoner ,ggh , eqpe6f my, hired men, a Mexican whom j sen4 5rto town last, night, and:who, much -tmy astonishment,- did not return. It is in deed the case. Your prisoner is none other than my.packer,.and, consequently cannot be connected with any robbing or thieving band around here He has been with me four years, and no man ever sustained a ,better character. . shall wish, your Honor, to testify in his behalf, but before I take my oath I would like to prove my identity as Mr. Harrington of San Jose. Please exam- ine these letters." He here presented to the, Justice, who was already favorably impressed, five or six letters, addressed in different hands, to "Mr. Samuel Harrington, San Josd," and bearing jhe marks of various Post Offices inthe State. The Justice showed these letters to several of the crowd, whose countenancesimmediately relaxed towards the prisoner. "Mr. Harrington,".said Pquire Brown, "your evidence will, be taken without a moment's scruple." Harrington accordingly .testified to the facts which he had already related, and the prisoner was discharged. ~Many apologies were made to Mr. Harrington for detaining his hired man so long, and after many compliments he aild Vulvia departed. As'soon as they were clearly out of town, they both indulged in a hearty laughs "How came it," said Vulvia to Joa- quin, "that, you arrived in such good time? I had no expectation but to be hung. "I happened to reach your camp oit here in the mountains lastnight, having met some of our spies who guided me to it. I had not been there more than two hours before two of your men came in, and reported that they had killed a man in that zittodota totwn and inquired for you. Your being absent immediately created apprehension, and having wait- alWWA 51" page: 52-53[View Page 52-53] 5 ,JOAQUMlN ed for you anxiously till morning, we were at once convinced that ou' had' been captured. Having most fortunate- ly in my possession a package of letters addressed to Samuel Harringtoni San Jos4, which I had the good sense to keep, thank God! to preserve at the, time't got them into my hands,-it imme- diately flashed on me that in case I found you arrested, I could pass myself off for a respectable merchant, and so save your life. It worked to a charm, as you see. I make it a practice to preserve documents of this kind, and I find that they come in pretty good play." "But how did you come by them?" inquired Vulvia. "Oh, easy enough. I killed a fellow O may way down here the other day, and found them inhispockets ; and d--d little besides, too." . "You remind me," said Vulvia, "very' much of Padre Jurata, God rest his soul! He saved many of his followers by being present at their trials, or introducing winesses topieve an aWi, orpresenting foged pardons on the day of execution, signed in the exact hands of the Provin- cial avrnors. His knowledge was ex- tensive, and during his' monkish life the confessional had given him so many important and vital secrets connected with great personages, that he could fre- quently command the services of the wealthiest men and the bes) born dames of Mexico. Besides this, he sometimes' officiated as one of the Fathers in the re- mote towns and villages." Thus conversing, they rode on to Vul- via's camp, some ten miles in the moun- tains, and were met by a welcome shout from their subordinates. While at this camp, resting his horses, a messpnger arrived from Reis on the Stanislaus, with the news that hehad killed one hundred and fifty Chinamen, and had sent-to the Arroyo Cantoova two hundred horses since he- had last seen his chief. fURIETA. "Tell him," said Joaquin, "it is all right, and to go ahead; I-will send him. word before long. Tell 1him hereafter to send his horses for safe keeping to Quien Babe Rancho, Rancho Mulos, or Joaquin Guerra's Rancho, either of the three." Reis had managed most cnungly. Hid in an old abandoned tunnel, out of, which he had whipped a gang of wolves, he nor any of his party had beeAn seen by daylight at all. All his thefts and robberies had been: done in thenight. The miserable OChinamen were.-mostly the sufferers, and they lay along the highways like so many sheep with their throats cut by.the wolves. It wasa pol- itic stroke in Reis to kill Chinamen in preference to Americans, for no one cated for so alien a class, and they were left to care for-themselves. One moonlight night at the houz of twelve, when silence had fallen upon the world of mountains, woods and valleys, and all quiet spirits were asleep, Reis issued from his tunnel, three hundred- feet under ground, with three men, and- getting out their horses from the corral of a friendly rancho near by=-who was kind enough to take care of them, no doubt from disinterested motives-they started on a pleasure trip up a rather lonesome road, which led along a branch of the SouthForkof the Stanislaus River. Coming in sight of a neat looking frame house, Reis, bent upon an adventure, dismounted, as did also his followers, and hitching their horses on the roadside walked stealthily up to the house. At the first there appeared to be a dead silence, about the premises, but going around on the east side, Reis discovered a light burning at a window, and draw-. ing nearer heard the murmuring, of voices. Not caring particularly what he did, curiosity led him to look in; which object he readily effected,'being. a tell man. The sight that met his view was, something no less-ravishing than a love U scene. Upon a settee onthe further side of the room, half-reclining, sat .a blsh- ing girl of seventeen years, her golden ringlets showered down upon her neck and shoulders, and her bosom heaving as if it would burst its gauzy covering and strike the gazer blind with its un- speakable loveliness. At her feet, upon the carpeted floor, knelt a handsome young man, not more than twenty years of age, holding her small white hand in his, which ever and anon he hurried to his lips, and seemed to devour it with kisses. Shb could not restrain his wild transports, for he caught her with a lover's fierceness around her beautiful neck, and' breathed his soul upon her lips. He sprang to her side and pressed her to his bosom as if he would blend his very body with her own. She looked bewildered, the beautiful creature!I one moment gently striving to wrest herself from his arms, at another leaning her head upon his bosom with a sigh of un- utterable love. It was a light which might well disturb the equanimity of any man, and it is not to be wondered at that Reis looked on like one bewitched. Fate at last had some mercy on the ban- dit for after he had swallowed his up- rising heart a hundred'times with look-, ing on the.enchanted beauty of the pas- sionate. girl in her lover's arms, the latter tore himself away and started forth from the house. One of the bandits fol- lowed him as a matter of course, while Reis hastily concerted with the others how to act-for he was determined to abduct the girl at all hazards. . The young man was walking very leisurely along In a bend of the road, when he heard a sharp click just behind him. With sudden su-prise he looked around, and there, face to face with him stood a man, or devil, or whatever else it night be, with a cocked pistolpoited within six inches of his head. "DoWn on your knees, or I will blow your brains out." The young man knelt now from a different motive to that which made- him kneel a short time before. "Shell out you dastardly scondrell" said the accomplished highwayman. " There, take it," and threw his pr;se a few feet from hih on the ground. ,The robber stooped to pick it up, and while he was bent the young man drew a small dagger from his -bootleg and plunge it into his back. It struck him directly in the spine, .,and the huge- bodied villain sunk without a groan. The young man, vaguely suspecting that there might be dangerlurking near his Rosalie, went back to the house. To his horror, his ears were sAluted with a loud and piercing scream. Like a mad- man he rushed to the house, and had- just entered the door . of Rosalie's room. and taken one glance, Which showed him the terrified girl struggling in the hands of a savage-looking monster, when he was knocked senseless to the floor. The gray-haired old mother, a lonely widow, whole . only pleasure was her daughter, cl'ng to the robber's arm, and in the tremling accents of extreme old age, beseeched him-whilethe tears flooded the wrinkled channels of her face-to spare her child, her only child. "Cease your gabbling," said one of Reis' men, who knocked the old lady speechless at his feet. "Who told you to do that ?" said Reis, and instantly shot the officiouS scoun- drel through the heart. "Now my pretty duck you can come along with me," he said turning to his - captive. B'ut at the sight of the ruffian's blow, which felled her mother, Rosalie's blue eyes had closed in a swoon, and paleness as of death had overspread her features. " It makesmno diference," sad Ieisto his surviving companion, "she 1ll- soon get over it anyhow; let usIgo along." "I 4W't kn9w that I care outgoing just now," the cut-throat replied, looking JOAQUI MURIETA..w page: 54-55[View Page 54-55] as blabk as a thunder cloud, " after what you have done to Poor Francisco there," laying his hand onhis stolat the same ime. "You don't, eh ?' said Reis, "then you are as trifling a scoundrel as he is." The two fiied at once; the subordinate fell dead, and Reis was grazed on his right cheek with a piece of hot, lead, which made him blush, if his own vil- lainy did not., " Blast the two-miserable scoundrels," said he "it actually seems as if some men had no humanity at all." Tying the rounded wrists of his lovely drooping captive with his handkerchief, he proceeded to the spot where the' horses were hitched, cut them loose, all but his own, and mounted into his sad- dle with his precious booty before him. The loosened horses dashed back to the corral from which they had been taken, and Reis rode on by himself, till within a quarter of a mile of his tunnel, when he got down with his now weeping bur- den, turned his horse loose, which fol- lowed after the others, and proceeded on foot at his leisure. R6salie begged him to release her, with so mucli sorrowful sweetness in her voice, With so beautiful an agony expressivein her whole enchanting form, that the rocky-hearted Reis almos 're- pented.of what he had done. "It won't do," he thought, "to let her go no, for I will have nothing to show for my night's work, and how should I account to the band for the missing members?" "Ypu sha'nt be hurt," said he, turning mildly towards the trembling maiden, "I an going to keep you'ifya few days, until I canget a ransom ' for you, which soine of your friends will no doubt pay, Wion you send then wa ti byone of our nunibe-." " 'Theyedn ±eanhedtheentraice of the tenel, ifto whidh he dra ed the'shud- dering giriaild led i halfded' with terror, into the extreme end, Where sat his fierce-looking companions in a well lighted apartment. The bandits, much interested, gathered around their captain, who infrmedtlrem -" that he had attacked a certain house on the road and succeeded in entering, but found no money, which disappointed him so much that he took this beautiful girl in the place of it ;'' and further sta- ted, "that in the struggle at the house, two of his men were killed before his face, and one was missing, he being pro- bably killed, as well as the others. As for this handsome girl," he concluded, " we may as well keep her for a ransom, or one of us may marry her, just as we, see fit." Poor, poor RosalieI may Heaven pro- tect you, for man cannot. Rosalie on the second night after her capture, resolved tohelp herself. Rising from a warm couch of blankets already dressed, and unperceived by the bandits, who lay slumbering around, she started into the throat of the tunnel in order to find her way out. Pressing her, hand to her heart to still its.loud beat. ings, she stepped noiselesslylong, until she had left the sleeping apartment, 'when looking forward, she saw that every light in front of her had been ex. tinguished. Pausing with indefinable dread at the-thought of walking that fearful passage alone, she heard a loud yawn from one of the sleepers, 'as if he were waking,.and with a sudden move- ment, which was scarce voluntary, she shot like an arrow into the blackness which lay before her. On and on, and on she moved with trembling footstep , feeling her *ay on the sides of the tun- nel, and placing her feet each time with tihe idescribable terrible felingthat she might be stepping off Into some deep abyss below It seemed ages to her, be. fore she could reach the entrance. Oh, that she might but catch one friendly glimpse of light I Itapeara a faint, flickering gleam in the 'distance. Wiih hurrying feet she approaches,-larger I andlarger it grows,- until shesees the lamp, like a full-blown rose of light -swinging from the arch;. joy I her escape .is ertain. She stands now in the fall !blaze, shjIe-sees no one, and with a more .confident heart pursues her way.. She was now near the entrance. She saw the moonlight flooding the world without, and rushed eagerly forward. A huge .fIgure started suddenly before her, and rthe beautiful girl fainted. It was h bad .titne to swoon, but how could so delicate .an organization, fit only to be played ,upon by the subtlest flashes of thought, .sporting in rainbow-fancies, sustain so ,rude a shock ? She fell gasping for breath, and the sentinel, for it was he, .carried her to the apartment which she had left, and tenderly laid her upon her .eguch, without disturbing any one in the room, and hurried back to his post. So tenderly delicate was this innocent -creature, so divine the appealing spirit of her eyes as he looked into her face, that eis could not find it in his heart to treat ber with anything but the profoundest re- spect. He had seized her in a moment 'of passion, stung with her voluptuous -beauty, and would at that moment have -fought for her, as for a conquest of so anuch of Heaven itself. Such is the mad- ,dening effect of beauty upon the hearts of menI But on sober reflection he ban- ished the vain idea, which he had -been foolish enough to vaguely entertain, that- .she could ever love a man like him, rude .and uncouth as he was, and seriously ,contemplated restoring her to her aged and widowed mother, and one whom he knew that she loved. Confused and tor-, mented with 4oubt, she was a continual trouble on his hands. He was not scoun- drel enough to force her into a vile posi- tion, and he was afraid to leave her for a momipt in the hands of his less scru- pulous cgqrades. Already had they be- 'gant"iVnragr athim for his weakness, and be ad-boon forced to threaten some of their lives, if they did not keep their stance from the girl. There was dan- .55 ger of a mutiny, and-so: critical wasbis situation, thatnotwithstandinghediead- ed Joaquin's,'ppinion of his' conduct in this specific matter, yet he longed to see' him. Reis was sitting one~night, moping in his tunnel like a grim wolf, and scowl- ing discontentedly, around him, for he had done nothing for a week, when, the sentinel came .in attended by two per- sons, whom he left standing before Reis, and returned tQ his post. The melan- choly bandit raised his head, aid beheld his now dreaded chief before him. Joa- quin glanced hastily around the room and beholding th6 captive girl reclining mournfully upon her couch, he started, and with a sudden fierceness, which made every man in his presence quail, turned to Reis, and said with 'a look that rived his soul: " How is this? Did I ever instruct you to engage in a business of this kind? Explain yourself, or by G-d, it will not be well for you." Reis begged him to listen patiently; and related every circumstance connected with the girl's capture, his killing his two comrades at the time, and everything which followed subsequently. Joaquin"was in a tempest of anger. "So you have done nothing but Mope for the past week,---essential service you have rendered to our organization. Reis," he continued, convulsively clutching his pistol handle, "if it was any other man but you, I would kill him on the spot. .1 would shoot him like a dog. - But d-n you," he exclaimed with sudden vehe- mence, while his eyes blazed as none but his could, "have you done her any in- jury ? Have you taken any advantage of that girl, sir?" "No, no. You know that I would scora to do that," replied Reis. "I believe you, and it is'well that it is so Reis;" he, continued in calmer tone, ,".I Am surprised, at you. W I ay never done a thing of this kind. I have higher purposes in view than to torture - AJtOAQUW MURIETA. J0 AQUINM .MURIETA. page: 56-57[View Page 56-57] 58 JOAQULh! URIETA. innocent females. I would have no Woman'sperson without her own consent. I have ead of robbers who deliberately ravished tender and delicate females, and afterwards cut their throats, but I des- pise them. I am no such robber, and I never will be. Reisk I ought to kill you, but since you have had 8ome honor and manhood about you in this rascally mat- ter, I will let you off this time. Get you in readiness, and we will, you and I alone, return this girl to her mother, if the poor old woman be alive, and forth- with set this matter right. I wouldn't at such a time as this, be bothered by a frivolous matter of this kind, for all the women in the world, spread out in a perfect sea of bosoms and lips !" Rosalie, who had been listening with intense interest to every word, at this moment sprang towards the young chief, whose appearance was far from forbid- ding, even to the most refined female, and in a fit of uncontrollable gratitude and rapture, at the prospect of her deliv. erance, threw her arms around his neck before she thought. Recovering her- self instantly, she thanked him in a dig- nified manner for his noble conduct, and told him that she respected him from the bottom -of her heart, robber as he was. Joaquin looked at her proudly, as he laid his hand upon his breast, and said: "Yes, Senorita, I am a man. I was once as noble a man as ever breathed, and if I am not so now, it is because men would not allow me to be as I wished. You shall return to your mother and to your lover, if I die in bringing it about." ,On this same night at eleven- o'clock stood the frane house on the road that leads up on a branch of the South Fork of the Stanislaus River, the same as it was on , that happy, sorrowful night, when Rosalie was embraced by her lover, and torn from -his presence. In one of the rooms sat her old disconsolate Another, whose withering life was alone sustained by the hope of seeing her daughter again, and near her the young man Edward . He was comforting- the old lady with assurances, -which did not quiet his own heat, for he had rid. den day and, night over one-half of the. county, making inquiries in every quar- ter, but'not a trace could he find of the missing girl or her abductor. His face was pale and thin with anxiety, and his. voice had something hollow in it, as- though the vampire of despair was suck- ing his heart's blood. lHe began to. be- lieve that his adored Rosalie was lost to. him forever, and wandoomed to a fate he- could not contemplate without ashudder- ing chill. . After soothing the feeble- brain of the old woman with what he knew to be the merest illusions, he had subsided into silence, and was eating his- heart in bitter regret, when a sudden tap was heard on the door and in a moment leaped into the room the very object of his thoughts. The neeting- ,was such as might be expected.- But I will not fill this sheet with an attempt at a description of it. Edward's rapture, astonishment, bewilderment of joy I-the- old decrepid mother's scarce audible- syllables, and her far more expressive tears. Rapidly was her story recounted by Rosalie, and with such enthusiasm did she dwell on the heroic conduct of' Joaquin, that her lover almost became' jealous of the young robber. She made' him swear that he would never Injure- that man, whatever he might do to. others.t "I won't touch Joaquin," he replied,. "if he lets me alone, but as for that other bloody beast. I will kill him the first time I lay my eyes on him." Joaquin at this moment walked in,. and stood before the young mah. Reis. very prudently remained on tha outside,. after hearing the 'obseryation which haA just been made respecting him. "I have done you a favor, Sir, said Joaquin, "and now I want you' to keep this matter a profound secret. Never breathe my name out of this house. I will be iut this county for some time, but you apid yours shall not be troubled.- But if you betray me, I will scatter to the winds all that you have, and all that you love." " It is hard," said the young man, "to be under'obligations to.a man like you, but I will be silent." "1And who are you, pray, that talk as if it were stooping to be'under obliga- tions to a man like me ?" and the fiery spirit of Joaquin leaped into his eyes. He touched the hilt of his bowie-knife, when a supplicating look from Rosalie checked him. Edward--drew his revolver half out, but Rosalie touched his arm, and with a reproachful look, said to him---. "Fie, fie, Edward, you forget yourself. You wouldn't harm the man whohas re. st9pred me to your arms?. Why, Ed- ward, would you make me despise you? I care not If he were a robber a thousand times, he is a noble man; shake hands with him," and taking his hand with her left, and the robber's with her right, she joined tyem together with a gentle force. Sternly the young men looked at each other for a second, and then,-with a half- friendly, half-defiant smile, they parted. Joaquin and Reis rode off, the one somewhat reconciled to his subordinate, since the issue had been good, and the other delighted beyond all bounds at the happy turn which things had taken. "I would have given her up long ago," exclaimed Reis, " but my men would have killed me for it, I am certain. It was fortunate that you came wheli you did,'or the poor girl would have been far worse off than she is now, the beauti- fulcreature that she is!" said he, with enthusiasm. Iosale and Edward-, were shortly afgr married. They kept their secret wWile Joaquin lived, and for my par, I do not blame them. CHAPTER' XI. TERRIBLE1 SCENES IN CALAXERIA5 COU1N- TY-MORE HARBORING PiACES ?OR THE ROBBERY NAME--DSPiEATE. CoNFLICT OF DEPUTY s,HERIFfhLLAs WITH JOAQUIN AND EIGHT o UIS- MEN. The new year opened-the ever mem- orable year of 1858-and by the middle- of January the bold -and accomplished bandit was ready to enter upon a series of the bloodiest scenes that ever were enacted in the same space of time, in any age, or country. Calaveras county, ,as I have said before, the richest, 'or among the richest, at least, in the Gold. en State, he chose as the theatre of hla operations, and never as a region so. scourged and desolated. Detached par- ties numbering four, five or a dozen men were scattered over the face of the whole country, apd so diverse were their opera- tions, so numerous and swift that TshaII not attempt to give a minute account of' all of them, but shall confine myself par- ticularly to the individual movementsof' -Joaquin, and strictly to those facts which are absolutely knownw, and traceable to their original source.. It may be dis- tinctly set dovn, however, in the outset, that though many villainous deeds which transpired in the short period which I am about to make a sketch of, were mys- terious and unaccountable; many mur- ders committed in parts remote from each other, robberies here, thefts there,. and destruction, lightningfooted, tread- ing everywhere, invisiblein its approach, ptnd revealed only In the death trail - which it left behind, yet all this mighty and seemingly chaotic: scene had ,ts birth in the dramatic brain of Joaquin- an author.who acted out his own trage- dies I Pivergent so were the innumer- able lines of action, yet they wws, YAl concentrated, morally, uponaqnpoint, and directed to one purppse,tbAt whi existed is the breast of Jvaquin. JOAQ UM- MURMTA. 5T page: 58-59[View Page 58-59] J#AQUIN AUTIETA. There was not a town of any import. ance in that whole region in which he had not a spy, one or more, located; not -pue in which he had not his agents and secret friends. He lacked not for har- boring places in which to conceal his wounded men and stolen animals. Nu- 'merous ranchos, owned by " wealthy and respectable men," as the world goes, hhave been mentioned to me as places whichh afforded him refuge and assis- tance whenever needed. Among the 'number which were named with particu- dar emphasis, were the Los Alamos Ran. .cho, on the Rio .Napoma, the Ortego Rancho and the Concho Rancho. Some -of the suspected ranchos, it is but justice Ao say, have since changed hands. Around San Andreas, Caliveritas and 'Yackee Camp, numerous thefts and rob- beries had been committed in the space 'of a ew weeks. Property was missed, but no one knew whither it was gone. Men were murdered, and the bloody hand- remained unseen. Yet everyone knew that thieves and murderers walked Amknown in the midst of the commu- nity. The strange dread hung - over -every face, and gave vigilance to every -eye. The fearful shrunk back from a 'danger which they could feel, but not see. The bold stood forward with their .ive in their hands, to search into, find "and face the perils which existed around 'them, the more terrible that they were disguisedd and concealed. Among the boldest, most'firm and en- -ergetic, whom the crisis brought forth, -was Captain Charles H. Ellas, of San An- Areas, who -in his capacity as Deputy Sheriff'of Calaveras county, took the lead tli ferr ting out the perpetrators of these Ioul deeds. He was a young'man of fine as§ieaance, slenderly formed,butniaking Fup fbr'the want df sUperIor' strenigth'in Mget ctvity and a"toishing 'power-s of 'e6ndurande. His eyes "were keen, quick Miidifiahing, touched with itfi&eeness -4life'itttinfes seeimed'td scofhhebe it fell. "- f i iAa son of the Soith, he had grown up under a discipline which taught him that honor w~as a thing td be niaintained at the sacrificeof blood, or of life itself ; that fear *is a keeling toobase to harbor 'in, manly breast, and that ,Ae was a coward who would not give the question of his rights to the arbitration of steel or of the dead. ly ball. Already did his bqsom bear the marks of severe and dangerous hand-to- hand conflicts,. a trial of muscle, nerve and skill, in a game whose stake is hu- man life, and whose hazard is eternity. At a juncture so important as the period of which I speak, a man like Elluas was most naturally looked to as a lead. er, and entrusted with a large amount of discretionary power, so necessary to be used in perilous times, when the slow forms of law, with their snail-like pro- cesses, are altogether useless ind inef- ficient. The first opportunity which presented itself for anything like determinate action, occurred about the middle of Jan- uary. Some horses were stolen at the town of San Andreas, and a description of the Mexicans who took them had been given to Captain Ellas,'who In the course of a day's ride -on the various roads, accidentally discovered the party on the road leading from Yaekee Camp to Chaparral Hill. They had added two to their number, who were not per- ceived, however, by the captain at the first glance. Seeing two mounted men on a small hill to the left of the road, he hailed them, and requested then to come' down as he had something to say. One of them replied: "If you want to see us more than we do you, come to us." Whereupon Ellas advanced, but the intermediate space being marshy, much rain having lately falen, hs hoPrse miredI st) bad'tha he" dlimoiintel."FProeedn on foot, he heard a rustlingin telbi-ush- to the rilhthich sounded 4ery muc'h like an ambush, ready to brstfort4 , t he kept on. his way. When within ~JOAQUIN MURTET A. 59 t wh he had scoundrel, and leaving the country in a spoken, he saw that they had drawn few weeks after his connection wih7a- Srevolvers. This hostile movement, quin was discovered, he joined & n#, a e the rul Tin hse mrush to the petty robber of some note in the south. right convinced him that he was acting He had not been with that leader lng, veryimcprodent part, and that he wa before he secretly assassinated him cut even then in t vr imminent danger. off is head, and delivered it to the civil With much presence of mind he looked authorities of the town of Los Angeles behind him, and gave a signal-whistle, for a reward of five hundred dollars, as if he had a company in waiting, which which had been offered for it.' This act ,stratagerm succeeded so well that the two of treachery did not avail him much, for Inopen sight rode slowly over the hill, he was afterwards arrested on a grave and those who had been concealed pre- charge, and thrown into prison, and ,eipitately left the thicket Going to .afterwards hung, where his horse was feeding, he mount. -ed and rode over to Yackee Camp, a lit. tle mining town a few miles distant, in order to get men to go out with him in further pursuit. He found no one at all prepared to accompany him, but a Mexi CHAPTER XII. can merchant in the place, named Atana- - cioMoreno, a man who was worth money, ATTAoK OF JOAQUIn UPON A.MERTOAI! and stood well in the community. Un- IN y&cKEE& CAMP-JoAQUqN EMTIES suspected by Ellas, this man secretly be, gis srx-sHoOTER, AND THROWS HIS longed to th6 band of Joaquin Murieta, SWORD IN THE FIGHT--CAPTURE OF or, I should rather say, to the tremen- JOAqi's FRIEND, THE GAMBLER dous organization which that bold chief- IL,, D DHIS SUMMARY EXECUTION tain had established throughout the .-H.A=&ORING PLCES AND DENS OF country. The Captain had unlimited THE ROBBERS MOBBED AND BURNED. confidence in this individual, for he had previously assisted him in the capture It was soon ascertained, that an organ- of a horse thief, and besides giving him ized band of robbers was in the com- much valuable information, had fur- munity of San Andreas and vicinity. nished men and horses in various expedi- Yackee Camp was discovered to be their tions started by the honest portion of rendezvous, situated about two miles the community. and a half from San Andreas. .Upon this He was treacherous, and though assist- discovery, Captain Ellas employed a ing to capture individuals sometimes number of spies to gather al the infor- who belonged to his own fraternity, mation that they could in relation to the th were always those whom he hated thieves and robbers, whose, leader ras personally.' A angeious companion In notthen know. While thee peswere lon ely ride I Moreno, pretending to on0, aptain Ellas oe day rodeteYac- ave watched through his spies the kee Camp, and was seated on hi horse movements of the depredators, led the near a little drinking hone, eprvng wayr over the mountain rays pd. m aters nd thung n that ve puspi- gulches, until,,siiset, but no trace of ius cig en h peived he c o t as ond, an the y9'ng,, bJ~*ayeda, pysedt ws here enquylhed. It becmenownefragatwebh64Me pin As an uoDR for a certsanty., that this man was a himself, the Captain. As soon as their page: 60-61[View Page 60-61] 60 JOAQ TIN M UREIBTA.JT eyes Met, the young fellow drew the ri f- shatt over his face, and flinging hi cloak a little back from his should dropped his arm down carelessly toward the butt 9f his pistol. In a moment mor he turned and walked off. Captain Ella will no doubt recollect the circunstan ce, and nmst not be surprised to lear that tls was none other than Joaquin himslf, who thus took"hip daguerreo type upon Imemory, and found it after wards of much avail n aiding him t escape danger, and to keep out of th way when he saw the original at the head of an armed party, or otherwise to direct his movements to the best advan stage. The Captain did not at this time even know Joaquin was in the county, although the renowned robber's name was familiar to his ears, by the report of his depredations in other counties for a long time back.' The spies,, after the lapse of several days, returned with the information that they had discovered several lurking places of the robbers, among which was Chaparral Hill, a description of which it may be as well to give, inasmuch as it was the Scene of quite an interesting event. It lies to the southwest of San Andreas about four miles, and is nothing more than an elevated pass between two steep ridges, which are crowned with precipitousrocks, whoseintersticeswould effetually conceal a man from observa- tion.'Thickets of chaparral cover vari- ous spots on the tops of the ridges, with open spaces between, and in many places the liveoak trees with low branches, and crooked knotty trunks, form a kind of natural fortification, almost as perfect as i they had been arranged expressly for the purpose. The pass itself is but a loweringof a long cnrving wall(a natu- ral wall) whichednnects the two ridges together, andbetween these ridges a Ing hollow leads up, and terminates at the pass. By the foot of the hollow run a' dear little stream,,margined with green alleid Willwareek, because it is . m fringed so beautifully with the lithe and is graceful trees of that name. ehindthe' r, curving wall described a steep dyseent d goes down to the valley below and is e covered with nimense ,rease ood s thickets, taller than a mai's head, - through which a party pursued could a make a safe retreat, and though which , it would be dangerous to follow them, A few tall pines stand isolated here and there, on the different eminences, which o shoot up in rugged majesty from' the e general outline. Oneridgeterminatesat the connecting wall, but, the other stretches on a mile or two beyond it, marked by a bridle trail, which suddenly plunges into a succession of deep ravines and gulches, lined with greasewood and low timber-lonely and sombre looking places I From this pass, or any place adjacent, a view of the country is com- manded many miles in extent. A few days after the return of the spies, a gentleman by the name of Hall, who kept a rancho on the road leading from Mokelumne Hill to San Andr called on Ellas and- informed him that three Mexicans .had passed his house that morning, who looked suspicious,- they having but two horses, and one of the men in consequence mounted behind another. One of these men hiad been detained by him at his house, having stopped but a few moments while the others rode on, but remained no longer than he saw fit after all, foi upon the first movements towards preventing his free agency, he drew a revolver and walked out. Hall and a man named Davis followed the party about a mile, and saw where thef had left the main road, and ione up Murray's Creek. ' Ellas mounted his horse, accompanied by his fiend, a young lawyer of fine parts, by the name of Why. J. Gatewood, who had practiced at squirrels and tur- keys In the woods as much as he had practiced at the bar, and was as killful in drawing a."bead' as i drawing a brief-and attended also by Hall, Dayls JOAQULY XUBMTA. 61' and another man whose name is not re. membered--HaU being proirided ,with i as pistol =Davis with a'rifle, and the other man-with ayager.- -The party numbered five',-hastily gotten up,; and but, poorly preparedfot a combat ; but supposing he was only on the track of three Mexicans, the Captain proceeded- o4 their trail. Immediately after; starting he met a gentleman named Peter; Woodbeck, whom, having a little business with, he requested to ride back a short distance withthe company. Arriving at Murray'sI Creek he struck a fresh trail of two horses, se expected, about a mile from San Andreas, leading behind, a ridge of mountains that skirted -that little town -showing that the riders had kept them- selves concealed from view of the main road, until immediately opposite San Andreas, at which point they had evi- dently ridden to the top of the ridge, and who no doubt saw their pursuers start out, and at the same time counted their number. The trail from this point led over the mountains towards. Yackee Camp, which'gaveEllas to suppose they were a part of the band said to, be' lurk- Ing about Chaparral Hill. He immedi- ately sent Peter Woodbeck . to San Andreas with a request to Alcalde Talia- ferro to send two parties of men, each numbering five, and have them stationed on the different trails leading from the Chapairal Hill. The Alcalde being ill, was unable to attend personally to the request, but used every exertion in hi power by his agents, to raise the tw( iwrties needed, unfortunately withou succes.,'Under the impression that th men would be stationed as desired, th Captain rode on. The trail wound alonh in a very circuitous manner over thi roughest possible places, so that it wa in the afternoon before he reached th foot of the hollow before spoken of, a Willow. Creek, only four miles from Sa Andrews Ascending the hollow, th pursuing party immediately saw on tb curve of the pass of Chaparral Hil several Mexicans mounted upon fMe horses and -rode up towards them until within .rifle shot,, when they halted., Two or three of the Mexicans rode down behind some bushes and rocks on the slant, and commenced firingS at them, with :Colt's heavy pistols, bat without effet Ellas and party immediately shifted their position to a place within fair pistol shot, during which movement Davis levelled his rifle at a fellow par- tially hid in the rocks, and evidently hit him. The man with the yager in;vain tried to fire it-it would not " go off'. and the weapon remained useless through the whole fight, as well as the bearer of it, who had. nothing else with which to do battle. Though -sadly needed he stood neutral, as far as any, service he could do was concerned, but served admirably well as a target for the bandits to -practice at, nevertheless. To aggravate the state of things, Davis, after discharging his rifle, could find no more bullets in his pouch, and was thus also rendered unable to do anything. Only three men therefore were left to do the, fighting I The Mexicans -noticing this dilemma, dashed along ' the curve of the hill,'nine in number, splendidly mounted and well 'armed-some were observed to have two -revolvers each. While passing they fired about twenty shots, but were riding so rapidly that they could notshoot with much precision. As it ;was, Gatewood's mule was se- s verely wounded in the neck, and bled o profusely. A ball passed across Ellas' t breast, burning a hole in the side of his e vest, and another went through his hair. e After this swoop of theirs they retired g to their first position. Aportion of them e then dismounting, crept down behind a the bushes, so as to get near enough to e Ellas' party to make a dead shot, and t . commenced firing, but not with the de- n sired certainty, for Ellas and Gatewood e - had dismounted, and were somewhat e protected by their animals. The Cap- l, tain finding an opportunity for the first page: 62-63[View Page 62-63] tine to fire with any chance of' hitting 'shotdat! large Mejiean who stood or the edge of a bush, who suddenlyretire to thetop othehe hil. ipon the repor of his pistolhis ma;rea-fine, well traine animal, went down the hollow abqui four - hundred yards towards Willovw Creek; when one of the mounted Mexi canssdashed around as if to secure her. She-ran- back towards Eilas, and the Meican followed to within seventy yards, immediately below him. Ellas fireal, and the fellow sunk on the neck of his horse, apparently badly wounded. Four or five of the Mexicans noticing this, galloped along the ridge towards the side of the hill to which the wounded Mexican had retired, and effeetually cov- ered his position, so that it was impossi- ble toapproach him without receiving their fire. He was then wrapping his red scarf around his breast, as if endeav- oring to- stop the blood. Ellas' horse soon dashed to the left of the Mexicans, and came up to him, when he mounted and led his party around towards the right hand ridge, in order to gain the summit, if possible, which object he hoped to 'effect while the opposing force was somewhat separated. In passing under a steeprocky place, Gatewood ex- claimed, " There is a Mexican above us I" and had scarcely finished the sentence before the fellow commenced firing with his revolver. He fired three distinct shots at a distance of not more than forty yards. Ellas suddenly wheeling his horse, discovered him almost perpendic- ularly over his heai not more thin thirty yards distant, mounted upon a white horse; and taking a steady aim with his six-shooter, pulled the trigger. The Mexican fell back 'upon his saddle, wounded in the breast, but soon recover- ing himself put spurs to his horse and darted out of sight. 0 Up to this'time the Captain had -con- cluded to risk this very disadvantageous battle, in the hope that the two parties , sent by Peter Woodbeck wold; maite a on the two trails in,,the rear of theerobe d bera ibut ;finding that they wroe ,not t likely to come;, and knowing~that'hewas, I exposing himself and his comrades to be: t shot down in detail from behind the rocks and bushes, he decided to retire ,to the,, foot of the hollow, where his opponents could not assail him without exposure ta themselves They did not follow him, and after a shortconsultation with his, comrades, he started back for San An., dreas, which he reached withoutdifficul1 ty, and immediately proceeded to organ, ize a party. While doing this, word came from Yackee Camp that six men, evidently, of-the, same band, had come down into that place from the -direetion of Chaparral, Hill, and without, a mo. ment's parley, had commenced killing the few Americans with whom they hap. opened to meet. Joaquin (for it was with. him that Ellas had been fighting with. out knowing it) rode among the houses during the shooting, and remarked: "This is not my fight; this Is Bill's fight," alludingto an affray between one of his friends, named Bill, who was a' Mexican gambler in the place, and some- Americans, which had occi-ded a short time before. When this remark was made Three. Fingered Jack discharged his pistol at, an American who was standing near, and killed him on the spot. Another American whom Joaquin recognized, started to run; he was on foot, but ran, with as much speed over 'the rough ground, which had been dug up and ditched in various places by the miners, as did the robber chief, who pursued him on horseback. Leaping and plunging through the holes and ditches, Joaquin shot at him six times without effect, and having thus emptied his- six-shooter. finally threw athim histwo.edged sword, which barely missed the poor fellow's neck just as he escaped in a ledge of' rocks It was a trying scene for any rJoAQU~ffjfU1WZTA-i, A.AQUI-XIMBIRTA., one tq pss thorugh).sa,,of a character, such as he would n9t soon forget. Joa- quin reloaded hisrevoler, recovered his sword, and rods a into town, swearing that he would get even on that day's work ifit took him twenty years for he had lost three of his best men on Chaparral Hill. "G.-d d----n that little Sheriff of San Andreas," said he,, "Iknew him all the time" Soon- after, having cleared out the Americans in Yackee Camp, he galloped off with his men, numbering six, over the hills towards the mountains, leaving one wounded horse, which had been shot at the late skirmish at the pass. Upon receiving this information, Ellas -started for Yadhee Camp with his party, consisting of six mounted men, followed by some thirty citizens of San Andreas, on foot. Arriving at the tragical scene, they immediately seized the Mexican gambler Bill, who had been foolish enough to remain after Joaquin's remark about him, and having subjected him to a California trial, they sentenced him to be hung "forthwith," as a member of 'Joaquin's band. He begged them earn- estly to spare his life, but finding it was in vain, his brow darkened, and with an air of proud defiance he told them to do their work. " By going to my trunk," said he, " you will find a knife, from whose blade no handkerchief has yet wiped the d-d American blood." This speech did not serve to, mollify the state of feeling toward him, and he was jerked up into a tree, and strangled with very little ceremony. It was now a late hour in the night, but there remained a finishing stroke to be put upon the proceedings before retir- ing to rest. The harboring places and dens of the robbers were found out, and the enraged citizens went to work tear- ing down and burning up the houses of this character. The cofiagration lit up the vault of heaven, And its sound roared among the mountains for iiles-around Around theasmnouldering ruins, guards and pickets were stationed till morning and the wearied citizens slept. CHAPTER XULI THERE CoMPANIES -oF AMERICANs oR- GANIZED -PURSUIT OF ROBBERS DESPERATE CONFLICT AT THE PHm - NIX pqARTz MILL-ONE OF THE ROB BERS WOUNDED AT OCAPARRALHII FOUND AND TAKEN' PRISONER- HIS HARBORED -SHOT AND, EILLED-A. MEXICAN HONG FOR CONFESSION- HE CONFESSE'S-A SPY CAPTURED-HE FALLS INTO THE HANDS OF CHEtO- KEES-MURDERSAND HANGING--DIO- GER INDIAN AND "PAPER TALK "-- BAD JUDGMENT OF TWO AMERICANS' AND A GERMAN-CHINAMEN SUFFER- -THREE-FNIGERED JACK HAS TWO- TREMENDOUS RACES ON HOIRSEBACK- MORE , HANGING - SLAUGHTER 0P'9 CHINAMEN-COMBAT BETWEEN PRES-- COTT AND1 JOAQUIN At daylight three companies were or-- ganized, two mounted and one 'on foot,_ whose object was to'break up the whole confederacy of robbers and their harbor- ers, and never to rest uftil the neighbor- hood should be free from them. A man named Henry Scroble took charge of one mounted company, and, Ellas. of the,- other. The former proceeded over the.-,, mountains, and Ellas over the lower hills in a different direction. It was some- time before the companies could be -fairly started, and meanwhile'Joaquin, accom; panied by the five men who were left to him after the fight at Chaparral Hill, and who had seen the burning of his friends' houses at Yackee Camp, had page: 64-65[View Page 64-65] JOAQ Un MUR tETA. edmedo*n- full of vengeance, as far? as the Phoenix Quarts Mill, , few miles from.Yackee Camp; and there had met tw Americans whoin he had immedi- ately attacked. One of them was Peter Woodbeek, who was known by the rob. bears, having been markedby them when -on the day before Ellas had sent him back with word to Alcalde Taliaferro. He was just mounting his horse at the quartz mill, when Joaquin rode up. You are my meat," said Joaquin, and drew his-revolver. Woodbeck replied, We will see," and drew his. Three. Fingered Jack rode towards Woodbeck's companion, who, being on hoot, fired one shot from a derringer pistol and dashed into the mill. Three-Fingered Jack, after emptying two loads at him as he fled,' which perforated the building near the door, dismountedand rushed, with bowie knife in hand after him. There a des- perate hand to hand conflict ensued, the American defending himself with a short bar of iron. ButThreeFingered Jack triumphed, and his bowie knife drank-, the poor fellow's heart's blood. He came dragging- him out by the hair of the head, ans1 the fight between Woodbeck and Joaquin was still going on, the re. lative positions of the two not allowing any chance for Joaquin's friends to as- sist him. Woodbeck being wounded, and havingemptied his revolver at his antagonist without effect, now put spurs to his horse to fly thefield, and was nearly out of pistol range when Three-Fingered Jack fired at the horse andstruck him so' centre a shot that he fell dead in his tracks. The bloody monster then rushed up and"finished " the unfortunate rider upon the spot- The bodies of these men. were yet warm when Ellas and his company rode up, and "stood horrified at the bloody spectacle. The trail of the murderers from the Qu4rtz Mill was plain, leading over the San Domingo Creek range of mountains, following which Ellas and company met with the foot company, which hadi be detailed to gothrodgh the toigher pit of the mountaius section near thie Cherokee Plat. They gavehim sein - teresting Informatton, whi'ch- wdW,"ther they hid found clothing which had e l- denfly been thrown froti a woundedmn; and upon the discovery had proaseded immediately to a camp not far off, where they found two Mexicans, one of them, badly wounded. The sound one rose to his feet, and started at full speed, but was shot,.so that he died in a short time afterwards in an adjacent ~thicket to which he ran before he fell. This indi- vidual was not a "fighting member.," but rather a sly and secret friend, who had volunteered to take care of one of Joaquin's wounded men, wfio had been hit in the skirmish at Chaparral Hill the day before. They also saw in a neigh- boring thicket of chaparral three other' mounted men of the robber band, whom they did not find an opportunity to at- tack. The wounded man was still lying at the camp, unable to get out of the way without help. It was dark when Ellas received this information, but do termined to lose no opportunity of meet- ing with the scoundrels, he stationed men around the chaparral thickets to watch during the night, sent others to arrest the wounded robber at the camp, and to convey him to Cherokee Flat, and hurried off two others to! two different, ferries on the Stanislaus River, with orders to the ferrymen to allow no one to cross. The wounded man being a trouble upon their hands, and no doubt being entertained as to his character, the Cherokee half-breeds, and others at the Cherokee House, concluded to hing him, a very necessary ceremony, which was soon performed Ellas lay watching the camp from which the wounded robber had been taken, all night, in the hope that some of his companions might come; but none arrived. Early in the morning he gath- ered his party and started on a bush ..^ A . JOAQY MURI trali6verthe Bear Mountain, scaling its' i oi.In several paes along this trilhe found spots whee men had en~iifstl stppd, and thrownf up clot- ted blod from their stomachs. Track-- ing on he reached a Chinese Camp, which the Chinamen informed them had just been robbed by three Mexicans, who took their'last dime, and barely allowed them to escape with their lives. Hurry- Ing forward from here, he found that they had crossed the river at Forman's Rancho, despite all efforts to prevent them. Upon the other side they struck the main road which led along its banks, ajdtheir distinct trail was lost among the number of tracks common toV a Pub .1ic highway.a On the next day, still in- dfatigably searchingthrouighthe woods. lhe again, found their trail which con- ducted him within amile of San Andreas, and -as again lost in the main road. All trae of them was then lost for three ,or four days, at the expiration of whicb, .as the Captain- was riding along with three followers, a friendly Mexican' named Jesus Ahoa came up to him, and infomed him that he had noticed some cans leading horses over amountain near Greserville on the Calaveras River, who looked exceedingly suspicious Following Jesus Ahoa as a guide, Ellas and his three comrades rode tothe moun -tain indicated, and very readily fellupol the trail Proceeding a few miles the found three horses which had been lari ated on the way in a sequestered spot bet*en two'steep ridges. Further on they found two or thre -mericans, 'who had seen Joaquin an twoethers pass them not a great whil before, riding at full speed down th river,Joaquin being mounted on a tho oughbred mare. Ellas, with his usu en igy diligently pursued their trail unt the dusk of the evening, when he arrive at an'la lated drinking house, whoseit mateS refused to give any information whatever concerning the pursued part The trail was yet visible, and led dow to- the bank of the Calavera BVeii which he crossedfinding the trail With- out much difficulty. It ranup theriver a shot distance, and re-crossed it. The Captain did the same,.and found itagain upon the first bank. It led out a short distance towards Angel's- Camp, a little mining town a few miles off,but doubled upon itself again, and again crosedlie river. It was now dark, and Impossible to find the lost triil, even if it had been practicable to follow it when found. The pursuit was accordingly given up for that night. The next morning -the Cap- tain rode up to an isolated house in a wild section of the mountains, where lived a rough looking Mexican, solitary and alone, and discovered at his door the tracks of several horses, which he knew were the same horses that had made the trail of the day before, from the peculiarity in one of the hoof, which' was very distinctly impressed at every step. The ill-looking fellow denied all knowledge of any mounted men havizf been to his house. A lariat was speedily attached to his neck, and he was sent up into atreetoseeifhe culldmot obtain the desired information. Having boe s6nt up twice, he ascertained the important fact that Joaquin had passed his house the night before with two other men, - and had told'him that he wa u going to n Campo Seco, on his way to the city of Marysville in the northern country- that the neighborhood was getting too warm for him, and he wanted a little fresh air ; that he intended to return,ftr e he would never rest satisfied until he d had the heart's blood, of Elks and the .e Mexican who had put the Captain on his *e trail, etc. r. The next day after this the Captain al ascertained that Joaquin had crossed the il StanislausRiver at Lancha Plana with d his party,. forcing the ferryman; to- act n- contrary to orders, and put him over. n He had scarcely landed on the other y. side when he was attacked by Ament- n cans, for it-must be bone in mind that page: 66-67[View Page 66-67] t;h whole country was aroused, who be- ingsuperior in number, poured hot lead into his midst with such bewildering rapidity that he was compelled to fly with the utmost precipitation, leaving in, his hurry several very fine loose horses. It was supposed that -he soon , afterward swam the river at another place, andwas still in the neighborhood. Accompanied by a gentleman from An- gel's Camp, Ellas went to the fastnesses of the Bear Mountain range, in the hope to disOver fresh trails; found one which led towards a camp called Los Muertos; the tracks indicating that there were five mounted men. Being in no, condi- tion to follow them, he rode over to Cher- okee Flat,. and requested a number of Cherokees, locates there, to go out and way-lay-the different trails between Bear Mountain and San Domingo Range, to ,which they readily assented. In the meantime a meeting of the citizens was held at Carson's Creek, to take measures in.the pressing exigency, which was up- that district, in common with others. AMexican was noticed in the meeting attentively noticing its proceedings, who as soon as it was broken up, was seen to gq to a bakery, purchase a quantity of bread; and start of on foot toward Bear 1Mountain. He was followed and seized on the side of the mountain,' and at the same time his captors discovered three Mexicans riding on the ridge a few hun- dred yards above them. One of these was Joaquin, and the others were Reis and Valenzuela. The captive ,Mexican. - was hurried away to Cherokee Flat, where he was questioned closely in re- g d to his conduct. ' He played the part of an idiot, and would have sue- ceeded in convincing the attendantI orqwd that he was really a poor imbecile,- had he, not been very well known byI some of "the boys.", -To bring him toa his senses, hemp'was suggested as a very e~caious thig in such eases, and hea wasjaecordinglyelevatedinto the top of I a treeto, takea view of the surrounding i country. The remedy operated upon hi. ailment like a charm, and he confessed without hesitation that hekiew Joa- quin, Reis, Valenzuela and numerotp, others of the banditti-: and that; Joaqula was at this time not far off,, to whom he was taking provisioxis when he was ap- prehended. -A doubt arising In thea minds of some persons, not noted for de- cision of character, as to whether it was right to put the fellow to death, Ellas left him in charge of the two Cherokee half-breeds, with the request that they would give a good account of him, were- upon the crowd dispersed.'At about twelve o'clock in the night, the Chero- kees went to Ellas' house in San An- dreas, and informed him tlgt they were ready to give "'a good account "6f the- Mex;ican. Nothing more was said on the subject, and the next day ie was found hanging on a tree by the side of the road. Several weeks had now transpired since the fight on Chaparral Hill, and notwithstanding the most diligent pur- suit had been made after the robbers yet during the whole time they had been busily engaged in murder,A-eft and plunder. They left a broad and bloody trail wherever they went, and comit- ted their outrages at times in the very sight, of their pursuers. Frequently were the harrowing cries of "murder ' heard just ahead, and hurrying -to the spot, citizens were found weltering in their blood, while the audacious bandits were seen riding off with no great evi- dence of fear at being overtaken. The bAnditti were divided the greater part of the time, into small companies of four or five; and Joaquin was, seldom seen with' more than three followers.. Three-Fin- gered Jack was his constant attendant. Vulvia was-in the field ; Reis was active, and Valenzuela was far from idle. On the 5th of February a Mexicanwas arrested-by the citizen's at Angel's Camp. As soon as it was done, a young $onor- an gambler ran to a horse, hitched ats JOAQUDNW XU&TA. 67 rach, and was preparing to mPount, nO doubt to carry information to Joaquin of c what had'tfianslred, when a pistol-was tI cociekdin his face, and he was stopped. n Inn a few moments it was ascertained d that the inA arrested was one of Joa- u quiti's band and hei soon made his exit t] into eternity, from the braili of an oak ' tree, which yet stands at Angel's Camp f as one of its memorials. a Three or four Germans sleeping in -a s tent on a rather lonesome ravine, near a to Angel's Creek, a few nightsbefore the t eveit-last mentioned, were surprised to f find themselves suddenly tied hand ande foot, in their beds, and still more horri- fied when a scowling band of ruffians stood over thiem with drawn sabres, which they drew across their throats soI 'arelessly that it started the blood. The Gefmans eagerly ,delivered up what tontiey they had, which amounted to the piifus aii of two hundred dollars; at whihthre-Fingered Jack, for he was there with his leader, jumped up with an oath that _nade the poor fellows quiver whefe they lay, and declared that he ' would aig their hearts out of them for not having any more, suiting his action to the word by brandishing his knife over their heads, and waving it to and fro withinn an inch of their windpipes. Joa- quin, however, interfered and prevented him from executing hii threat, remark- ing that it was better to let them live,, Ashe might wish to collect taxes off them for "Foreign Miners' License,". at some other time. One Alexander Bidenger and his friend G. J. Mansfield, residing at a little place called Capulope, having learned from two friendly MemIcans that Joaquinlad slept there on the night of the second of February, with other important informa- tion; concluded to send word to Justice Beatty the presiding magistrate at Campo Seco, not a great way off, and having written a letter despatched it by " Diggei Mxpress." To those unacquainted with Califorida ustomspit may be necessary t plain, hat it is common in theimountainsard dining districts to employ Digger Iu- ians as bearers of letters, or runners ipon errands,-from one point to another, heylbeing very expeditious on foot, and willing to travel a considerable distant or a small piece of bread, freshmeator ragged shirt. I have known ,thtmto swim rivers, when the waters were high and dangerous, in order to carry a letter o its destination. They are exceedingly faithful in this business, having a super- stitious dread of that mysterious power. which makes a, paper talk without a. mouth. The naked expressman having been hunted up, he was charged by Bidenger to proceed to Campo Sedo without delay, and to allow no one on the way to read the paper.. The Digger, as in usual with these native expresses, got him a small stick about two feet long,.and split- ing the dud to the ddpth of an inh or two, stuck the letter into it,-and, old- ing it out i front of him, started olr',in a fast trot. One Of.Joaquin's party -dis- covered him on the road -abot there miles from Campo .eco, and wishedto speak to him, but thelIadian, remember- ing his charge, broke off at full speed, bearing the letter triumphantly before him. The robber fired c two shots dt th terrified native, which only -acce ht his flight. Arriving at Campo Seco he entered Beatty's office,and'handed-him the following unique epistle: FnnVnART the81858. I hereby gave notice that there is a thief and-robber In this Capllpe by the name of wakeen he siep here last night and he is Expected to sleap heare tonight thar is not meu enough here that will Assist in taking him he has horses tide bask hear in thehills and six more Men. i think it my duty to make It known.. Alexander Bidenger and! G J. Mansfieidr Rio Carrimo. Bernardo Carasco. JOAQUTJA V7IYT4 page: 68-69[View Page 68-69] 68 ~TGAQrJLY )ifURIBITA. JOA Q1JMYMURIETA.6 The istice having-deciphered th hieroglyphical characters of thisletter aatisfactoril'as he dould;,sent aImes singer t the keepers of the ferry a Winter's Bar, toilet io one cross during the night, believing that, from its prox imity, "that point: would' be selected by the robber-for the passage of the river in case he wasclosely pursued, and hur ried off -the Constable with a posse to rescue the six unfortunate men whom Joaquin had "'tide" out, in the hills. Arriving at Capulope in great heat, the Constable ascertained that there were no -six men tied out talll, but that the let- ter had designed to inform the Justice that Jopquin's party numbered six men. "It's a pity," -said Bidenger, "that a man of the Squire's-larnin' can't read no better than that. .,- . t Nothing was seen of Joaquin in. the neighborhood,. though diligent, search was made for him by the Constable froni the time he left Campo Seco util dark, but at midnight he rode up to the ferry, at Winter's Bar, and requested to be set over. The keepers informed him, that they had orders from-the civil 'authori- ties to let no one pass; not even the Gov.- ernor of the State, whereupon the impa tient outlaw made such unequivocal, hos- tile demonstrations,_that the ferrymen were glad to.set aside the civil author- ities, and for the time being, to obey martial law. L A few days after this, riding .along with Three-Fingered Jack, and another member named Pedro, Joaquin met two Americans and a German coming on foot from the direction of Murphy's Diggings, and bound for Australia; as their fgnal destination. They were laden with gold dust, which they iend'ed to convert into bills tof exchange at SanFrancisco, and committed the great imprudence to run at the approach of the bandits, who, having been hotly pursued a few hours before by a party of citizens, might have passed on without harming them. See- ing them take flight, Joaquin said: s "Those fellowshavemoney; we i 1s" kill them."p . T-he poor, terrified.fugitives each Op a, separate course,and it wasiotn0 g before- they miserably peishedunder - the murderous-pistols and knives of the bandits. Dragging fhen;by the hees,, the robbers, who had sweured-thirteayy - purses, threw them into a hole rhich: had been sunk by some prospectors, nd L covered them partially with leaves and bushes., Riding on a little farther, upon nar- row pack-trail, which wound along on the bank of a foaming'- stream that was almost hid in the deep gorge through which it ran, they suddenly came .upon a Chinese camp, containing six China- men. Though qach had a double-bar- srelled shot-gun, they made no effortto defend themselves, but begged for 'their lives. Joaquin was disposed to spare them,-but not wishing to leave his por- trait impressed upon too many memories, which might prove some day quite too tenaciousforhis good,hiconcluded to kll Jack, by a nod from Joaquin, stepped as well as rob them. Three-Fingered upto each one, and led himbut' byhis-. long tail of hair, repeating the ceremony until they all stood in arow before him. He then tied their tails securely together, searched their pockets, while Pedro ran- sacked their tents, and, drawing his highly-prized home-made knife , com- menced, amid the howling and shrieksof the unfortunate Asiatics,; splitting their skulls and severing their neck veins. He was in his element, his eyes blazed, he shouted like a madman, and leaped from one to the other, hewing and out- ting,,as if it afforded hint the most ex- quisite satisfaction to revel in human agony. " Come," said Joaquin, "that's enough, mount up, and let's be off." Reaching the main road again In a few hours they met the mail-rider be. tween Jackson and Volcano, who, on per- ceiving them laid whip t6 his very flet animal and narrowly escaped Three- td6iiotl the whole race get neare to hiftthnfiftfy ardsand 'finally halted 'at that distance, addischarged thee loa of his'revoiver at his slight figure, ag.he leanedforward withjapparent anx- ieyt faster than his horse wats car- By odo said Garcia, as he rode back to oaquin, "Iwouldlike tohave caught that fdlowif nothing more than to get his horse. He flung dirt into my face faster thi I ever sawit fly from a horse's heelsbefore." hil laughing over the very exhilar- atingrace which they had "just had, a m nam edllorsely came in sight, and was within one hundred yards of the brigands before he perceived them. Three-Fingered Jack's appearance was enough for him without any-further ex- amination, and wheeling his animal, a splendid bay inare, he proceeded to plate as: Auch ground as possible between himnelf anrdthe dreaded party, whichthey on the other hand, undertook to dimin- ish; Neck and heel they had it, for five miles, up the hills and down, Joaquin and Pedro a short distance behind, and the "Knight of the Three-Fingers" close on to the fugitive, who spared neither whip nor spur; at one time grasping at his bridle-rein, at another falling beld his horse's tail, and at another shooting at him with an unsuccessful aim. Strag- .gling travelers on'the road, Jew ped- deis, almond-eyed Chinamen, and de- plorably ragged looking|Frenchman, all, and'everybody who happened to be on the road, gave way to the frantic rider and his head-loig pursuers, gazing at them with unmitigated astonishment, and thanking their stars that they hap- pened 'to 'be poor obscure foot-men. Horsely rode on, and on, and 'on, with inbated ardor on his oWn part, and no erceptible failure of vigor on the part of"his horse, untiiil within signt of a tbickly populated mining district, when, giving him a farewell shot -which rang Fingered aekroare dout tobim: t You deserve to-, cape old fellow success to you!" andfalloped back to- his'-omrades, whohad haltedafewmin- utes before. " There's another fine horse;".said he to his lander, " that we've- missed getting. XxNumerous murders having been corn- mitted, and many parties having failed to capture the leasling desperadoes, an excitement prevailed, almost too intense to be borne, in the whole - county of Calaveras. About 'the 19th ,of February, a large- meetint was held at the town of Jack- son, at which it was resolved that every- body should turn out in search of the- villain Joaquin. A committee of six ien were secretly sent at midnight to Mokel- umne Hill to secure a concert of action there; upon whose arrival, the citizenis immediately assembled, andbefore morn- ing two companies were organized, hose and foot, and placed under the command of Charles A. Clark, Esq., then Under- Sheriff 'of the 'county. Thus was the whole couritry alive with armed parties whose separate movements it-would be impossible, 'without - much unneessary labor, to trace.' Arrests were continually being made popular tribunals 'estab- lished in the woods, Judge Lynch in- stalled upon the benchI; criminals ar- raigned, tried and executed upbn the limb of a tree; pursuits, flights, "skir- mishes '7nd a topsy-turvy, hurly-burly mass of events, that set narration at de- fiance. It remains only to give a few touches here and there, that anidea may be- gathered of the exciting ,picture which the state of things then presented. The Jackson Company Went down on the west side of the Mokelumne Iiver, while Clark directed his companies to sor the woods, and mountains in the direction of Clampo Seco. ,Fiom Cainpo Seoe he went to Winter's Bar, crossed the river,' and rode up to Stone & Baker's 68 tTOAQ','U, ZY %kURI,?9,TA- page: 70-71[View Page 70-71] av 70. JTOAQUIN TURIETA. I~ancho4we Me1l4e z p heJaks§onCoin- pisol cokea Lu the, vlllai"',fWaee aret- pany Lern gtl~.Joa~inhad lttely ed him, an4 took'hmt$a d!himt ntoPn.A been seen aC p Qppra, The united Tpe pe ple of that place appogisd a parties surrOunde41 tha*place about day- C committee to liht ad ~idld llth ihaitnt, eprt ineslge the ca"', az whoand- "e tansreporttheir judgment as to whatihpuld who were mostly Mexicans, together in be done in the premises. The Comtzt- a large tent, depriving them, of their tee ascertained thate was wounded, a arms, and upon questioning them, ascer- pistol ball having pierced him in such a tamed that a, Mexican horseman had manner as to make four different holes come Lte town the day before' and in- from a twisted posture no doubt which quired of some women, who were wash- he had assumed, and being able to elicit ing at the branch near by, if they had no satisfactory account as to howhe hd seen Joaquin, and that he paid one of received the wound, they reportedto the them fifty cents for washing a handker- crowd that it was their opinion that it chief deeply stained with blood. Upon would not be amiss to hang him and risk closer questioning, it appeared that the it any how, whether he was guilty or Mexican spoken of was himself present not. Finding that he had to go, he con- in the tent, and he was accordingly led fessed that he was the man whom, Ellas- forth for the especial consideration of his had shot on Chaparral Hil1, while he was case. Finding that the trial to which .endeavoring to catch his mare, and that they subjected him was no farce, and he was with Joaquin when the, two that they were actually going to- hang Americans, Peter Woodbeck and,another him, he confessed that he was one of the were killed at the Phcenix Quartz Mill. brigands, and submitted with great com- The time-honored custom of choking a posture to be choked to death, This was man to death was soon put into practice, the end of the hitherto very lucky and the robber stood on nothing kicking Juan," for lie seems never to haye had at empty space. Bah I it is a sight that a surnae. Ineverlike to see, although I'have b9en While their Comrade was undergoing civilized for a good many years. the penalty of death, Valenzuela and a On the 22d day of the month, one of few others, ignorant of the circumstance, the pursuing parties mentioned before, .were robbing a. Dutchman only a few came upon five Mexicans,who were halt miles off, from whom they "took six hun- ed a few moments at a plape called dred dollars in beautiful specimens, for Forman's Camp, and immediately fired which the poor fellow had honestly upon them, wounding one of them in the labored six months in the mines. He hand. Outnumbered, the robbers, among was fortunate, however, in meeting with whom was the chief himself, rode, off at Valenzuela instead of Three-Fingered full speed. The Americans followed, Jack, for he escaped with his life after a and had not proceeded far when pistol Iong debate between the robbers as to' shots were heard in rapid succession at the propriety of letting him live, in a Chinese. Camp at the foot of a hill which, the Dutchman afterwards aq- upon wAich they were riding. Hasten- knowledged, he was more interested ing down to the spot, they found three than in any question he had ever heard Chinamen dead, and five others writhing discussed. 9 - In their last agonies. The murderers Captain Ellas about this time heard of were not more than ten. minutes aead. a suspicious fellow lurking around the A dying Chinaman gasped out that they lim onr' Camp of Los Muertos, and had been robbed of three thousand dol- mounting his h arserrode over to the tent lars. Exasperated bend measure at in1whlich he wa harbored, an'd, with a 'such aud acity, 'the party rode furiously jiAQTetr& fURhFTA6 4 40k hp 'sitt, tterhre'hd~tlives, and:whom nothing can kiA1 bitt -the~mttl, ipte wthhose o h e ilebldit 1brigands, anid they vvere forced -'tb 'give -"boiit the flistof Apri, it ithe i+,tl iap for thaftay'. On the 29d ltley re- towriof Hrnita'' or t'Lttl Ovit56"ai s e thi jtuidiilt passing no less than American named resbot a aaio thoirrnese camps which had been indriesoilto man, wa' one niiit reetyplundeed, and wardseeni tinjd. i formed - by a friendly Mexicaa, who was cht light of th rascals on he sun- a miner" in that district, that Jbaqifn .git of ahill,engaged atthe moment in and four or fie ohis men were at thit jokingg l down some Chinamen, and moment sleeping in a hou' kept la nobbing them. With A whoop of defi. Mexican woman, on the edge ofthe toW. on, the daring chief ledof his men be- "If I point him out to you," said le; foe theirnfaces, with such speed that be sure and kill him, for if you don't, my fthey could not hope ontheir own scrub life is not worth'three centS. horses to overtake him. Prescott raised some fifteen men with The Chinese, beginning to believe secresy and despatch, and guided by the that they were singled -out for destrue- Mexican,gainedthe housewithoutie tion, were seized with a general panic, ing an alarm. h sttioning his dmen and by the fifth of March might have been around the house in every neeusstryi- -seen flocking from the mining districts in rection he andlefew'others utiiny 'hundreds -and thousands to the towns entered. Candles were still berningt , and cities. Mention the name of Joquin and everything was "isblein the room. -to one of these Chinamen now, and his There theyare,"whispred the trem- knees will quake like Belshazzar's. bling Mexican, pointing to sev oualheps, Having ravaged the country for sev- rolled up in blankets, and slippingout 'eral long, and, to the people, distressing as soon as he had spoken. weeks, and having lost some of the bray- One of the party, holding IL candle .est and most useful members of his band, over Joaquin's face, in his anxiety to see and having aroused his enemies so that if there might, not possibly be a mis- hey met him on every trail, and sur- take, startled the formidable chief from pricedd him at almost every encampment; his slumber, ah6iwithna rapid return of :having, besides this, collected 'by his consciousness, which belogsto menia- plunders a large amount of money, Joa- customer to danger, rose like ligtnig quin concluded to abandon Calaveras, to his feet, cocking his pistol, as fitwere, .and try his hand awhile on the citizens in the very -act of waking, and fired. .of Mariposa. ' Of course that county suf- The astonished caundleholder staggered fered. but it will not be necessary to re- back, severely wounded in the side. count anything like the entire series of his fearful deeds, in that devoted region, .as it would only be a repetition of the bloody and harrowing scenes which have .already sufficiently marked these, pages. His guardian fiend seemed never to de- 'sort him, and he came forth from every emergency in triumph. The following incident is but one'among many, which .shows' the extraordinary, success that at- tended him and would almost lead -s to adopt the old Cherokee superstition; that there were some men who bear charmed CHAPTER XIV. COMBAT BETWEEN PRESCOTT AND JOA- QUIN--ROBBER ' TRANSACTIONS IN TUBA COUNTY Prescott, at the moment Joaquin fired at the candle holder, discharged both barrels of his shot-gun into the robber's breast, and was amazed to see him staid f page: 72-73[View Page 72-73] JOAQU MUR TA. lrga after a momentary stagger, and' re tmrn the fire. Prescott very nearly fel to the floor, a ball having passed clean through his chest.. The other bandits inthe mean time having sprung up, blew out the lights,'and firing their revolvers, shifted their positions, so that the Ameri- cans. discharged their pistols' into the space merely where their enemies had stood., Joaquin shot twice -after the lights were extinguished, hitting a man each time, and with his pistol clubbed, troderesolutely for the door., Here he met an Amw-rican, over whose head he shattered his pistol, very nearly killing him on the spot. It happened that at the Same time that the bandits made their egress, a few Americans were also com- ingout, andbefore the two parties could be fairly separated, so as to render it safe to fire, the bold robbers had made their escape.- It is significant to add, that in a; few days after this occurrence, the Mexican informer was found hanging -to a tree, near the highway, his dead body bearing. the marks of a recent terrible scourging. Joaquin was badly wounded by the dis- charge of Prescott's double-barreled shot- gun, and Three-Fingered Jack, who was now continually with hlrp, was engaged- as he laughingly remarked to an acquain- tanceafterwards-for threeweeks,offand on, in picking out buck-shot from his breast. "How it come not to kill him," said he, "the devil only knows., I'm certain it would have done the job for me." But subsequent events will show that Jack himself was equally hard to kill. Prescott lay for a long time in a doubtful state, and Joaquin sent spies daily from his own siek-bed in the woods, to see if there was any prospect of his dying. Much to his disappointment l rescott re- covered, and surely, after all he had suf- fered he is entitled to live along time. Valenzuelawasatthistimein thecoun. ty of Yuba, in obedience to the order of his leader, who told him to do his best - in tly space of two weeks, and then t4. l meet him at the Arroyo Cantoov r dezvous. A description of one or -two scenes which happened oia Bear 'River, about twenty miles from the city of Marysville,. will serve to give an Idea of what be- was about. This stream heads in the- Sierra Nevada foot-hills, and crossing a broad plain empties into Feather River,. near the town of Nicolaus. It waters a. fine agricultural and grazing region, and housesin the spring of 18A$, as now,. were scattered at intervals of four, five- and six miles along its banks. In one of these hoUses lived an old widow woman. with her son and daughter. These threee. seated in their door on a pleasant even- ing, were surprised, as they lived off the public road, to see four huge fellows ride up, splendidly dressed, and armed to the teeth. One of them had four revolvers- and a bowie.knife. Dismounting, they requested supper. It was soon got in- readiness by the brisk young lady-and she was as fresh and rosy a creature as ever one had the happiness to see-and. the travelers partook of it most freely; the. fellow with the four revolvers, who, not- withstanding his fierce look, was quite- gentlemanly in his manners, conversing: with her agreeably, as she politelywaited, upon them. The old woman looked rather suspiciously at the well-dressed eaters, from under her spectacles, but said nothing. As soon as they had fin, ished, Valenzuela, for it was that.worthy and none other, stepped up to where the- young man was sitting, and cocking'a, pistol between his-eyes, asked him if he- had any objection to having the house- robbed; if so, to name it. The old woman here screamed out: "Oh Lordl Iknowed it; I seed the- cloven foot a stickin' out all the time," and-continued to cry 'it with such veh'e- mence that they were forced to put:agag in her mouth. The young lady saved themthe trouble~ of using that. precaW- tion in her case,. by fainting. . 'he yop ipapnot relishing a cocked p n lsp face, witha man carelessly fingering the trigger, very readily gave bi p sentpto have the house searched. -Bvry drawer was ransacked, and every trtn* burst. ope, and having obtained a few hundred dollars, the robbers left. At a late hour in the night another house was burst open, and the terrified inmates were dragged outof their beds, and securely bound hand and foot, be- sides being gagged, before they awoke sufficiently to know whether it was a dream or.a reality. There was only one man at the house, the rest were women and children. - All the money and jewel- ry was taken that could be found, and among other things, a gold watch, the chain of which Valenzuela very 'cooly put over his neck. I "Go to that old woman and take the gag out of her mouth," said he to one of his men, "she looks as if she were choking herself to death in the effort to say something,". As soon as the gag was removed, she begged Valenzuela with many tears, to *give her back the watch, as it was a pres- ent from a dear friend, and contained a precious lock of hair.% ,"iCertainly," said the robber, "if that's .the case, I don't want it," and handed it to her. Strange as it may seem at the first glance, the agel widow felt a sentiment of gratitude. towards the robber, who steeped in villany as he was, had soul enough to answer an appeal of this kind. The unfortunate family were found the next morning by their neighbors, still lying upon the floor,boundhand and foot Such terror possessed that neighbor hood for sometime afterwards' that traveler, no matter how peaceable hisin tentions, could no more get a hance t( stay all night on that part of Bear River than he could fly.- A young fellow from the mountains, on his way down th valley, happening to be belated in tha vicinity, called one night at every hous in every direction, and was Tefisqd migtane, Qr hospitality, th ag obpti 'acy which astonmse ii. sTdoo were barred on his aPppoah, sfhehad epa a bearer of4estilsace, and to his- loud halloos and earnest solicitations for- protection from the night air, he receiv- ed the response thatthey had "noacom- modation for travelers;" and he began to- believe that, indeed, they did have but little accommodation, sure enough. It- was drizzling rain, the hour was late, it. was dark, and there were many deep- and miry sloughs, which it was danger- ous to pass unless In broad daylight. Directed at each refusal of " accommoda- tion," to go to another house jist across. the slough," or "jist beyant that pint, the poor 'fellow wandered around nearly all night, narrowly escaping being drowned a dozen times, and finally, tow- ards morning, leaving his horse, tied o the bank of aslough and crossing to the other side in a canoe, he succeeded, after- fighting a pitched battle with a gang of fierce dogs, in reaching an old shahty in- a barley field, whose occupant, a bache- lor, consented, to his great surprise, to- let him stay. It seems the young fellow- was dark-skinned, and unfortunately not- a very amiable looking .fellow at best,. and he was accordingly taken for Joa- quin or some one of his band, traveling- around as a spy. CHAPTER XV.. ADVANCING TO A CLOSE-STATE LEGISLA TURE TAXING ACTION TO PROTECTTH3' COUNTRY - MoUNTED) BANGEIRS OR- GANIZED-HARRY LOVE IN COMMAND' -ON TRACK OF THE BANDITS-"IANG- o ER8 DIVIDE INTO TWo COMPANIEs- We come now near to the closing of e- the bandit'slife; and, for the reasonthat t unauthorized and fictitious accounts tf~ e the manner of his death, have been set JOAQ U Y N U =,T page: 74-75[View Page 74-75] afioat, Ihate takeri r igaconiipiled, for convelienc ske, p iotng and siftingthefafcts and gpiroseof reater sed rec, byag'lla connected with that event,'andth~readei bodiesofien. moay rely uponth acouut givii in these Notrithstadming the slender amont -ohapters as abisoltelj correct in eyes. of wages allowed, each-member ase- partcul- cuired to furnish his own horse, rovis. So burdensome werethe tributeslevied ions and equilmeits, at his individual upon the citizens, that it became a 'fit expense. subject for Legislative action. The offi- Without hesitation, nay, with alacrity, cers of the law in the different counties for it was in consonance with his daring were either shot down in cold blood or spirit, Love Immediately took the com- openly defied by the bandits. The con- mand of twenty choice men, selected for stant arming of private companies for their well-known courage, and led them the protection of the lives and property forth to meet .as formidable - a man of citizens was become too extensive a as ever figured in the arena of crime. drain upon the pockets of private indi- The following is a list of their names: visuals. In many, agrcultural districts P. E. Connor, C. F. Bloodworth, G. W. both mMining and agricultural pursuits Evans, Wm. Byrnes, John Nuttal, Win. were in a measure suspended. Travel S. Henderson, C. V. Mcown, Robert became absolutely dangerous in the most Masters, W. H. Harvey, George A. Nut. Open highways, and communication had tal, Col. McLane, Lafayette Black, D. S. nigh ceased between important Hollister, P. T. Herbert, John S. White, 'points. . Women and children in lonely Willis Prescott, James M: Norton, Coho Places, suffering from constant fear, were Young, E. B. Van Dorn and S..K. Pig- ,often removed to more thicl pplae'.ot iky populated .gott. localties, with great trouble and at Several of the names in the foregoing heavy expense. American owners of list will be recognized as those of men ranches were impoverished in a night by already prominent In the cotnes. in having every hoot of their stock driven which they lived, and afterwards occu- ointo the, mountains and afterward into pying positions of more or less distine- Sonora. The condition-of things, in tion* in' the State. One of -them repre. short, became intolerable, and a petition, seated California for two yearsin the numerously signed, was presented to the Lower House in the United States Con- Legislature praying that body to author- gress, and became involved in a serious ize Captain Harry Love to organize a difficulty at Washington, in whichhe company of Mounted Rangers, in order drew a derringer and killed an rish to capture, or drive out of the country, waiter at one of the hotels, who had for or exterminate the highwaymen. A bill some reason or other attacked him.a The to this effect was passed, sgned by the affraywas variously represented biy .the Governor on the 17th of May, 1853, and partisan prints of the day, some justi y a company organized by Harry Love on ing the act of the California- member The 28th of the same month. The pay and othaeersrdenouncingit As& cold was set down at one hundred and fift oodedmurder. At any rate, Mr. Her- 4ollars per month per man, and the legal bert was tried and acquitted. montence o the company hiited to three This brave but small party of Mounted nths, ile the number of men was Rangers were looked upon by the anx- t to exceed tenty, th object being ious eyes of the community, from whose, to surprise andtae, or kill, Joaquin, in midst they started, as almost certainly o en ohe oae numerous expeditions destined odestriiction. But they forgot in, whih he wasin the habit of engag- that a leader was now in the field, and JOAQU(t~tfA the authority of , this leader was bringinglispMlans Whwh'xPQ~e~P wasapart of the storm- to us is aptly elicited in the foi l wgcomipritive little incid Ont.I Wtori ofpr te frontier settlements, lowig conrvenincidn - the civilcommiotiois,,of Texas,land'te Feigoeeeigsmwa n t events of the Mexican War; lined for a dram, andunwilling to show w as rugged and severe his own person, he sent from Guerra's dscpie through wlich it had raneho an Indian, to bring him a botte assed dispe strong and of liquor from San Jose. After the Dig- clae i thse mi ws das, as that of ger had started, he became a little un- the daring robber against whom he was easy lest the fellow should betray him, t dand ro posesed a glance as and mounting his horse, 9vertook hiM qui, and ahband sudden in the execu- on the road to Coyote Creek, and killed qicki, and himassud tion of a de adly purpose. him. 'With untiring energy and most steal- On the first day of July, seventy of his thy movements, Captain Love set him- followers had arrived at the Arroyo Can- self to work to obtain a full knowledge toova, with fifteen hundred horses, and of'the haunts of the bandit chief, the in another part of the valley, Joaquin latest traces of his steps, and all that was himself, with Reis, Three- Fingered Jack, necessary to enable him to fall upon him and a few other men were waiting for at the best possible time and place. the final arrival of all his forces from So- While on this lookout for him, Joaquin nora and other quarters. His coires- was busy in making his preparations pondence was large with many wealthy for thegrand finale of his career ip Cali- and influential Mexicans residing in the fornia. After robbing extensively on the State of California, and he had received Little Mariposa, and the Merced River, assurances of their earnest co-operation he proceeded to the rancho of Joaquin in the movement which he contemplated. Gluerra,near to San Jose, killing a A shell was about to burst, which was Fronchman on his way, who kept the little dreamed of by the mass of the pee- Tivola Gardens, and there stopped for a pie who merely looked upon Joaquin as few weeks, lying concealed. The Major the petty leader of a band of cut throats ! Domo of this rancho, Francisco Sicarro, was secretly connected within his band, and this accounts for his staying there. In the meantime head despatched Luis Vulvi to the Arroyo Cantoova, with . CHAPTER XVI. ia , t emv tewoe -t Orders to remove the women to a place CAPTAIN LOVE WrrH ONLY EIGHT MEN of. safety in the province of Sonora ; to COMES UPON THE ENCAMPMENT OF send Valenzuela, as soon as he should - REMARKABLE COOLNESS arrive at the rendezvous, to the same OF THE BANDIT-DESPERATE LEAP State with remittances of money, and ON HORSEBACK-DEATH OF JoAQUIN with instructions to arm and equip his ---DEATH F THREE-FINGERED JACK followers and adherents there, who'stood SUBsEQUENT MOVEMENT A M waiting, and to proceed himself to the diferenit harboring ranchos inCalifornia, - GER"-,-OCUIN and Icollect at the Arroya Catoova all On the fifth of July, Captain Love, the hores which hlad been left ,upon who had been secretly tracing the ban- them fro time to tiine. 'itwashis own dit in his movemetLts, left with his com- intention to go to the rendezvous in a pany the town of San Josd and camped eli~rttimeand wait for thearrival iofhis near San Juan for four or -five days, forces. The extreme caution with which scouring the mountains in that vicinity. page: 76-77[View Page 76-77] -70OAQ MTRIETA. From San Juan he started in the night on the coast route, In the Ilirection o Los Angeles, and tarried anightor two on the Salinas Plains.'Thnce'boebrWent across the San Bonita Valleycpibing just before daylight, without being dis covered byany one, in asanmll ally in the coast range, near to Quien Sabe Ran- cho. Leaving this place, after a short survey of the neighborhood, he proceed- ed-to the Eagle's Pass, and there came upon a party of Mexicans, who were going, or said so at least, in the Tulares to capture the wild mustangs, which fed there in great numbers. From this point the Rangers divided, a portion going to the Chico Panoche Pass, and the others taking a course through the mountains. They found trails which led both divi- sions to the same point, that is, to the Bayou Seetas, or Little Prairie. Before reaching this point Love stopped a few Mexicans, who were evidently carrying forward the news of his advance into that wild and suspicious region. Sepa- rating again, the company again met at the Grand Panoche' Pass, from which they went on in a body to the Arroyo Cantoova. Here they found theseventy or eighty men, of Joaquin's band, spoken of above, with the fifteen hundred stolen horses. These men, it would be fair to nfer, could have annihilated the small party of twenty men opposed to them, had they seen fit, and it was a wise act in Captain Love to deceive them as he 'did, by informing them that he was exe- cuting a commission on the part of the State to obtain a list of all the names of those" who were engaged in mustang hunting, in order that a tax might be collected from them.for the privilege, in accordance -yith a late act of the Legis- lature. With this explanation, and going through the farce of taking down a list of their names, which were no doubt' fictitious, every one of them, he started on in the direction of San Juan, but turned about seven or eight miles off, at the head of the Arroyo, in orderto watch f their mbvemenits. It was now the 24th of the month, on the 'morning of which tdy he went back to their encampment and found it wholly desertedrlota inan - or horse left. - Fully convinced frm this- sudden abandonment of the plee; that - they were nothing'less than a portion of Joaquin's band, he resolved to follow their trail. On the 2th,"which *as Sunday, at three o'clock in the morning, he reached the Tulare Plains, where he found they had parted their company- some going south towards the Tejon Pass, and others north towards the San Joaquin River. "Detailing a portion of- the Rangers to proceed to Mariposa county with some stolen horses which. had been recovered on the way, the Cap- tain, with the remainder of his party, numbering only eight men, dauntlessly pursued the southern trail, which led in the more proper direction for finding Jfoaquin. Just at daylight he saw a smoke-rising frqm the plains on his left, and wishing to allow no circumstance, however trivial, to pass unnoticed, at a time so much requiring his utmost vigi- lance, he turned from the trail an~d'rode out towards it. He saw nothing more than some loose horses, until within six hundred yards of the spot from which the smoke proceeded, when rising a mound, he discovered seven men scat- tered around a small fire, one of whom was a few steps off, washing a fine look- ing bay horse with water which he held - in a pan. Theii sentinel, who had just been cooking, at thirnoment caught sight of the approaching party, and gave the alarm to his comrades, who all rushed forth in the direction of their hor- ses, except the man who already held- his by the lariat at camp. Dashing up in hot haste, the Rangers succeeded in stopping every man before he got to his animal. The Captain, riding up to the individual who stood holding the horse, questioned him as to the course upen JOAQUIN MURIETA. 7 whidhihe and the others were traveling, great and imminent, yet ,no sign of fear He answered that they were going :to played upon his c9untenance le heW Lot Angeles, Giving the nod to two of his head fyrmy,fnd looked around rn bis youg men,,Henderson and White, with a cool and unfiinching'glagieg asif they stood, watching this individual, he calmly studied the desperate chances aWhile the Captaiu rode-toward others of of the time. He patted, from time to the suspicious looking party, who, I have time, his horse upon the neck, nd the omitted to# say, were all Mexicans,, su- fiery steed raised his graceful head perbly dressed, each wearing over their pricked up his sharply pointed ears, and ilnery a costly broadcloth cloak. Ad. stood with flashing eyes, as if ready to dressing one of these others in relation spring at a moment's warning. Lieut. to their destination, he replied in direct Byrnes, who had known the young rob- contradiction to what the other had just ber when he was an honest man, a -few said, who, flushing up with an angered years before, soon rode into camp, hav- look, exclaimed: ing fallen behind by order of the captain, No!I we're going to Los Angeles;" and immediately on his approach, Joa- and turning to Love, said: "Sir, if you quin, who knew him at the first sight, have any questions to ask, address your- called out to his followers to make their self to me. I am the leader of this com- escape, every man for himself. Three- pany" Fingered Jack bounded off likeamighty Love answered, "that he would ad- stag of the forest. He was shot at by dress himself to whom he pleased, with. several of the Rangers, and attention out consulting him." being momentarily called -away from The leader, as he called himself, then Joaquin, he mounted his fine bay horse, advanced a few steps towards the sad- ~already eager to run, and rode off, with- dles and blankets, which lay around the out saddle or briddle, at the speed of the ire, when Love told him to stop. He wind. A dozen balls: from the Colt's waited on without heeding the command, repeaters whizzed by him without effect. when the Captain drew his six-shooter, Rushing along a rough and rocky ravine, and told him if he did not stop in an in- with that recklessness that belongs to a stant he would blow his brains out. bold rider and a powerful, highspirited With a proud toss of his head, and grat- animal,.he leapied froi a precipiceten-or Ing his teeth together in ragebAstepped twelve feet high, and was. thrown, vib- back and laid his hand again upon his lently from hishorse, which trned- a horse's mane, which had stood quietly half somersault as he touched the ground during the moment he was away. This and fell on his back with his heels with- individual was Joaquin Murieta, though in a few inches of his master's head, Love was ignorant of the fact. He was Horse and rider recovering themselves in armed only with a bowie-knife, and was a moment, Joaquin again mounted with advancing towards his saddle to.get his the quickness of lightning, and was pistols at the time Love -covered him again on the wing. One of his pu- with his revolver. A short distance off suers, named Henderson,fearlessly leaped stood Three-Fingered Jack, fully armid after him, while others who were not so and anxiously watching every movement close behind, galloped around to head of his chief.' Separated by the Rangers, him at a certain favorable point. Hen- surprised, and unable to act in -concert ; derson and horse went through the same on foot, and unable to gei to their horses, tumbling motions as in the example were scattered here and there others of - which had preceded him. He was not the party. The danger to Joaquin was mounted so soon but that Joaquin. was page: 78-79[View Page 78-79] some'distance ahead before he was fairly ed± -o ren*e the cha e. The 'bold iaffi*as fast' escapngdanger on his swift aad b Intil'seded; and afew more grous bunds would c hi beyond ,the, reacehtof gun.-shot, when one lof th nuui gParty, finding that they could dt hit 'the rider, levelled his tifle at the Iorseand sent a ball obhquely into his side. 'The-noble anmmal sunk a moment, but rose again, still vigorous, though bleeding, and was bearing his master as 'if heknew his life depended upon 1him, clearly outof all reah of a bullet or any fear of a capture, -when, al'as!I for the- too exulting hopes of the youthful chieftain, the poor beast, with a sudden gush of 'blood :from his mouth and nostrils, fell dead' -beneath him. A fortunate shot, -whoever aiaed that rifleJoaquin, now, far'ahead of '1is pursuers, ran on, on foot They outran him upon their horses, and:coming again within pistol-shot dis- carged ,several balls nto his body. nWhe the third ball struck him, he . turned around facing them, and said: donDon't: shoot any more--the work Is *done!-" He stood still a few moments, turning pale as his life-blood ebbed away, and sinking slowly t qthe ground upon his right arm, surrendered to-death. While their beloved leader was proudly submitting to the inexorable Fate which fell upon him, if we may call it Fate, when it was born from his own extreme carelessness in separating himself from the main body of his men, and in a habitual feeling of too much security at -bhis rendezvous, his followers were strug- gling for their lives against fearful odds 'In all directions over the plains. Three-Fingered Jack;-pursued by Love himself and one or two others, ran five miles before he fell, pierced with niie balls. lHe leaped over-the ground like a #,wild beast of the-chase, and frequently -'gained considerable distance ion his &pursuers,-id'hose horseswould sometimes stumble in the gopher holes;,and soft soil of the plain, andi throw their rideis headlong in the dirt.' When ovprtaken, he would wheel with glaring eyes and with a whoop of defiance, diseharge'his sirhooter. 'Though good shot, oit of five trials he missed every 1tine.-' Cir- cumstances were against :him, but- he was determined never to be taken alive, and to no proposal to surrender would he listen a moment, but rian aon aslong as his strength would: sustain him, and fought till he fell, dying with his hand on, his pistol, which he had emptied of every load but one. He was at last shot through the head by Captain Love, who had wounded him twice before in the long chase. Three-Fingered Jack, anom- alous as it may seem to be, while he was the very incarnatioA of cruelty, was At the same time as brave a man as this world ever has produced,,and so died, as those who killed him will testify. Shortly after the chase of Joaquin and Three-Fingered Jack commenced, three' of the band not before discovered, gal- loped out into the plain from a point a little below Joaquin's camp fire where' they had probably-made a small seeprate encampment the night before, and' dis- mounted in full view of several of the Rangers, who approached them on three sides. They stood still until within reach of pistol shot, when they suddenly sprang into, their saddles, and firing their revolvers at the approaching Ran- gers, rode off. The Rangers returned' the fire with effect, wounding two of the - men and one of the horses. Their ani- mals being remarkably swift,%they dis- tanced their pursuers, and reached the foot of the mountains without further injury.: But just at this point one'of the wounded men grew so faint that he fell -back in the flight, anda comrade falling, back also, to assist him, thus gave- the Rangers an opportunity to come within gunshot. As he galloped 'off with his wounded companion to rejoin his broth- -JGAQVIIT.tt!ZWTA. i§ JOAQ&IN !URIETA. owl a niliillfulnmarkman called of Imany an agonized victim, 'and'had svifle'-At his retreating figure and sent shadowed itself forth upon the horrilied a; lil it ahis back that made him reel imaginations of thousands who ly upo4 his horse, and thus added one more knew that it listed. The head, which. to the wounded list, which now' coM- for a long time retained a' very natural prled the whole party. They succeeded appearance, was thoroughly identfed, in, in escaping, but one of them fell from every qirter where its owner was hes s during the following night known. The hand was also exhibit edin aid died in a solitary place among the a glass Case, not to prove its identity, ioentans 'though eten that was done, but to give' The pursuit being ended on all parts the public the actual sight' of an object 'of the field, the lRangers returned to the which had flung a strange, haunting oint from which they had started. As dread over the mind, as i it had been a yet all were ignorant of the true charac- conscious voluntary 6gent of evil ang ter 6f the party which they had attacke'-. superstitious persons, ignorant "of "the, DBrnes did not happen to be looking at phenomenon whh. death presats in Joaquin' when he first rode into 'camp, the growth of the "hair and' nails, were aid consequently had not recognized seized with a kind of terror to obspve himrat all, not being with thoe individu- that thd moustache of the fearfulrobber als who succeeded in killing him. When had grown longer since his head had they .ll got together it was ascertained been cut off, and that the nails of Three- that four Mexicans had been killed and Fingered Jack's hand' had lengthened two'6thers taken prisoners. Going uP almost an inch. to-the dead bodies, une'was immediately The bl9ody encounter being overly e recognized by Byrnes as that of Joaquin gathered up the spoils, which consisted Murieta, and an-other, by some one else, of seven fine animals, which were after- as that of Three-Fingered Jack., wards restored to their owners, six It was important to prove to the satis- elegant Mexican saddles and bridles, Six faction of the public that the famous Colt's revolvers, a brace of holster pis- and bloody -bandit was actually killed, tols, and five or siz pairs of spurs. Three else the fact would be eternally doubted, splendid horses w re killed under their and many worthy suspicions would riders in the case. Five or six. fine attach to Captain Love. He accordingly broadcloth cloaks were 'found at the acted as, he would not otherwise have camp. Money, there was none. One of done; and I must shock the nerves of the prisoners,. however, declared .that the fastidious, much against iy will, by Three-Fingered Jack; during the chaser, stating that he caused the head of the threw away a very large purse of gold, ienowned Murieta to be cut off, -and to which was encumbering .him in his. be be hurried away with the utmost, ex- flight; and it is'probable that others did edition to the nearest place, one hun- the same. dred and fifty miles, at which any alco- Upon the return of the Rangers from hol could be obtained in which to pre- this expedition one of the prisoners, after serve it. Three-Fingered s back's head vainly endeavoring to persuade his com' was also cut off, but being shot through panion to follow his example, suddenly soon became offensive, and was thrown broke loose from his captors, and plung- away. His hand, however, was preserved ing into a deep slough near by, bravely ' terriblethree-fingeredhandwhich drownedhimself. The other was taken had 'dyed itself In many a quivering to Mariposa county jail, and- there, con-- heai;had'torn with itstaloristhe throats fined until the company were ready to- page: 80-81[View Page 80-81] 0 .tTUOA- rV hU I. disbandd, when, he was transferred to 2Martez. While the ehe znade, acon- fession, implicatingl a large numbe gf Ids cpuntrymen inthe, villainies which had been perpetrated 'and .as prepared, to make still more importantdisclosures -perhaps with the view of kingg the value of his information weigh against his execution-when he was forestalled in-a mysterious manner. The jail was broken open one night at the dead hours, ,and the prisoner taken out by an armed mob and hung. The Americans knew nothing of the hanging, so that the most rational conjecture, is that he was put -out of the way by Mexicans, to prevent the, damping revelations which he cer- tainly would have made. Among the numerous affidavits, iden- tifying the robber's head, the reader may take the following as specimens of the remainder. The Reverend Father Dom- inie Blaine, who knew Joaquin well, and who had often confessed wounded mem- bers of his band, testified as follows: STATE OF CALIFORNIA, County of San Joaquin, 1 ,s on this,- the, 11th day of Atgusto, 1853, personally came before me, A. C. BAINU, a Justice of the Peace in and for said county, the Reverend Father -Dominie Blaine, who makes oath, In due-form of law, that he was acquainted with the ho- torious robber, Joaquin; that he has just examined the captive's head, n6w In the ssesion of Captain Connor, of Harry Love's Rangers, and that he Verily be- lieves the said head to be that of the id- dividual Joaquin Murieta, so known by him two years ago, as before stated. D. BLAINE. sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year aforesaid. A. C. BAINE, J. P. Ignacio Lisarrago, of Sonora, well known in the lower part of the State as follows: STATE OF CALIFORNIA,1 City and County of San Francisco.' S Ignacio Lisarrago, of Soniora, being duly sworn, says: That he has seen thealleged head of Joaquin, now in-the possession of Messrs. Nutail and Black, two of Captain Love's Rangers, on exhibition at the saloonii of Johnw King sansome Street. That deponent was well acquainted with Joaquin Miirista, and that-the head, se exhibited ismdwas the eritab e head 6f Joaquin Marieta, the eelbrated bardls., IN410LIAZ4O Sworn to b0foreme, this 17thdayoftAu- gust,4185&- CHAILES D. CARTER Notary Public. Affdavits like these, together witb certificates from sworn officers of the law,-and the voluntary verbal testimony of hundreds#of visitors at the different exhibitions were more than sufficient to satisfy the legal authorities of the death of, the noted cbieftain. Accordingly the Governor of the State, John Bigler, caused to be paid to Captain Love the sum of one thousand dollars, which in his official capacity he had offered for the capture' of the bandit, dead or alive. And subsequently, on the 15th day of May, 1854, the Legislature of California, considering that his truly valuable ser- vices in ridding the country of so great a terror were not sufficiently rewarded, passed an act granting himan additional sum of five thousand dollars. I,,- The story is told. Briefly, and with- .out the aid of ornament, the life and ,character of Joaquin Murieta have been sketched. His career was short, for he died in his twenty-second year; but in the few years which were allowed him he displayed qualities of mind and heart which marked him as an extraordinary man, and leaving his name impressed upon the early history of this State, he also leaves- behind him the important lesson that there is nothing so danger- ous in its consequences as injutic to in. dwiiduala-whether it arise from preja- dice of color or any other source,; that a wrong done to one man is a wrong to society and to the world. It is only necessary to add, that, after the death of its chief, the mighty or- ganization which he had established was broken up. It exists now enly In scattered fragments over California and Mexico. Its subordinate chiefe-awmong whom is the yet living Valenzul- lacking the brillinCy and unconquer- able will of their leader, ill never -be ble'to revive it in its fullforce; and al- though a11.the elements Are still in active existence, they will make themselves felt in nothing more, it is probable, than petty outbreaks here and there, and depredations of such a character as can easily be checked by the vigilance of the laws. Of Rosita, the beautiful and wdl-be- loved of Joaquin, the writer knows no further than that she remains in the Province, of Sonora, silently and, sadly working out the slow task of a life for- ever blighted to her, under the rof of the parents of her dead Jkver.,Alas t how happy might she not have been had man never learned to wrong his fellow- man ! JOAQUIN MURIETA 8 , page: 82-83[View Page 82-83] O BANDIT OF' SOLEDAD, SALINAS AND TRES PINOS. WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS CAPTURE BY SHERIFF ROWLAND OF LOS ANGELES. COMPILED FROM THE NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS. SAN FRANCISCO: FRED'K MACCRELLISI;1 & Co., PUBLISHERS. 1874. OF -TIBURCIO VASQULZ THE page: 84-85[View Page 84-85] I As the second greatest bandit of Cal-, ifornia Tiburcio Vasquez will stand on the pages of' the history of our State. It should be remembered that when Joaquin Murietta roamed, robbed and murdered, there was but little law in our State, and the means of arresting and bringing law breakers to Justice were scant and inadequate. On the other hand, the decades that have elapsed be- tween his time and the years 1878 and 1874, in which Vasquez committed his greatest depredations, has witnessed the complete organization of the counties of our State under the proper authority of law, police, judges and jury. Hence it is that the exploits and escapes of Vas. quezexcel those of Murietta, in being, performed at far greater hazards, and against greater odds. One thing, however, was greatly in his favor,-as was also the -case with Murietta : in all those, counties where he operated, he had the moral support and physical aid of his country- men, and- especially his countrywomen, the native Californians. There seems to be an ever present hostility of -these la- ter remnants of the early mixed Indian, and Mexican stock that roamed the hills, cafions, and all the valleys of California; - who owned the mighty bands of wealth- ,producing cattle, and whose hospitality. was ever generous to the stranger knock- ing at the gates of their haciendas. .The bitterness and hate engendered by the Mexican War, is as strong as when General Scott entered the walls of the City of Mexico, and Commodore Stock- ton's flag of conquest was raised in the bay of Monterey. The .influx that' fol- lowed the announcement of the discov- ery of gold, bringing with it new energy, industry and progress, but.also vice, crime and outlawry, spreading in every direction, the evil being felt a thousand' times more exquisitely than the good among the quiet loving and indolent Na- tive Californians, served to intensify the original feeling of dislike and distaste to everything American, and caused them- to view with sympathy-and to lend prac- tical aid to any man of their own lan- guage, who madeas his prey the hated interlopers. With ideas of right and wrong mixed and sadly confused, wheth- er he, to whom they granted comfort and assistance, was a ,bandit. or a patriot, was of small consequence. Of course in the higher degrees of the Native Cali- fornian social order, this feeling was not shared, but in the grand-majority of thesp people who were of the poorer and less thinking class the feeling was of the strongest in favor of such men as Muri- etta and Vasquez. For , this particular reason alone, and not taking into con4id- eration any other, it may be understood how for so long a period in the heart of civilization, Vasquez was enabled to set the laws of God and men at, defiance. TIBURCIO VASQUEZ. page: 86-87[View Page 86-87] Timurcio VASQUEZ was born August 11, 1889, in Monterey, perhaps the most thoroughly Mexican town in appearance, the ways of its in- habitants, its changes, vicissitudes and its religious tone, in California, and is now, at the date of his capture, after a noteworthy career of murder and pillage, 35 yeaixs of age. - His parents are both dead, several of his brothers and sisters are still living, one brother residing near Monterey, and another in the vicinity of Hernandez Valley in San Benito County, and one brother lives in Los Angeles Co. Of his two, sisters, both are married; one lives at San Juan Baptista, Monterey County, and the other at the New Idria Quicksilver mines. Vasquez, when youig, is said to have been unusually bright, intelligent and smart for his years. He went to school and received a fair English education, which he con- tinued to cultivate and improve in later years. As a man he possessed more than an average command of the Eng- ish language, while his handwriting was'beautiful. - His parents were people in ordinary circumstances, owning a small tract of land and always had enough for their wants. The appearance of Vasquez, as he laid In' the Jail at Los Angeles on May fifteenth, the day after his capture, was that of- a man -with nothing of the red-handed and fe- rocious brigand demeanor that his repu- tation has given him. He is a man of about medium stature, with a well knit, wiry figure. He does not weigh over 140 or 150pounds. His complexion is much lighter than the ordinary Mexican His features are clear cdt, with an intelli- gent expression. His eyes are rather large and of a light gray or blue color. His forehead is high and his head well shaped. In manner he is frank and earn- est, with no disposition to make him- self a hero His general demeanor is that of a quiet inoffensive man; and but for his calm, steady eye, which stamps him as a man 9f firmness and great de- termination, no one would take him for the terrible Tiburcio Vasquez. To show. how diverselytwo men, different persons, will describe a third, we give the follow- ing description of Vasquez, furnished to a San Francisco journal from official sources: A low forehead, and a head of coarse black hair are little indications of intel- ligence, and from beneath a coarse, over- hanging brow gleam two deep-set,. treacherous, cunning eyes, of which even a Madagascar cat would be ashamed. The whole-contour of his fAce suggests- Indian blood; his cheek bones are high, his mouth large and coarse,~his beard and mustache (and the latter extends far on either side of the upper lip), are of straight, black hair, and so far from re- lieving, only serve to render more re- pulsive his ugly countenance. He stands 5 feet 51 inches high, and is of good fig- ure, proportionately, but with large hands--an unusual feature in those of Spanish blood. Like all of his class, he is fond of finely and ostentatious display ; vain to an extreme, and 4 thorough bully. Perhaps the best description of the ban dit would be one which would strike the golden mean between the. two above- given., Up to, his fourteenth year, al- though considered very reckless and un- principled, he had never committed an act which could bring him within the pale of justice. But at this period of his ex- istence an episode occurred which show- ed the natural bent of his inclination. HIS FIRST EXPLOIT. This was in the year1854. . One night Tiburcio attended a fandango. Insthose- times scenes of bloodshed at these gath. erings were of frequent occurrence. A difficulty occurred between Vasquez and another Californian about one of -the pretty senoritas in the rooms. The ,con- stable of the town, attracted by the noise a& cm TUR UR 010 VASQ UBZ. enteredthe room, and at once endeavor- although theoffcers wege at one timn ed to quell the ,disturbance, when Vas- close upon him. In.1864 he vatedbe- qe turned upon him with a knife and tween the New Almaden, the Gada- stabbed him to the heart. He fled and lupe. and the Enriquita5 quicksilver kept conealed for a long time, but ow- mires.: In the htter part of this year a jigto the. efforts of his friends, was at muder was . committed at Enriquit'a- length allowed to roam about as of yore, A ITALAN BUTCHER ,withoutfear of - official molestation. The case was misrepresented to the Was found in his shop one morning The-cae ws msreresitha bullet hole in his head, and-sever- Courts, as the witnesses were all country. w a - nd sever- men of the murderer,. and the matter al knife cuts in his throat and breast. was merely winked at and looked upon About $400, known to have been in his as but an evidence of the precociousness shop, was missing. A Coroner's inquest of the average young Californian of the was held, and Vasquez, who was times. Shortly after this, 'Vasquez asso- only Californian who could talk Eag- ciated himself with a band of desperate lish with any degree of fluency was characters who were then the terror of sworn as Interpreter. He interpreted so Monterey County. Stealing horses was well that a verdict was returned that the their specialty. The Vigilantes at "deceased came to his death from a pis- length thinned out the gang, but young tol-bullet fired by some person or er- Tiburcio, who even then looked out for sons unknown." A few day afterwards.. number one, managed to escape. He Sheriff Adams, who at present holds the then transfered his field of operations to same office, received information which the country north and east of Monterey led him to believe that the murder wan County, and for two years gave the large committed by Faustino Lorenzano and stock owners a deal of trouble. In 1857 Tiburcio Vasquez. He had not then ev- he took a trip to Los Angeles County, idence enough to warrant him mIak and for stealing horses, was arrested, ing.the arrests; but even if he h, tried, convicted, and sentenced to five would have experienced some difficulty years in the State Prison. He arrived in the matter; for precisely at this time,. at San Quentin on August 26, 1857, Faustino and Tiburcio mysteriously dis- Vasquez escaped from prison in a break appeared, and never showed themselves made by the prisoners on -the 25th of to the officers again" June, 1859, and for a few weeks kept AIMR STYLE or VrLLAY. quiet at his mountain retreat, near old anT Th OF uAt. Dliablo. Chafing under the restraint of The bandit then chongedhis quarters his self-imposed seclusion, he burst the to Sonoma and Contra CostawCoutie shackles and started out on a tour of in- In 1865, after making one or two preda spection through Amador. He was un- tory excursions near the base of Moun fortunate enough to be arrested for un- f l in th ay of a ranehere lawfully appropriating a horse, and atuenoia, then father good looking ter a speedy trial was again taken to sas e re easy, graceful, and da San Quentin, arriving there on the 17th His waysa wor, ayrceuadds ' ofa Auunti, 18 . Btherer ms expired ing, and he had long years before bee o t18of August, h1863, and on regarded a lady-killer of the ultra typ .on the 13th Of August.,1 ,6e and Hiweganes alwd ays was- woman. Th that day the prison doors opened and His weakness alwaswsonz.T Tiburc Vaysqhe prisodorthe free father of this girl disfavored Vasquez minrHe had not been out two months attentions, so one night when everything befoe he rd o bfih peddler on the was quiet about the ranch, 'Vasquc nbeforeuhe robbed a nagedt.e eloped with his inamorita. Hedtook il San Joaquin. He managed to escape, eoe ilhSia~i 88 TE LTLIIOYASQ~iIZ TIUROIO Y ASQ UEZMs' I 4 hr. page: 88-89[View Page 88-89] din TIW -U 710VA SQUEZ. rad for Livermore, butin the morning as overtaken -nsar themission San Jose by the irate father; Shots-wore ex- changed,,and Vasquts was woundedin arn. The girl was struck just Abovethe right temple by one of, the shots intended for her lover,which caus ed her to fall senseless to the ground. SSlie'recovered in the arms of other father, the woundedd being -but trifling-while Vasquez sought safety ini flight. The next we hear of Vasquez is in 1867. In Sonoma County he headed a smfaall band of horse thieves, and for a time carried on things with a high hand, but in an attempt to run off a drove of battle, he was caught, tried, and' senten. ced to four years in the State Prison, Hearrived there January 18th, and was discharged June 4th, 1870, by Act of the LegislaOture. - RA AGAIN'ON THE ROAD. they wOrt torMexico, butreturned almost iminediAttelyiby steamer to Sanfjrancis- - co. Here PriocopIo remained,A but Vas- -ques taking a broader viewkof the situa- tion, resolved to -anke ifor the moun- tains at-once, which resolve he put into. - execution, Procoplo was shortly after-, ward captured in a-restaurant by Sheriff Morse, and is now serving out a asen- tence in the State Prison. -Vasquez now, selected the Cantua Cafion, near the New Idria mines, as his rendezvous and hid- ing place. The place is wild and almost inaccessible, and the entrance is so nar- row that any one within has phe advan- tage. One man well armed could easily keep at bay a dozen persons. But our subject did not- long remain idle. A NEW BAND Was organized, with himself as leader, Narcisso Rodriguez and Fr'ncisco -Bar- zillas being members. About the first move Tiburcio made was to abduct the From this date the red-handed career dagtro ero.Gardia, of San Juan. of the bandit properly begins. Shortly Tiring of the girl soon after, he turned after his release he joined a band headed her over to the tender mercies of Fran- by Tonaso Rodundo, better known as cisco Barzillas. Procopio, -or Red-handed Dick. Some of the boldest outrages and robberies on A STAGE ROBBERY. record were perpetrated by this gang in The Visalia stage was stopped by the :the counties of Santa Clara, Monterey, brigands near Soap Lake and all of the Fresno and Alameda. The murder of passengers were robbed, after which the Ftenchman at Pleasanton is accred- they were tied and laid on their backs itedi to this gang. Stages were robbed, in a fielcd and the stage driven- out of ranches were plundered, horses were the road and around the corner of a hill run: off - all in alarming succession. out of sight of passing teams. They Sheriffs Morse of Alameda, Adams and then robbed three or four teamsters o4 Harris of Santa Clara, had made several the road to Hollister, but passed by Was. excursions after the bandits, but with- son, of Monterey County, who wak then out success until the spring of 1871, when a candidate for election; without molest- -Morse, in a pursuit after Procopio, Vas- ing him. He affirms that he had not quez and Juan. Soto-a terrible trio- lost three mob. The same- day, on the came upon the latter in a cabin near -San Juan mountains, Vasques, *ho had the Panoche Grande. Soto made a gal- -separated from his companions stopped lant resistance, but Morse . finally got a and robbed-Thomas McMahon, at pres. bead on him with his Henry rifle and ent a leading merchant of -Hollister, of the-outlaw fell dead, shot through the $750. When:the news of these daring brain. Vasquez and Procoplo -escaped. 'outragesreached the -offioers, measures Thinking the country too hot for them, were at once taken to hunt -he bandits ing his place of conceahnent as su da. The man they wanted, but they leas Heny rifle.ote made a motionto draw knew it not. After traveling until Henryne. efre ould do night-fall,a "halt was made near the his own pistol, ,utk before he: t bul- Panoche Valley. In the morning their let. e a-e ineturid wit moving horses were gone-stolen.-it is need- ,Jet. He fired in-return Without motelest emark that the thief was Tbr -a muscle, and- the officer dropped to the less to renakta h he a inr grousd, dangerously though not mortal- cio Vasquez. lyround dngeously- In the Spring of 1872, VasqueZ mage lyounde D T hisheadquarters for some time with Jose VASQUEZ RODE SIXTY MILES ' Castro, on the San Benito, midway be- Tat day, and reached his headquarters, tween Hollister and the Picubo mines. near the New Idria mines, nearly dead In a short time a new band of foragers frloss of blood, but about the "gamest" was organized, and one day the inha seen Within a tew days of tauts of Hollister were startled witth e this occurene Brazillas was shot and report that the San Benito stage, and killed by the officers in Santa Cruz Coun- several people on the ro had hie ty;andRorigez captured, and: at-stpe and robbed by Vasq1lez and, his ty ; and Rodriguez was stopepen ad rob Id ro used ; a terward tried and convicted of the rob-ag. The citizens Were aoused; a beries, and sentenced to a term of gtenp years in the State Prison. He died scoured, and Jose Castro was capture there about a year ago from drinking and lynched. Vasquez esctpedas u aseu- pure alcohol to excess. Vasquez kept About one month from this time Vas- himself very quez, whb had- several feMa ' acquaint- IETFREVRLONS ances in Hollister, paid a visit to the QUET OR SEVERAL MoNTH. 'h ieaderyi h town in the night time, andedearly Inthe He lived in the Cantua Canon and at morning quietly departed, He repeated the New Idria mines. The officers thesevisits several times, gr he were informed on many occasions that emboldened by a sense of security, he Vasquez could be found at or near the actually remained until the latter part New Idria mines, and several attempts of the afternoon. The Constable of the were made to capture him, but without place got wind of theproximity avail. The Mexicans, wo constttredoubtable brigand and or ir the almost the entire population of the min re of four menrhei a oaneizi and the m ountains adjacent, were, with ,Posse , the fur o n , e p r t e lo t house, the front Part of wnch-ws a - but few exceptions, partial to Vasquez. loon. Vasquez, who was on the lookout, On one occasion, to~illustrate, an officer saw them coming, and, mont h f the law and two companions went to hours already sailed and -the mine to capture the bandit. They standing in front of thehoue knew he was there, and on their arrive ingl anw f an h se ede leisurely awayanwanofloed the superintendent was sought and ques- In January, 1873, Vasquez organied tioned, but he knew nothing of Vas-.ospradoesfranoer quen's exact whereabouts. After sever- a new gang of'heperdmewaslaidgut al hours of unsuccessful se n the Cantoa Cam. started to return. They ascended a hill T URU-O VASQUEZ. u c o none side of which was. a-creek., As ow.Vagsquei, as Usual, .Could not b yre aogaMni capturedd, btd came very near getting in the roppde otherealongrAmnin limbo. He w stoppedby t Constabled on the oppositese of the ok, of Santa rs County, whoh tracked flatlooked outof a wino- and waited for him. Vasques, on leav - TA AsqEZ 80 . page: 90-91[View Page 90-91] TBURC .O YASQUVZ. THE ROBERY AT -FiaAUGH's FERRY train on the Southern Pacific Rairoad. it occed. The band then consisted The banditti selected a spot between San of August De Bert, Aidon Leiva, Rom- Jose and Glroy, known as "the Divide"' ulo Gonzalez and Jose Garcia. 'De Bert,- for offensive operations. The plan includ- after" the robbery, left for Mexico, and ed the cutting and removal of a section of- has not since been heard from. At this the rail. This was the first exercise on juncture Cleoraro Chavez and Teodoro the programime. The characteristic lazi- Moreno joined Vasquez,- and the former ness of the Californians delayed their-. has since acted as the bandit's Lieuten- preparations, and, as the train was ten ant and right-hand man. The robbery minutes ahead of time, the affair was an of the Twenty-one Mile House, between utter failure. As the train approached,. San Jose and Gilroy, was the next move. the members of the chosen band were. The hotel was entered in the day time busily engaged in damaging the track.. and four men were robbed, and after- It came thundering down and passed wards bound and thrown on the floor. them as they sprang back, and whisked. SheriffAdams started out in .company out of their reach ere any harm could be with Under Sheriff Sellman to look up accomplished. The officials on the train the matter, but after scouring the coun- noticed the bandits, and divined the, try from the Pacheco Pass to the New true reason of their presence. On the- Idria they were obliged to return empty eyening of the same day the tragedy at- handed. Vasquez, Chavez, Leiva and Tres Pinos occurred. Moreno were at this time arranging for THE TRES PINOS TRAGEDY. the expedition to Snyder's store, and On the 26th of August, about 7 o'clock they* raw Adams pass their hiding places in the evening, two Mexicans rode up to. ofeters was k ownve movement of h e Snyder's store from the direction of Pa- tIhey was known to telditsture noche Valley and the New Idria mine, ey were prepared to elude capture. Dismounting from their horses, they en- Theyknew when Adams and Selman tered the store and engaged in conversa. started forHfollister, when they arrived tion with John Utzerath, Snyder's clerk on the San Benito, where they stopped, In a few minutes five more rode up and and, when they returned to San Jose- dismounted. Three of the gang-one of Leiva (at present confined in the Coun- them being the noted Tiburcio Vasquez, ty Jail, "and to whom we are indebted remained on the outside, while the four for many interesting facts) says that the others entered the store, leveled their- Mexicans living in the hills thereabouts pistols at the inmates, and compelled were, nearly all, either confederates or .h.to lietdownaterwhicmlled them to hie down, after which all were- so afraid of the bandit chief as to prevent securely tied. Two little sons of L. C. them from giving any information that Smith, coming in at this juncture, were would-leadto his capture. ordered to lie down. One of them was- B'ut the crowning conception of Vas- tied. quez remains to be described. He as- The robbers went through the, st're,- pired fo a higher position than that of an appropriating all the cash, and consider- ordinary highwayman, and evidently able clothing, provisions and tobacco aimed to perpetrate a profitable outrage The parties on the floor, five or six in all, that should place him in independent fi- were searched, and their money, watches nancial position and perpetuate his infa. and -rings taken. mous memory. Accordingly he gathered While this was going on in the store, about him the bravest of his band, and Vasquez was inaugurating a carnival of prepared to attack-and despoil the pay- blood on the outside. A Portuguese sheep-herderiknown as Martin, who had put up his flock and quartered at David- 50d'Hotel,innnkediately adjoining Sny- deis store, not knowing the character' of the new-comers, attempted to enter the store, but was ordered to stop on the threshold by Vasquez. The Portuguese, who could not speak English, paid no attention to the order, and reached the steps, when Vasquez fired a pistol ball, which took effect in the herder's mouth, causing him to fall.' Attempting to rise, he was shot again- through the left side of the neck, apd deaths instantly put an end to his sufferings. ke ed pa an pa ca st~ fa5 th st Be s l: Haley, a teamster who was on the V road, was ordered to lie down, and, on t attempting to argue the question, was knocked down by a powerful blow from Vasquez' revolver, and remained in a state of insensibility for some time. George .Redford, a teamster, at the time df the initiation of the shooting, was occupied, in attending to his team, which stood in front of the store. Vas- quez, the leader of the gang, who did allthe shooting, and guarded the ap- proach to the store, approached Redford and'ordered him to lie down. The un- fortunate man, -who was troubled with deafness, did not hear the order, but, ap- parently realizing his danger, started for the stable on a run. ' Just as he reached the buildinga shot from Vasquez' pistol passed, through his heart, killing him instantly. . When the shooting. commenced L. Scherrer, a blacksmith, was in front of Snyder's store in the road. He started to run and Vasquez fired at him, 'but the'shot whistled harmlessly by and Scherrer gained entrance to the hotel. Davidson, his wife and brother-in-law were inside, and urged them to shut 1,h door, which was then open, as their live were in deadly peril. Just as Mrs. Da vidson was about to do as he requested one of the gang stationed at the door o the store yelled out: "Close the door an A I' ep it closed, an yousba'n' ehih' ." Mrs. Davdson ba got'660, o rtly closed, when Vasque rused b d fired though the dooi thevbil sing through Davids'on Ii hrt'id using instant death. swif oddirectly back of-him, received is lling body in her arms, and together ey fell to the floor. Scherrer then started for the second ory, and from a window anxiously ob- erved the further movements of thebu- aws, who were now devoting' thin- elves entirely to robbing.-. Snyder was, ne of the men bound in the store, and was ordered, under the penalty o eath, o produce all the available cash nd notes on the premises. He gave 'the obbers $500 in domnd a9'umber of drafts, after which he was again'bound and placed -on the floor. Having secured all of the provisions, clothing and tobacco that they, wanted, the robbers started for the stables and took therefrom seven horses, after which they decamped in the direction of the New Idria mines. THE KINGSTOX ROBBERY, One night in December, Vasquez, with eight native Californians, two Ame- icans and a negro: tied their horses-on the bank of the river- opposite Kings- ton, Fresno county7 crossed a -bridge ion -foot, and took posession of a hotel: and two stores on the main street.5 Thrty- five men were bound by the gang and relieved of their money aud.valuables. The safes and drawers were also rob- bed of their contents. In this raid they obtained $2,000 in coin, besides watches and 'other jewelry. The citizens offthe . village, on hearing ef the robbery, varied themselves andopened fire on the band e its from the opposite side of :the street, and the fire - was returned Vasque - himself was armed onthat occasionwith 1, four navy revolvers, and, though hotly Df followed up, the gang rnanaged to tiake d good their escape and fled in different TIBURCIO 'ASQUEZ- page: 92-93[View Page 92-93] Ortiogs. Whe.iz31i0 followed ,in lose parsvit ,t;,odays afterwards o *eVofdhe baA4t4 ,was captured, ,sodis A in he State Prison., Others of the ad haye bee captured by Sheriffs in ,sothern counties. But until the late rlljigtachievement of Sheriff Row- a4' ParPty, the chief defied pursuit. After the Tres Pinos robbery, Sjerifs A s and Watson organized a party a~d stated in purse it. After crossing the hillSinto :Tulare County, Watson gave up Jhe chaseq, and- returned to Salinas City. Adams, however, press- ed on. Near Bakersfield, he arrested omulGonzale, but was obliged to letI him go, as there was no jail nearer than Vissliaand by taking the back track hisehances for catching Vasquez wouldI be slim He spentseveral weeks in the saddle, and at last in Rock Creek Canlon,f San Bernardino (County, came upon theta robbers and. A'IGHT ENSUED. hriff owlan4, of Los Angeles, was o with the party, and if a charge, suggest- ed and urged by Adams, had been made, Vasquez would have been captured As it was, a- parley waa had, and when Adiams charged alone to the patch of un.- derbrqsh where the robbers wereconceal-t 4ed, die found that they -had abandoned o the horses stolen from Tres Pinos and , escaped. That-night, 4eiva's wife wase abducted from Jim Heffner's, near Eliza-' beth Lake, by Vasquez, and the next a day :Leiva surrendered, himself to the officers, He stated that he had the day before the abduction caught the bandit an diis wife in flagrante delictu and he h -desired-to be revenged on the bandit Adamsreturned, after- a week's .further search but soon after, hearing that Vas.-h quew had returned to his old haunts in San Benito County, organized another party and;spent two weeks. in a further search. Sogn,after this came the rob- Fr bery of Jones' store, on the San Joaquin, ga followed by the bold attack on Kingston. sti The care the depredations in Pulate and Kern Counties,'and latterly the rob. bery it Coyote H)oles Station, and the still'more recent depiedations-nearLos Angeles. Chavez is stillat jarge. els regarded as.fully theequal of-his-chief in every essential pf wickedness and cun. ning, and far more bloodthirsty.- He Is- a powerfully built man, and is but twen- ty-four years old. After Andon Leiva had delivered hin. self to the officers he gave information concerning tho whereabouts of Vasquez's gang, that resulted a week after, in the arrest of Teodoro Moreno, near Hon; E., C. Tully's ranch, forty-five miles south- east of Hollister. Marshal Orsen Lyon, of Hollister, was the arresting officer. Moreno was tried at Salinas City, found guilty of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to a life term in San.Quen- tin. CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE Was exercised by the Sheriffs of five or ix counties with a view to the capture Df Vasquez, but without avail. Several expeditions went to the New Idria mines ind other points, to hunt him, but always found that he had been notified of their coming and had fled. It seems certain hat he kept informed of the movements f the officers by native. Californians, wherever he went, and it is, even believ- id that some of the white settlers in the southern section of the State aided him his avoidance of pursuit. He was, ble to find a refuge at all times, and to ' ummon around him, whenever needed )r his desperate purposes,. a band of ind and faithful followers; willing to do s bidding, whatever it might, be. henever any one in the slightest de- ee ventured to disregard his commands e shot the offender down in cold blood. ONE 1OF THE.GANG LYNCHED. Some of the settlers in Tulare and esno counties, some months since, or- nized a Viglance Committee 'and in- tuted an effort to rid that region of R2 T10 URII V7AQUEZ. TIBUfiWO TAQUEZ te outlaWe but did nothing rather tyhopingtO surprise"a4ju&, UM 'thandridngaWaya number ofworthle ub ntaThetrobbearsfona Mexicans. :There was soine comant he, roandept!n a sa p that peaceful and lawabiding ead it suit nThe boy hurled heakpanIiadI af were driven from their ,homes wanr itsm.ney oy th-rasd adw was so difficult to determined who looku on the alrn stei t the bandits and their allies, a who partyoko ithiailend ief were unconnected :with. them,ht mche pary pprowchin ah mold T ,ath- movement did not accomplish muc. eidlyapproabehing the oe, t tob- One morning, however, a fexit a s o the oey, hWthm foundhanging to the limb of a tree,and selves 0otheir horseatd thtved- th 91s11 bn nmered one less. At -the ArroyOSeecthottee the Vasquez band numbento Fresno four men in i wagon, ande a' stOd and Soe excaswh cmeibrought robbedtheni -of 'their tmogetfidh Ldacheef and demanded legal protectionhbout roaned thenr toward thols in and delivered up a fellow w theyandotry. stated to have been one of the gang countryy. wheoave igentoi but 'what has rURSUIT AXD orid0E. which sacked E rd ni $ been done with this prisoner has y After theseoutrages a rea been stated. was offered for the captur efr ThE "LAST STRAW '-A BETIAYING ing bandit, ad then iAd thetepe# 4 CHECK. if ioganizedpto rid t teor Only a few weeks before his capture, law whose nme inpher wland Vasques and four of hisfollowers appear- er it wae uttered. ineriff jowluo ed at the residence of a wealthy Italian Los Angeles, worked in cAnjuncteant shee-Ownr naed~AlexnderRepetoShieriff Henry N. Morse, of Almoa, n sheepoMwer named Alearl some si their plans finally resulted in success. -me fro Lsioes ''hey pi-etend- About 8 o'clock on the night Of Ale ed to be sheep sheared -looking for em- 14th of ay, . K Smith arrive ISher ploybme ht, bet afterconversing' a few Angeles with news which justified minue, taedfRpetto and hisnephew, iff Rowland in sending out a p9Ay t mnrteboyoveredhRexhooter5s and de- captue Vasquez. The inforjnationi was manded what mohey there was in the of a character to ta'lly with reliabe ad- house Theyatied the old man to a tree 'vices about ihe whereabouts-of the ga in front of the house. The boy gaye received on the previous day. en them $o all the money he could find. o'clock the folowing-naed paty er Vae $8,the gave Repetto his choice- mounted for the Epeditioln toab killed, or pay a ransom of.$800.7 Sherif Albert . Johnstn, ajo to e sunteo A and drew an order Mitchell, Emil. Harris,, Frank a onpt bank nLos Angeles for the Sam. Bryant, D. K. Smith, W. Xod& aont ,e whih Lwas given to the boy to er, and G. A. 56ers . T hy prc e d aveouneed, with strict injunctions not the vicinity of Greek George, on to give the alarm to any one The boy Brearancho, and cached themselves I a hurried to thebank where his agitation place where they had a good view of the awakened suspicion. The Sheriff was sent country ndould notbe seen themsplvp. oand the state the caewas elicited The net morning, ,ivemets were no byr hi. The Sheriff sent . one party tied on the road, and the party n a around him ad the rear of the robbers, al- .bushkept the house of Greek Georgeu ed e toretgrn to the'ranch with der view all the while. About non P oney,and followed him with a par- party of Mexicans came along on horse- the moneyy f xi page: 94-95[View Page 94-95] g&. TiMURCIO VAdSQUEZ. baa it was observed thatsamong claiming There he goes through the theibwsensas aktltanearwhh Mitahe window." The partyleft ihp house as, e~l~esnnise. artheanimal hidden by precipitately asethey entered it. Vas. iuesinbiaprevious -encounter with quesstood for a econd,,of- tine irreso 9ted clief, One of the Mexican lute.Whether to seek cover in the- paryderte4ofk, andMajorMitchell-and monteer rushfor his horseemed the, tw hera en~tin his pursuit. They, all important questionHe seemed to DovU4ted him andbroght hii back. dedidefoi the horsme-oubtless he would Hissname-was Reales, And he protested havegiven ten kingdoms if he had had hisinocenue. In ethe meantime, the them, to -be astride e him-and -started, ~Shewi party saw a wood wagou com- when - Mr. ;Hartley fired; turning, he g-alg the road; and they made a de. sought ,another : direction, .when, one teuandcaturedAit; Itwas not long after another, shot after shot, showed before-the plan of capture was decided him the utter hopelessness 'of escape. upon. Six of the party remained. The He had already been wounded. He- extra man with the wagon madeseven. had fallen but recovered himself; blood, Mr. Hartlywho speaks Spanish fluently, was spouting from his shoulder and was instructed to inform the driver that streaming from his wounds.' He threw hewas to turn his horses' heads, allow up his hands, approached the party and- a ix of the party and his extra man to said with a -cold, passionless. smile lie down in the wagon bed andthen wreathing his thin lips, "Boys you have drive baek to Greek George's and as done well; I have been a d-d fool; but closeo the house as possible; that if he it is all my own fault." He was taken Save a sigaor maade an alarm his life to the courtyard on the southern side of would pay the forfeit. ' In due time the the house, and laid upon an extemported house was reached. In a moment the pallet." Not a murmur, scarcely a con- partywas out of the wagon and on their tortion of the visage, bespoke either pain, feet with shotguns and rifles cocked, remorse, or any other emotion of the and ready for what might offer. Mr. mind or soul. Haftley and Mr. Beers went to the west About this time, another young fellow side ofthe house, the other four to the was captured, whose name is believed to southern, passing around the eastern end. be Labrado, ard who joined the Vasquea The foremost of the- party had hardly gang some time since. He was taken reached the door opening into the din- without resistance. Vasquez, wounded idg-room when a Woman opened it part- as he was, was placed on a mattress and 17. Seeing the armed party of four ap- carried to the city. In a room adjoining proa9hing she gave an exclamation of the one wherein Vasquez was captured' S fright ad attempted to close it. The was a large number of arnS, corisisting party burst in, Mr. Harris leading the of Henry and Spencer _rifles, globe sight' way nd saw the retreating form of Vas- rifles, double-barreled shotguns and six. querz leaving the table and plunging shooters. These were all brought to the through the door Ieadingintotlhe kitch. city. en. arris'was close upon his heels, and , EXCIEMENT IN LOS ANGELES. Vsquez withthe agility of a mountain As soon as it was known that th6 great cat had jumped 'through the narro* robber chief was captured, the utmost window or ragter'opening which admit- excitement prevailed in town, and when, ted the light, when Harris \fired at the a few minutes before five o'clock, the vanisking form with his Henry rifle, ex- cavalcade was seen to make its appear- I ance comingup Spring 'street omthe southga great multitude rushed to the vicinity of the jail. The, prisonerssidwho -Wg5 not disabled were hurried inside the prison, butVasquez, who wasstretc edout on th mattress and suffering, from his wound,: was lifted by four me and carried past the crowd. Ashepasoed, he tried to -shut out his face ro pulic-view, by pulling his hat over . It was momentarily pulled aside by One -of the officers, when Charles E. Miles, who was compelled to fork over to him a fewdays ago his magnificent repeater, -cried out, "That's him I'thas Vasquez I that's the fellow"e Xt this the inmense throng felt relieve .ed, for there still existed a doubt as t the identity of the robber chief. SheriffRowland's'plan was to watcl an Shwait, and'so careful and discreet was he that his most intimate friend supposed he was giving the Vasqu setter very little attention. This was mistake; rwland had a little bird wI told him every movement of the band and his ga, and on several nights I has ridden out and reconnoitered tI Vasqu enmop, but on each occasion t little bird told him not to attempt t capture. This happened so often ti he began to suspect the bird might playing him.uThis, however, wasI true, as the sequel proved that the b told the truth in every instance. I reports that Vasquez was in the habit visiting the house of a woman in this after nightfsll, had no foundation in f but if it ga been true, Rowland wo have captured him, for he knew of stry an the house, and watched the tenor of the woman's room night a night. Vasquez hAd two men consta watching the Morse party while In portion of the State, ndno one More thoroughly posted on the w TIBEURtCIO YASQETZ -AOWLA=f$'rLAX- F' of xoroe ad cuagham iA te bandit. It was Ro elnd w baed Vasquez. He was so cool ankapparet ly indifferent as to whether the Tbbe were captured or not, that the b:hdit times really thought he had, no *g fear from him.' He wasmistake Like prosperp's Ariel, Rowland's lile bird was obedient to his slightest corn mand, and flew here,Athere, and every where, collecting information and deli ering it to its master. It toldhitha for the past two weeks Vasquez and his gang had made their beadquarters at the house of Greek George, on ite rea Rancho, ten miles frQm the city; that Vasques spent most of hi ays in ti o house, but slept at night some distance away, in the open sir, with his horse always saddled and his Spencer rife by his side. It gave hiw an exact diagram h of the house, told him in what roo A Vasques slept, in what room -his- arMs Is were, and the number' and quality of ez those arms. It told him, how Vasquez' a horse was always kept saddled agdready o for'traveling, in the tall weeds near to lit a window, through which: Vasnes he would jnmp in-case of surprise.. It told he him on Wednesday'night, that on Thurm- he day Vasquez would be at the house play- he ing cards, but that he-must not leav6 iat the-city, as he was constantly under the be eyes of one of Vasquez's spies. Her not Rowland's detective shrewdness did him ird good service; he quietly directed bispar- 'he ty, detailed his instructions, and contin- of ued to walk about the streets in his ity usual apparently unconcerned manner. act; In a little time. the Vasque' spy die- uld appeared. His friends supposed he had the got drunk and gone to. some of the in- many houses he knew of to sleep o .fter whiskey. They knew he was not i1 jail, for they sought him- in that'struc- ntly ture. Subsequent events proved that he this did not get drunk, neither did he leave was town. Rowland had shanghaied him-, ove- and kept him under close guard where page: 96-97[View Page 96-97] his-friends could not find him, untll the- *vrt*ietdrned wi ththeir game from Gteei George's.house. AsA~squtz and his three associates *6re ten into the jail, the spy, the blinhhiadibeen sent-in to watch Row. laind, was also arched into the same diflcie; then it was discovered that Row- ldiid had been watching the spy more clbely than the spy had watched him- Vaiqueisaw that he was trapped, and h1eit was done. He says he was be. ti'ed, and assures Sheriff Rowland that butfoithe treason of some friends, he WOid not have been cAptured. HOW THE BANDIT CAME TO BE SUR- PRISED. The following report of an interview between Vasquez and a reporter explains how it was that the Sheriff's party sur- prised him. Reporter-How was it that you were so unprepared for a fight yesterday.? Vaquez-I had just taken of my re- volfers and set my rifle down to go into the kitChen and get some dinner, when thefirst alarm came. I had no time for arhing myself. I saw the wagon com- ing up the road, but didn't pay any at- ttntion to it. At no time before since the -Repetto affitir have I been unprepar- ed to-fight. I have robbed for twenty Ydais, but I have never killed anybody, and Ithink they might have given me a show. 'I tied up twenty men at Coyote Holes, and though aman shot and wound- ed Ie there, I did not take his life, though I might have done it easily, for I had hin completely at my mercy. I regret.beingtaken in this way, for I al- ways expected to sell my life dearly. New, Isup'ose, I will behung up like a dbg." At this'point Vasquez intimated that he was tired, and the interview termin- ated. ADDITIONAL PARTICULAES5 O TRE OAPWI I findon conferfing with diferentiem-, bere of our party today, that after I was; posted at the northeast corner of the- house, larris, Hartley, Johnston and Bry- ant pa#ed around the eist corner of the- house. Hartis, looking across the an gle, saw a man sitting at the-table in- the- little kitchen. Harris, Hartley And John- ston, reached the door fifst, and the wo- man, discovering their approach, sprang; toward the door with outstretched hande and attempted to close it. Harris pried it open with the muzzle of his gun in' time to see Vasquez go flying through the narrow opening in the south end of' the wing, and instantly fire. 'The four men sprang around the end of the build- ing and caught sight of the astonished, outlaw at nearly the same moment that he sprang toward his horse, only to find himself confronted by me. At the same. instant Rogers sprang upon him from the west. The firing was simultaneous. He threw up his hands, exclaiming. "Don't shoot ; you needn't shoot; you've. got me." He was perfectly collected, and was never on his' knees for an instant,---. nor knocked down. Harris said, "come along, then," and started at once with the party around the building. On the, way he repeated, "You boys have got. me; my name is Alejandro 'Martinez."" Johnston said, "I have had your photo- graph for years, and know you to be Ti-- buicio Vasquez." p STAUNCHING THE BANDIT'S WOUNDS. After examining his wounds, at John- ston's direction, the woman came to the. wounded man's succor. Johnstoa pro. cured a rope and tied Lebardo to a pest and then entered the house, took the - dagger from the floor and with it ripped'k a sheet from the bed and hastily prepared. some bandages and helped the wo- man to bind up the bandit's wounds. While the house was being searched,. 197 ( W, -TJBURIIO VASQUEZ. TIE UBCO,,10 YA SQUI0X st tbock~n'haai~tbroughtim hd docured a -past 1 o'clock and ye g ospin wen Of a nnaed Perrwho in badlY ,ouWede and mles only OA Cor-I dt t pei thewag the p infi journeY countenance assumed e0 pulsoJohnston drove the expression and t GreekTeor' backlt andallie freely with thee captive. heart went i e al ade afuber oftatements, land bastene to te e bttoe hey dife n orepce andi e br bu they ifr o rePec Row- r o m1 4 . eN ,, detailed I the above interview. Row- - ,"! d. has been cnany plotting for the pure for the past year, and it has been The bandit's and d of the most .remarkable games of very serious, and he w ahe t between these two men on rec- into Los Angeles and co9P, #U lt rd t has ended in the discom'fitre county jail. The city pwasfufe he bandit, but the details cannot be meant when the e gfhi aePure A von to the public until thO capture or received, and alarg ewhe gatbro death of Vasquez' immediate acco- get a look at him wen he sbog police. ~in. During the wee htiO~O S- the.prin he was visited nyAe psons. of whom he received HOWGREK GORE Ws BM~o - anyperon ing to, look., Pu Rowland's' management of Greek ch'erfullym sort hero. o ugne George on the day of the capture is of self asbinic he ro. Ide ne rsa- decide interest. When he entered town, tion, whh hd,;heies decided a aso edhvig ile n Rowland knew that a movement was onted having com cited mno o ad ordered Sanchez. to shadow but declared rthathhead never nardesy footi d Aout n nanchea reported .one, throwing the blame forthe-shulrders that he thought George was on the point committed by his gang e soafte t leaving wo and engaged him in of his companion A fedayspp asr conversation, taking him to the billiard his incarceration he 1 saloonof Rayfeld & Vanderlip, under "anunfortunatemary, sik a p theClarendon Hotel, and whiled away asking for pecunary a d i 0onHecwas the time by astonishing the wretch with his defence i h o e pla &inofvisited by nearly aitheMxcnpol a minute description of the location of everything in and about the house, even of Los Angeles,ymead a d to the number and character of Vasquez' many Rowlanbtd tookathyefu. equipment, the time they were brought him- e the ookibll ofehis there, etc.' When I entered the saloon tions to prevented po t o fthe eCa ennHotel after our caval.- escape. or rescue.. After a oudafor Cade had arrived at the jail, Rowland night of confinement up, had healed and he habd and Greek George were just coming had he n o ve out of the billiard room. Stepping up.to dent rned, trared b er the Sheriff, we shook hands, and I re-haiyioe,6n gaddb-Seil- markted, "I suppose you congratulate us." Rowland and three, assist nts, was-put on board the local train, tae atoeWil- "What on ," wmington and on board the rSteamer "On our success." . &nator, bound thencefor SanFr9; ow so &a We"Howpso red Vasquez about half and way ports. " We captured VaqeZ n page: 98-99[View Page 98-99] 98o LYNCE LAW EARED. t way intendedto debark at Monterey ani tangt r the prsoner tothe care of Ih6e14rIS'10i- of IontereyCounty. Whienthe'teamer reached Monterey, howeverSeriff R~wland became satis- fled that his, prisoner would not be safe if takenashore. 'That the bandit should not fall a victim to mob law while under his charge, the sheriff changed his plan, i-eMained on board the steamer, and brought hie prlaine- to San Francisco, whee liewIv lodged in a secure cell in the dtyei"on. He arrived early in the morniig,--d before noon a large and u'tcrie d had collected at the prison desitrns*6of getting a look a-- the noto- Atsotlaw. Their wish was gratified, and fbr four- or fie hours a stream of visitois passed iiito the prison and were allowed'to gate on the bandit as he lay upon 'pallet-in the cell. He conversed' freely with a number of visitors, repeat- ing his previous declarations that he was innocent of'murder, and claiming that,, if a fairtrial were given him, he could notbe- condemned' to -any punishment more severe than imprisonment. TAkEN TO MONTEREY. Sheriff Smith, of Monterey, arrived- the same'dayj a to him Sheriff Row- leind"turned 64er his prisoner. Next day, after ironingthe biditveryheavily, heriff Snith started with him, by the, route 6f the Southern Pacific Railroad, 'foriMonterey." It Wafeared that there night ean attempt to lynch the prison- i at dome,'point on' the way; and a guard enfileitly strong to resist any suchaitta'ke accopanied the Sheriff. No efroft of the kind was made, however, andthe party reached in'safety Salinas City; the county seat of Monterey, where the prisonerr was lodged in the county jail.. There, ironed securely and closely watched and guarded, he has since re- mained. In his, trial, which will soon take place, he will be defended by P. B. Tully, Eq., of Hollister, and Charles Ben Darwin, Esq.. of San Fraciso. The prosecution will be conducted by John LordLove, Attorney-g6neral of the State, assisted 1y the District Attorney of Monterey County. Vasquez' counsel hope to save him from the gallows, owing to the difficulty of fastening upon him the direct responsibility for the mur- ders committed during his raids. HIS FATE. His fate will probably be determined before this account is in the .hands of the reader-the trial is set for the 20th ,of July-but whether:the great bandit be executed or only imprisoned, the peo- ple -of Southern California will feel that they owe a debt of gratitude to the ener- getic sheriNf who-tracked him to his lair, and rid the highways of a desperado who did not ,confie himself to taking the property of his victims, but wantonly sacrificed life when there was not even the excuse that his own person was in danger. ,,The sherifffi undertook the work of capturing the outlaw when the amount of the reward would not balf compensate them for the outlays they were obliged' to make-they devoted weeks of time,suffered many privations, ran great risks of 'losing their lives, and succeeded in making prisoner a bandit whose crimes parallel those of Joaquin Murieta, The'murders at Tres Pinos cry for vengeance, and it is to be hoped that the law cannot be so tortured as to protect the ruffian who is manifestly guilty of crimes which should long ago have consigned him to the gallows. His end- ing should 4be such as to deter other aspirants for reputation as highwaymen, and in this respect it is better that Vas- quez should have been taken prisoner than to have been killed in the en- counter. There is little romance in dropping from a scaffold with a 'rope around the neck. THE END. TiURCIO VASQT EZ. N 41 I
