USA > California > Lassen County > Fairfield's pioneer history of Lassen County, California to 1870 > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
EDWARD (NED) MULRONEY WOUNDED BY THE INDIANS
Some time this spring Mulroney and Wisbern's paek train started for Silver City, Idaho, in charge of Robert Wisbern. Wis- bern was killed at Camp McDermit in northern Nevada on the
[ 399 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
28th of June, and soon after the news reached Honey Lake Mul- roney started from Susanville on the Chico and Idaho stage to look after the pack train. Somewhere between the 15th and 20th of July he reached White Horse valley in southeastern Oregon, about 225 miles from Shaffer's station in Honey Lake valley. Henry E. Lomas was living there at the time, he, Frank Drake, Henry Tussler, and Wood Hough having gone there from Honey Lake the year before. Lomas tells the following: He and some of the others had just got back from a trip to Camp Alvord, about thirty miles away, where they had been for some poles to use for ridgepoles in a sod house they were building. When they reached home they found the stage was there from Chico and Susanville, and Ned Mulroney was a passenger. The arrival and departure of the stage was quite an event in their little colony, especially when one of their acquaintances was on board. About sundown the stage started for Silver City. It was a six-horse coach driven by a man named Kelley, and Mulroney was the only passenger. The Indians were very bad and Captain Smith detailed two soldiers, both Irishmen, to go with them. When the stage got ready to start they both climbed inside. Kelley said "Look here. Who is going to ride outside with me?" Mulroney said "Let them ride inside. I will ride with you." He after- wards said that at the time he thought from appearances that the soldiers would not amount to much in case of trouble with the Indians.
In two hours they returned to the station. When they had gone about eight miles they were attacked by the Indians, and there were so many of them that Kelley made up his mind he had better turn around and go back to White Horse. He did so, and Charles Lawson says the team made so short a turn that one hind wheel of the stage never left the track. The Indians gave chase, shooting at them as they ran, and Mulroney and the driver returned their fire, but the soldiers did nothing. The other men told them to shoot, and if they could not do that, to yell and let the Indians know there were more men than they could see. Of course the driver ran his team as hard as he could and probably outran the Indian ponies, but one Indian who was mounted on a white horse had no trouble in keeping up with the stage. (Per- haps it was the horse once owned by Black Rock Tom.) He rode up beside it and shot Mulroney in the left leg, the bullet passing
[ 400 ]
THE YEAR 1866
under the kneepan. After a time, either the Indians gave up the chase or the stage team ran away from them, and then the sol- diers wanted the driver to stop and let them out and whip the savages. Kelley cursed them and made them keep still. When they got back to the station these heroes, in a very dramatic man- ner, thanked Kelley and Mulroney for saving their lives. Mul- roney's wound kept him at White Horse for a while and left him with a stiff leg the rest of his life. Tunison says that Captain Walker with some soldiers followed the Indians who attacked the stage. He overtook them, but their force was so large that he had to retreat.
DRAKE AND TUSSLER'S FIGHT WITH THE INDIANS
The names of the Honey Lake colonists in White Horse val- ley have already been told. They went there in 1865 and took teams, tools, provisions, clothing, and all sorts of supplies with them; but the next year just before harvest time they saw it would be necessary for them to have mowers and reapers and some other tools.
Frank Drake and Henry Tussler went back to Honey Lake and rigged up two four-horse teams. loaded them with the neces- sary machinery, and started for White Horse. A few days before the 20th of July, probably the 1Sth, as they were going up the hill toward the summit about eight miles south of Camp McGarry at Summit Lake, they heard a shot fired and each one accused the other of doing it accidentally. They soon found out, however, that they were attacked by the Indians, and they both began to shoot. Tussler asked Drake what they should do and he replied that they had better get off on the upper side of the grade and fight from the shelter of the wagons. They both got down, and while doing this Tussler discovered that he had been struck by a bullet which had broken his leg. When Drake heard this he told Tussler to get back onto his wagon if he could, lie as low as pos- sible, drive his team, and shoot whenever he had an opportunity to do so. He said he would do the same and in that way they might keep off the Indians until they could get to the summit, which was only a short distance ahead of them, and from there they could be seen by the soldiers at the post. They both got onto their wagons and drove slowly up the steep grade, firing a shot whenever they thought it would do any good. Before long
[ 401 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Drake lost his off lead line and his team climbed the side of the grade to the left. When the fore wheel struck the bank the coupling-pole broke, and they pulled the front wheels from under the wagon bed and the end of it dropped to the ground. Drake's team was in the lead and at that place the other team could not pass him, so there they were. Drake had a Henry rifle, a gun almost like a Winchester rifle, and plenty of cartridges. He fas- tened his team with the lines the best he could, took his rifle and all of his ammunition, and went back to the other team. He told Tussler he wanted him to get on his horse and go to the post and tell the soldiers. Tussler was willing to do this if the other man would go, too; but Drake told him he was going to stay there, and that the Indians should not have their loads as long as he was alive. Finally Tussler consented to go, and Drake got his saddle horse out of the team and helped him to mount it. Then he fired at the Indians who were trying to head him off until he got out of sight over the summit. While doing this he was shot three times, through one thigh from front to back, through the other from side to side, and through the side between the hip bone and the rib, all flesh wounds. Both his boots were full of blood when he got Tussler started, but he said nothing about it. After the other man got out of sight Drake tied up both teams as securely as he could, and then got under the hind end of the wagon and watched for Indians. He counted eight of them. Pretty soon he saw one of them going around as if trying to get behind a bush about fifty yards down the canyon. He watched the bush and when he thought it was about time for the Indian to get there, took careful aim at the top of it. Soon the Indian's head appeared above it and he pulled the trigger, but the cartridge failed to explode. Just then a bullet went through his hat and grazed his head. He threw in another cartridge and . fired, this time hitting the Indian square in the forehead. Shortly afterwards he saw another Indian running across in front of him. It looked as though he was out of range, but Drake coneluded to take a shot at him anyway. He fired and the Indian went down, throwing his gun as he fell. After two or three attempts he got up, picked up his gun, and ran away. This one was found dead a mile or more from the place where he was shot. Then another one came in sight, and from long range shot Drake's riding horse.
[ 402 ]
THE YEAR 1866
Tussler rode as fast as a man in his condition could, and suc- ceeded in reaching the house of a citizen who lived near the post. The man saw that something was wrong and went out to him, and Tussler told his story and then fainted. The man, after car- rying him into the house, went to the post and told the officer in command what had happened. The latter immediately went to Drake's assistance with a troop of cavalry, (Lomas says that in less than five minutes after the officer received the word they were on their way.) leaving orders for an ambulance to follow. By the time the soldiers reached the wagons Drake had driven the Indians away, and there was not one in sight. He was still under the wagon, but was covered with blood and dust and lay so quiet that the first man to reach him called to the others, "Frank is gone." Drake turned and said "No, boys, I am all right." They gave him some brandy and he told them what had happened after Tussler left him. When they got ready to take him to the post they asked him if there was anything he wanted done, and he replied that he would like to have them bring up that dead Indian so he could look at the son of a -. They took him to the post, gave him the quarters of one of the officers, and showed him every attention. After he had rested the command- ing officer told him they had brought the wagons in and would have the broken one repaired, and that he had sent a detachment of soldiers to White Horse to tell his friends about the fight. He then inquired if there was anything else they could do for him. After protesting a while about their taking so much trouble for him, Drake said there was just one more thing he would like to have done, and that was to have the wounded horse brought to the post. The officer said the horse would die before morning. Drake told him that the horse was just as good as so muchi beef to the Indians, and as long as they hadn't got anything yet, he would like to keep them from getting even that. The horse was brought in and died the next morning.
When the news reached White Horse Captain Walker detailed two soldiers to go with Lomas and some of the other men, and they went to Summit lake to see the wounded men and brought the wagons back with them.
The surgeon at the post did the best he could for Drake and Tussler. The former's wounds got well in a very short time, but Tussler did not get off so easily. In ten days they opened
[ 403 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
up his wound and found that the bone had not knit, and that the flies had got into it. He was taken to Susanville in a freight wagon, a painful trip for a man in his condition, where he could have better care. There his leg was broken over twice and he almost lost his life. At last he got well, but he had one short leg and was crippled for life. The foregoing was related by Henry E. Lomas who knows the facts in the case better than any one else. Probably he is the only one of the White Horse colony who is still alive.
A ROW WITH THE SOLDIERS IN SUSANVILLE
In the fall of 1866 (or the fall of the previous year) an inci- dent occurred in Susanville which shows the readiness of the early settlers of Honey Lake in case of trouble. At that time soldiers were stationed at several places between this valley and the Humboldt and Idaho mines to protect travelers on those roads. Once in a while a company of them passed through Susanville on their way to or from one of these military posts. If the weather was very stormy, they were generally allowed to occupy the lower room of the Masonic Building. One company, however, misused the room so badly that Cap. Hill, who was the janitor, swore that no more soldiers should stay in it. The next company that came along was refused admittance, and it appears to have awakened the wrath of some of them. That night it was dark and stormy and S. N. (Soe.) Harrison, who had just left the Steward House and was going up the north side of Main street, passed two soldiers. As they went by him he heard enough of their conversation to learn that they were hunting for Cap. Hill. He knew that Hill was at the Steward House, so he hurried past the soldiers and went there and told him and his friends who was looking for him. The barroom was full of men, E. G. Bangham and Dr. H. S. Borrette being among the number. Shortly afterwards the soldiers came in and went up to the bar where Hill was standing. (The bar was in the northeast corner of the room and there was a billiard table just west of it.) They didn't know Hill, and when they came up to him he grabbed one of them by the throat, backed him up against the bar, and shoved a Derringer into his face, at the same time saying with an oath, "You are looking for me, are you ?" The soldier drew his pistol and put the muzzle of it against Hill's body, but George W.
[ 404 ]
THE YEAR. 1866
Perry caught his hand and prevented him from shooting. While this was going on the other soldier jumped upon the billiard table and pulled his revolver. The cape of his overcoat being in the way, he threw it back with the hand that held the pistol. As his hand went up above his head, Albert Smith, who was sitting with his feet on the billiard table reading a newspaper and who had hardly noticed the row, drew his pistol, and pointing it at the soldier, told him to keep his hand up. He obeyed this order and both soldiers were at once disarmed. There was a Lieutenant of the company in the room and he tried to interfere, but Hill told him to keep his hands off, and that he was not running things there if he was an officer. The Lieutenant then said he would take care of the soldiers if he was allowed to do so. Hc sent for some more of his men, put the two who had made the trouble under arrest, and kept them in the guardhouse all night.
"BUCKSKIN MOSE"
The George W. Perry spoken of was called "Buckskin Mose." He was a blacksmith and at one time had a shop in Toadtown south of the bridge near the gristmill. Either he or his Wife afterwards wrote a book called "Buckskin Mose." He picked up all the stories about the Indian fights that had taken place in this section, and the book related these with more or less romance thrown in. Henry Arnold, B. B. Painter, and "Mose" himself were the principal heroes in the book, and according to it they must have killed the most of the Indians slain in "these parts" for almost twenty years. The queer part of it is that if the book had told the truth, it would have been of historic value; but the way it is written one must know what the truth really is in order to find any of it there.
ROBERT WISBERN KILLED
In the spring of 1866 Wisbern, Edward Mulroney's partner, was on his way to Silver City, Idaho, with their pack train, and for an assistant had a man named A. G. Bradley. On the 28th of June, while at Camp McDermit, they got into a quarrel and both drew their pistols, but were separated. The quarrel was soon afterwards renewed and Wisbern, who is said to have been an overbearing sort of a man, struck and kicked the other man. This greatly exasperated Bradley and he drew his knife and
[ 405 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
drove it through Wisbern's heart. Those who saw the difficulty say that Bradley acted on the defensive and seemed to want to avoid trouble. He immediately ran to the post and gave him- self up to the commanding officer. Wisbern was buried near the post the next day. The above was taken from "The Humboldt Register." It also said that the military authorities took Bradley to Unionville, but did not say what was done with him.
HOW ROBBER'S CREEK GOT ITS NAME Told by James Doyle
In September, 1866, though possibly it might have been the year before, James Doyle, who lived a short distance northwest of Milford, started with eight yoke of oxen and two wagons to go to Oroville for his winter's supplies. About two hundred yards west of what is now called Robber's creek, as he was going along beside his team with his whip across his back and an arm around each end of it, his lead cattle shied away from some bushes near the road. Just then two men armed with shotguns stepped out from behind the bushes, pointed their weapons at him, and told him to throw up his hands. At first he thought they were Indians and he started back to the wagon to get an ax; but when they spoke to him again he saw they were white men, so he stopped and held up his hands. Mr. Doyle says they robbed him of $400, and he told them they were welcome to it and would be welcome to more if he had it. Probably, like the Irishman who ducked his head when a cannon ball just grazed it, he thought that nothing was lost by politeness. They then asked him if he had anything else, and he told them that was all excepting some tobacco and some nice biscuits his Wife had made for him to eat on the road. They took both the tobacco and the biscuits and went into the woods. Just as they got out of sight the stage from Oroville to Susanville came along. Doyle told them what had happened and the driver whipped up his team and got out of that "neck of the woods" as rapidly as possible. The next morning the same men held up the Chico and Idaho stage and robbed the passengers. There were seven passengers on the stage, "Sandy" Young, General Bidwell's foreman, being one of them. They robbed him of $700 and a gold watch. Mr. Doyle also says that the robbers were pursued by a posse that killed one of them and captured the other who was sent to the state prison for life.
[ 406 ]
CHAPTER XIII
1867. SETTLEMENT
S USANVILLE. It is probable that some time this year Dr. Z. N. Spalding bought out A. C. Neale and kept the first real drug store in town-one where prescriptions were filled at any time.
Janesville. In the spring a building that stood on the north side of the street about halfway between the hotel and the creck was moved three fourths of a mile up the road. It was put on the south side of the road a little southeast of the Fort. Miss Eva Slater, afterwards Mrs. John C. Partridge, taught the first school in it. This building was used as a schoolhouse until it was burned down about twenty years afterwards.
Milford. Mrs. Mary Harris died in April or May. She was the first grown person to die there and be buried in the Milford cemetery. Egbert, the two-year-old son of T. H. Fairchilds, had died there previous to this.
Long Valley. William E. (Paul) Jones bought the Junction House and moved there. This year, or perhaps the year before, Charles Cramer and -- Kline located a ranch in the extreme northeastern corner of Long valley. Thaxter True and Family came into the valley and settled below the Antelope ranch just inside the Lassen county line. Alphonso A. (Pete) Evans came into the valley.
Willow Creek. Summers bought out Davis and got his place and the Pickard place, too. This year a wagon road was built over the Antelope hill. Previous to this the wagon road went up Rice's canyon.
Secret Valley. John B. McKissick says that "Uncle Jake" McKissick took cattle into the valley this fall, but put up no buildings until 1870. He then put a few improvements on a place in the northwestern part of the valley.
Those whose names are given in the following lists settled in the county in 1867. The length of residence does not apply to the children. The following lived here all the rest of their lives or are still living here: J. C. Blake and Family, Mrs. David Titherington, Henry Houchins, William Dunn and Family, S. S. Williams and Family, J. B. Sanders and Family, Thomas B. San-
[ 407 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
ders, Jonathan Smith and Family, Anthony Otto and Family, Robert Hayden and Wife, and Robert Hayden, Jr.
The following lived here fifteen or twenty years or more: Morgan Williams and Wife, Isaac Adams and Family, Thaxter True and Family, George Boyd, William Waltz, Albert Otto, and E. R. Cary and Family.
The following lived here from two or three to twelve or fif- teen years: J. Baker Titherington, Miss Marietta Smith (Mrs. William Dakin), *J. D. Abel, *Oscar Hood, Lucius Post and Family, W. Carson Wright and Family, Alphonso A. (Pete) Evans, and *Joseph (Big Joe) Smith.
LASSEN COUNTY POLITICS
In January the Board of Supervisors advertised in the "Sage Brush" that sealed proposals for the construction of a Court House would be received by them until the fourth of February. The following proposals were received: A. A. Smith offered to build it for $12950, F. S. Johnstone for $12900, and William Williams for $9850. The last named bid was accepted, and the building was completed some time during the following October. It has been in use ever since. Previous to this time the Super- visors hired rooms in different parts of the town for the use of the county officers and for a court room. In the fall of 1864 the Magnolia building was used for a court room, and it was also used a while for the same purpose in 1865. At its February meeting the Board allowed J. N. Pine the privilege of moving the Soldier bridge up the river about a quarter of a mile. This is where the line between Sections 15 and 16, Township 29 North, Range 14 East, crosses Susan river, and is its present location in what is now called Tanner's lane. In February Frank Drake resigned his position as Sheriff, and the Supervisors immediately appointed Cap. Hill (W. H. Naileigh) Sheriff to fill the vacancy. In March $1500 was paid to Plumas county, this being the last payment of Lassen's share of the indebtedness of Plumas. April second Marshal Bronson was elected Supervisor of the Third District.
In June the Board accepted a road which had been laid out from the Thomas H. Epley ranch on the Janesville and Milford road, three and one half miles from the former place, to the Shaffer ranch. It ran northeast and north until it intercepted
[ 408 ]
THE YEAR 1867
the road from Janesville to Shaffer's, then ran northeast until within two and one half miles of the Shaffer ranch, and then north the rest of the way. At the same meeting of the Board James Ford was allowed $1000 to aid in building the Honey Lake and Indian valley Wagon Road via Light's Canyon and Gold Run. This road was accepted on the seventh of September.
An election for state and county officers was held on Septem- ber the fourth-285 votes cast. The following is the result of the election : Joint Member of the Assembly, John R. Buckbee ; Sheriff, Thomas N. Long; County Clerk, A. A. Smith; County Treasurer, John R. Lockwood; District Attorney, I. N. Roop; County Surveyor, E. R. Nichols; Coroner, Z. N. Spalding; County Assessor, Smith J. Hill. Constables. Susanville, O. Cogswell and Ladue Vary; Janesville, J. H. Breed and Hiram Winchell; Long Valley, J. N. Woods. Supervisor, District No. 1, E. D. Bowman.
The following is the result of the Special Judicial election held October 16th : County Judge, A. T. Bruce. Justices of the Peace. Susanville, J. Smith and J. Drake; Janesville, Abner McMurphy and Sylvanus Conkey. September seventh E. R. Nichols resigned his office as County Surveyor.
INDIAN TROUBLES. 1867
In a small way the Indians kept up their depredations this year. They stole a few head of stock occasionally from travelers and from the ranchers and off the ranges. They prowled around the stations on the Humboldt and Idaho roads, once in a while attacking, and sometimes killing a lone traveler or teamster.
GADDY SHOT AT BY AN INDIAN
About the middle of February Collins Gaddy was coming in from the Black Rock mines with a two-horse team. When near Stovepipe Springs he came to a little stream of water where there was a high ledge of rocks close to the road. He was walking beside the wagon on the side next to the ledge, and when he reached the creek he sprang over it. Just as he did this an Indian who was hidden in the rocks fired at him. That spring saved his life, for the bullet went behind him and went through the bed of the wagon, killing a puppy that he was taking home. Gaddy said that when he heard the shot he looked in that direc-
[ 409 ]
HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
tion and the Indian was so close he could have shot his eye out with a pistol. But he had no weapon, so he ran around the hind end of the wagon and when he got to the other side threw him- self over into it and lay down. He then yelled to the horses, and not having any load, they soon carried him out of danger. It seems queer that a man should be so foolhardy as to start out on a journey through a country infested with hostile Indians with- out taking some kind of a weapon. The fool-killer was likely to get him if the Indians didn't.
About this time the Indians drove off cattle from Mud Meadows and Deep Hole springs. A band of them was seen prowling around Mud flat, and one of a scouting party of sol- diers was shot while on guard not far from Summit lake.
OLD WINNEMUCCA PAYS SUSANVILLE ANOTHER VISIT
Told by the "Sage Brush," John J. McIlroy, A. L. Harper, Mrs. A. T. Arnold, A. E. De Forest, I. N. Jones, C. E. Hurlbut, and T. J. Lomas.
The following is from the "Sage Brush" of August 17, 1867, and gives an account of Winnemucca's visit to Honey Lake. "This noted chief of the Piute tribe of Indians, having their headquarters on the Indian reservation at Pyramid lake, made Susanville a visit on Tuesday last. He came with letters pur- porting to have been written by the Indian Agent at their reser- vation and others of Washoe and vicinity. He brought with him some fifteen warriors whom he stationed about two miles from the town to await the result of a conference with the citizens of Susanville, wishing to gain permission to proceed into the adjacent hills of the surrounding country for the ostensible pur- pose of hunting. A letter written by Mr. Alvaro Evans of Long valley to Governor Roop urged the granting of the passport. The citizens of Honey Lake valley have suffered much from the ravages of the Piutes, and having declared eternal war against them, became considerably excited at their presence, and set about making immediate preparations for 'taking them in.' In less than half an hour some eight of the citizens of the valley were in their saddles, armed with Henry carbines, and with swift pace erowding down upon the band. The Indians took the alarm at the first sound of the tocsin, and succeeded in gain- ing the foothills before the war party could reach them. They
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.