USA > California > Monterey County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume I > Part 14
USA > California > San Benito County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume I > Part 14
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Castro executed the civil functions of gefe politico four months and then, in accordance with orders from the supreme government, he turned over his part of the governorship to Comandante General Gutierrez and again the two commands were united in one person. Gutierrez filled the office of "gobernador in- terno" from January 2, 1836, to the arrival of his successor, Mariano Chico. Chico had been ap- pointed governor by President Barragan, Decem- ber 16, 1835, but did not arrive in California until April, 1836. Thus California had four governors within nine months. They changed so rapidly there was not time to foment a rev- olution. Chico began his administration by a series of petty tyrannies. Just before his ar- rival in California a vigilance committee at Los Angeles shot to death Gervacio Alispaz and his paramour, Maria del Rosaria Villa, for the mur- der of the woman's husband, Domingo Feliz. Alispaz was a countryman of Chico. Chico had the leaders arrested and came down to Los Angeles with the avowed purpose of executing Prudon, Arzaga and Aranjo, the president, sec- retary and military commander, respectively, of the Defenders of Public Security, as the vigi- lantes called themselves. He announced his intention of arresting and punishing every man who had taken part in the banishment of Gov- ernor Victoria. He summoned Don Abel Stearns to Monterey and threatened to have him shot for some imaginary offense. He fulminated a fierce pronunciamento against foreigners, that incurred their wrath, and made himself so odious that he was hated by all, native or foreigner. He was a centralist and opposed to popular rights. Exasperated beyond endurance by his scandalous conduct and unseemly exhibitions of temper the people of Monterey rose en masse against him, and so terrified him that he took passage on board a brig that was lying in the
harbor and sailed for Mexico with the threat that he would return with an armed force to punish the rebellious Californians, but he never came back again.
With the enforced departure of Chico, the civil command of the territory devolved upon Nicolas Gutierrez, who still held the military command. He was of Spanish birth and a cen- tralist or anti-federalist in politics. Although a mild mannered man he seemed to be impressed with the idea that he must carry out the arbi- trary measures of his predecessor. Centralism was his nemesis. Like Chico, he was opposed to popular rights and at one time gave orders to disperse the diputacion by force. He was not long in making himself unpopular by at- tempting to enforce the centralist decrees of the Mexican Congress.
He quarreled with Juan Bautista Alvarado, the ablest of the native Californians. Alvarado and José Castro raised the standard of revolt. They gathered together a small army of ranch- eros and an auxiliary force of twenty-five Amer- ican hunters and trappers under Graham, a backwoodsman from Tennessee. By a strategic movement they captured the castillo or fort which commanded the presidio, where Gutierrez and the Mexican army officials were stationed. The patriots demanded the surrender of the presidio and the arms. The governor refused. The revolutionists had been able to find but a single cannon ball in the castillo, but this was sufficient to do the business. A well-directed shot tore through the roof of the governor's house, covering him and his staff with the debris of broken tiles; that and the desertion of most of his soldiers to the patriots brought him to terms. On the 5th of November, 1836, he sur- rendered the presidio and resigned his authority as governor. He and about seventy of his ad- herents were sent aboard a vessel lying in the harbor and shipped out of the country.
With the Mexican governor and his officers out of the country, the next move of Castro and Alvarado was to call a meeting of the diputa- cion or territorial congress. A plan for the independence of California was adopted. This, which was known afterwards as the Monterey plan, consisted of six sections, the most im-
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portant of which were as follows: "First, Alta California hereby declares itself independent from Mexico until the Federal System of 1824 is restored. Second, the same California is hereby declared a free and sovereign state; es- tablishing a congress to enact the special laws of the country and the other necessary supreme powers. Third, the Roman Apostolic Catholic religion shall prevail; no other creed shall be allowed, but the government shall not molest anyone on account of his private opinions." The diputacion issued a declaration of independ- ence that arraigned the mother country, Mexico, and her officials very much in the style that our own Declaration gives it to King George III. and England.
Castro issued a pronunciamiento, ending with Viva La Federacion! Viva La Libertad! Viva el Estado Libre y Soberano de Alta California! Thus amid vivas and proclamations, with the beating of drums and the booming of cannon, El Estado Libre de Alta California (The Free State of Alta California) was launched on the political sea. But it was rough sailing for the little craft. Her ship of state struck a rock and for a time shipwreck was threatened.
For years there had been a growing jealousy between Northern and Southern California. Los Angeles, as has been stated before, had by a decree of the Mexican congress been made the capital of the territory. Monterey had per- sistently refused to give up the governor and the archives. In the movement to make Alta California a free and independent state, the An- geleños recognized an attempt on the part of the people of the north to deprive them of the capital. Although as bitterly opposed to Mex- ican governors, and as active in fomenting revo- lutions against them as the people of Monterey, the Angeleños chose to profess loyalty to the mother country. They opposed the plan of government adopted by the congress at Mon- terey and promulgated a plan of their own, in which they declared California was not free; that the "Roman Catholic Apostolic religion shall prevail in this jurisdiction, and any person publicly professing any other shall be pros- ecuted by law as heretofore." A mass meeting was called to take measures "to prevent the
spreading of the Monterey revolution, so that the progress of the nation may not be paralyzed," and to appoint a person to take mil- itary command of the department.
San Diego and San Luis Rey took the part of Los Angeles in the quarrel, Sonoma and San José joined Monterey, while Santa Barbara, al- ways conservative, was undecided, but finally issued a plan of her own. Alvarado and Castro determined to suppress the revolutionary An- geleños. They collected a force of one hun- dred men, made up of natives, with Graham's contingent of twenty-five American riflenen. With this army they prepared to move against the recalcitrant sureños.
The ayuntamiento of Los Angeles began preparations to resist the invaders. An army of two hundred and seventy men was enrolled, a part of which was made up of neophytes. To se- cure the sinews of war José Sepulveda, second al- calde, was sent to the Mission San Fernando to secure what money there was in the hands of the major domo. He returned with two pack- ages, which, when counted, were found to con- tain $2,000.
Scouts patrolled the Santa Barbara road as far as San Buenaventura to give warning of the approach of the enemy, and pickets guarded the Pass of Cahuenga and the Rodeo de Las Aguas to prevent northern spies from entering and southern traitors from getting out of the pueblo. The southern army was stationed at San Fer- nando under the command of Alferez (Lieut.) Rocha. Alvarado and Castro, pushing down the coast, reached Santa Barbara, where they were kindly received and their force recruited to one hundred and twenty men with two pieces of artillery. José Sepulveda at San Fernando sent to Los Angeles for the cannon at the town house and $200 of the mission money to pay his men.
On the 16th of January, 1837, Alvarado from San Buenaventura dispatched a communication to the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles and the citizens, telling them vhat military resources he had, which he would use against them if it became necessary, but he was willing to confer upon a plan of settlement. Sepulveda and An- tonio M. Osio were appointed commissioners
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and sent to confer with the governor, armed with several propositions, the substance of which was that California shall not be free and the Catholic religion must prevail with the privilege to prosecute any other religion, "ac- cording to law as heretofore." The commission- ers met Alvarado on "neutral ground," between San Fernando and San Buenaventura. A long discussion followed without either coming to the point. Alvarado, by a coup d'état, brought it to an end. In the language of the commission- · ers' report to the ayuntamiento: "While we were a certain distance from our ownforces with only four unarmed men and were on the point of coming to an agreement with Juan B. Alvarado, we saw the Monterey division advancing upon us and we were forced to deliver up the instruc- tions of this illustrious body through fear of being attacked." They delivered up not only the instructions, but the Mission San Fer- nando. The southern army was compelled to surrender it and fall back on the pueblo, Rocha swearing worse than "our army in Flanders" because he was not allowed to fight. The south- ern soldiers had a wholesome dread of Gra- ham's riflemen. These fellows, armed with long Kentucky rifles, shot to kill, and a battle once begun somebody would have died for his coun- try and it would not have been Alvarado's rifle- men.
The day after the surrender of the mission, January 21, 1837, the ayuntamiento held a ses- sion and the members were as obdurate and belligerent as ever. They resolved that it was only in the interests of humanity that the mis- sion had been surrendered and their army forced to retire. "This ayuntamiento, consider- ing the commissioners were forced to comply, annuls all action of the commissioners and does not recognize this territory as a free and sov- ereign state nor Juan B. Alvarado as its gov- ernor, and declares itself in favor of the Supreme Government of Mexico." A few days later Al- varado entered the city without opposition, the Angeleñian soldiers retiring to San Gabriel and from there scattering to their homes.
On the 26th of January an extraordinary session of the most illustrious ayuntamiento was held. Alvarado was present and made a lengthy
speech, in which he said, "The native sons were subjected to ridicule by the Mexican mandarins sent here, and knowing our rights we ought to shake off the ominous yoke of bondage." Then he produced and read the six articles of the Monterey plan, the council also produced a plan and a treaty of amity was effected. Alvarado was recognized as governor pro tem. and peace reigned. The belligerent sureños vied with each other in expressing their admiration for the new order of things. Pio Pico wished to ex- press the pleasure it gave him to see a "hijo del pais" in office. And Antonio Osio, the most belligerent of the sureños, declared "that sooner than again submit to a Mexican dictator as governor, he would flee to the forest and be devoured by wild beasts." The ayunta- miento was asked to provide a building for the government, "this being the capital of the state." The hatchet apparently was buried. Peace reigned in El Estado Libre. At the meeting of the town council, on the 30th of January, Al- varado made another speech, but it was neither conciliatory nor complimentary. He arraigned the "traitors who were working against the peace of the country" and urged the members to take measures "to liberate the city from the hidden hands that will tangle them in their own ruin." The pay of his troops who were ordered here for the welfare of California is due "and it is an honorable and preferred debt, therefore the ayuntamiento will deliver to the government the San Fernando money," said he. With a wry face, very much such as a boy wears when he is told that he has been spanked for his own good, the alcalde turned over the balance of the mission money to Juan Bautista, and the governor took his departure for Monterey, leaving, however, Col. José Castro with part of his army stationed at Mission San Gabriel, os- tensibly "to support the city's authority," but in reality to keep a close watch on the city author- ities.
Los Angeles was subjugated, peace reigned and El Estado Libre de Alta California took her place among the nations of the earth. But peace's reign was brief. At the meeting of the ayuntamiento May 27, 1838, Juan Bandini and Santiago E. Arguello of San Diego, appeared
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with a pronunciamiento and a plan, San Diego's plan of government. Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles had each formulated a plan of government for the territory, and now it was San Diego's turn. Agustin V. Zamorano, who had been exiled with Governor Gutierrez, had crossed the frontier and was made comand- ante-general and territorial political chief ad interim by the San Diego revolutionists. The plan restored California to obedience to the supreme government; all acts of the diputa- cion and the Monterey plan were annulled and the northern rebels were to be arraigned and tried for their part in the revolution; and so on through twenty articles.
On the plea of an Indian outbreak near San Diego, in which the redmen, it was said, "were to make an end of the white race," the big can- non and a number of men were secured at Los Angeles to assist in suppressing the Indians, but in reality to reinforce the army of the San Diego revolutionists. With a force of one hun- dred and twenty-five men under Zamorano and Portilla, "the army of the supreme government" moved against Castro at Los Angeles. Castro retreated to Santa Barbara and Portilla's army took position at San Fernando.
The civil and military officials of Los Angeles took the oath to support the Mexican consti- tution of 1836 and, in their opinion, this absolved them from all allegiance to Juan Bau- tista and his Monterey plan. Alvarado hurried reinforcements to Castro at Santa Barbara, and Portilla called loudly for "men, arms and horses," to march against the northern rebels. But neither military chieftain advanced, and the summer wore away without a battle. There were rumors that Mexico was preparing to send an army of one thousand men to subjugate the rebellious Californians. In October came the news that José Antonio Carrillo, the Machiavelli of California politics, had persuaded President Bustamente to appoint Carlos Carrillo, José's brother, governor of Alta California.
Then consternation seized the arribeños (np- pers) of the north and the abajeños (lowers) of Los Angeles went wild with joy. It was not that they loved Carlos Carrillo, for he was a Santa Barbara man and had opposed them in
the late unpleasantness, but they saw in his ap- pointment an opportunity to get revenge on Juan Bautista for the way he had humiliated them. They sent congratulatory messages to Carrillo and invited him to make Los Angeles the seat of his government. Carrillo was flat- tered by their attentions and consented. The 6th of December, 1837, was set for his inaugura- tion, and great preparations were made for the event. The big cannon was brought over from San Gabriel to fire salutes and the city was. ordered illuminated on the nights of the 6th, 7th and 8th of December. Cards of invitation were issued and the people from the city and country were invited to attend the inauguration ceremonies, "dressed as decent as possible," so read the invitations.
The widow Josefa Alvarado's house, the fin- est in the city, was secured for the governor's- palacio (palace). The largest hall in the city was secured for the services and decorated as well as it was possible. The city treasury, being in its usual state of collapse, a subscription for defraying the expenses was opened and horses,. hides and tallow, the current coin of the pueblo, were liberally contributed.
On the appointed day, "the most illustrious. ayuntamiento and the citizens of the neighbor- hood (sothe old archives read) met his excellency, the governor, Don Carlos Carrillo, who made his appearance with a magnificent accompani- ment." The secretary, Narciso Botello, "read in a loud, clear and intelligible voice, the oath, and the governor repeated it after him." At the moment the oath was completed, the artillery thundered forth a salute and the bells rang out a merry peal. The governor made a speech,, when all adjourned to the church, where a mass was said and a solemn Te Deum sung; after which all repaired to the house of his excellency, where the southern patriots drank his health in bumpers of wine and shouted themselves hoarse in vivas to the new government. An inaugura- tion ball was held-the "beauty and the chivalry of the south were gathered there." Outside the tallow dips flared and flickered from the porticos. of the house, bonfires blazed in the streets and cannon boomed salvos from the old plaza. Los Angeles was the capital at last and had a gov-
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ernor all to herself, for Santa Barbara refused to recognize Carrillo, although he belonged within its jurisdiction.
The Angeleños determined to subjugate the Barbareños. An army of two hundred men, under Castenada, was sent to capture the city. After a few futile demonstrations, Castenada's forces fell back to San Buenaventura.
Then Alvarado determined to subjugate the Angeleños. He and Castro, gathering together an army of two hundred men, by forced marches reached San Buenaventura, and by a strategic movement captured all of Castenada's horses and drove his army into the mission church. For two days the battle raged and, "cannon to the right of them," and "cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered." One man was killed on the northern side and the blood of several mustangs watered the soil of their native land- .died for their country. The southerners slipped out of the church at night and fled up the val- ley on foot. Castro's caballeros captured about seventy prisoners. Pio Pico, with reinforce- ments, met the remnant of Castenada's army at the Santa Clara river, and together all fell back to Los Angeles. Then there was wailing in the old pueblo, where so lately there had been re- joicing. Gov. Carlos Carrillo gathered to- gether what men he could get to go with him and retreated to San Diego. Alvarado's army took possession of the southern capital and some of the leading conspirators were sent as prisoners to the castillo at Sonoma.
Carrillo, at San Diego, received a small re- inforcement from Mexico, under a Captain Tobar. Tobar was made general and given .command of the southern army. Carrillo, hav- ing recovered from his fright, sent an order to the northern rebels to surrender within fifteen days under penalty of being shot as traitors if they refused. In the meantime Los Angeles was held by the enemy. The second alcalde (the first, Louis Aranas, was a prisoner) called a meeting to devise some means "to have lis excellency, Don Carlos Carrillo, return to this capital, as his presence is very much desired by the citizens to protect their lives and property." A committee was appointed to locate Don Carlos.
Instead of surrendering, Castro and Alvarado, with a force of two hundred men, advanced against Carrillo. The two armies met at Campo de Las Flores. General Tobar had fortified a cattle corral with rawhides, carretas and cot- tonwood poles. A few shots from Alvarado's artillery scattered Tobar's rawhide fortifications. Carrillo surrendered. Tobar and a few of the leaders escaped to Mexico. Alvarado ordered the misguided Angeleñian soldiers to go home and behave themselves. He brought the captive governor back with him and left him with his (Carrillo's) wife at Santa Barbara, who became surety for the deposed ruler. Not content with his unfortunate attempts to rule, he again claimed the governorship on the plea that he had been appointed by the supreme government. But the Angeleños had had enough of him. Disgusted with his incompetency, Juan Gallardo, at the session of May 14, 1838, presented a pe- tition praying that this ayuntamiento do not rec- ognize Carlos Carrillo as governor, and setting forth the reasons why we, the petitioners, "should declare ourselves subject to the north- ern governor" and why they opposed Car- rillo.
"First. In having compromised the people from San Buenaventura south into a declara- tion of war, the incalculable calamities of which will never be forgotten, not even by the most ignorant.
"Second. Not satisfied with the unfortunate event of San Buenaventura, he repeated the same at Campo de Las Flores, which, only through a divine dispensation, California is not to-day in mourning." Seventy citizens signed the petition, but the city attorney, who had done time in Vallejo's castillo, decided the petition il- legal because it was written on common paper when paper with the proper seal could be ob- tained.
Next day Gallardo returned with his petition on legal paper. The ayuntamiento decided to sound the "public alarm" and call the people to- gether to give them "public speech." The pub- lic alarm was sounded. The people assembled at the city hall; speeches were made on botlı sides; and when the vote was taken twenty-two were in favor of the northern governor, five
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in favor of whatever the ayuntamiento decides, and Serbulo Vareles alone voted for Don Carlos Carrillo. So the council decided to recognize Don Juan Bautista Alvarado as governor and leave the supreme government to settle the con- test between him and Carrillo.
Notwithstanding this apparent burying of the hatchet, there were rumors of plots and in- trigues in Los Angeles and San Diego against Alvarado. At length, aggravated beyond en- durance, the governor sent word to the sureños that if they did not behave themselves he would shoot ten of the leading men of the south. As he had about that number locked up in the castillo at Sonoma, his was no idle threat. One by one Alvarado's prisoners of state were re- leased from Vallejo's bastile at Sonoma and re- turned to Los Angeles, sadder if not wiser men. At the session of the ayuntamiento October 20, 1838, the president announced that Senior Regidor José Palomares had returned from Sonoma, where he had been compelled to go by reason of "political differences," and that he should be allowed his seat in the council. The request was granted unanimously.
At the next meeting Narciso Botello, its for- mer secretary, after five and a half months' im- prisonment at Sonoma, put in an appearance and claimed his office and his pay. Although others had filled the office in the interim the illustrious ayuntamiento, "ignoring for what offense he was incarcerated, could not suspend his salary." But his salary was suspended. The treasury was empty. The last horse and the last hide had been paid out to defray the expense of the in- auguration festivities of Carlos, the Pretender, and the civil war that followed. Indeed there was a treasury deficit of whole caballadas of horses, and bales of hides. Narciso's back pay
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was a preferred claim that outlasted El Estado Libre.
The sureños of Los Angeles and San Diego, finding that in Alvarado they had a man of cour- age and determination to deal with, ceased from troubling him and submitted to the inevitable. At the meeting of the ayuntamiento, October 5, 1839, a notification was received, stating that the supreme government of Mexico had appointed Juan Bautista Alvarado governor of the depart- ment. There was no grumbling or dissent. On the contrary, the records say, "This illustrious body acknowledges receipt of the communica-
tion and congratulated his excellency. It will announce the same to the citizens to-morrow (Sunday), will raise the national colors, salute the same with the required number of volleys, and will invite the people to illuminate their houses for a better display in rejoicing at such a happy appointment." With his appointment by the supreme government the "free and sov- ereign state of Alta California" became a dream of the past-a dead nation. Indeed, months be- fore Alvarado had abandoned his idea of found- ing an independent state and had taken the oath of allegiance to the constitution of 1836. The loyal sureños received no thanks from the su- preme government for all their professions of loyalty, whilst the rebellious arribeños of the north obtained all the rewards-the governor, the capital and the offices. The supreme gov- ernment gave the deposed governor, Carlos Carrillo, a grant of the island of Santa Rosa, in the Santa Barbara Channel, but whether it was given him as a salve to his wounded dignity or as an Elba or St. Helena, where, in the event of his stirring up another revolution, he might be banished a la Napoleon, the records do not inform us.
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