USA > California > Monterey County > History of Monterey County, California : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches, and mines : with biiographical sketches of prominent citizens > Part 10
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
The story of their death is a sad one. Alter Cowie and Fowler had been seized by the Californians, they encamped for the night. and the following morning determined in council what should be the fate of their captives. A swarthy New Mexican named Mesa Juan Pedilla, and Three-fingered Jack,
the Californian, were loudest in their denunciation of the pris- oners as deserving of death; and, unhappily, their counsels pre- vailed. The unfortunate young men were then led out, stripped naked, hound to a tree with a lariat, while, for a time, the inhuman monsters practiced knife-throwing at their naked bodies, the victims, the while, praying to be shot. They then commenced throwing stones at them, one of which broke the jaw of Fowler. The fiend, Three-fingered Jack, then advancing, thrust the end of his riata (a rawhide rope) through the month, ent an incision in the throat, and then made a tie, by which the jaw was dragged out. They next proceeded to kill them slowly with their knives. Cowie, who had fainted, had the flesh stripped from his arms and shoulders, and pieces of flesh were cnt from their bodies and cramued into their mouths, they being finally disemboweled. Their mutilated remains were afterwards found and buried where they fell, upon the farm now owned by George Moore, two miles north of Santa Rosa. No stone marks the grave of these pioneers, one of whom took so conspicuous a part in the event which gave to the Union the great State of California.
Three-fingered Jack was killed by Captain Harry Love's Ran- gers, July 27, 1853, at Pinola Pass, near the Merced river, with the bandit Joaquin Murietta; while Ramon Carrillo met his death at the hands of the Vigilantes, between Los Angeles and San Diego, May 21, 1864.
W. B. IDE'S PROCLAMATION.
At Sonoma Captain William B. Ide, with the consent of the garrison, issued the following :-
" A proclamation to all persons and citizens of the District of Sonomit, requesting them to remain at peace, and fol- low their rightful occupations without fear of molestation.
" The commander-in-chief of the troops assembled at the fortress of Sonoma, gives his inviolable pledge to all persons in California, not found under arms, that they shall not be dis- turbed in their persons, their property, or social relations, one with another, by men under his eommand.
" Hu also solemnly deelares his object to be: first, to defend himself and companions in arms, who were invited to his country by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families; who were also promised a republican govern- ment; when, having arrived in California, they were denied the privilege of buying or renting lands of their friends; who instead of being allowed to participate in, or being protected by a republican government, were oppressed by a military despotism; who were even threatened by proclamation, by the elief officers of the aforesaid despotismn, with extermination, if they should not depart out of the country, leaving all their property, arms, and beasts of burden; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defenso, were to be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, to certain destruction.
REV. G. SORRENTINI,A.M ... . PASTOR,
ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SACRED HEARTS.
SALINAS CITY. MONTEREY CO. CAL
CASTROVILLE
SCHOOL BUILDINGS. MONTEREY CO. CAL.
51
REMARKABLE JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.
"To overthrow a government which has seized upon the property of the missions for its individual aggrandizement; which has ruined and shamefully oppressed the laboring people of California, by enormous exactions on goods imported into the country, is the determined purpose of the brave men who are associated under my command.
"I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be
- to iuvite all peaceable and good citizens of California, who are friendly to the maintenance of good order and equal rights, and I do hereby invite them to repair to my camp at Sonoma, without delay, to assist us in establishing and perpetuating a republican government, which shall secure to all civil and religious liberty ; which shall encourage virtue and literature; which shall leave unshackled by fetters agrienlture, commerce, and manufactures.
"I further declare that I rely npon the reetitude of our intentions, the favor of heaven, and the bravery of those who are bound and associated with me by the principles of self- preservation, by the love of truth and the hatred of tyranny, for my hopes of success.
"I furthermore declare that I believe that a government to he prosperous and happy must originate with the people who are friendly to its existenec; that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward.
" WILLIAM B. IDE.
" Headquarters, Sonoma, June 18, 1846."
JUDGE IDE'S HISTORY.
Captain William B. Ide was born in Ohio; came overlaud reaching Sutter's Fort iu October, 1845. June 7, 1847, Gov-
- ernor Mason appointed him land surveyor for the northern district of California, and the same month he was appointed Jus- tiee of the Peace at Cache Creek. At an early day he got a grant of land which was called the Rancho Barranca Colorado, just below Red creek in Colusa county, as it was then organized. In 1851 he was elected County Treasurer, with an assessment roll of three hundred and seventy-three thousand two hundred and six dollars. Moved with the connty scat to Monroeville, at the mouth of Stony creek, September 3, 1851; was elected County Judge of Colusa connty, and practiced law, having a license. Judge Ide died of small-pox at Monroeville on Saturday, December 18, 1852, aged fifty years.
ANECDOTE OF JUDGE IDE.
Ide was the presiding Judge and Deputy Clerk, and Huls was Associate Justice and Deputy Sheriff. The prisoner was brought into conrt by Huls, and the indictment read to him by Ide as Clerk. He was on trial for horse stealing; the pen- alty at that time was death. The Judge mounted the benel and informed the prisoner of his rights, including that of lav-
ing counsel assigned him for his defense :. This the prisoner asked. Here was a dilemma. There was no.licensedl attorney, nearer than Butte county, to be had. The Court (Ide) and two Associate Judges) held a consultation on the situation. Lie, however, was always equal to any emergency, and he suggested that he himself had been over at Hamilton a few days before attending Judge Sherwood's court and had been admitted as a practicing attorney, and he did not see why he should not defend the prisoner.
This was suggested to the defendant at the bar, who was delighted with the arrangement of being defendled by the pre- siding Juilge. There being no District Attorney present, it was expected that the presiding Judge would also look out for the interest of the prople. With the court thus organized, the trial began. Ide would question the witnesses, raise his points of law on either side, and then get on the bench to help decide thein, take exceptions to his own ruling, and then as Clerk make the entries.
When the testimony was all in, Ide addressed the jury, pre- senting first the side of the prosecution, and then of the defense, winding up with a plea for merey. Then he got on the beneh again, and instructed the jury calmly and impartially as to the law of the case. The jury retired and in a few moments brought in a verdict of " guilty."
When the time for sentence came, the Judge ordered the prisoner to stand up, and he addressed him in substance as follows: " You have had a fair and impartial trial by a jury of your peers. Yon have been ably defended by counsel appointed by this Conrt. The jury have found you guilty of grand larceny, the penalty of which, under the benign laws of this State, is death. It is therefore the judgment of this Conrt that you be taken by the Sheriff to some convenient place, on the - day of -, and then and there hanged by the neek until you are dead, dead, dead, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul."
Turning to Associate Huls he ordered the Sheriff to take charge of the prisoner. A day or so before that set for the execution Huls went over after his prisoner, but found that he had been pardoned out by the Governor, without the officers o i Colusa county knowing anything about it.
FIGHT UNDER THE BEAR FLAG.
The only real fight of the war occurred on the 25th of June, between a body of about eighty Californians and some twenty men under command of Lientenant Ford. These few men were put to flight, and continued their march across the bay. Fremont arrived at Sonoma two days after the fight, still hesi- tating. He wanted, so we are told by Semple and Ide. (who informed Will S. Green of Colusa,) to occupy a position where he might reap the benefit of a victory and not suffer from defeat. After the return of the Californians across the bay, the Bear
52
PROGRESS OF THE BEAR FLAG WAR
Flag party urged Fremont to capture the ship Moscow, then lying at Saucelito, eross the bay, capture Castro, and by one bold stroke end the war. Captain Phelp of the Moscow, was in full sympathy with the movement, and even went so far as to put a lot of provisions on a launch near enough to them to be captured by the party of revolutionists.
Commodore John D. Stoat took possession of Monterey, and three days afterwards the Bear Flag party heard of it, and the stars and stripes took the place of the Bear at Sonoma.
FLAG RAISED IN MONTEREY.
On Saturday, July 11, 1846, came the astounding news from Monterey, that Commodore Sloat had arrived there in the United States frigate Savannah, and had raised the United States flag, and had taken possession of the country in conse- quence of war, which had broken out between the United States and Mexico. It was understood that Commodore Sloat requested Captain Fremont to go with all possible dispatch to Monterey.
The United States flag was raised in Monterey on July 7th. If the messenger started immediately, he was four days on his way to Fremont's camp. But Fremont appears to have been nine days on the way to Monterey, reaching there on Sunday, July 19th. If the question is asked, why this slowness, when speed would be so certainly looked for, the reply must be that no answer is apparent.
CAPTURE OF MONTEREY .*
" Concerning the capture of Monterey," says Will S. Green, " we were fortunate enough to hear the recital by Commodore Sloat himself. War was anticipated between the United States and Mexico long before it occurred, and Commodore Jones, then in command on this coast, was instructed to take Monterey, the capital of California, as soon as he heard hostili- ties had commenced. As we have seen, he acted too hurriedly, and, on the instance of the American Minister, he was removed. Sloat, who succeeded, had the same instructions, and was lying at Mazatlan with a frigate and a sloop-of-war, anxiously watching the signs of the times. It was known that there was an arrangement with England to tako possession of Unli- fornia, aud hold it for Mexico in case of war. Admiral Seymour, of the British navy, with the line-o' battle ship Collingwood, was also at Mazatlan waiting orders. One day Seymour got dispatches, and Sloat got none. Sloat set n watch on the Admiral's movements and found him in close consulta- tion with the leading Mexicans, who avoided the American commander. He guessed that hostility had commenced, and when Seymour went on board his vessel und began to make ready for departure, he felt certain of the fact; and the white
sails of the Collingwood had not disappeared in the distance before the two small, American vessels were under way for Mon- terey. Every possible inch of canvass was spread and a mick voyage was made. On arriving at Monterey a demand was made for the surrender of the plane, which was complied with without the firing of a gun. In a day or so the lookout announced the approach of the Collingwood. Not knowing how the Admiral would interpret his order to take possession of Monterey, the Commodore had his two small vessels got in readiness for action. The huge Englishman sailed up between the two American vessels and dropped anchor. Sloat sent an officer on board with his compliments to the Admiral, and the latter came in person to see the Commodore. He told Sloat that he knew that he had received no official information of the existence of war, and added that no officer in the British navy would have taken the responsibility he had done. He then asked Sloat in a sort of bantering way what he would have done if he had come into port and fonud the British flag flying. "I would have had you sink these two little ships for me," was the Commodore's reply. It was thus owing to the prompt action and courage of Commodore Sloat that we became possessed of California.
WAR DECLARED AGAINST MEXICO.
In the meantime Congress had (unknown to these parties) declared war against Mexico, and an expedition one thousand six hundred strong under General Stephen W. Kearny, was traversing the continent in the direction of the Pacific. Simnl- tanconsly with Fremont's action in the north, Commodore Sloat seized upon Monterey; and his successor-Commodore Stock- ton-prepared at ouce for the reduction of the then principal city of Los Angeles.
With this end in view, he organized a battalion of mounted ritlemen, of which Fremont was appointed Major, and Gilles- pie, Captain. This force was embarked on the sloop-of-war Cyune, and dispatched to San Diego with orders to co-operate with the Commodore in his proposed movement on the Ciudad de Los Angeles. On August Ist, Stockton suited in the Con- gress, und on the 6th arrived at San Pedro, having taken pos- session of Santa Barbara on his way. He now learned that the enemy under Generals Castro and Andres Pico were strongly posted near los Angeles with a force estimated at fifteen hun- dred men, He learned further that Major Fremont had landed at San Diego, but was unable to procure horses, nudl therefore could not join him, In the absence of Fremont's battalion, Stockton was wholly destitute of cavalry ; yet, impressed with the importance of celerity of movement, he disembarked his men. The force consisted only of from three hundred to four hundred marines, wholly ignorant of military drill; and their only artillery -six small guns, rudely mounted and dragand by hand.
" Mure fully glvon lu llen local " Ilistory of Monterey County," by Elliott & Mauro.
53
CALIFORNIA IN A TRANSITION STATE.
A few days after landing, a flag of truee approached over the hills, borne by commissioners from Castro. Desiring to impress these with an exaggerated idea of the strength of his foree, Stockton dirceted his little army to march at intervals of twenty or thirty paces apart, to a position where they would be sheltered from observation. In this manner the eommis- sioners were completely deeeived, and when on their arrival they were marehed up to the mouth of an immense mortar, shrouded in skins save its huge aperture, their terror and dis- comfiture were plainly diseernible.
Stockton received them with a stern and forbidding eoun- tenanee, harshly demanding their mission, which they diselosed in great eonfusion. They bore a letter from Castro proposing a truee; each party to hold its own possessions until a general paeifieation should be had. This proposal Stoekton rejeeterl with contempt, and dismissed the commissioners with the assur- anee that only an immediate disbandment of his forees and an uneonditional surrender, would shield Castro.
After some skirmishing of the two forces Castro surrendered, and the soldiers were permitted to go at large on their parole of honor-not again to bear arms against the United States. Commodore Stoekton uow issued a proclamation deelaring California a territory of the United States; and, as all resist- anee had eeased, proceeded to organize a eivil and military government, himself retaining the position of Commander-in- chief and Governor.
About this time Stoekton first learned that war had been declared between the United States and Mexieo; and leaving fifty men under command of Lieutenant A. H. Gillespie to gar- rison Los Angeles, he proceeded north, to look after affairs in that quarter. Thus the whole great territory of Upper California had been subjected to Ameriean rule without blood- shed or even the firing of a gun.
TREATY OF PEACE SIGNED.
The treaty of peace between the United States and Mexico was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848; ratifiea- tions were exchanged at Queretaro, May 30th, following. Under this treaty the United States assumed the Mexican debt to American subjeets, and paid into the Mexican treasury $15,000,000 in money, receiving in exchange Texas, New Mexieo, and Upper California, and the right of free navigation on the Colorado river and the Gulf of California.
FIRST AMERICAN GOVERNOR.
Sloat proelaimed himself Governor of California, and aeted . as sueh until the 17th of August, 1846, when he was super- seded by Commodore R. F. Stockton, who eommeneed at onee a vigorous campaign against the Mexicans under Flores, whom he defeated January 8 aud 9, 1847. In January, 1847, Stoek-
ton appointed Fremont Governor, but this of right belonged to General S. W. Kearney, who, on March Ist, assumed that office. He was sueeceded by Colonel Mason in May, and on the 15th of April, 1849, General Bennett Riley was appointed Governor, and continued in office until he was sueeeeded by Peter H. Burnett, uuder the State Constitution.
CALIFORNIA IN TRANSITION.
The year 1846 was the erisis-year iu the destiny of Cali- fornia. In looking back on the events of that year, touching this country, from this distance of time, their main purpose stands out elearly revealed, as it did not when those events were transpiring. It is plain enough now, that they were inspired from Washington.
The government of the United States had kept a careful wateh of what was going on on this eoast for many years. Ever after the famous explorations of Lewis and Clarke, who were sent out by President Jefferson, in 1804, our Government had kept itself thoroughly informed of everything that eon- eerned California.
The hopes of England to acquire California, were also well known, and all her movements having that end in view, were earefully observed.
Meanwhile the Government at Washington continued to seek all possible information eoneerning this eountry, then so remote and unexplored. Thomas O. Larkin, who came here from Massachusetts in 1832, seems to bave had a faney and a tact for gathering up faets and statistics. These he freely communieated to the Government.
By this means, as well as in other ways, they were made acquainted, not only with the geography and natural resources of the country, but with its inhabitants, both the native born and the foreign.
The Donner Party.
1846 .- There are stories of human trial and suffering whose deep interest no amount of repetition ean render stale, and sueh a story is the record of the ill-fated party of immigrants whieli furnished the aetors in the terrible tragedy of Donner lake. Portions of the tale have been written by many hands. They have differed widely, and many have been plainly eolored for effeet.
The story of the Donner party, in its general features, is too well known ou this eoast to need repetition. Too many suffered the hardships of erossing the plains to allow the reeolleetions of those days to die out. For years after the great ruslı of immi- gration in '49 no story was told more frequently or was listened to with more eager interest than the misfortunes of that party.
The Donner party proper was formed in Sangamon eounty, Ill., and was composed of ninety persons. Numerous additions
54
THE TRAGIC FATE OF THE DONNER PARTY.
were made to the train on its way, and when it left Independ- ence, Mo., it numbered between two hundred and three hun- wagons, and was over two miles in length. The journey to Salt Lake was made without any noticeable incidents, save tlie extreme slowness of the march. At Fort Bridger the woes of the Donner party began. Eighty-seven persons-the survivors of the original ninety-determined to go by way of the Hastings cut-off, instead of following the old trail. The remainder of the train chung to the old route, and reached California in safety. The ent-off was by way of Weber canyon and was said to rejoin the old cmigrant road on the Humhohlt, making a saving of 300 miles. It proved to be in a wretched condition, and the record of the party from this time was one long series of disas- ters. Their oxen became exhausted-they were forced to make frequent halts; the stock of provisions ran low. Finally, in the Salt Lake desert, the emigrants saw plainly that they wonld never reach the Pacific coast without assistance. Two of their number were dispatched with letters to Captain Sutter implor- ing aid.
At the present site of Reno, the party concluded to rest. Three or four days' time was lost. This was the fatal act. The storm-clouds were already brewing upon the mountains, only a few miles distant. The ascent was ominous. Thick and thicker grew the clouds, outstripping in threatening battalions the now eager feet of the alarmned emigrants, until at Prosser creek, three miles below Truckee, October 28, 1846, a month earlier than usual, the storm set in, and they found themselves in six inches of newly-fallen snow. On the summit it was already from two to five feet deep.
The party, in much confusion, finally reached Donner lake in disordered fragments. Frequent and desperate [attempts were made to cross the mountain tops, but at last, baffled and despairing, they returned to camp at the lake. The storm now descended in all its pitiless fury upon the ill-fated immi- grants. Its dreadful import was well understood, as laden with omens of suffering and death. With slight interruptions, the storm continued for several days. The animals were liter- ally buried alive and frozen in the drifts. Meat was hastily prepared from their carcasses, and cabins rudely built. One cabin (Moses Schallenherger's, now a resident of San Jose): erected November, 1844, was already standing about a quarter of a mile below the lake. This the Breen family appropriateil. Judge Breen, now of San Juan, gives his reminiscences of the Donner party in our history of San Benito county. The Mur- phys creeted one three hundred yards from the lake, marked by a large stone twelve feet high. The Graves family built theirs near Donner creek, farther down the stream, the three formning the apexes of a triangle, and distant 150 yards or more.
The Donner Brothers, with their families, hastily constructed a brush shedl in Alder Creek valley, six or seven miles from the lake.
The Mr. Donner who had charge of one company, was an
Illinoisian, sixty years of age, a man of high respectability and abundant means. His wife was a woman of education and refinement, and much younger than he.
Of course these were soon utterly destitute of food, for they could not tell where tho cattle were buried, and there was no hope of game on a desert so piled with snow that nothing without wings couldl move. The number of those who were thus storm-stayed, at the very threshold of the land whose winters are one long spring, was eighty, of whom thirty were females, and several, children. Much of the time the tops of the cabins were below the snow level.
FORLORN HOPE PARTY.
It was six weeks after the halt was made that a party of fifteen, inelnding five women and two Indians who acted as guides, set out on snow-shoes to cross the mountains, and give notice to the people of the California settlements of the condi- tion of their friends. At first the snow was so light and feathery that even in snow-shoes they sank nearly a foot at every step. On the second day they crossed the " divide," finding the snow at the summit twelve feet deep. Pushing forward with the courage of despair, they made from four to cight miles a day.
Within a week they got entirely out of provisions; and three of theni, succumbing to cold, weariness, and starvation, had died. Then a heavy snow-storm came on, which compelled them to lie still, buried between their blankets under the snow, for thirty-six hours. By the evening of the tenthi day three inore had died, and the living had been four days without food. The horrid alternative was accepted-they took the flesh from the bones of their dead, remained in camp two days to dry it, and then pushed on.
On New Years, the sixteenth day sinee leaving Truckee lake, they were toiling up a steep mountain. Their feet were frozen. Every step was marked with blood. On the second of January, their food again gave out. On the third, they had nothing to cat but the strings of their snow-shoes. On the fourth, the Indians eloped, justly suspicious that they might be sacrificed for food. On the fifth, they shot a deer, and that day one of their number died. Soon after three others died, and every death now cked out the existence of the survivors. On the seventeenth, all gave out, and concluded their wanderings useless, except one. He, guided by two friendly Indians, dragged himself on till he reached Johnson's Ranch on Bear river, the first settlement on the western slope of the Sierras, when relief was sent back as soon as possible, and the remaining six survivors were brought in next day. It had been thirty- two days since they left Donner lake. No tongue can tell, no pen portray, the awful suffering, the terrible and appalling straits, as well as the noble deeds of heroism that characterized this march of death. The eternal mountains, whose granite
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.