USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego > History of San Diego, 1542-1908 : an account of the rise and progress of the pioneer settlement on the Pacific coast of the United States, Volume I > Part 17
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Opposite the house where she was living with her aunt was the residence of Ybarra's two sons and their families. Doña Jnana, the mother, lived with them in San Diego up to the time of her death, which occurred about a year after her husband was murdered; this terrible occurrence and the loss of her daughters also, proving too great a blow for her. During this time she never ceased to lament their sad fate. It was heart-
185
A PLOT FOILED
rending to listen to her expressions of grief, weeping and wail- ing for the loss of her husband and children, like Rachel refusing to be comforted. Her distress often made the people weep who heard her lamentations.
Prior to this occurrence, the hostile Indians had made several attacks upon San Diego for plunder and the capture of women, but without success. They now began to grow still bolder, and to plan their enterprises upon a large scale, and soon after formed a plan for the reduction of the settlement. Again the clearest account is contained in Davis's book :
One of the daughters of the Alvarado family married Captain Snook. After her marriage two of her younger sisters resided with her a part of the time. One of them had acquired consid- erable knowledge of the Indian language. Several of these fam- ilies had Indian men for cooks. One evening after supper, the young lady just mentioned, Doña Guadalupe Alvarado, over- heard the cooks in earnest conversation in the Indian language. As soon as the words were caught by her ear she was startled and surprised, and drawing nearer heard all that was said. She discovered that the Indian cooks from the different fam- ilies had gathered in the kitchen of the house and were discuss- ing a plan of attack upon the town by members of their tribe. It appeared that arrangements had been completed for the cap- ture of the town the following night, and that the cooks in the several families were to lend their aid.
In the council of the cooks, it came out that each on the fol- lowing night was to communicate with a spy from the main body of the Indians, and take stations for this purpose on top of the hill overlooking the town, where the old Presidio and first garrison quarters of the Spaniards in California formerly stood. They were to inform the spies of the condition of each family, whether or not it was sufficiently off guard at the time to warrant an attack. There happened to be present in the house Don Pio Pico and Don Andrés Pico, who were making a friendly call on the family. They were a good deal startled at the statement made by the young lady, and represented that they would give the conspiracy immediate attention. The peo- ple of San Diego at that period had their houses well supplied with arms and were always on the watch for Indian movements. Accordingly, during the night they organized a company of citizens and arranged that at daylight each house should be visited and the cook secured. This was snecessfully accom- plished. As each of the conspirators came out of the house in the early morning he was lassoed, and all were taken a little distance from town, where it was proposed to shoot them. They expressed a desire to be allowed to die as Christians, to con- fess to the priest, and receive the sacrament. This request was granted; the priest heard the confessions of each, and ad- ministered the rites of the church. A trench of suitable depth was then dng, and the Indians made to kneel close beside it. Then on being shot, each fell into the ditch, where he was buried. Eight or ten Indians were executed at this time.
While these proceedings were taking place a messenger was sent to one of the Boston hide-ships lying in port, requesting
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
that a cannon might be loaned to the town, to assist in its de- fense. The cannon was sent over, with a suitable supply of am- munition. At night a party of citizens visited the spot where the Indian spy was to appear, and succeeded in capturing him. He steadily refused to confess, though assured that he would soon die, as his friends had done before him. One of his ears was cut off, and he was given to understand that the other one would follow, and that he would be mutilated little by little until he made the statement required of him; whereupon, his resolution gave way, and he made a confession indicating where the Indians were encamped, and telling all that he knew.
After the spy had divulged all he knew, he was shot with- out further ceremony, he being an unconverted Indian and not desiring the services of a priest.
The next day the citizens went out in force, found and sur- prised the Indians, and engaged them in battle; numbers of them were killed, but none of the Californians.
In December, 1846, soon after the battle of San Pasqual, eleven men were killed in an Indian uprising at Pauma. Their names were: Sergeant Francisco Basualdo, José M. Alvarado, Manuel Serrano, Ramon Aguilar, an old man known as "Domin- guito" but whose name was Dominguez, Santiago Osuna, José Lopez, Santos Alipás, Estaquio Ruiz, Juan de la Cruz, and a New Mexican whose name is not known.
These men were Mexican rangers and they were taken pris- oners by the Pauma Indians, whose chief, at the time, was Man- nelito. It is not known why the Indians captured them, but it is possible they had some grievance on account of past ill treat- ment. The Indians were at first in doubt what to do with their prisoners ; then came Bill Marshall, a white man living with a neighboring tribe, who will be mentioned again later, and told the Indians that, since the Mexicans and Americans were at war, it would please the latter if they would execute these prisoners. This bad advice was taken and the men put to death. Man- melito later became general over nearly all the Indians living in San Diego county. He was a man of fine character and had many friends, among the warmest of whom were some of the relatives of the murdered Spaniards.
Antonio Garra, a San Luis Rey Indian, received a fair edu- cation at the San Luis Rey Mission. He was a man of energy, determination, and influence. He was chief of the tribe resid- ing in the neighborhood of Warner's Ranch, i. e., the Cupeños, and had large herds of cattle and horses.
The first sheriff of San Diego County, Agostin Haraszthy, conceived it to be his duty to collect taxes on the live stock of the Indians, and in his effort to do so came into conflict with Garra. The Indians also claimed the whites were settling on their lands and trying to take the hot springs away from them .. Living with Garra's tribe at this time was one William Mar-
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ATTACK ON WARNER'S
shall, a renegade sailor from Providence, R. I., who had deserted from a whale ship at San Diego in 1844, taken up his habita- tion with the Indians, and married the daughter of a chief. This man took an active part in the subsequent proceedings, and was hanged for his pains, as we shall see. It was also believed that he was in a large measure responsible for filling the head of Garra with the dreams of destiny which proved his undoing.
Within the circumference of a circle having a radius of 150 miles, with Warner's Ranch as its center, there were supposed to be then living about ten thousand Indians. The numbers were formidable enough, but the thing was, to unite them. Garra quickly grasped this point and set about making his preparations accordingly. But the Americans were on the alert, and when he left for a tour among the neighboring tribes, his movements were watched. Besides rumors of trouble on the Colorado river, word came from Bandini's ranch (the Tecate, in Lower California), that the Indians there had been invited to join in a movement for the annihilation of the whites. In consequence of these rumors and of warnings from friendly Indians, Colonel Warner employed Judge Saekett, who was then stopping at his ranch, to make a tour among the tribes with two Indians, in the disguise of a trader, and to report upon conditions. This party was out ten days and on their return reported themselves unable to discover any evidences of an intended uprising. Warnings continued to come in, how- ever, and about ten days after Sackett's return three messen- gers reached Warner's in one day. all sent by Chief Lazaro, of Santa Ysabel, by different routes, that the Indians would surely make an attack on the following morning.
Warner was still incredulous, but concluded to send his fam- ily away to San Diego. They departed on November 21st. a little after midnight, together with all the white servants and some visitors, leaving only Colonel Warner, an Indian boy about sixteen years old, and a mulatto boy who had been sent there to be treated for rheumatism-the servant of an army offi- cer of San Diego. Nothing happened the following day. but in the evening four Americans. invalids and others who were stop- ping at the hot springs on the rancho, were murdered. These were Levi Slack (E. W. Morse's partner). Joseph Manning, Ridgley and Fiddler. They were surprised, mutilated, and butchered in cold blood-a work in which Bill Marshall is said to have been a leader.
That night Colonel Warner slept, not knowing what had occurred; but the next morning at sunrise he was awakened by the yells of an attacking party, which had already killed the Indian boy when he went out to milk the cows. Upon rising,
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
he found the house surrounded by a large party of Indians, part in the rear of the house and others at the corral. A flight of arrows was shot at him, and he narrowly escaped injury. He was an excellent marksman and quickly killed three Indians with as many shots. In the panic caused by this fusillade, he got the invalid boy out of the house, mounted a horse, placed the boy on another, rode off unharmed and heavily armed, and
COL. WARNER OF WARNER'S RANCH
safely reached the ranchería of San José, where his vaqueros had taken refuge. Here he left the boy, and, after instructing his vaqueros about gathering up the cattle, rode back to his house which the Indians were busy plundering. Here he met an Indian who tried to shoot him, and only Warner's superior quickness saved him. Convinced that he could not save his property, he rode away for San Diego, and left his rancho to its fate.
189
THE GARRA UPRISING
The arrival of the Warner refugees at San Diego, coming as they did about the same time as rumors from the Colorado river and Bandini's ranch, caused intense excitement. A let- ter from Antonio Garra to José Antonio Estudillo, clearly show- ing that the Indian chieftain expected the help of the Califor- mians in the uprising, was also made public and added to the excitement. A translation of this letter follows :
Mr. José Antonio Estudillo-
I salute you. Some time past, I told you what I thought, and now the blow has been struck. If I live I will come and help you because all the In- dians are invited in all parts. Perhaps the San Bernardinos are now rising and have a man named Juan Berus. He tells that the white people waited for me. For that reason I gave them my word, and be all ready by Tuesday to leave this for the Pueblo. You will arrange with the white people and the Indians, and send me your word. Nothing more.
ANTONIO GARRA.
The people of San Diego at once held a mass meeting, pro- claimed martial law, with the aid of Major Samuel. P. Heint- zelman, who was in command of the district, and began the organ- ization of a volunteer company to go on a punitive expedi- tion. Sentinels were posted to guard every approach to the town and a strict watch kept. Deputy Sheriff Joseph Reiner was sent out as a seout and found the hostiles in force at Agua Caliente, three miles beyond Warner's. In the meantime, the town filled with refugees from the country. The Indians at Temecula, after refusing to join Garra, came in for protection. The white residents of the various ranchos did likewise, many of them abandoning their household goods. Many citizens ren- dered important services at this time. Don Joaquin Ortega, owner of the Santa María rancho, offered to donate horses for the use of the volunteers, and Philip Crosthwaite undertook to go after them. With him went Albert B. Smith, Enos A. Wall, John C. Stewart, and Dr. Ogden. They made the trip in safety and returned with the horses, although it was considered a hazardous service. Don José Antonio Estudillo also furnished horses and mules from his El Cajon rancho.
The volunteer company was known as the "Fitzgerald Vohm- teers," in honor of Major G. B. Fitzgerald, an army officer, who was given the command. Two or three other army officers. who were in San Diego for their health, also volunteered and served as privates. Cave J. Couts was made captain, Agostin Harasz- thy first lieutenant, Lewis A. Franklin second lieutenant. Rob- ert D. Israel first sergeant, Jack Hinton second sergeant. Philip Crosthwaite third sergeant. Henry Clayton fourth sergeant, and George P. Tebbetts ensign. The single men only were
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
allowed to go, leaving the married men, under the command of Sergeant Hinton, to guard the town. Those who went were forty in number, all mounted.
The line of march was by way of the Soledad, Peñasquitas, San Pasqual, Santa María, and Santa Ysabel. They arrived at Warner's Ranch without meeting any Indians, and found the place entirely ruined. Advancing to Agua Caliente, they found the rancheria deserted. The bones of the murdered white men at this place were gathered up and buried and the village burned. No Indians were seen, and the next day the return march began. A sconting party captured Bill Marshall and two Indians, who were taken along as prisoners. The company was detained two or three days at Santa Ysabel by rain and snow, and arrived at San Diego and was disbanded, early in December, after an absence of two weeks. The campaign was a failure, from a number of causes. Garra was away in the San Bernardino mountains, trying to rally the Indians in that region to his aid. It was the policy of the Indians to avoid an open engagement, and when the troops approached they scattered in the moun- tains. The men were also chiefly armed with condemned army muskets loaned by Colonel Magruder, and an inspection of arms was not held, by some strange oversight, until they arrived at Agua Caliente, when it was discovered that only about one- fourth of the guns could be fired.
Colonel J. Bankhead Magruder, in command of the troops at the Mission. did everything in his power to help, but was much hampered by the lack of men and arms. A company of infantry was sent to Yuma, for the relief of the garrison there, which was thought to be in danger. On December 11th two compa- nies of troops arrived and immediately went out under Lienten- ant Patterson. Knowing the Indians would avoid an engage- ment with his troops, he took them ont some distance and then brought them back on the Yuma road, disguised as a wagon- train of emigrants. The Indians took the bait, charged upon the wagons which, to their dismay, proved to be full of soldiers. and a bloody skirmish ensued in which they lost many killed. Patterson then led his men on to Agua Caliente, where they went into camp; in the night, however, leaving their camp fires burning, they went over the mountains to Los Coyotes, whither the Indians had fled, and surrounded their camp. A large num- ber of Indians were killed and captured, and those who escaped were subdued. A drum-head court-martial was held at once and the following prisoners, known to have been active in the murders, were shot: Francisco Moeate, chief of the San Ysi- dro; Luis, Indian alealde of Agua Caliente; Jacobo, or Ono- Sil: and Juan Bautista, or Coton. The regulars returned to
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THE LEADER'S CAPTURE
San Diego early in January and, everything being quiet once more, the refugees returned to their homes.
Bill Marshall and the two Indians confined in the San Diego jail were promptly tried by court-martial. One of these Indi- ans was José Lacano, Marshall's father-in-law, an old man. As it appeared that, while he knew of the uprising, he had taken no part in it, he was discharged. Marshall's mother-in-law gave testimony against him. An Indian boy who had been a servant of Warner's was convicted of giving false testimony during the trial and punished with twenty-five lashes on his bare back.
Marshall was found guilty and condemned to death. as was also the second Indian prisoner. His name was Juan Bero or Berus. He appears to have been the man named as a leader in Garra's letter to Estudillo. The trial was concluded on December 10th and the men were hanged at two o'clock, Decem- ber 13th. The Indian acknowledged his guilt, but Marshall insisted he was innocent. A scaffold was erected near the old Catholic cemetery, the men placed in a wagon, the ropes ad- justed about their necks, and the wagon moved on, leaving them to strangle to death.
What the course of events would have been had Garra been personally present with his warriors, can only be conjectured. His misfortunes were not yet at an end. The Cahuilla chief whom he hoped to win over proved loyal to the whites, and while they sat discussing the matter, he caused his men to slip up behind Garra and seize and bind him, and delivered him to the authorities at Los Angeles. He was brought to San Diego under guard on January 8th, and a court-martial was assembled for his trial on the charges of treason, murder, and theft. The board consisted of General Joshua H. Bean. of Los Angeles, Major Myra Weston, Lieutenant George F. Hooper, Major M. Norton, Captain T. Tilghman, and Major Santiago E. Argiiello. Cave J. Conts was judge advocate, Major Mckinstry counsel for the prisoner, and J. J. Warner interpreter.
In the course of the trial it was brought out that Garra had expected aid from a number of Californians, but this was doubtless a mere fancy of his own. The court-martial took occasion to publish a signed statement that nothing whatever had been brought out at the trial reflecting upon the men. accused. Captain Israel says :
I never understood Garra very well. With his education, he ought to have known he would have no chance in fighting the Americans. He had told the Indians he would turn the bullets into water, and it looked as though he himself believed he could do this, as he certainly was not afraid of them. While he was in jail here he told me about an Indian chief, somewhere
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
off in the San Bernardino mountains, who, he said, had promised to send him three hundred warriors. He also aceused Argüello and Ortega of promising to help him. If Argüello ever made any promises of that kind, it must have been when old Antonio had him seared-Argüello's explanation was that he was trying to find out what the Indians were up to and that he never prom- ised them any help.
At three o'clock on January 10, 1852, it was announced to Garra that he must die. Father Juan Holbein remained with him from that hour until the end. At half past four, the fir- ing squad of ten men paraded before the cell, the provost mar- shal, Robert D. Israel, informed Garra that his hour had come, and the march to the grave was begun. Garra's bearing was cool and he showed a determination to die like a man. The priest thought his conduct unbecoming, and tried to insist upon his praying all the way. Garra refused to do this, saying: "What is the use? That is of no account !" The priest stopped the procession and stood quarrelling with Garra about it. until he gave in and began to pray. "Then," says Israel, "we found that Garra knew more Latin than the priest did." This by- play continued all the way, the priest continually insisting upon Garra's praying and Garra refusing and declaring there was no use in it, but muttering a prayer now and then to rid himself of his importunities.
Arriving at the open grave, Garra took his station at its head, and then a new difficulty rose. Father Juan commanded him to ask the pardon of the people assembled; Garra at first refused, and only after repeated commands.and entreaties did he lift his eyes and say, calmly and with a contemptnous smile : "Gentlemen, I ask your pardon for all my offenses, and expect yours in return." When a soldier advanced to tie a handker- chief over his eyes, he laughingly refused to permit it, but at Father Juan's request he again yielded and allowed his eyes to be bandaged. The provost quickly gave the command: "Ready ! Aim! Fire!" and Antonio Garra fell into his grave. He actu- ally died laughing. His firmness was real, lacking all bravado, and excited the admiration of all who witnessed it. Editor Ames said : "In an instant the soul of a truly 'brave' winged its flight to the regions of eternity, accompanied by the melan- choly howling of dogs, who seemed to be aware of the solemnity of the occasion,-casting a gloom over the assembled hundreds, who while acknowledging the justness of Antonio's fate, felt the need to drop a tear o'er the grave of a brave man and once pow- erful chieftain." But notwithstanding Ames's real admiration for Garra's courage, he could not refrain from indulging his propensity to joke, and, in the next issue of his paper, under the head of "Departures." inserted the following: "Antonio
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LANDS SET APART FOR INDIANS
Garra, Tierra Caliente" (literally, for a hot country, i. e., hell).
A large number of Indians witnessed the execution and were doubtless duly impressed ; at any rate, there was never another Indian uprising, of like proportions, in the South.
But although there were no more Indian "wars," occasional murders, robberies, and pillaging still occurred. A large num- ber of Indians lived in and near San Diego all through the 50's, 60's, 70's, and even far into the 80's, and there was an encampment in Switzer's Canyon for many years. In 1876, an effort which had been going on for some time to have the Indi- ans settled upon reservations, took definite form in an execu- tive order by President Grant, setting apart a large area of
COL. J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER
In command of the troops at the Mission at the time of the Garra uprising
lands in San Diego County "for the permanent use and oecu- pancy of the Mission Indians of Lower California." A copy of this order, giving a description of the lands set apart, is given at the end of this chapter. This was the foundation of the present Indian reservations.
One of the customs of the Mission Indians in early days was to camp on the seashore near Ocean Beach, about the time of Lent, and remain till Easter, drying mussels, clams, and fish. They formed the principal resource of the white population for laborers, and were tolerably satisfactory so long as they did not get drunk. While Lieutenant Derby was turning the San Diego river, in 1853, he employed a large number of Indian laborers. He found it necessary, however, to offer a reward for
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
the apprehension of any person selling liquor to the Indians.
During the 50's, there was something like a reign of terror in Old San Diego, due to the lawless acts of drunken Indians. Severe measures were taken, but without very much effect. There was an Indian alcalde who had a sort of authority over these Indians, and occasionally punished offenders by tying them up to the old cannon which then stood muzzle downward in the ground in front of a store at Old San Diego and was used for a hitching post, and whipping them with a blacksnake whip.
During the years from 1853 to 1860, stabbing affrays were of nightly occurrence, and very little effort was made to appre- hend or punish the offenders. Editor Ames waxed by turns indignant and grimly humorous over the matter. On one occa- sion, "our able district attorney, instead of subjecting the county to about a thousand dollars expense by having the stab- ber sentenced to the state prison, had a ball and chain put to him and 'farmed him out' to the highest bidder for cash." A short time afterward :
Since the opening of the new meat market, the Indians about town have gone into the butchering business on quite an ex- tensive scale-killing about one a week. An Indian boy, be- longing to Mrs. Evans, walked up to another Indian boy on Sat- urday night last, and with a long knife ripped him open as quietly as if he were cutting a watermelon. Who comes next?
Sometimes the whites suffered. In August, 1857, John Min- turn was severely cut in the arm by an Indian, whom, how- ever, he succeeded in "knocking out" with a stick of stove- wood. On April 10, 1858, the Herald declares :
There must be something done to "elean out" the cattle thieves in this county. Whipping has got to be of small ac- count in deterring the Indians from thieving, and we have come to the conclusion that the delectable and efficacious remedy of hanging is about the best, after all. One fellow whom they whipped out at Santa Ysabel, got so mad abont it that he just walked off a hundred yards and laid down and died! It has been ascertained that there have been 311 head of cat- tle stolen in this vicinity, Ramon Carrillo alone, having lost 108 of that number.
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