USA > California > Tulare County > History of Tulare County, California with biographical sketches > Part 10
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RESOLVED TO ESTABLISH A GOVERNMENT.
Before transferring their prisoners, however, a treaty, or agreement was entered into between the captives and captors, which will appear in the annexed document kindly furnished to us by General Vallejo, and which have never before been given to the public.
" We, the undersigned, having resolved to establish a govern- ment upon Republican principles in connection with others of our fellow-citizens, and having taken up arms to support it, wc have taken three Mexican officers as prisoners; Gen. M. G. Vallejo, Lieut. Col. Victor Prudon, and Capt. D. Salvador Vallejo; having formed and published to the world no regular plan of government, we feel it our duty to say that it is not our intention to take or injure any person who is not found in opposition to the cause, nor will we take or destroy the prop- erty of private individuals further than is necessary for our immediate support.
" EZEKIEL MERRITT, WILLIAM FALLON, SAMUEL KELSEY."
" R. SEMPLE,
GEN. VALLEJO A PRISONER IN SUTTER'S FORT.
But to proceed with our narrative of the removal of the General, his brother and Prudon to Sutter's Fort. A guard consisting of William B. Ide, as Captain, Captain Grigsby, Captain Merritt, Kit Carson, William Hargrave, and five others left Sonoma for Sutter's Fort, with their prisoners upon horses actually supplied by General Vallejo himself. We are told that on the first night after leaving Sonoma with their pris- oners, the revolutionists, with singular inconsistency, encamped and went to sleep without setting sentinel or guard; that during the night they were surrounded by a party under the command of Juan de Padilla, who crept up stealthily and awoke one of the prisoners, telling him that there was with him elose at hand a strong and well-armed force of rancheros, who, if need be, could surprise and slay the Americans before there was time for them to fly to arms, but that he, Padilla, before giving such instructions waited the orders of General Vallejo, whose rank entitled him to the command of any such demonstration.
The General was cautiously aroused and the scheme divulged to him, but with a self-sacrifice which cannot be too highly commended, answered that he should go voluntarily with his guards, that he anticipated a speedy and satisfactory settlement of the whole matter, advised Padilla to return to his rancho and disperse his band, and positively refused to permit any violence to the guard, as he was convinced that such would lead to disastrous consequences, and probably involve the rancheros and their families in ruin, without accomplishing any good result.
Having traveled about two-thirds of the way from Sutter's Fort, Captain Merritt and Kit Carson rode on ahcad with the news of the capture of Sonoma, desiring that arrangements be
55
PROGRESS OF THE BEAR FLAG WAR.
made for the reception of the prisoners. They entered the fort early in the morning of June 16th.
MAKING OF THE BEAR FLAG.
On the seizure of the citadel of Sonoma, the Independents found floating from the flag-staff-head the flag of Mexico, a fact which had escaped notice during the bustle of the morning. It was at once lowcred, and they set to work to devise a banner which they should claim as their own. They were as one on the subject of there being a star on the groundwork, but they taxed their ingenuity to have some other device, for the " lone star " had already been appropriated by Texas.
So many accounts of the manufacture of this insignia have been published that we give the reader those quoted by the writer in The Pioneer :-
" A piece of cotton cloth," says Mr. Lancy, " was obtained, and a man by the name of Todd proceeded to paint from a pot of red paint a star in the corner. Before it was finished, Henry L. Ford, one of the party, proposed to paint on the center, facing the star, a grizzly bear. This was unanimously agreed to, and the grizzly bear was painted accordingly. When it was done the flag was taken to the flag-staff, and hoisted amid the hurrahs of the little party, who swore to defend it with their lives."
Of this matter Lieutenant Revere says: " A flag was also hoisted bearing a grizzly bear rampant, with one stripe below, and the words, ' Republic of California,' above the bear, and a single star in the union." This is the evidence of the officer who hauled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes on July 9, 1846.
The Western Shore Gacetteer has the following version: "On the 14th of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and independent Republic. and on that day hoisted their flag, known as the ' Bear flag;' this consisted of a strip of worn-out cotton domestic, furnished by Mrs. Kelley, bordered with red flannel, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, who had fled from some distant part to Sonoma for safety upon hearing that war had been thus commenced. In the center of the flag was a representation of a bear, en passant, painted with Venetian red, and in one corner was painted a star of the same color. Under the bear were inscribed the words, ' Repub- lic of California,' put on with common writing ink. This flag is preserved by the California Pioneer Association, and may be seen at their rooms in San Francisco. It was designed and executed by W. L. Todd."
The Sonoma Democrat under the caption, " A True History of the Bear Flag," tells its story: "The rest of the revolution- ary party remained in possession of the town. Among them were three young men,- Todd, Benjamin Duell, and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conversation between these young men, the matter of a flag came up. They had no authority to raise the American flag, and they deter- mined to make one. Their general idea was to imitate, without
following too closely their national ensign. Mrs. W. B. Elliott had been brought to the town of Sonoma by her husband from his ranch on Mark West Creek for safety. The old Elliott cabin may be seen to this day on Mark West Creek, about a mile above the Springs. From Mrs. Elliott, Benjamin Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles, and thread. A piece of blue drilling was also obtained.
So from this material, without consultation with any one else, these three young men made the Bear flag. Cowie had been a saddler. Duell had also served a short time at the same trade. To form the flag, Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white and blue. Todd drew in the up- per corner a star, and painted on the lower a rude picture of a grizzly bear, which was not standing as has been sometimes represented, but was drawn with head down. The bear was afterwards adopted as the design of the great seal of the State of California On the original flag it was so rudely executed that two of those who saw it raised have told us that it looked more like a hog than a bear. Be that as it may, its meaning was plain-that the revolutionary party would, if necessary, fight their way through at all hazards. In the language of our informant, it meant that there was no back-out; they in- tended to fight it out. There were no halyards on the flag- staff, which stood in front of the barracks. It was again reared, and the flag, which was soon to be replaced by that of the Republic, for the first time floated on the breeze."
William Winter, Secretary of the Association of Territorial Pioneers of California, and Mr. Lancey, questioned the correct- ness of these dates, and entered into correspondence with all the men known to be alive, who were of that party, and others who were likely to throw any light on the subject. Among many answers received, we quote the following portion of a letter from James G. Bleak :-
"ST. GEORGE, Utah, 16th of April, 1878. " To William Winter, Esq., Secretary of Association 'Territo- rial Pioneers of California'-
"DEAR SIR: Your communication of the 3d instant is placed in my hands by the widow of a departed friend-James M. Ide, son of William B .- as I have at present in my charge some of his papers. In reply to your question asking for ' the correct date ' of raising the 'Bear flag' at Sonoma, in 1846 I will quote from the writing of William B. Ide, deceased :-
"The said Bear flag (was) made of plane (plain) cotton cloth, and ornamented with the red flannel of a shirt from the back of one of the men, and christened by the ' California Republic,' in red paint letters on both sides; (it) was raised upon the standard where had floated on the breezes the Mexican flag aforetime; it was the 14th of June, '46. Our whole number was twenty-four, all told. The mechanism of the flag was performed by William L. Todd of Illinois. The grizzly bear was chosen as an em- blem of strength and unyielding resistance.'
" JAMES G. BLEAK."
56
THE SETTLERS ORGANIZE THEIR FORCES.
W. B. IDE'S REMARKABLE SPEECH.
The garrison being now in possession, it was necessary to elect officers; therefore, Henry L. Ford was eleeted First Lieu- tenant; Granville P. Swift, First Sergeant; and Samuel Gibson, Second Sergeant. Sentries were posted and a system of mili- tary routine inaugurated. In the forenoon, while on parade, Lieutenant Ford addressed the company in these words :-
" My countrymen! We have taken upon ourselves a very responsible duty. We have entered into a war with the Mexi- can nation. We are bound to defend each other or be shot : There's no half-way place about it. Each of you has had a voice in choosing your officers. Now they are chosen they must be obeyed !"
To which the entire band responded that the authority of the officers should be supported. For point and brevity this is almost equal to the speech put in the mouths of some of his military heroes by Tacitus, the great Roman historian.
CAPTAIN IDE ORGANIZES THE FORCES.
The words of William B. Ide throw further light upon the ma- chinery of the civil-military foree: "The men were divided into two companies of ten men each. The First Artillery were busily engaged in putting the cannons in order, which were doubly charged with grape and canister. The First Rifle Company were busied in eleaning, repairing and loading the small arms. The commander, after setting a guard and post- ing a sentinel on one of the highest buildings to watch the approach of any persons who might feel a curiosity to inspeet our operations, directed his leisure to the establishment of some system of finance, whereby all the defenders' families might be brought within the lines of our garrison and supported. Ten thousand pounds of flour were purchased on the eredit of the Government, and deposited with the garrison. And an aeeount was opened, on terms agreed upon, for a supply of beef and a few barrels of salt which constituted our main supplies. Whisky was eontrabanded altogether. After the first round of duties was performed, as many as could be spared off guard, were called together and our situation fully explained to the men by the commanders of the garrison.
Will S. Green says: "We have seen it stated by some writ- ers, that Capt. John Grigsby was chosen to the command after the capture of Sonoma, and also that Ide was so ehosen but both of them went with the prisoners to Sutter's Fort. We have talked with both Ide and Semple about the Bear Flag War, and we are certain that Ide was not the military com- mander, but that it was in a civil eapaeity that he issued the proclamation above given. Ford, although nominally a Lieutenant, was the real military leader of the Bear Flag Party. He had served four years as Sergeant in the U. S. Dragoons, and understood the drill and discipline better than those more able to direct the policy to be pursued. Ide and Semple were the leaders in that."
A messenger was dispatched to San Francisco to inform Captain Montgomery, of the United States ship Portsmouth, of the action taken by them, he further stating that it was the intention of the insurgents never to lay down their arms until the independence of their adopted country had been established. .
A TRAGIC AND FEARFUL DEATH.
Lieutenant Ford finding that the magazine was short of powder, sent two men, named Cowie and Fowler, to the Soto- yome Rancho, at Healdsburg, owned by H. D. Fitch, for a bag of rifle powder. Two miles from Santa Rosa, they were attacked and slaughtered by a party of Californians. Two others were dispatehed on special duty; they, too, were cap- tured, but were treated better. Receiving no intelligenee from either of the parties, foul play was suspected; therefore on the morning of the 20th of June, Sergeant Gibson was ordered, with four men, to proceed to the Sotoyome Rancho, learn if possible, the whereabouts of the missing men, and proeure the powder. They went as directed, secured the ammunition, but got no news of the missing men. As they were passing Santa Rosa, on their return, they were attacked at daylight by a few Californians, and turning upon their assailants, captured two of them, Blas Angelina and Barnadino Gareia, alias Three- fingered Jack, and took them to Sonoma. They told of the taking and slaying of Cowie and Fowler.
The story of their death is a sad one. After 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 eaptives. A swarthy New Mexiean named Mesa Juan Pedilla, and Three-fingered Jaek, the Californian, were loudest in their denunciation of the pris- oners as deserving of death; and, unhappily, their counsels prevailed. The unfortunate young men were then led out, stripped naked, bound 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 eommeneed throwing stones at them, one of which broke the jaw of Fowler. The fiend, Three-fingered Jack, then advane- ing, thrust the end of his riata (a rawhide rope) through the mouth, cut 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 eut from their bodies and crammed into their mouths they finally being 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 conspieuous a part in the event which gave to the Union the great State of California.
Three-fingered Jaek was killed by Captain Harry Love's Rangers, July 27, 1853, at Pinola Pass, near the Merced River,
群价
RESIDENCE OF O.L.WILSON. NEAR KING'S RIVER. TULARE CO. CAL. ELLIOTT LITH, 421 MONT. ST.
2
NORMAN STALLION, ENTERPRISE.OWNED BY A. H. SANDERS. BREEDER OF NORMAN HORSES, ELLIOTT LITH. 421 MONT.ST.
57
PROCLAMATION FOR REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT.
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 PROCLAMATON.
At Sonoma Capt. William B. Ide, with the consent of the garrison, issued the following :-
" A Proclamation to all persons and citizens of the District of Sonoma, requesting them to remain at peace, and follow 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 command.
" He also solemnly declares his object to be : first, to defend himself and companions in arms, who were invited to this coun- try by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families; who were also promised a republican goverement ; when, having arrived in California, they were denied the priv- ilege 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 despot- ism; who were even threatened by proclamation, by the chief officers of the aforesaid despotisin, with extermination, if they should not depart out of the country, leaving all their prop- erty, arms, and beasts of burden ; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defense, were to be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, to certain destruction.
" To overthrow a government which has seized upon the prop- erty 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 iny command.
"I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be to invite 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 agriculture, commerce, and manufactures.
" I further declare that I rely upon the rectitude of our inten- tions, the favor of heaven, and the bravery of those who are bound and associated with me by the principles of self-preserva- tion, 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 be prosperous and happy must originate with the people who
are friendly to its existence; that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward.
" WILLIAM B. IDE.
" Headquarters, Sonoma, June 18, 1846."
JUDGE W. B. IDE'S HISTORY.
Capt. William B. Ide was born in Ohio; came overland, reaching Sutter's Fort in 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 Justice of the Peace at Cache Creek. At an early day he got a grant of land which was called the Rancho Barranca Colo- rado, just below Red Creek, in Colusa County, as it was then organized. In 1851 he was elected County Treasurer, with an assessment roll of $373,206. Moved with the county seat to Monroeville, at the mouth of Stony Creek, September 3, 1851; was elected County Judge of Colusa County, and practiced law, having a license. Judge Ide died of small-pox at Mon- roeville, Colusa County, 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 court by Huls. and the indictment read to him by Ide as Clerk. He was on trial for horse-stealing; the penalty at that time was death. The Judge mounted the bench and informed the prisoner of his rights, including that of having counsel assigned him for his defense. This the prisoner asked. Here was a dilemma. There was no licensed attorney, nearer than Butte County, to be had. The Court (Ide and two Asso- ciate Judges; held a consultation on the situation. Ide, how- ever, 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 defended by the pre- siding Judge. There being no District Attorney present, it was expected that the presiding Judge would also look out for the interests of the people. 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 them, 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 mercy. Then he got on the bench again, and instructed the jury calmly and impartially as to the law in the case. The jury retired, and in a few moments brought in a verdiet of "guilty."
*Written by Will S. Green, of the Colusa Sun, for Elliott's History of Colusa County.
58
THE RAISING OF THE AMERICAN FLAG.
When the time for sentence eame, 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. You have been ably defended by counsel appointed by this Court. The jury have found yon guilty of grand lareeny, the penalty of which, under the benign laws of this State, is death. It is, therefore, the judgment of this Court that you be taken by the Sheriff to some convenient plaee, on the - day of -, and then and there hanged by the neek, until you are dead, dead, dead, and may the Lord have merey 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 exceution Huls went over after his prisoner, but found that he had been pardoned out by the Governor, without the officers of Colusa County knowing anything about it.
ONLY FIGHT UNDER THE BEAR FLAG.
1846 .- The only real fight of the war occurred on the twenty- fifth of June, between a body of about eighty Californians and some twenty men under eommand of Lieutenant Ford. These few men were put to flight, and continued their mareh across the bay. Fremont arrived at Sonoma two days after the fight, still hesitating,. He wanted, so we are told by Semple and Ide, (who informed Will S. Green, of Colusa,) to oeeupy a posi- tion where he might reap the benefit of a vietory and not suffer from defeat.
After the return of the Californians aeross the bay, the Bear Flag Party urged Fremont to capture the ship Moscow, then lying at Saueelito, eross the bay, eapture 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 launeh near enough to them to be captured by the party of revolutionists.
Com. John D. Sloat 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.
AMERICAN FLAG RAISED IN MONTEREY.
On Saturday, July 11, 1846, eame 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 consequence 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 eamp. 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 .*
"Coneerning the eapture of Monterey," says Will S. Green, " we were fortunate enough to hear the reeital by Commodore Sloat himself. War was anticipated between the United States and Mexieo long before it occurred, and Commodore Jones, then in eommand on this eoast, was instrueted to take Monte- rey, the capital of California, as soon as he heard hostilities had eommeneed. As we have seen, he aeted 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 sloop-of-war anxiously watehing the signs of the times. It was known that there was an arrangement with England to take possession of California, and hold it for Mexieo 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 dis- patches, and Sloat got none. Sloat set a watch on the Admi- ral's movements, and found him in elose eonsultation with the leading Mexicans, who avoided the American commander. He guessed that hostility had commenced, and when Seymour went on board his vessel and began to make ready for departure, he felt certain of the faet; and the white sails of the Collingwood had not disappeared in the distance before the two small Amer- iean vessels were under way for Monterey. Every possible ineh of eanvas was spread and a quiek voyage was made. On arriving at Monterey a demand was made for the surrender of the place, which was complied with without the firing of a gun. In a day or so the lookout announeed the approach of the Collingwood. Not knowing how the Admiral would inter- pret his order to take possession of Monterey, the Commodore had his two small vessels got in readiness for aetion. The huge Englishman sailed up between the two Ameriean vessels and dropped anehor. Sloat sent an offieer on board with his compliments to the Admiral, and the latter eame 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 offieer 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 found 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 aetion and eourage of Commodore Sloat that we beeame possessed of California.
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