Amador County High School - Skip Yearbook (Sutter Creek, CA)

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KTwenty , X.i,4f.rgfiT, pn ,tiif sig. 1' '.', Q ,f'ji'f ,al! lr a X .. l.ii' ,..x21XA ' I M' 'T Ill '3 5 QF--if ?.i': tt-az -f' ff ' f- - Qlltu, NC -asa X I - a. M was - ' A few days were spent in exploring the town and a few of the surrounding hills. Aunt Julia grew fond of the country and decided that she would spend a part of her remaining summers there. The worst did not come until about a week or so after we had landed there. We were hiking over around Quart's Mountain, a small used-to-be mining camp, and ran onto an old prospector patiently panning for gold. Aunt Julia had always liked to impress people and started a conversation with the old man. He grew quite interested in her and when he told her that he had been around the world two times, she said no more. He then turned to me and asked if I liked that part of the country. Well, I admitted, It is not at all what I expected to see but maybe after I have been here a while longer I shall learn more of its historic events, Historic events, returned he, If you want to hear of one of those things, just sit yourself on that rock and listen. 'iMore than a half century ago, began he, carelessly lighting his pipe, a great many Mexicans had settled in this part of the country. Some owned small mining claims while others gambled and occasionally worked for a living. The feeling of the Mexicans toward the Americans was very bitter at that time, It often reached the point of robbery and sometimes murder. Public roads were found dangerous to travel over. Several attempts were made to banish the Mexicans from the country, but when driven from one camp they would only go to another, and as the miners were continually moving about and the population changing, their acts were soon forgotten and they would return even more sullen than before. Good gracious, I hope they are gone by now, exclaimed Aunt Julia, pretending to be deeply interested in the story, but in reality, I knew that the sooner it was over the better she would like it. At this the prospector returned to Aunt Julia saying, Don't get nervous, lady, the worst is yet to come, and then he continued. 'lWhen the news of the slaughter of six or seven persons at Rancheria spread over the country, the angry people were moved to deeds that were afterwards regretted. These mur- ders were committed by twelve men, one who seemed to be white, one exceed- ingly dark, and the rest of the ordinary Mexican type. They were Iirst seen on an August night, at the Q Ranch, a large boarding house or hotel located near lone. CAunt Julia rose from the rock on which she had been sitting and came closerj. 'lThe following morning they left the ranch and made their way towards Drytown, first robbing a Chinese camp and leaving all the Chinamen tied. Their next step was to attack Drytown and then go to Rancheria. But by some fortunate cause the citizens learning of their scheme immediately prepared to save their city. Two prominent citizens volunteered fourl

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,g1gfg5v'z11 -eff At fc' 1-1fQ.f':51f A' Qfxavii I - il . get ie tlf-. A ,.,g ,bffzmck ,fill if 1 aa, ll - ' it ga ,leaf KT 'Ki I 'X -'If.Tx'1P 'f' f. 5 'fr i Mg E- A ' Y' RNAHQ-,Ag ,VV, g 3- THE RANCHERIA MASSACREU D ,. , I 4 f LL my life I had wanted a trip to the country. I had ,V ' ' I if read countless books on its wonders and felt that I f would not be satisfied until I could see for myself if p if it were as real and majestic as authors and poets T' had claimed it to be. It was not until the eighteenth year of my life that this great oppor- tunity came to me. My poor, rich aunt, was grief-stricken over the loss of Bertha Cher pet Angora catj, and decided to leave the little mound which decorated the base of the front window and go to the country to try and forget her sorrow. After having decided on a favorable quiet town, Aunt Julia left her home in charge of an old Mexican caretaker, Casus. He was a very odd looking old fellow, but I had been informed that he was very reliable. His left cheek had a long smooth scar across it which from a side view gave him a very cruel appearance and caused one to shudder. The next day found us packed and ready for a long journey northward. We boarded a train and after what seemed to me to be years, I grew tired and dizzy watching the fence posts whiz by and nnally fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was being picked up from the floor by the Conductor and Aunt Julia, who were both considerably frightened and angry over my fall. Upon in- quiring about the sudden stop of the train, I learned that we had arrived at Martel Station and were now to transfer to an auto for the rest of our journey. Once in the Ford, I began to look around for large fields of flowers, beautiful streams shaded by tall evergreen trees, and farms with large two story buildings surrounded by various smaller ones. But to my bitter disappointment I could see nothing of that sort and at once noticed the poles from which wires ran in all directions. I wanted to get far away from luxurious civilization, and revel and become steeped in the spirit of the great out-of-doors. I was thoroughly disgusted with Aunt Julia and her trip to the country Qas she called itb 3 for I so wished to learn the mysteries of a kerosene lamp. About midnight I was awakened by a hard poke in the ribs and Aunt Julia informed me that someone was in the room and that she knew they were at her purse because she heard them open it. I rose up on my pillow, turned on the light, and looked in vain, but there was her suitcase just as she had left it. I looked across the white linen at her but all I could see were a few stray locks of her paper waved hair which were emerging from under her pillow. Poor Aunt Julia. The next morning she grew quite angry when I remarked that we had had our Hrst country experience, and she threatened to leave for home at once. A ITwenty th e fl

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i '4a' I 'f1 ' 1. '--- - -- ' ' 4 .A.14 2 . t' a . fiiiq' A Nll' If ll -1: i c 1 WE! il on it 2?-M --.L 'km-f ig,gadZfi'lNW4 ' M we 'VC ' 7-151 'X . lgD?5, RMMQhN.,,5'fi..,-1'1L'M'RQ-S' M ' to go to Rancheria to inform the people of their danger, They avoided the road by going around to the other side of the town and through the fields. While the party were talking over the matter the Mexicans had done the work. When the citizens arrived at Rancheria, the Mexicans appeared to be leaving by the other side of the town. There were no lights and everything was quiet. Here Aunt Julia's eyes widened and she glanced about her cautiously. They called aloud several times before they received any reply. David Wilson was found hiding in a ditch and they learned from him that the Mexicans had killed several persons, the number he did not know. On arriving at the store they found the clerk dead behind the counter, the owner missing and the safe blown open. About twenty thousand dollars had been stolen, and just look at the place now, would you ever think there was so much money here? Not far from the store they found the owner with both legs broken and several wounds. Then they went to Dynan's hotel, which stood just about where that old shed stands now, Cpointing to an old tumbled down shedj and there they found Mrs. Dynan dead and her husband so badly wounded that he died not many hours afterwards. Mrs. Dynan had been shot in an attempt to put her infant out of the window into some shrubbery for safety. The news of this spread rapidly. By nine the next morning nearly live-hundred people were present. The character of the murders and the causeless attack raised the anger of the people almost beyond control. Some were for an immediate war on all the Mexican race. Parties were engaged in arresting and bringing in all in the vicinity. Poor Aunt Julia, I knew she would never get over it, and although I was intensely interested in the old man's story, I was hoping, for Aunt Julia's sake, that there would not be much more of it. After a lot of searching, the old man continued, again lighting his pipe, 'ithree men, to whom evidence proved fatal, were hanged to an old oak tree, and the old tree remained standing for thirty years before it fell to the ground. That, continued the man, 'tis a sincere and true event. And would you believe that a young man could have committed such a murder. I say young- yes-he was only a boy, perhaps in his eighteenth year. As I have heard people describing him, he was a sort of pleasant chap, but he had a long, smooth scar across his left cheek which from a side view gave him a very cruel look. I have heard said he, 'lthat his friends called him Casusf' Casus, shrieked Aunt Julia. Casus, he must be the man, Oh, my poor parrot, my poor gold fish, what shall I do. , The old man looked very surprised but seeing my look of anxiety to learn the rest of the story, continued. Over there, said he, pointing to a spot not far away, is the very place where the old tree stood, lTwenty fivefl