History of the Argonaut and Kennedy Mines - Amador County

While traveling down historic highway 49 through Jackson you cannot miss the rusty remnants of the old Kennedy mine off in the distance. It is also impossible to ignore the towering shell of what is left of the Argonaut mine on the side of the hill as you drive down into Jackson as well.  Both mines share some pretty interesting and also tragic history. Here is just some of the history I have dug up over the years about these two amazing historic landmarks in Amador County. Enjoy!

ARGONAUT MINE

Discovery

The Argonaut Mine, which was originally known as the Pioneer Mine, was discovered around 1850, by James Hager and William Tudor, who according to the 1860 Census show were freed slaves living among the Chinese in Township 1, Amador County.  At some point around 1857, the property was acquired by George Stasal, Frank Hoffman, Peter Laubersima, William Slaughter, Charles Weller, Otto Walter and Louis Mentzlen to form the Pioneer Mining Company. It would later become The Argonaut Mining Company in 1893.

Infamous Robbery

December 1^st, 1921--- According to the Sacramento Union newspaper, at approximately 1:30 a.m. the Argonaut Mining Company was robbed after bandits overpowered the two night watchmen, James Podesto and Reese Williams, blew the company safe and escaped with nearly $100,000 ($50,000 of which was in gold). The robbers wore red bandana hankerchiefs over their faces and carried pistols and shot guns.

“The mill safe then was wheeled to the convenient point and the bandits leisurely drilled a hole in the door, filled it with nitro-glycerin and blew it open. After removing all the gold inside they escaped in a waiting automobile…..Upon investigation it was found that the bandits had cut the telephone lines leading directly into the mill….The wheel tracks of a large car were plainly visible in the road to Ione, 12 miles distant. Rain began falling early, however, and when the posse reached that point it was forced to turn back.  Sheriff Lucot stated the robbery evidently had been planned by someone familiar with the methods employed by the company.”

It was believed that it was an inside job, and involved possibly eight men who worked at or were familiar with the mine. Two men were eventually arrested and at least one of men, Hiram Baker, was acquitted of the crime.  At that point Argonaut Consolidated Mining Company was owned by John T. Smith of New York, who was President, along with co-owners  E. A. Stent of S.F. and John Raggio of Stockton.

Mine Disaster

On August 27, 1922, the worst mine disaster in California history took place, when a toxic mix of gas and fumes caused a fatal fire 4,650 feet deep, trapping the miners below. There had been rumors that the fire could have been started by arson, from a rival employee at the Kennedy Mine, but there has never been any proof to substantiate the claim.  The fire lasted for 2 days, and rescue efforts lasted for weeks. All but one of the miner’s bodies were recovered and they were buried at the Jackson Cemetery. The 47^th miner was not found until over a year later, when the mine shaft was being flushed out, the remains were accidentally discovered. It was the body of the man who wrote the message on the wall “3 o’clock, gas getting strong, Fessel.” The man was Edward William Fessel, and he was finally buried next to the other fallen miners. The fatalities of this disaster were Amador County residents, of Italian, Serbian and Spanish ancestry.

It was surveying work done years prior by Kennedy Mining Engineer, Walter Ephraim Downs that directed the rescuers to dig through to the Argonaut mine shaft in an attempt to rescue the trapped miners in 1922.  Although the effort was futile, his work gained national attention for giving the rescuers a fighting chance to reach the Argonaut shafts.  On another note,  Mr. Downs was the son of Robert Carleton Downs’ the superintendent of the Union Mine (later Lincoln Mine) in Sutter Creek and owner of the Hanford & Down’s stores which were located in Sutter Creek, Jackson and Volcano.  Walter Ephraim Downs’ brother, Fred, was the one who tragically drowned in the Preston Reservoir in Ione, in 1902.

Wife of Argonaut Mine Disaster Victim Attempts Suicide

Allegedly the widow of miner Charles Fitzgerald, attempted to take her own life on September 18, 1922, when she swallowed poison.  Amador County Physician, Edwin Eugene Endicott came to her aid and successfully saved her life. Interestingly though, it wasn't his wife that attempted suicide, but instead it was his mistress who did so after learning that her beloved had perished in the disaster. Learn more about the details of this story in Episode 3 of my Season 2 podcast on the subject.

Sac Union, 9/19/1922

Deaths At the Argonaut Mine


Besides the 47 miners who were tragically killed in the Argonaut in the Summer of 1922, there have been many others who met their demise at this infamous mine.  To date, I have found the stories of Raphael Giannini, Frank Goss, Claude Smith, Guiseppi Isarti and John Mitchell who all died in the mine at different times over the years of operation. I can guarantee you there are more that I haven't found, yet.....

CHARLES FRANK GOSS

Amador Dispatch, 5/20/1904

GUISSEPI ISARTI

Amador Dispatch, 6/16/1916

JOHN MITCHELL

Amador Dispatch, 3/1/1918

CLAUDE SMITH

Another Tragic Death – “The ill-fated Argonaut Mine, scene in 1922 of the disaster in which 47 men were killed, today claimed the life of another. Claude Smith, 22, was instantly killed when a dynamite cap he had set blew up prematurely because of a defective fuse. A companion, Harvey Jones, was badly injured.” – Healdsburg Tribune, March 17, 1930.

To learn more about that tragic death at the Argonaut Mine, Please click here to read:

"Claude Smith's Tragic Death at the Argonaut Mine."

RAPHAEL GIANNINI  

Amador Dispatch, 5/19/1932

KENNEDY MINE

According to Amador County history, the Kennedy Mine started in January of 1860, when Andrew Kennedy filed a mining claim along with four other men who were associated with the Oneida mine, to the north. Kennedy had dug a prospecting shaft approximately 100 feet deep, using a bucket attached to a winch. Within a year or so, Kennedy sold his interest in the mine for $5,000, due to the fact it wasn’t doing very well.  By 1869, the mine was sold to eleven businessman from Jackson in the amount of one dollar. The men formed the Kennedy Mining Company. 

“So named from its discoverer was developed by John Fullen, James Fleming and James Bergon, working the rock at the Oneida Mine. In 1871, it was taken by a joint-stock company, the Richlings being large owners. The mine has hardly been a success, and in 1880 it was closed down. The vein is close to the foot-wall and has pitched rapidly to the east, following a pitch of nearly forty-five degrees, which is considered very flat. It is believed that it will eventually join a vein about six hundred feet to the east, called the “volunteer.” The lode does not follow the rift of the slate and consequently is not a true fissure vein.” – Page 149 “History of Amador County” by Jesse Mason

July 1872- In a record 9 days, the Kennedy Mine made nine thousand dollars (equivalent to about $170,000 today). The mine made over $300,000 between 1870 and 1878.

“September 18, 1874 – Boarding House at the Kennedy Mine was destroyed by fire.” –History of Amador County, 1881.

The mine was sold in 1886, for $97,500 to bay area investors, and the company changed its name to “Kennedy Mining and Milling Company.” The mine operated until 1942, when all mines were closed by the U.S. Government to support the war effort. At that time, the Kennedy Mine was listed as the deepest gold mine in all of North America, with a vertical distance measured at 5,912 feet, and 50 miles of underground excavations. In 1961, Sybil Arata purchased the property to live out her retirement. She resided in the Manager’s Residence “Bunkhouse” for the rest of her life.  Her final wishes for her property were to keep the area open for wildlife to roam, and for the mine to be preserved for historical posterity.

An interesting tidbit -- In 1904, an escaped ward, Dan Gillette, from the Preston School of Industry made his way up to the Kennedy Mine property and tried to fit in with the employees there at the new boarding house. He managed to get himself a free meal and hide out for a while, and just as he was going to head down into the mine along with the other miners, Constable Kelly from Ione, who was hot on his trail, arrested him.

Deaths at the Kennedy Mine

Obviously this is not a list of every man who died at the Kennedy Mine, but here is a list of the few stories I have been able to dig out of the archived newspapers of the time period. So far I have found a total of 41 deaths, and counting. Obviously, I am saving some of the stories to publish at a later time, and on other blogs but here are just a few of the deaths I have uncovered during my research:

On March 15, 1902, miner David De Ricci made a misstep, falling backward down into the east shaft 2,600 feet. “In his descent, his arms, legs, the back portion of his head and every vestige of clothes were torn from his body.”—

May 26, 1902 -- "A miner named Francisco Giovanoni [SIC] lost his life at the Kennedy Mine shortly after midnight on the night of May 26. The fatality was purely accidental. It occurred at the 2300 foot level of the north shaft. There were from fifteen to twenty men around there at the time. A plank 18 inches wide was in position for the men to walk to and from the shaft, and below this was a chasm thirty feet deep, made by the excavation of ore. Deceased was in the act of carrying the lunch bucket to the station when he was seen to make the fatal step off the planking, and fell to the bottom of the chute.”—Amador Ledger, May 30, 1902.

June 12, 1902 - 30 year old Walter Williams was instantly killed when about 200 feet from the top of the shaft, his body came in contact with a shaft timber. He was caught on it and dragged out of the skip. His head and body were crushed between the skip and timbers. His companions C. Parker and B. Allison could not explain how the accident happened because the shaft was so dark. Williams had only worked at the mine three weeks and was new to the area. No one knew where he came from and he had no family to contact. All that was known was that he was a member of the Knights of the Pythias and was living with Henry Osborne at Kennedy Flat.

March 6, 1905 – Edward Hallam was killed at the Kennedy Mine today. He was descending a shaft from the 2400 foot level when a skip came down in another compartment. It is believed he got scared and let go his hold. He fell, breaking his neck.” – Los Angeles Herald, March 7, 1905

December 7, 1909, Italian immigrant Luigi Reviera was crushed to death by several tons of rock falling on him while working at the 3,150 level of the mine with Fred Hicks. Engaged in placing a butt cap in the hanging wall above the tunnel timbers, the rocks gave way and a huge slab came down on him, killing him instantly.

February 27, 1911- James Baldwin was crushed to death while working at the 3400 level of the mine.  Baldwin and his co-workers were told to be careful working in the area that had been blasted earlier. While cleaning out the loose dirt a large mass of rock fell from above, crushing him.  Baldwin’s helper claimed he could hear Baldwin hollering that he was stuck, but given the massive amount of rock and dirt that covered him, the coroner felt death was almost instantaneous.

November 17, 1913 – Miners, Maksim Rupar and Jako Acimovich died from a premature explosion while in the mine shaft. 

On December 20, 1915, the timber boss William Harvey and A. Targo both met their death when they fell down the main shaft of the mine, a total of 3,900 feet.  According to the newspaper accounts, Harvey had been working in compartment 37 since 8 o’clock in the morning. As he was descending a ladder at the entrance of the shaft he became dizzy and slipped, falling. As his body was going down the shaft, just below was A. Targo, who was standing on the edge of the shaft. Harvey’s body smacked Targo’s knocking him off the edge and down the shaft with Harvey. Both died and their bodies were “badly mangled.”

June 12, 1916 - Mike Vijovich also died after falling 300 feet down a shaft. After straightening a mine can that had fallen on its side, he lost his footing and slipped.

February 13, 1932 - Peter Garcia, Liberato Mendes & Sam Martinez  perished after a terrible explosion at the Kennedy Mine. After setting up over 40 holes with dynamite  with too short of fuses for each, not allowing themselves ample time to light the fuses and leave the area to safety, the three men went on to light each fuse one by one, and by the time they lit the last fuse, the first one went off setting off a domino effect of explosions and ultimately killing them. The three were buried by the explosion with Garcia and Martinez dying immediately. Mendes was rescued but later died of his injuries.

You can find some of the men mentioned above in the Jackson City Cemetery, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cemetery or the Catholic Cemetery in Jackson.

You can read about more deaths at the Kennedy Mine here!

J’aime Rubio, Copyright 2017 – (www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

Some of my sources

History of Amador County, - Jesse Mason, 1881.

History of Amador County, - Federation of Amador County Women’s Clubs, April 1927

Los Angeles Herald, March 16, 1902

Amador Ledger, May 30, 1902

Amador Ledger, June 13, 1902

Los Angeles Herald, March 7, 1905

Amador Ledger, December 10, 1909

Amador Ledger, March 3, 1911

Sacramento Union, May 2, 1914

Press Democrat, December 21, 1915

Sacramento Union, June 14, 1916

Sacramento Union, September 19, 1922

Sacramento Union, December 2, 1921

Los Angeles Herald, December 7, 1921

Sacramento Union, December 9, 1921

Sacramento Union, April 20, 1922

Sacramento Union, May 13, 1922

Sacramento Union, August 29, 1922

Sacramento Union, September 19, 1922

Healdsburg Tribune, March 17, 1930

Amador Ledger, April 22, 1904

Amador Ledger, April 29, 1904

Wild Escape From The Preston School of Industry

If you have read my other blogs about the history of the Preston School of Industry, or if you have purchased a copy of my book "Behind The Walls," then you are aware of the many events that have taken place behind the ominous brick walls of Preston Castle. During my search for more stories to include in my upcoming special edition eBook, I stumbled upon a tale of attempted murder and a wild escape too good to ignore. This particular event took place in 1904, by two very dangerous wards determined to stop at nothing for their chance at freedom. In my latest book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History," you can read about this story in even more detail.

"April 20, 1904- It was a Wednesday night, at approximately 10:00 p.m. when the night watchman in the boys dormitory upstairs in the Castle appeared for his shift. He hadn't been on duty for more than fifteen minutes when he decided to quickly use the restroom while the boys were supposed to be in bed.  When night watchman J.S. Phillips returned from the bathroom he noticed that two of the wards, Rowe and Gillette, were up at the water fountain (to the right of the door) getting themselves a drink.

Edward Rowe

Before Phillips could even get inside the room and lock the door behind him, one of the boys came up and struck him with a slungshot. They had used a woman's stocking and placed a hard, large rock inside of it and continued to hit Phillips over the head until they knocked him out. The boys then continued to beat on Phillips, kicking him in the head and leaving a deep gash. Had it not been for the rock tearing the hosiery and falling out onto the floor, Phillips may have died from being continually struck by it.

Once the boys had completely incapacitated the watchman, they climbed out the window of the dormitory and down the water pipe alongside the castle's brick walls. Barefoot and in their pajamas, the boys immediately separated upon reaching the outskirts of the Preston property.  Rowe headed out west and was caught the next day near Carbondale, California (which used to be about six miles northwest of Ione). However, Gillette went east towards Jackson, causing a big ruckus along the way.

Dan Gillette

While on the lam, Gillette headed down Ione Road and decided to break into the Cuneo residence. There he stole a change of clothing as well as a shotgun. When he was done scavenging through the Cuneo's personal belongings he then retreated off into the night.

By Friday,when he made it towards Martell's station, it was said that he hid his gun near some iron pipes outside. He then was spotted at the Kennedy Boarding House where he even managed to sneak in a meal, staying undetected as a wanted fugitive.  Perhaps he wanted to fit in with the miners and laborers working at the mine, but Constable Kelly (also spelled Kelley) was hot on his trail, apprehending him just outside the mine without any further bloodshed.

Gillette was then charged with "assault to commit murder" and later taken to Humboldt County on charges for a crime he committed before he had been sentenced to Preston. The authorities as well as the administration at the Preston School of Industry were intent that both Rowe and Gillette not return to the reform school but be sent to the State Penitentiary due to their brutal dispositions."----


TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY BEHIND THE PRESTON SCHOOL OF INDUSTRY
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOG "PRESTON CASTLE HISTORY! 

(Copyright 10/23/2013- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)


Sources:
California Prison Records (San Quentin & Folsom Prison Inmate Records)

Amador Ledger (4/22/1904, 4/29/1904)

Emma LeDoux and the "Trunk Murder of 1906" (Part One)

"The Ione Public Cemetery sits on a hillside along the outskirts of town. It’s unadorned and barren appearance gives off a feeling of loneliness as you wander the tiers of concrete blocks and individual plots. The area itself is so dry that even the grave markers look parched.  Among the monuments stands a weather beaten obelisk. Cracks run through the stone, like the lines of a dried up tributary that once made its way to the mouth of a body of water.  This monument belongs to Calvin Cole.  

Calvin Cole’s death on March 26, 1866, is where this story truly begins. I believe that this one death may have actually inspired events that were to take place nearly four decades later.  You see, Mr. Cole’s death was considered somewhat suspicious given the circumstances. According to an article in the Amador Dispatch newspaper in 1866, it states that Mr. Cole died “from the effects of some irritation of the brain and stomach brought on by some unknown cause to them.”

During the inquest of his death, the doctor stated that Mr. Cole’s “stomach was diseased and there was an adhesive membrane of the skull that was not natural.”   The article also went on to report the state of Mr. Cole’s remains upon examination. “He found the condition of the stomach caused by some artificial irritation; He presumed the contents of the stomach would be analyzed. He did not see the medicine that had been taken, did not notice anything about the brain that would cause instant death; it was his opinion that water was in the stomach that caused the death; whether the results were the effects of two agents or one, he didn’t think it possible to tell.”

Mr. Cole’s wife stated at the inquest, that around 1:30 p.m., her husband came in and requested to eat his supper in order to hurry up and get his horse ready to go after the cows. She claimed that he ate his supper, went to get the cows and came home around sunset. Then they both went to milk the cows together, and when Mr. Cole walked out to the gate, he was complaining of feeling ill.  After attempting to go to bed, he started vomiting and mentioned that he was afraid that he may have taken too much of the medicine prescribed by his doctor for his health. He only lived another thirty minutes or so, and then passed away.

So could Sarah Cole have poisoned her husband? Well, it looks like a possibility. But what did she have to gain from it? Mr. Cole died with very little to his name besides $100.00 listed as his personal property. In fact, it was Mrs. Cole who had more money. She had $2,000.00 in personal property and $5,000.00 in real estate, so the motive for money is out the window.  But the general cause of his death still seemed suspicious, especially since the stomach contents were supposed to be analyzed but never were. Maybe it was all an accident, and Mr. Cole just took too much of his medicines after all. But the question still lingers, was it really an accident?

You might ask, where does Mr. Cole fit in with the story of Emma LeDoux?  Mr. Calvin Cole was none other than Emma LeDoux’s paternal grandfather.  It is safe to assume the probability that years later, the sheer mention or rumor of suspicion about her grandfather’s death might have influenced or inspired her. It seems she was quite callous and calculating, having personality traits that could make it all the easier for her to dispose of an unwanted spouse in such a way.  Of course, that’s just conjecture. With this chapter, you will have a chance to go over the details of Emma’s story from the beginning, drawing your own conclusions about just what may have  prompted the inception of the Black Widow of Amador County.

In March of 1906, after drugging Albert McVicar in a Stockton hotel room, Emma LeDoux then stuffed him into a trunk and left it on the platform at the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in Stockton, California.  The details of his death, witness statements and reports being published about the trial, exploded into the papers daily as one of the biggest media sensations of the time. The only event that took precedence over this case was the Great Earthquake of 1906, which actually put Emma’s trial on hold.

When I was researching Emma’s story, it was clear that not much was documented about Emma's life and experiences prior to the murder. Although the story that catapulted Emma into infamy took place in 1906, I felt the need to give Emma a back story before proceeding with the ghastly details of the murder.

Emma LeDoux was born Emma Theresa Cole on September 10, 1875. She was born in the small town of Pine Grove, east of Jackson in Amador County, California. Her parents were Thomas Jefferson Cole from Ione, California, and Mary Ann Gardner. According to research by Emma’s distant cousin Ruth Blankenbaker,  Emma’s maternal grandfather Eli owned a mine off of Clinton Road, near Jackson.  Family genealogy records show that by the time Emma was about three years old, her family moved to Oregon for about ten years until returning back to Amador County in 1888.

By the age of 16, Emma was married to Charles Barrett, 22, of Pine Grove.  Emma’s mother, Mary Ann Cole had given consent for Emma to wed Charles in an affidavit signed on February, 2, 1892. Only eight days later, on February 10, 1892, Emma’s father, Thomas Jefferson Cole left his wife. 

Emma’s first marriage took place on March 2, 1892, as there was a 30 day waiting period prior to marrying at the time. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last very long, and rumors spread quickly that meddling parents were the cause of their early marital ruin. After four years of marriage, Charles left Emma on May 1, 1895. In an interview published by the Amador Dispatch, a man by the name of Keagle, who ran the Yosemite Bar in Stockton, had once owned a saloon on the corner of California and Main Streets in Jackson. This is near the place where the present Hein & Company book store is located. Keagle had his own recollections that he shared with the press. “I used to run a saloon up in Jackson and it was there that I became acquainted with her about sixteen years ago. Her family lives a few miles above Jackson, but I don’t know what the family name is. Shortly after I went up there she married a young rancher by the name of Barrett, living near Pine Grove. She did not live with him very long, however. They had some kind of split up and he got a divorce from her upon the ground of infidelity, I believe.”— Amador Dispatch, March 30, 1906.

Friends of both Emma and Charles later claimed that their separation and divorce may have been due to Emma having allegedly taken part in “extra marital" relations. By January 5, 1898, after the divorce case had been held up for nearly three years, the judge granted the divorce decree.

Next, Emma married her second husband, William Stanley Williams. The 1900 Census in Globe, Arizona, shows William and Emma living together, having been married for two years. This means they were married around 1898, which was around the same time her divorce from Barrett was finalized. William’s occupation was listed as a miner and that he was born in England.  Unfortunately,  Williams died in Cochise County, Arizona, on June 20, 1902, under suspicious circumstances. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Bisbee, AZ.

"According to information from Bisbee, William S. Williams, A.N. McVicar and the woman accused of McVicar's murder at Stockton were quite well known in Bisbee prior to and during 1902. Williams died under suspicious circumstances being attended by Dr. C.L. Edmundson at the last. Poisoning by nitric acid was suspected, but it was later decided that Williams had died of natural causes, presumably heart failure. He was quite heavily insured. The widow secured between $4000 and $5000, $2000 of it being from the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the balance being the old line insurance.

Williams was a member of the Miners Union in Globe and that organization forwarded $75 to the widow for burial expenses. The fraternal insurance was paid to her by Lewis Hunt, record of the Workmen. The money was paid to the woman under the name of Mrs. Emma T. Williams. Williams lived in Bisbee for five or six years, being known as a steady, reliable and straightforward man. Long prior to the death of Williams, according to report, he had occasion to take his wife to task for her familiar associations with McVicar, whose attentions gave him much concern. Undoubtedly, this fact had something to do with the doubts that arose at the time , concerning the “regularity” of William’s death, but they were not strong enough to occasion further investigation after the opinion that death occurred from heart failure was rendered. McVicar renewed his attentions to the widow, and in the latter part of 1902, they were married.” - San Francisco Call, March 30, 1906

Although the newspapers of the time mentioned that they suspected that Williams had been poisoned by nitric acid. Then later, they reported it as natural and “more than likely heart failure.”  The official death record by Dr. Edmundson states that the cause of death was “gastroenteritis,” which is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.  The average person today would associate the term “gastroenteritis” with bacterial or viral infections, or even food poisoning, but medical case studies have proven that “gastroenteritis” can be caused by a number of things, including certain medicines and the overuse of alcohol.

Williams’ body hadn't even been in the ground three months before Emma married her third husband. Albert Newton McVicar was born in Canada in 1869. When the McVicar family came to the U.S., they settled in Wichita, Kansas. According to the San Francisco Call, dated April 1, 1906, Albert’s brother, J.E. McVicar recalled that Albert had left Kansas and went westward to Cripple Creek, Colorado, when the area was booming.

He took a job with Wells Fargo and quickly was promoted as an agent. By 1901, he had quit Wells Fargo and relocated to Globe, Arizona, where he met Emma.  The two wed on September 1, 1902 in Cochise, Arizona.  What I found very interesting is that upon their marriage, Emma moved back to California traveling between her mother and step-father James Head's ranch in Jackson and the Tenderloin District in San Francisco. At the time, that area was full of theatres, hotels and was also well known for its active nightlife, including prostitution. So what in the world was a married woman doing there, and so far away from her newly wedded husband, Mr. McVicar?     

                

So by this time, Emma has been married a total of three times, and it didn't seem she planned on stopping there. Although she was married to McVicar, Emma seemed to enjoy her freedom gallivanting from San Francisco to Amador County, while McVicar was somewhere else. Emma claimed she managed to support herself by means of working as a seamstress and by the help of her "gentlemen friends."  I suspect that she secretly also dabbled in the oldest profession, more than likely during her visits to San Francisco.            

By August 26, 1905, Emma became a bigamist by marrying her fourth husband, Eugene “Jean” LeDoux of Sutter Creek.  Mr. LeDoux grew up with Emma in Amador County, his family’s ranch being next door to Emma’s step-father’s property. From the reports, LeDoux was very quiet prior to and during the ceremony which was performed at the County Clerk's office in Woodland, California.  The two were wed by Judge Lampton, in the presence of Byron Hillhouse and Constable Parker.

The couple registered at the Byrns Hotel under the names Mrs. E. Williams and Mr. Jean LeDoux, of Sacramento; however, Judge Lampton’s recollection was that Emma had given her residence as Jackson on the marriage license, while LeDoux gave his as Sutter Creek. The Judge also mentioned that the ceremony itself was odd, admitting that LeDoux didn’t act like the normal husband who was happy to wed his bride, and even going so far as to refuse kissing upon completion of the vows.  As fast as the ceremony came and went, so did the couple, exiting town as fast as possible. Instead of returning to the hotel, the pair walked straight to the train station over an hour early to await their ride to an uneventful honeymoon elsewhere.

LeDoux and McVicar knew nothing about the other during this time. I am not sure how Emma managed to keep McVicar a secret. Probably the fact that he had been absent most of the marriage aided in Emma's deception and allowed her the ability to act as if she was legally free to wed LeDoux. By the time that Emma had married LeDoux, McVicar had already moved to California, and was actually just about 46 miles south in Jamestown, working at the Rawhide Mine as a timber man. During this period, Emma would frequently spend time with both husbands for the next seven months without either one learning of the others existence.  No one could have imagined what was going to take place next.

According to the San Francisco Call dated March 30, 1906, it states that Dr. John Dillon of San Francisco claimed that on the night of March the 12th, 1906, that Emma LeDoux, a patient he knew for years,  called him to the residence at Lexington House, 212 Eddy Street, Room 21, to treat her husband McVicar. Emma stated that she needed the doctor's help because she believed he had been poisoned.  Dr. Dillon suspected arsenic or morphine poisoning and immediately took action by "washing out" his stomach and giving McVicar a light sleeping potion.

After McVicar recovered enough to speak to the doctor, he was questioned about what he had taken that made him so violently ill. McVicar answered, "I do not know. She said it was the clams and beer we had a short time ago."  It was then that Emma seemed "startled and perplexed" and claimed that she forgot to tell the doctor that they had eaten some bad clams and that must have been the cause. The doctor was a bit skeptical being that Emma had consumed the very same clams and beer as McVicar and yet didn't appear to be ill at all.  The doctor waited until McVicar was resting peacefully before leaving and came back the next day to make sure he was recovering completely.

During the visit Emma approached the doctor for a prescription to purchase some cyanide of potassium, knowing the doctor could prescribe it while they were there.  The newspapers state that upon Emma's request, Dr. Dillon jokingly replied, "You're not going to give him anymore, are you?"  

Emma claimed that her need for the cyanide was for her hobby of photography and that she needed it to develop her photographs. Her big excuse was that she could procure it in Stockton, but since she had taken photos right there in San Francisco, she didn’t want to wait to develop them. The doctor agreed. Emma and the doctor went on to the Harrison drug store where he then went to the back to pick up the bottle of cyanide; however, he noticed that it was empty. The clerk working at the front claimed he was writing out a requisition for new inventory of the poison. The fact that the pharmacy didn't have the cyanide Emma wanted, made her somewhat disappointed, the doctor claimed. To remedy the situation, the doctor then wrote her a prescription so that she could pick up some at the nearby pharmacy on Ellis Street.

As if the cyanide wasn't asking too much, Emma then turned on the water works and told the doctor that the incident earlier had really stressed her out and caused her too much excitement. She then confessed that she had previous addictions to morphine, and that she needed some badly. Believing that she was professing the truth, the doctor gave her one dram, or sixty grains of morphine and warned her of the risks of the drug.  He didn't think too much more of the matter until learning of McVicar's death two weeks later in the newspaper. It was then that he was interviewed and stated, "I am satisfied that a previous attempt was made to murder McVicar by poison, and that I saved his life.”  ----

TO BE CONTINUED...... 
(CLICK HERE TO READ PART TWO)

--Copyright, 2016 - Chapter 18, from the book "Stories of the Forgotten: Infamous, Famous & Unremembered," by J'aime Rubio (ISBN 13: 978-15239881175, ISBN 10: 1523981172)  

The Rancheria Massacre- Part 4- Amador County

Photo: Huntington Library

After the death of Sheriff Phoenix, the men who were on the hunt after the bandits grew even more determined to catch every single one of them and make them pay for the damage they had caused. Marshall Wood, from Columbia, sent a telegraph to the posse telling them that they had detained several men that they suspected could be part of the gang. Now this is where some stories get confusing, I have read accounts that state the hanging of Rafael Escobar was before Sheriff Phoenix was shot dating it to be approximately around August 8^th, but in fact the man who was hanged in Jackson on the Hangman’s tree on the 8^th was an unidentified man, the 9^th was Manuel Castro (according to some reports it was Manuel Garcia) and then on the 15^th was the date that Rafael Escobar was hanged.

Being that the leader, Sheriff Phoenix, was dead and buried, now someone else had to step up to the plate and take charge. That person was George Durham. He knew who they were looking for, so he volunteered to take the lead. Once they arrived to where Marshall Wood had been detaining the men, George Durham was said to have recognized one of the men in the group.  He was a well educated man, who spoke English and formerly lived in Drytown.

 Hangman’s  Tree

Now this is where it also gets confusing, some papers and books claim his name was Rafael Escobar, while The History of Amador County by Jesse D. Mason claims his name to be Manuel Escobar. Now, let me also state that Rafael and Manuel were brothers (not to be confused with Manuel Castro (Garcia).

Other reports claim that on August 15^th Manuel was hanged in Sutter Creek after being caught, and Rafael Escobar was hanged in Jackson at the Hangman’s Tree. Let me also add, Rafael was the last person ever to be strung up on Hangman's tree in Jackson. Later the tree burnt down in the big fire the swept through Downtown Jackson in 1862.

Manuel Castro (Garcia), who had been caught and injured (later hung on August 9^th) had been the one who bragged to an Italian at Texas Bar that he had shot and killed the people at Rancheria, only to change his story and claimed he was merely standing outside while the robbery and murders were taking place. He also had given up the alleged names of his posse: Gregorio (a red-headed man) whom he supposedly met at Hornitos, Bonito, Waro (which I believe was misinterpreted and actually was “Huero”), Trinidad, Macemanio and Californio. Some other reports state: Bonito, Maciana, California and the two Manuel’s but no mention of a Rafael. There was even a mention of someone named Guadalupe Gumbo in a few other reports. I read one account where this Guadalupe character was mentioned as being the ring-leader. But then others claimed Gregorio made the group of bandits. It’s safe to say that over the years too much guessing has been done and very little facts remain as to who was actually in charge in this band of criminals. 

But, when it comes to the identity of Manuel and Rafael Escobar, which is it? Was Manuel Escobar and his brother Rafael in the same gang or not? Why is one or the other mentioned, but neither one at a given time was mentioned together in any of the newspapers? If not, then one of these brothers was more than likely implicated in the Rancheria killings just based on being related to each other. That would mean then that one of those men were hanged, unfairly.

As some of the records state, Durham questioned the detained man, who allegedly pretended that he couldn’t speak English. According to the newspapers, Durham told Rafael that Castro (some say Garcia) had “given him up” before dying, when the detained man then started spitting out vulgar language in perfect English. He then was taken to Jackson with Durham and some officers from Calaveras to be hung. Something else that should be noted is that Escobar never admitted guilt to Durham in Calaveras County or Amador County. Escobar pled that he was innocent the entire time. It was reported that Sheriff Clark of Calaveras claimed Escobar admitted guilt in his presence the night before, but there is no real evidence of this.

According to newspaper accounts, Rafael claimed that he was working at a house where the bandits stopped, and out of fear, he and the family “were compelled to feed them.” Remember, this is the same house Durham had visited the night they spoke to the lady and she motioned the curtain back to expose the bandits as they escaped out the back of the house. He claimed he had been there, and that Durham may have mistaken him for one of the bandits because he may have seen him that night at the house in Drytown. 

He also made the point that he stayed there at the house working without being arrested long after the men had run off and Durham had gone chasing after them. Newspaper accounts also state that Rafael said he had no prior knowledge that those men would attack Rancheria. He said that he passed through Jackson the next day and later was arrested in Columbia.  He attempted reasoning with the crowd, mentioning that when he was arrested in Columbia, that he was armed with 2 revolvers, and that he could have killed several people if he wanted to when he was being arrested, but knowing and feeling his own innocence he allowed himself to be taken without a struggle. He also attested to the fact that he knew several residents of Drytown and Sutter Creek who could testify on his behalf to prove his hard working and unblemished character.

 Hangman's Tree marker located on Main St
 in Downtown Jackson, CA.

The Sacramento Daily Union (8/17/1855) states that he knew he was “in the power of the Americans, and knew he had to die, and wished to have his face washed and hair combed, which favor was granted. He then said he would like to have a priest to confess himself; this being refused, he called for a “brandy punch,” which was given him. The crowd here became restless and impatient, and called for his hanging, which was immediately done.

The Mexican was “run up” and held there for a short time, then lowered, when great difficulty was encountered getting the rope loosed from his neck. It was finally cut loose; in the mean time he suffered excruciating pain, rolling his eyes about, throwing his head and body about at random, and making a loud gurgling noise with his throat. When the rope was taken from his neck he revived and asked for brandy and water, and said he would like to talk but it was of no use, as the people would believe nothing he said, and he wished they would kill him outright, or bring some of his friends. He said that if the Americans would arm themselves and take him with them he could point out every man that was connected with the Rancheria affair....……..the crowd, who could not hear half that was said, again became impatient and cried out “run him up,” which was immediately done, and he at this moment, twenty minutes after twelve o’clock, hangs suspended by the neck from the memorable limb of the old “hang tree.” His name was Rafael Escobar. This is the name of the man Garcia* said killed Mrs. Dimon** at Rancheria. We are in doubt whether this Mexican was really guilty. We do not wish to cast any reflection upon any of our citizens who had a hand in his hanging, but we do think they should have endeavored to obtain more evidence against him before proceeding so far. Hang all the guilty ones, but do not, for God’s sake, sacrifice the innocent!”

(footnote: * Garcia was actually Castro, and ** Mrs. Dimon was actually Mrs. Dynan)

The saddest part of this story is the fact that no one could really prove that Rafael was part of the gang. When he was arrested he didn’t resist as the other gang members did, why do you think? Because he knew he was innocent. What if you were arrested for something you didn’t do? And you knew that everything would turn out okay, because you figured since you knew you were innocent, that by explaining the truth that everything would work out okay right? Sadly, many times it doesn’t work out that way.

Rafael thought that if they would just listen to him, to get the witnesses who could testify on his behalf for his moral character that everything would be okay, but the crowd refused. They went on information that was vague and was a “deathbed confession” of a hardened criminal who had originally confessed that he had killed the people in Rancheria, but then pointed the blame on Rafael before his death. Would you have believed Manuel Castro? I wouldn’t have. Would I have believed Rafael? Perhaps. 

Besides, the Daily Alta California (8/11/1855)- Corroborates Rafael’s story by Manuel Castro’s own account. Rafael claimed he was working at the home that the bandits came to, and that by fear they were compelled to feed them. Well, by Manuel Castro’s own admission, he stated that he had been to that very house and had ate dinner there. 

I had to ask myself another question, why did the bandits go there? Well, it was said that Rafael and his brother Manuel Escobar were hanged on the same day, one in Sutter Creek, one in Jackson. So that means at least one of them was in the gang. Perhaps Rafael’s brother told his friends where they could go get food, and forced their company on the home where Rafael was working. It is also possible that when he had admitted he knew who the men where but was not involved, he was telling the truth. He was quite aware his brother was in the gang, but maybe he kept silent out of fear, knowing that if they knew he was related to one of the members of this band of criminals, it would only implicate him more.

I am still aggravated that the people in charge didn’t question the residents of Sutter Creek and Drytown who knew Rafael, who could have cleared his name, but instead they strung him up on that tree just like the rest of the criminals. Sadly, mob mentality in any race or country almost always has deadly outcomes.  I feel bad for this particular person Rafael, just like I feel bad for Puerto Vino, Jose and Trancolino who were hanged earlier in this story when the angry mob of residents believed James Johnson’s testimony that they had been involved in the Rancheria Massacre.  Some reports claim that up to 16 Mexicans were hung, the total is really unknown.

The Sacramento Daily Union (8/8/1855) stated:
 "How many Mexicans have been caught and hung it is impossible to say, seven to my knowledge have been hung, and how many have been killed by scouters, no one knows but themselves, and they won't tell."

Homes of Mexicans in Drytown, Rancheria and Sutter Creek  were burnt down. Even the church was torn apart and burnt to the ground. Soon after, Judge Hubbard adopted resolutions that sent the entire “Hispanic” communities heading out of the County. Those resolutions were:

·        The expelling all Mexicans and Chileans from the County unless there was satisfactory evidence of good moral character.

·        Mexicans could be arrested for ANY offense committed that they decided to charge them with.

·        No Mexican or Chilean were permitted to carry any deadly weapon.

In a previous story I wrote, “The ForgottenTown Of Contreras,” I speak of an old mining town in eastern Amador County, that became a literal ghost town between 1855-1860, after doing much research on the Rancheria murders, I have come to the conclusion that the people of Contreras may have decided to leave Amador County during this very hostile and dangerous time period. 

While Amador County was still in chaos, there was still some justice left to be served on one last real criminal in Jamestown. One day, a Mexican man from Algerine Camp came forward to the authorities that the person he believed had actually killed Sheriff Phoenix, and belonged to the group who were responsible for the Rancheria murders, was in hiding.

He claimed that the man came to him badly wounded and threatened to kill him if he didn’t dress his wounds and hide him.  He allegedly lowered the man down in a mining shaft where there was a tunnel with a rope and pulley.  The man was unaware that his whereabouts had been compromised so he was blindsided when the lawmen surrounded the shaft demanding him to surrender. They waited several minutes, with no response, so they finally gathered some brush together and set it on fire and threw it down the shaft to “smoke him out.” Minutes later they heard a gunshot. The last bandit had killed himself. 

In Conclusion

In this story we have heard the story of the six innocent people of Rancheria, (Mrs. Mary Dynan, Sam Wilson, Eugene Francis, Uriah Michener, An unidentified Native-American man and Daniel Hutchins) who were murdered and robbed. We have read about several heroes who stopped at nothing to bring peace to Amador County and a Sheriff who paid the ultimate price, laying down his life for justice.

I have also showed you the accounts of the wild shootouts where the “good guys” got the “bad guys”, where some of the criminals faced the consequences of their actions by “meeting their maker,” while others such as Puerto Vino, Trancalino, Jose and I believe Rafael Escobar were mistakenly judged and hanged unfairly. In the end, the bandits were caught and died, but how many others died in the process? Sadly, we may never know the extent of that.

Sheriff Robert Cosner
c/o Amador County Sheriff Dept.

The days of the "Wild West" are long gone, and with those days all that is left is the stories of cowboys and their tall tales.  In this story the hero, Sheriff Phoenix was shot down in the line of duty. He was the very first Sheriff of Amador County. According to the Amador County Sheriff’s website, the next in line as Sheriff was none other than George Durham in 1855 (and again later in 1867-1870). As interesting as it is, I recognized another name on that list of men, and that name would be Robert Cosner. He became Sheriff of Amador County from 1860-1862 and again from 1865-1866. If you recall in Part 1 of this story, Cosner was the volunteer who rode off into the night down Rattlesnake Gultch, attempting to reach Rancheria before the bandits had made their way there. Unfortunately, we know that he didn’t make it in time, and he was one of the first, if not the first one to discover the horrible aftermath that band of criminals left behind like a whirlwind of destruction. Perhaps, this event in Robert Cosner’s life inspired him to get involved in law enforcement, we may never truly know. Although, I would like to think so. 

I began researching this story a few years ago, and back in June of 2012, I spoke to Amador County Historian Larry Cenotto, before he passed away, and we exchanged emails about this very subject. I asked him his advice and his opinion about this story on how to sort all the accounts out to provide an accurate depiction of this story. I also mentioned what a dilemma I had faced trying to figure out if in fact Rafael Escobar was innocent and had been implicated in the crimes just for being related to a member of the gang.

Mr. Cenotto was very kind and told me, “It is clear that you have plumbed much deeper than I into this somber event.  I did the best I could then from newspaper reports and various letters which are in the county archives, which I founded.... I'm sure you have many readers of your blog, but I encourage you to write for an enduring audience in booklet or book form.  We should know more than we do. “-

I will cherish those words from Mr. Cenotto for as long as I live, because he gave me the encouragement to keep digging for answers. I am sad that I was unable to share with him this blog or the recently published book “Behind The Walls,” that I wrote about the infamous Preston School of Industry in Ione as I would have loved to have shown him. I dedicated my book to Mr. Cenotto posthumously because he was a great example for other historians to follow. History was certainly his passion, since he wrote so much about it and even founded the Archives in Amador County.  In the end Mr. Cenotto was right, he said we should know more than we do about our history. 

In the book The History of Amador County, the author Jesse D. Mason quotes Cicero when he says, “It is the first law of history that the writer should neither dare to advance what is false, nor suppress what is true”.  

Lucian (170 A.D.) quotes: "The Historian should be fearless and incorruptible; a man of independence, loving frankness and truth; one who, as the poet says, calls a fig a fig and a spade a spade. He should yield to neither hatred nor affection, but should be unsparing and unpitying. He should be neither shy nor deprecating, but an impartial judge, giving each side all it deserves but no more. He should know in his writings no country and no city; he should bow to no authority and acknowledge no king. He should never consider what this or that man will think, but should state the facts as they really are."

 

And finally, J.B.J. Delambre once stated, "The historian owes the dead nothing but the truth."

For me I write about history, search and dig for the truth to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves. I do it to show my respect and honor for those long gone, and tell their story as best and as accurately as I can so that they will never be forgotten. I also do this so that future generations will have something accurate to look at in reference to when they want to learn about the past, just as writers like myself do when we go to the archives, microfilmed newspapers and libraries to investigate and research. We must keep that cycle of knowledge going in order for us to secure our posterity. We must keep searching and writing down our history. If it is not done by us, then who?

(Copyright 2013- J’aime Rubio- Dreaming Casually Publications)

Thank you to Sheriff Martin Ryan

and the Amador County Sheriff’s Office for allowing me to use Robert Cosner’s photo.

Some of my sources:

History of Amador County- Jesse D. Mason, 1881

Sacramento Daily Union:

8/8/1855, 8/9/1855

8/11/1855, 8/13/1855,

8/14/1855, 8/15/1855

8/17/1855

California Bad Men: Mean Men With Guns- William Secrest

San Joaquin Republican 9/1855

Amador Ledger 3/1/1901, 12/31/1909

Jackson Sentinel 8/15/1855

Daily Alta 8/9/1855, 8/11/1855