For several months there has been talk of paranormal tours taking place at the old courthouse in Jackson. For the record, I am not a part of any sort of paranormal tour at this location, but it came to my attention that some of the history being discussed on said tours was not accurate, and it bothered me that erroneous history was being shared.
Thankfully, one of the persons involved in the tours has reached out to me and seems sincere about revising her tour to depict a more accurate telling of the courthouse's history. However, there are still a few people out there, who are also advertising paranormal tours, whom I worry may continue to share inaccurate information not only regarding the history of the courthouse but also around Jackson itself. This is worrisome to me, because I actually care about the true history of this beautiful area and I am a firm believer in facts. Please remember, anything you read online or hear from another person regarding local history, I strongly urge you to take with a grain of salt unless they can back their story up with documented facts to suppor their story. I am a huge believer in facts, not sensationalism. Why create fictitious stories about our beloved historical landmarks when these locations have plenty of real history all on its own?
I had planned on sharing this story solely in my upcoming book, "Stories of the Forgotten III: Tales of the Mother Lode," but given the fact the old county courthouse has been the focus of many posts lately on Facebook and other social media platforms lately, I decided to share my research on a factual story that did take place there, and I can back up my story with sources.
On Monday, February 22, 1909, a man by the name Joseph Coholich committed a very heinous crime. Now, the newspapers reported his last name as Chahalich or sometimes Chachalich, and even his Find-a-Grave memorial spelled his name as Choalich, but his death record in the California Death Index was recorded as Coholich.
Per the Amador Dispatch, dated February 26, 1909:
"Early in the afternoon of Monday a horseman, greatly excited rode into town and notified Sheriff Gregory that Mrs. Lintillac had been shot by Chahalich. Gregory and Leverone immediated started for the Lintillac place. Upon their arrival there they found Chahalich gone and questioned the woman, learning from her the following particulars: Mrs. Lintillac shortly after dinner, was hanging out clothes near the house, and Chahalich, who had worked about the place, approached her carrying a shot-gun and demanded of her $25.50 which he claimed was coming to him for wages.
She replied they did not owe him that much as he had not worked for a time during the rainy weather, and also that he was indebted to them for baord in the sum of $20, besides $2 for brandyl that all he had coming was $7, and told him he had better see her husband about it. Chahalich, who was standing about six feet from the woman, raised his gun and shot her in the legs twice."
The article, which is lengthy, goes on to state that the Sheriff went on to the Campanola's cabin where the suspect had been known to stop by for the past two weeks. The authorities found the shot-gun and a blue short that the suspect had been wearing, and so they knew he had stopped there before moving on. When questioned, Campanola denied any knowledfge of the situation. It was ascertained that Joseph Coholich had walked across Campanola's property, through the fields approximately seven miles, all the way westward to Jackson, avoiding roadways.
By the time Joseph Coholich reached Jackson, he made the steep trek up Summit Street to the old Courthouse. According to testimony by eye-witness Thomas Lemin, Coholich was walking back and forth in front of the courthouse at about 5 p.m. that evening. The two men struck up a conversation, as Coholich sat down on the steps and began eating an orange. Shortly thereafter, Coholich belted out a painful groan and fell backwards into convulsions. When the onlooker tried to help him, he shook his head and stated that it was "too late." Still, two doctors arrived to the scene, Dr. Sprague and Dr. Gall, who both realized that he had been poisoned. They moved Coholich to the courtyard of the jail, and he expired within about 10 minutes.
When the body was searched, they found a vial of strychnine in his pocket and about 25 grains were missing. They believed he had put the poison in the orange that he ate, committing suicide instead of facing the legal consequences for his actions. Joseph Coholich had no family in the states, and it was assumed his wife was still home in the "old country." The newspapers stated that he was originally from Austria, yet his Find-a-Grave states he was from Italy. It is obvious that he may have been from Austria, having travelled to the U.S. by way of Italy, but by the spelling or pronunciation of his name it is obvious he was of Serbian or Croation descent.
Joseph Coholich was buried without a marker in the Jackson City Cemetery just next door to the Catholic Cemetery.
While continuing my research, I discovered that Mrs. Lucie Lintellac was forced to have her limbs amputated due to her grave injuries; one limb being amputated just below the knee, while the other just at the ankle bone. Sadly, it appears that her wounds never healed properly that her health continued to decline. As of the March 12, Amador Ledger, her funeral notice appeared. Although the newspapers stated she was buried in St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, I have been unable to locate her gravesite as of yet. I am still avidly searching for that piece of the puzzle, as I would really like to pay my respects to this innocent victim of this very wicked assault.
In my line of work, I stumble upon some of the saddest stories. I share them for one reason, so that their names and their lives will not be forgotten. Mrs. Lintellac, and even Joseph for that matter, have been forgotten in the pages of archived newspapers and old dusty death indexes that have been shelved for over a 100 years. My effort is to bring back those people's stories, to give them back a voice. To share their story for them, since they obviously can no longer share it on their own.
I hope that although this history was a bit dark, and unfortunately did not have a happy ending, that you can appreciate it is still a part of local history, nonetheless. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to remember the stories of the forgotten." (J'aime Rubio, Copyright 2024)
Some of my sources: California Death Index, Amador Ledger, 3/12/1909; Amador Dispatch, 2/26/1909; Bluelake Advocate, 2/27/1909; Stockton Independent, 2/23/1909; Union Democrat, 2/27/1909; San Francsico Call, 2/23/1909.
