The Wild Woman Of Amador County

 

Chapter 9. "The Wild Woman of Amador County" from the book, "Stories of the Forgotten III: Tales of the Mother Lode." 

"Not too long ago, I was discussing a story with my friend, Megan, who manages the Ione Public Cemetery. It is a forgotten tale about Emma Dooley, who is interred at the Ione Public Cemetery, who was famously known as “The Wild Woman of Amador County.” How did she get that unique name? Well, let’s go over all the particulars and see if we can solve that mystery together.

Emma Dooley was born in the fall of 1858, in her hometown of Ione, California. She was the daughter of Silas and Mariah Dooley.  Silas was originally from Illinois, and her mother, Mariah, was from Chesterville, Ohio, but it appears that both families of the couple ended up in Jasper County, Iowa.  Silas and Mariah married on January 19, 1850, in Newton, Iowa and began their life together there initially. It appears that Silas sold his 40 acre lot of land to Mariah’s father, Anson, for $400.00, more than likely giving them the funds to make their way westward to California.

The years of birth for the Dooley children is quite confusing as the Census records say one thing, and vital records say another. The first of the children born to Silas and Mariah was Joseph, born in 1851, in Jasper County, Iowa. Olive Virogne was born in Rancheria in 1852, Mary Elva in 1854, in Sutter Creek, Mary Ann was born in 1859, and Sidney in 1863, both of whom I believe were born in Ione. But where is Emma?

She would have been born in 1858, however, she is not listed on the 1860 Census. Why? We know that the family went westward on a wagon train initially stopping in Rancheria, then later Sutter Creek and onto Ione, but there is no explanation as to why Emma is missing from the Census record at the time.

Silas was said to have been a farmer, and by June of 1865, Silas had passed away. No local newspapers exist for that month and year, therefore I could not locate an obituary to find out his cause of death. Sadly though, with his passing, he left his wife Maria with several small children to raise on her own. At this point in time, it appears that the Dooleys were living on the Johnson ranch, which was up near the Newton Copper Mine.

The 1880 Census had shown Maria as the Head of Household, with Joseph,  listed as a “farmer,” and Emma, Olive and Sydney “at home.” The Census shows the Johnson’s residence literally just two houses down, as the neighbor in between was Levi Goss. Having never been married, by the age of 36, Emma eventually would move in with her sister, Mary Elva, who was now married to Michael Isaacs. Their home was located on Church Street in Ione.

On the evening of June 27th, 1894, Emma went up to her room to go to bed. Later on, some of her family members passed by her room and saw her just sitting on the side of the bed staring off into space. They went about their way and everyone retired for the evening. The next morning the family went to check on her and noticed her room was empty and Emma was nowhere to be found.

They searched her room and saw that nothing substantial had been taken, so it was unlikely that she planned on traveling anywhere. She was wearing only a dress, shoes and had taken a hat with her. The newspaper stated that “a thorough search of al the wells in the neighborhood and of the brush and other places where the body of a lady could possibly be found was made but without result.” After discussing the situation, the idea came to mind that perhaps Emma had went off to commit suicide since she had been suffering from “feeble health” for some time.  Soon, the news of her disappearance reached all over the county, and a huge search began. To her family she just seemed to have disappeared.

It was so strange, within weeks suddenly news got around that people were seeing her appearing all over the county. But since she was on foot, it would have been nearly impossible for Emma to make such a long trek without a source of food and water. How was she getting around? And most importantly, why did she leave?

One of the first sightings was at approximately 2 a.m. near Buena Vista, which is about 6 miles from Ione. Later on, a passersby by the name of Cunningham coming from Lodi to Sutter Creek had spotted her at a spring on Mrs. Martin’s Ranch about a mile from the first place she had been sighted.

Next she was spotted about a mile further from there, by Mrs. Westmoreland, and even later, a 13 year old boy, C.C. Prouty, saw her near the Prouty ranch. On a side note, I believe the Prouty’s were possibly related to the Dooley’s as Mary Dooley, Emma’s mother’s maiden name was Prouty.

Another sighting was by two children who witnessed her at the well of Mary Elva’s in-laws, at the Isaac family ranch, which was said to be a mile and a half from Buena Vista; And finally her last sighting at that time was reported near the barn of the Johnson ranch where she “crawled under a barbed wire fence and stood fanning herself.”

In total within four weeks Emma had been sighted by ten different people on six different occasions, and yet no one could seem to get to her before she would simply vanish. The newspaper stated that her appearances were all within a 10 square mile radius, and yet it just seemed so mysterious how she was continuing to wander the county without anyone being able to get to her.

On Monday, July 23, 1894, Hiram Hough went to a spring on Sutter Creek, between the Mace Ranch and his own ranch, when he discovered a torn patch of fabric that looked like it belonged to a woman’s dress. He took it to the family to identify it as Emma’s.  It was confirmed, and they immediately set out to search for her in the vicinity where the fabric was discovered, but still could not manage to find her.

The next day Fayette Mace searched his property near the border of his and Hough’s ranches, and at 11 o’clock Mace discovered Emma laying under the brush, terribly dehydrated and covered in fever blisters. Once Emma was discovered she immediately tried to stand up to walk, but was unable to. Mace secured a cart and brought it to her and brought her back up to his home, where he called upon the doctor to see to her immediately. Her feet were terribly calloused from walking the terrain without shoes, as she had taken them and her stockings off and walked barefoot through the county.

It appeared that she had intended to commit suicide, as she had a small bottle of carbolic acid with her, and a scar on her wrist that the doctor attributed to an acid burn, an injury he could tell was made at least 3 weeks ago. When Emma was asked about the ordeal she only recalled a few instances, such as when she was hiding out at night in the cellar of Colis Bonham’s home, without his knowledge, or when she surmised about forty men searching for her, and one passed right by where she was hiding without catching sight of her.

In all, she believed she had only been gone four days, not four weeks. She claimed she had found plums and eaten them during her time wandering the wilderness, but how did she survive on just plums and occasional stops to farms for a splash of well-water? How was it that a woman, barefoot and in ill health seemed to elude everyone, even during the times that people had witnessed seeing her? And when she was finally rescued, how was it that only then was she unable to walk, yet when others had seen her, she was seen wandering all over?  Honestly, I don’t think we will ever truly know how she was capable of that, and yet, it happened.

Emma would live another 6 1/2 years before passing away on February 15, 1901. I searched the newspaper archives but there wasn’t even a mention of her death. Sadly, it appears that perhaps her 15 minutes of fame was all used up in 1894, and it appears that her passing was as quiet as the grave.

Miss Emma Dooley was buried at the Ione Public Cemetery next to her father’s grave. Later on, her mother and brothers would join her there in Section 7, Plot 29.

During my research into this story, a couple of things stood out to me. Well, it was obvious she suffered from ill health even before this episode, but what did she suffer from? Was it physical or psychological? Well, for one, Emma lived near the Newton Copper Mine for many years with her family before going to live with her sister in Ione. It just seemed odd to me that not only did Emma suffer from this strange episode of what I could only describe as a mental health crisis, but her brother would end up a victim of this as well. Then I remembered the Census record!

Their next door neighbor for many years was Levi Goss, who later committed suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun in May of 1891. But what caused him to choose to end his life? Was it his grief for the loss of his son, George Goss?  A young man who only a few years earlier had died in a terrible accident. Or could it have possibly been that he, too, was suffering from a mental illness caused by something ecological, rather than an inherited illness or being grief stricken?

Then in 1894, Emma has her episode, where it appears she also wanted to end her life, but ended up wandering around in a somewhat catatonic state for 4 weeks. Then fast forward to 1927, and her younger brother, who had also been suffering from mental health issues for years, and even at one point was committed to the Stockton State Asylum in 1923, and remained there for about 3 years. He returned back home to the farm, and within 10 months he was suffering once more from his mental health, so much so, that his brother Joseph called the Sheriff to take him back to the hospital for his own safety.

When Sheriff Lucot and Deputy Sheriff Podesta arrived, Sydney Dooley was laying on his bed with a shotgun. When law enforcement tried to get Sydney to come with them, he put the gun down, and proceeded to lunge at Podesta with a large knife. Podesta shot at Sydney Dooley five times, with several shots missing his target, but the 5th shot was the fatal one to his abdomen. Although he was brought to the hospital at the Preston School of Industry in nearby Ione, he died within an hour on the operating table.

Again, why did Emma and Sydney both suffer from such definite mental health issues? Was it an inherited trait? Possibly. But what if it wasn’t inherited at all, but instead some sort of ecological exposure to something bad? Look at their neighbor Levi Goss’ suicide, that I mentioned earlier. Was it just a coincidence? Or was that somehow related? Yes, he could have had completely difference circumstances surrounding his death, as his obituary mentioned he had been heavily drinking, which could be because of his grief, but it  could have also been self-medicating. I just couldn’t help but see the similarities for those who had all lived in a general proximity to each other, and a nearby mine.

I started looking into the area where they had all lived, which was the half-way point between Jackson and Ione, near the Newton Copper Mine, and I found an old news clipping from the 1970’s stating how toxic the mine was even then. Remember, back in the 1800’s and the 1900’s people were drinking well-water, they didn’t treat their water like our tap water today (not to say tap water is safe either).

After doing a little research on Copper Toxicity Syndrome, I found that symptoms include: rapid thought patterns, insomnia, depression —that can be severe or suicidal, memory loss, psychotic symptoms— such as hallucinations, paranoia, obsession and compulsion, sensitive temperament with extreme

 over-reaction to events. The only way to test for it would be to do a hair analysis on the subjects, and unfortunately, we are unable to exhume Emma, Sydney or their neighbor to run hair analysis on them.

Although there is absolutely no way for me to prove this possible theory, it is certainly worth considering. It might not have been anyone’s fault for the way they ended up. It could have been due to exposure to toxic heavy metals in their drinking water.

I would like to think neither Mr. Goss, nor Sydney Dooley really wanted to do what they did, or act the way they acted which ultimately ended their lives. We still do not know for certain how Emma passed away either. Even Megan at the Ione Public Cemetery confirmed with me that their office does not have a record of her cause of death.

Did Emma end up committing suicide a few years later, or did she simply pass away from illness? Since her death records do not indicate cause of death, we are left only to wonder.  Emma Dooley, Sydney Dooley and their neighbor, Mr. Levi Goss are all buried at Ione Public Cemetery resting peacefully. Hopefully in death they found the serenity that life couldn’t seem to afford them."---- from the book,  "Stories of the Forgotten III: Tales of the Mother Lode," by J'aime Rubio (Copyright 2025)

To read more stories like these, please check out my books on Amazon or on my website: jaimerubiowriter.com 

 

 

 

Murder At The Defender Mine

Willard "Red" Shannon (Inmate 14663)

When you think of criminals on the run during the 1920’s and 1930’s, you may think of some of the fugitives of the past such as John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson and maybe even the infamous pair of Bonnie and Clyde.  Sometimes, we as people romanticize the whole idea of being “on the run,” evading police at every turn.  The entertainment world has succeeded in callousing our minds into thinking that was an exciting era, full of danger, suspense at every corner and the ideology of “ride or die” thinking. Sadly, we do not remind ourselves of the victims of these "criminals" often enough. Most go on leaving a trail of blood and death and so many ignore that part, only choosing to remember the exciting parts.

When you think of California history during such an era, one would assume that we would not have too many stories in comparison to the Dillinger’s and the Bonnie and Clyde’s of that time period, or do we? 

Well, I have a story for you….one of deception and murder. This is a true story, one that would go on to make nationwide headlines and one that would seal the fate of one, Willard Shannon. A story, that after reading you won't soon forget.

The Man

Willard Shannon- (aliases: Willard Mead, Willard Webster, Walter Riley)

Given up at birth and placed in a foster home at the age of four months old, Willard Shannon had a rough start from the very beginning.  As a young man he served time in Eastern State Penitentiary and eventually was moved to Folsom Prison, where he was released in 1926. He knew only how to make a living the wrong way and became institutionalized in the worst way.

The Plan

Fixated on a scheme that would bring him great fortune, Shannon decided to set his sights on robbing several California mining men in Amador County. It took several weeks to plan but Shannon eventually convinced a automobile salesman by the name of Harold Lage to travel with him up to Amador County to purchase a vehicle. Perhaps, under the rouse of showing him his “mine” that he allegedly owned, Shannon lured Lage up to the area known as Defender.  It was obvious that Shannon was a liar. He went about telling people that he was in fact a wealthy miner who had plenty of money to go around.

There were two different stories printed in the paper in regards to where Lage was killed. One story  says that Shannon stated he and two other friends (unidentified) planned to rob Lage’s home in Stockton . They shot Lage in Lage’s own garage and then drove up to the mountains of Amador County to dispose of his body.  This is interesting because eye witness accounts stated that Lage was seen arriving to Jackson in his car and then leaving with Shannon up into the mountains. 

According to records, Shannon paid Lage for the vehicle with two counterfeit checks and it wasn’t until Shannon disposed of the body that he started claiming that he was in fact Harold Lage. Had he killed Lage prior, why would he identify himself as Shannon on his way up the mountain, stopping in Jackson?

It seems that either Lage caught him in a lie once they were up there or perhaps Shannon just felt it was better to dispose of Lage all together once he had him in a desolate area and once he had Lage's car.  Nevertheless, Shannon shot Lage and disposed of his body under the cover of thick brush and deep wilderness in the vicinity of Pioneer, California.  At that point in time, the area was known as Defender and it was close to the Defender Mine.  In fact, Lage’s shoes and socks were found near one of the abandoned mines in the area.  It took dozens of men searching the area before some local boys discovered Lage’s body, and the cause of death was then determined.

On December 31, 1926, Willard Shannon killed and disposed of Harold Lage's body.  Shannon then decided to take on the “persona” of Harold Lage himself. Once he was departing the area alone, he then told a resident of Jackson that his name was now Harold Lage.  It was only after giving the description of the man the witness saw, that authorities determined it was Willard “Red” Shannon, not Lage that the witness had spoken to.

At one point the Lincoln that Shannon had stolen from Lage was mired in the mud at Jackson Point. A young teamster was called to aid in the removal of the vehicle from the mud. The witness claimed that Shannon was alone. Once the vehicle was released from the muddy dirt, Shannon traveled down Highway 49 headed for Sonora.  He stopped to purchase some merchandise, using Harold Lage’s checkbook. When he learned that the roads past Sonora were blocked due to weather conditions and mud, he returned to Sonora and booked a room at the Hotel Victoria (later renamed The Sonora Inn).  In order to pay for his room Shannon signed over to the Hotel, Harold Lage’s Christmas Bonus check that was within his wallet. 

On The Run

Shannon travelled through Yosemite and down into Southern California evading police the entire time. During the manhunt for Shannon, the newspapers mention that the main highways were being canvassed by deputies  armed with machine guns, ordered from Sheriff Lucot and other law enforcement throughout the state.  Can you imagine?

According to newspaper archives, Shannon made it to his aunt’s home in Santa Maria and also to visit a sister in Lompoc. He even gave his aunt a ride home where he slept over for the night, before leaving again the next day. He told her he was going to Oakland, but that was not the case.  He then went to the salesroom of another automobile dealership. He had planned to ditch Lage’s car and get himself another one.

According the man who may have been Shannon’s next victim, John Ross (an auto salesman in Bakersfield), Shannon tried to convince him that he was a wealthy miner with plenty of money. He also admitted that he was coming into more fortune in the coming weeks and that his money was in the form of gold, so that he just wanted to take a “test drive” on a new Chrysler. He explained that he had no intention of purchasing a vehicle that day, and that he would have to return to get it, but was adamant that he wanted to take it for a spin.  The salesman had suspicions about Shannon, and it was obvious that Shannon caught on to it.  Finally, Shannon retreated in a hurry.

Throughout his various travels Shannon would leave telegrams in Harold Lage’s name, even going so far as to send telegrams to Lage's wife hoping to avoid the authorities suspicion of whether or not Harold Lage was in fact missing or worse, dead. He couldn't do that for long though, since eventually Lage's body was found.

In a last ditch effort to rid his ties to Lage, Shannon sent a telegram at the Western Union, stopped to ask two Boy Scouts for directions to Los Angeles (as he was in a hurry) and ditched Lage’s car in Paso Robles, California. Boarding a train to Chicago, Shannon escaped out of California without one hitch and laid in hiding for several days. He then travelled to Butte, Montana and then onto Salt Lake City, Utah around January 29^th, 1927.

It was in Salt Lake City that he met an architect by the name of Walter R.Ware. Shannon was now completely penniless, so he begged Ware for a job at his company.  While he was there, Shannon stole checks from Ware’s office and attempted to purchase a ticket to Los Angeles. The ticket agent grew suspicious when Shannon asked if he could write him a check. The police where then called and Shannon was arrested upon boarding the train.

Once Sheriff Lucot of Amador County learned that Shannon was being held in Salt Lake City, on charges of forgery under the alias Walter Riley, he traveled to Salt Lake City to make sure this was the right man that he was hunting for.  As soon as he got there, it was confirmed,  Walter Riley was in fact the murderer Willard Shannon, and Sheriff Lucot was determined to bring him back to Amador County to face the consequences for the crime Shannon had committed. Once in Utah, the Sheriff had Shannon extradited over to California where the trial for the murder of Harold Lage began.

The Trial

Shannon had admitted to authorities in Utah, that he was involved in the death of Lage. He also claimed that two other accomplices were the real murderers and that he was just another witness. He refused to reveal the names of these two "accomplices" he claimed were involved. Of course, no one bought his story and the trial started quickly. According to the papers, the trial was one of the quickest of record at that time in the state of California. The trial started on a Monday and ended three days later. The jury was out for a whole thirty minutes before returning with a unanimous verdict.

On March 23, 1927 at approximately 5:15 pm, Shannon was found guilty of murder in the 1^st degree and Judge Vicini ordered that he be hung until dead.  The night before his execution, Shannon requested  that his last meal be toast, strawberries and chocolate. He also requested a phonograph to play the Shannon Quartet's song, “The Sidewalks of New York” over and over, while he sat impatiently smoking cigarettes awaiting his doom.  After three failed attempts of appealing the verdict, inmate # 14663, was hung on May 5, 1928 at 10:02 am at Folsom Prison.  It took Shannon 10 minutes to die and he was pronounced dead at exactly 10:12 am.

The Aftermath

Harold Lage

The victim, Harold W. Lage who suffered a terrible death at the hands of Willard "Red" Shannon (nicknamed for his auburn hair), was laid to rest at the Woodbridge Cemetery in Woodbridge, California. ( Address:  19071 Lower Sacramento Road, Woodbridge CA 95258). The internment for Harold W. Lage was on January 10, 1927. Services prior to that were held in Stockton with Leroy Johnson, a chaplain for Karl Ross Post of the American Legion performing the service. Also, a Practioner of Christian Science was there by the name of William Yarnold who spoke as well.  Pall bearers were fellow members of the American Legion.

Harold was a native of Iowa. He served during World War I, having enlisted with the 23rd Engineers in 1917. He later settled in Stockton as an automobile salesman.  Harold was only 29 years of age at the time of his death. His wife, Avis Lage, was forced to raise two children on her own. His son, Harold W. Lage Jr and daughter Lois moved to Woodbridge in 1928.  Upon my investigating I learned that his son Harold Jr, went on to lead a productive and interesting life.

Avis, remarried a man by the name of Fred Burgstahler of Lodi.  Harold W. Lage, Jr. attended high school and graduated from Lodi High in 1943. He then served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, returning to Stockton after the war. Later, he moved out to Minnesota and onto Texas where he worked as a service representative for White Equipment Company in the late 1950's. He enjoyed hunting and fishing according to his obituary. Sadly, at just the age of 63, after an unexpected illness Harold W. Lage, Jr. passed away on January 30,1988.  He was buried next to his father Harold W. Lage, Sr. on Plot # 3.4 at Woodbridge Cemetery as well.

Although I am sure that Harold Lage’s family was never the same after his death, I would hope that his wife found some sense of closure after Shannon’s execution. The newspaper’s claimed that once Shannon had been apprehended in Salt Lake City that Lage's wife was ecstatic, claiming it had been so difficult for her knowing that he had gotten away with murder and continued to evade the police for so long. I hope that wherever Harold Lage’s family is today, that they were able to keep his memory alive and hold it dear to their hearts, not allowing Shannon to rob them of that, too.

Harold W. Lage's grave (courtesy Find-a-grave)

To read an in depth account of Willard Shannon's time in Folsom, as well as his execution please check out the book "Folsom's 93" by April Moore. 

Copyright  5/23/2012- Republished 3/28/2018  -- J’aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com 

Thank you April Moore for the photo of Willard Shannon and the interesting info about Shannon's last meal in Folsom! Also a big thank you about the info about Shannon sending telegrams to Lage's wife during his time on the lam.(www.folsoms93.com)

Sources:
Photo of Harold Lage's grave c/o www.findagrave.com
Amador County History (archived books)

Modesto-The News (1/7/1927)

Bakersfield Californian (1/3/1927, 3/28/1927)

Bakersfield Morning Echo (11/27/1927)

Lodi Sentinel (1/11/1927, 2/8/1927, 3/24/1927)

San Mateo Times (2/10/1927)