The Rancheria Massacre- Part 2, Amador County

PART 2.

THE ROUND-UP

As previously mentioned in PART 1 of this story, (if you haven’t read that part yet, I suggest you click here - Rancheria Massacre (Part1). 

By 9 a.m. the next morning there were at least five hundred people present, swarming the town.  Madly enraged and hell bent for justice, they demanded that ALL the Mexicans in the town be strung up and hung. The basic “lynch mob” had set in out of fear and anger. They saw what one group of bandits had done to the townspeople of Rancheria and they were demanding justice.

Judge Curtis made his way to the crowd to “oversee” the proceedings that were about to take place. There were quite a few people in the crowd who wanted the accused to be treated fairly. Even Judge Curtis stated “Let us proceed cautiously; let us be just, let us hang no innocent men.”  Sadly, that would not be the case.

Approximately 35 Mexican men were corralled into a circle with ropes, with the intention of hanging them all. However, some citizens yelled out that the men needed a fair trial. A man by the name of James Johnson (some accounts name him as Robinson)** stepped forward and pointed out one of the men being corralled nearby as being an accessory to the crime.  Johnson, a miner who lived in a cabin nearby, claimed he saw through the crack of his cabin door, the local town drunk known as “Port Wine” (or Puerto Vino) shooting his gun in the street, shouting “Viva Mexico.”

The townspeople thought James was full of it, as many knew Port Wine to be a harmless drunk who would hurt no one. Even Port Wine’s wife begged and pleaded to the crowd along with her husband, hoping that logical thinking or reasoning could prevail here.  Sadly, the majority of the crowd took Johnson’s word for it, and strung Port Wine up until he died. Two other men named Jose and Trancolino were also hanged, based on the testimony of James Johnson by claiming that through the crack of his cabin door he also saw the other two men aiding the Bandits.

A well known citizen of Drytown, William Clark tried to appeal to the crowd, asking for sympathy. Requesting for them to imagine if they were the ones in a foreign land and were being accused of crimes they did not commit. He just didn’t feel that it was right to attack all the people for what a few people had done. The crowd then ganged up on Clark, even considering hanging him after a lady by the name of Mrs. Ketchum stated that Clark was “too friendly” with the foreigners.

Next, a man known as Borquitas was called in to speak with the Mexican people who were being held in the corral. Immediately, upon his translating what the people were telling him, he tried to explain the innocence of these individuals, that’s when more of the town folk started suspecting Borquitas as being a suspect as well. Another man by the name of Sutherland stepped forward and explained that Borquitas was there to help and was not a criminal. Being that the crowd was getting upset again, Sutherland gave Borquitas the “green light” to leave before the crowd got worse again.

It was mentioned that a man by the name of Roberts, then decided to take the law into his own hands and attempted to pull out a gun on Borquitas. Unfortunately, he pulled the trigger prematurely as he was pulling it out and accidentally shot himself in the chest, dying instantly. There were also accounts stating that he was neither mad nor drunk and was actually walking home when the gun went off. There really is no way to know the truth about this instance, except for the fact it left one man mysteriously dead.

**Side Note:  The man known as James Johnson (some accounts name him as James Robinson), whose sole testimony implicated the 3 men who were hanged for allegedly being accessories to the bandits, had ulterior motives as we later find out. In fact, Johnson had a strong interest in Port Wine’s claim. Upon the death of Port Wine, Johnson took over Port Wine’s claim as his own. Interesting isn’t it? Unfortunately, Johnson was lazy and didn’t want to work on the claim so he sold it for $200 and spent the money in less than a week.

On The Trail Of The Bandits

Earlier in the morning the Sheriff came down to the scene of the murders, to view the mutilated bodies. He was so overcome with disgust of what these bandits had done to law abiding citizens of his County, that now only justice was on his mind. And he intended to make sure justice was what he got! Speaking very little as he stepped along the ground, witnessing the gory aftermath of a murderous rampage, Sheriff Phoenix yelled out , “Let’s Go!” as he mounted his horse and motioned for his posse to follow him.

CLICK HERE TO: READ PART 3 OF  THE RANCHERIA MASSACRE

(Copyright- J'aime Rubio, Dreaming Casually Publications 2013)

The Rancheria Massacre- Amador County, CA (Part 1)

THE RANCHERIA MASSACRE- PART 1

History has proven that many times innocent people were killed for crimes they did not commit. In the story you are about to read, you will hear of innocent people being killed, a hero dying  in the name of justice and a criminal getting what he deserves.  When researching this story, I found that some authors have blamed Joaquin Murieta for this massacre in Rancheria, Amador County.  This is completely false. Anyone who claims this, is not speaking of true historical accuracy, and merely speaking out of fantasy.  Yes, the culprits were Mexican banditos, but not of Murieta’s gang.  I hope this article sets the record straight for the final time and sheds light on the truth once and for all.

 BEFORE THE MURDERS

It was August 5^th of 1855, and the weather was hot.   A group of bandits decided to make camp near a spot known as “Hacalitas,” not far from the Q Ranch in Amador County.  The next day, August 6th, the group of Mexican men left their camp and moved towards Drytown.  While traveling onward they decided to rob a Chinese camp, leaving one of the Chinese men bound.  While leaving the camp, they passed a group of Americans without causing a scene.  Later they set up camp just outside of Rancheria (just southeast of Drytown). 

A local tax collector by the name of George Durham was traveling the same route and discovered that each Chinese camp he would go through, had been robbed.  Each time he spoke to the victims they described the same men, The Mexican vaquero type and about 12 in all.  

When travelling through Rancheria, he visited Eugene Francis’ store and spoke to him about these robbers who he believed may have robbed another store in Tuolumne County. He warned Francis that these men may come back and rob him as well.  After bidding Francis adieu, Durham travelled onward to Drytown where he actually passed these bandits on the road.

As he was passing them, they were on the side of the road bickering. Two of the men were about to have an all out brawl when a tall, thin Mexican man broke the fight up. It was obvious he was their leader.  Durham continued onward towards Drytown and realized that two of the men from the group of Mexicans were tailing him.  After a distance of being followed, it seemed as if the two men let off and went back towards Rancheria.

Once Durham reached Drytown, he went to pay a visit to Constable Cross and asked him to help in collecting taxes from the Chinese men at Milton’s Ranch. By the time Durham and Cross made it back to Drytown the sun had already set.  Finally, they went to Mizener’s Store.

(photo: shooterforums.com)

While everyone was at the store, Judge Curtis came in talking about a Spanish lady who had come into his office that day to warn him that the town was going to be robbed by bandits.  She told the Judge where they were and that the town was full of criminals.  Judge Curtis, Durham and Cross decided then to confront these men back at their camp. When they weren't there they decided to go to Chile Flat, the "mexican" section of the town to see if they could find them at one of the homes that they had been told the suspects were hiding. When they approached the home, a Mexican lady came to the door and said that no one was there, all the while she very carefully lifted the curtain up to the doorway just enough to show the Sheriff dark shadowy figures of men in the back of the house attempting to escape.

Immediately, the Sheriff and his men went after the suspects, pistols in hand.

As they approached them, the Mexicans drew their weapons.  In an instant,  both parties had pulled their guns out and began shooting back and forth in the dark.  Eventually, the Mexicans withdrew their weapons and fled into the night. It appeared as if they were headed back to Rancheria.

The residents in Drytown grew scared that it was a trick, that if all the men went off into the night chasing after the bandits that it would leave their town vulnerable for a vicious attack. Either way, one of the towns would fall prey to the bandits, Rancheria or Drytown.

Robert Cosner, a local resident volunteered to go on ahead and try to make it to Rancheria before the bandits to warn the residents. While the rest of the men stayed back in Drytown, just in case of an attack.  Cosner went up another trail, through Rattlesnake Gultch in order to make it to Rancheria quickly and evade the bandits on the road.

By the time Cosner and his companion made it to Rancheria, they could feel that something just wasn’t right. In the distance they saw the bandits leaving on the opposite side of the hill across town.  The town was eerily silent and no lights were visible, only the light of moon directed the two brave men.  Finally, one of the men called out, to no reply. After awhile they heard a man calling out.  A man known as David Wilson had screamed out to the two men.

“My God! The whole town is slaughtered. My brother Sam was killed and I don’t know how many more!”

Photo of Rancheria: c/o J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Upon reaching Francis’ store they found Dan Hutchins, his clerk dead behind the counter along with Sam Wilson, David Wilson’s brother. Outside, they discovered Francis crawling on two broken legs, severely wounded. He had been shot several times and his legs butchered with an axe. He claimed that when they were attacked that he fought until he couldn’t handle it anymore and attempted to get out through the back door on the “stumps of his legs.”  Sadly, Eugene Francis passed away the next day.

As the men kept their search for survivors, they found more dead. A Native-American man was found dead just outside the hotel. The victims were:  Mrs. Mary Dynan (wife of Hotel Owner, Michael Dynan), Sam Wilson, Eugene Francis, Uriah Michener, An unidentified Native-American man and Daniel Hutchins.  

When Cosner located the Hotel owner, Dynan told them that they had been playing cards and had company over when the bandits attacked. It was realized that Mary Dynan (his wife)  had died when she attempted to help her child escape through an open window.  The safe at the Hotel was blown open and reports claim anywhere in upwards of $800 to $20,000 was stolen, more than likely most of it was money being held for the miners. All together 6 people were murdered (5 men and 1 woman).  One of the surviving  guests, a man known as Foster was later found hiding underneath the tablecloth of a table. He had somehow found a place to hide undetected during the attack.

THE ROUND-UP

By 9 a.m. the next morning there were at least five hundred people present, swarming the town.  Madly enraged and hell bent for justice, they demanded that ALL the Mexicans in the town be strung up and hung. 

CLICK HERE TO READ PART 2 OF "THE RANCHERIA MASSACRE"

(Copyright 2011-2013- J'aime Rubio via Dreaming Casually Publications)

The Long Beach Honeymoon Killer- 1926

Leo Dwight Murphy

 The Crime

On November 30, 1926, a very heinous crime took place in a small “Honeymoon Cottage” in Long Beach, California.  Leo Dwight Murphy (also referred to as Lee Daniel Murphy) aka Robert Jim Callahan or James Callahan, salesman and  former University of Wisconsin student (also claimed to be member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity), brutally murdered his wife Cornelia Buttles Murphy in their "cottage" only 13 days after their wedding.

The truth was uncovered when Cornelia was found badly beaten and made a statement to authorities only to die a few days later from her injuries. Miss Cornelia Buttles, an accomplished musician and former accompanist for the Riverside High School Orchestra, met Murphy in Fresno, when they began their short courtship. Murphy convinced Cornelia to marry him and the two wed November 17, 1926.  Miss Buttles was the daughter of Augustus Buttles, secretary treasurer of the Luedke Shaefer Buttles Shoe Company of Milwaukee. In 1918, the Buttles family moved to Fresno, California.

Cornelia Buttles Murphy with Leo Murphy

 The Motive

According to reports, what could have actually led to the altercation that caused Cornelia’s untimely death, may have been the fact that Cornelia had learned her husband (Murphy) was already married to another woman named Mildred Merrill Murphy of Fairfield, Ca. When she confronted her husband about the bigamous act he was committing, he went into a rage and began attacking her. 

The 225 lb. man beat his petite framed wife to a pulp, breaking her jaw in two places, fracturing her knee and using a bottle to bludgeon her causing abdominal hemorrhages.  Murphy then fled the scene of the beating, and eventually went back to his first wife Mildred, where they then fled to San Francisco, San Diego and later Mexico to evade police.

Before dying, Cornelia first tried to shield her husband of the blame by claiming it must have been trauma he suffered from the horrors of the World War that caused him to beat her so severely. She eventually confessed that he told her, “I killed a girl like you in Fresno,” and went on to say to Cornelia,  “I don’t know whether I am going to kill you or not, but I think I will.”- 

The brutal beating that Cornelia suffered was said to have lasted nearly two hours. After her death, the police initiated a nationwide man hunt that went on for nearly 7 years. Murphy apparently returned to his first wife Mildred, only to abandon her a short time later. It seemed that divorces were something Murphy wasn’t interested in pursuing, so he would just leave and marry another unsuspecting girl down the line. It was even speculated that he had a wife and child in Peoria, Illinois and another wife in Wisconsin ever before having married Mildred or Cornelia. During his time on the lam, Murphy managed to evade the police going from state to state and even marrying two more times until he got to his next wife, Bertha Hindman-Murphy before the detectives apprehended him.

The Excuse

By 1932, Murphy was now going by the name Callahan when he met, courted and married Bertha Hindman in Maryland. Within a year they had a infant son and moved to Pittsburgh where police recognized him and moved in on apprehending him. During the entire ordeal of being questioned,his excuse of why he fled the scene was almost humorous in the sense that Murphy actually believed the detectives were dumb enough believe his fabricated stories.

First off, Murphy practically played the whole “temporary insanity” excuse, not in those words, but basically by saying: 

"It was about 8 o’clock that evening, and Cornelia was getting dinner. I recall asking her to come to me. The next thing I remembered I was on the beach, mumbling over some sentence I had learned as a child. I asked myself what had happened, and the answer came: ‘I must have hurt Cornelia.’ When I got back to the apartment I apologized, and she forgave me. The next morning I noticed that her face was swollen and I suggested she call a doctor, but she refused. That same day the landlady told me to leave the house, and I went to Los Angeles and then to San Diego, where, several days later, I read a newspaper notice that an inquest was to be held in connection with my wife’s death.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, he had an excuse as to why he didn’t turn himself in, too.

"I left San Diego because I was afraid, and did not want to stand trial because of my mother. Mother died later, and if I’d known it I would have returned to stand trial.”

Yeah, sure Murphy, Callahan…whatever your name is!!! 

I am sorry, but given his reputation for two-timing his many wives and the brutal beating that Cornelia was given that ultimately led to her death, there isn’t anything this guy could have said that I would have believed. He was obviously a habitual liar and a sociopath to be able to do all those heinous things such as murder his own wife, lie to all those women he married, and to live so many double lives without a single ounce of remorse. Unfortunately, his last and final wife Bertha continued to believe in his innocence and stood by his side throughout the trial and even when he was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his previous bride.

Cornelia was laid to rest on December 15, 1926, in Fresno, California. 

The Execution

Leo Murphy was hanged on December 7, 1934, after having been able to postpone this death sentence nearly a year from the date of his conviction in September of 1933. Eventually, time had run out for Mr. Murphy and the gallows awaited him. The night before his execution he requested a steak dinner and claimed that would be the last meal he’d ever eat on earth. But, by the morning he asked the guards to bring him breakfast as well. After he was hanged, it took nearly 10 minutes for Murphy to die, according to reports. In the end, Murphy was held accountable for all the wrongs he had done to all his wives, including Cornelia, his newlywed bride whom he brutally murdered.

R.I.P. Cornelia Buttles Murphy

(Copyright 2013- J’aime Rubio)

Milwaukee Journal- 7/11/1933

Portsmouth Times- 11/11/1933

Pittsburgh Press- 6/22/1934

California Death Penalty Index

The Gangster Squad: Who Were They? And Was The Movie Truly Accurate?

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