Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell REMINISCENCES —OF A— RANGER —OR,— EARLY TIMES —IN— SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, By MAJOR HORACE BELL. LOS ANGELES: YARNELL, CAYSTILE & MATHES, PRINTERS. 1881. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by HORACE BELL, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C. TO THE FEW Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.103 SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE LOS ANGELES RANGERS, AND TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO HAVE ANSWERED TO THE LAST ROLL-CALL, THIS HUMBLE TRIBUTE IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. No country or section during the first decade following the conquest of California, has been more prolific of adventure than our own bright and beautiful land; and to rescue from threatened oblivion the incidents herein related, and either occurring under the personal observation of the author, or related to him on the ground by the actors therein, and to give place on the page of history to the names of brave and worthy men who figured in the stirring events of the times referred to, as well as to portray pioneer life as it then existed, not only among the American pioneers, but also the California Spaniards, the author sends forth his book of Reminiscences, trusting that its many imperfections may be charitably scrutinized by a criticising public, and that the honesty of purpose with which it is written will be duly appreciated. H. B. NOTE. The word “Registrar” used instead of Register in Chap. VI must be charged to the printers and not the author. Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.103 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Sea Bird—Arrival at San Pedro—The two Captains Haley—Pioneer Staging— Sailor Stage Drivers—Banning—“Let Her Drive”—Stage Race and High Betting—Arrival at the Angels—The Bella Union and its Guests—The First Vigilance Committee—The Seven Wise Men of the Angels—Their Inquisitorial Torture—They Find the Assassin of Gen. Bean and Hang an Innocent Man—Joaquin Murietta—Zapatero, the Tejon Chief—The El Dorado—Aleck Gibson's —Nigger Alley and Gambling—Noted Characters—Crooked Nose Smith—Cherokee Bob 17 CHAPTER II. Ricardo Urives—He Wipes Out Jim Irvin's Party—His Encounter with John G. Downey—A Bloody Affray in Nigger Alley—Ricardo Passes in His Checks—The Black Democrat —The Court of the Vigilance Committee—The Doomed Men—The Gallows—Hanging Reyes Feliz, Sandoval and Three Others—The Arkansas Man as Hangman—The Last of the First Mob —Retribution—Fandango at the Moreno House—The Marshal—J. Thompson Burrill's Court and How it Was Adjourned—Granger and Ogier—The Mission Indians—A Slave Mart 31 CHAPTER III. More Lynching—Disgraceful Proceedings—Smith and a Mexican are Whipped on the Plaza —Tossing a Man in a Blanket—A Broken Neck—Even Change—Thompson Burrill and Doña Concha—A Man Gets Married—The Hairless Dog—Jack Powers and His Great Influence—He Defies the Law—Emigrates to Sonora and is Murdered—Alas! Poor Jack—Los Angeles the Hot- bed of Revolution—Castro's Pronunciamento—Micheltorena—Gringo Versus Gringo, and the Great Three Days Battle of Providencia—Blood, “God and Liberty.”—Bandini's Revolution— The Founding of Los Angeles—Navarro's Dream 50 10 CHAPTER IV. The “Most Useful Man,” and How he Played it on Friar Juan, of Agua Mansa—His Duel With General Magruder—Juan Largo Versus Juan Chapo—A Wonderful Lawsuit—Myron Norton, Don José, and the Mixed Jury —Cobarrubias 72 CHAPTER V. Spanish Families—Good Society—A First-class Mexican Ball— Ranchero Hospitality—Captain J. Q. A. Stanley—R. S. Den, Bandini and Others—Washington's Birthday Ball in 1853—Assault and Hard Fighting—The Dead—Myron Norton Wounded— The Angels on a War Footing—Andres Pico Commands the Peace—The Mission Indians Adopt Gringo Customs and Hang a Man—Mission Squirrels Versus Mission Bells 88 CHAPTER VI. A Grand Character—An Old-time Election in Los Angeles—Capturing Voters, the Modus Operandi Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.103 —Disguising Sovereigns—Old Payuche—History Repeats Itself—The Register of the Land Office Dines Off the Nose of the U.S. District Attorney—The Judge and the Pet Deer—Lafayette Cotton and the Register—An Overdose of Buckshot 99 CHAPTER VII. Joaquin Murietta and His Desperate Doings—A Reign of Terror—The Rangers—Captain Hope and Others—The Twin Brothers, Green and Wiley Marshall—Green's Adventures in Arizona—Death of the two Brothers 107 CHAPTER VIII. The Great Western Napoleon—The Grand Gringo Campaign Against the Desert Indians—Don Benito Wilson, the Honest Indian Agent—The Indians Steal His Horses— A Vindictive Pursuit—Don Vicente de La Osa and His Reinforcement—The Padres of Old 118 CHAPTER IX. The Great Ohio Mail Robber Seeks Refuge in Los Angeles and is Arrested—The Royal Bengal Tiger—A Stir Among the Angels—A Cool Lawyer—Fourth of July Celebration at San Pedro and Los Angeles—Alexander & Banning—Don Juan Sepulveda and the Patriotic Spanish-Americans—A Reminiscence by an Old Mexican Captain—Commodore Mervine's March on Los Angeles—His Repulse—Patriotic Mexicans Fire a Salute Over the Americans Killed in the Battle—Brave Higuera—A Curious Court Scene 127 11 CHAPTER X. The Phantom, Spectre, or What is It?—Great Estampida—Excitement Among the Vaqueros—Bill Solves the Mystery— John T. Lanfranco's Pioneer Sulky—A Sharp Briar and Pious Fraud—A Sermon to the Rangers —A Large Collection—A Midnight Raid and Important Capture—The Jackass Lawsuit—Drown and Thom—“An Irishman Can't Give Evidence in this Court”—A Test of Blood 138 CHAPTER XI. A Bloody Chapter—Murderers and Bandits Flee From San Luis Obispo—The Rangers Capture the Whole Band After a Sharp Skirmish in Bliss' Vineyard—A Female Fighter—All Taken to San Luis Obispo and Hung—The Murder of Porter and Pursuit of Vergara—Stanley, Banning and Winston—A Ride for Life—Hand to Hand Fight—Vergara Escapes, Reaches Yuma and is Killed by the Guard—Don Santiago Arguello—Major Heintzelman 151 CHAPTER XII. The Murder of Jack Whaling—An Army of Fair and Frail Sisters—Moreno's Band—Robbery of Lelong's House—Moreno Kills His Comrades for Blood Money—Capture of Moreno—The Whole City on Guard—Solomon Lazard's Bravery—Mayor Nichol's Message to the Council—All is Mystery 158 CHAPTER XIII. The Post of Jurupa—Captain Lovell—Military Discipline—A Gay and Festive Quartermaster—Smith—Attempted Robbery of Mrs. Iverson's House at San Gabriel— Robber Camp at Temescal—The Rangers, Regulars and Mormon Contingent Make a Night March Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.103 on Their Camp—Escape—On to San Juan Capistrano—Juan Forster—Juan Avila el Rico 165 CHAPTER XIV. El Viejo Lugo—His Vast Wealth and Great Generosity—His Death—Bill, the Most Remarkable—Omar Pacha—Louis Napoleon—U.S. Grant—Knights Ferry—King Gumbo Jumbo and Kahmehameha—A Wonderful Saint—Chebang—Boom—My Compadre—Another Pacha who Decimates a Turkish Regiment 174 CHAPTER XV. Attempted Assassination of Judge Hayes—Horses Stolen From San Bernardino Ranch—The Lugos Pursue, Attack and Defeat the Indians, and Massacre a Party of Americans—Adobe Houses—The Fandango—Peons and Pelados —Cascarones—The Dead Desperado 194 12 CHAPTER XVI. Alex. Bell—His Adventures—Leads a Filibustering Expedition to Equador—Gen. Flores—Eminent Fighting Men—Walker's Expedition to Lower California—A Mexican Hercules—Battle of La Grulla—The Twin Republics—The Old Flag Abolished—The Government Starts for Sonora—Hercules Heads it off—Major McKinstry, U.S.A. 203 CHAPTER XVII. More Filibusters—Café Barrierre—Madame Begon—The Expedition of Count Gaston de Raoussett Boulbon to Sonora—All Made Prisoners—The Noble Count is Shot and His Followers are Banished to Los Angeles—The Crabbe Expedition to Sonora—Its Objects —The Ainsa Family—Grandara and Pesqueira—The Massacre—One Survivor Tells the Tale— The Feast of Demons—Fernandez the Traitor—Alexis Godey and Kit Carson—Crabbe's Original Letter to the Mexican Prefect Announcing his Coming—Pesqueira's Proclamation 211 CHAPTER XVIII. More Filibusters—The Expedition of Admiral Zerman to Lower California—“The Stern Admiral”—Gen. Blancarte Traps and Sends the Party as Prisoners to Mexico—Bob Baldwin—John Cullen—Smith and His Bloody Record—John Temple and the Plan to Rob Him—His Vast Wealth —End of Smith 227 CHAPTER XIX. Revolution—The California Spaniard—His Patriotism—The Great Gringo Nation—John Raines—Guadaloupe Sanchez—Organization of Patriots—The Plaza Occupied—“Viva la Republica, and Death to the Gringos”—GeneralLittleton to the Rescue—Raid on the Bella Union Bar—Mayor Hodges in the Field—Firing on the Plaza—The Gringo Phalanx Routed—The Mayor in a Bomb Proof—The Phalanx Triumphant—The Killed and Wounded —Doña Maria, the Lady Mayoress in Peril—Littleton Relieves Her—The Last Outrage—The Angels Redeemed—“All is Well that Ends Well.” 235 CHAPTER XX. Bull Fights—Romance of Spanish American Conquest—Gran Funcion de Toros—The Gran Toreador—Plaza de Toros —The Debut of Don Jesus—“The Bravest Man in the World”—A Furious Bull—A Desperate Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in southern California. By Major Horace Bell http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.103 Encounter—The Lazadores, Picadores and Banderilleros—The Gran Toreador Gets a Raise—The Battle Over—The Gringo's Revenge 242 13 CHAPTER XXI.