CHAPTER THREE EARLIEST PUBLISHED ACCOUNTS about Harmon Augustus Good List of Documents 1 Letter from Alexander R. Barrington to William Barrington Feb. 29, 1856 2 Letter from Harmon A. Good to Governor Leland Stanford August 8, 1862 3 Harmon Good’s Newspaper Obituaries (6) May 7, 14 and May 27, 1870 4 “The Adventures of Captain Hi Good” by Dan Delaney, June 7, 1872 5 “The Kom’-bo” by Stephen Powers, 1877 6 “Indian Difficulties” by Harry L. Wells and W. L. Chambers, 1882 7 Fighting the Mill Creek Indians, Ch. XV, by Robert Anderson, 1909 8 “The Yana Indians” by Thomas Waterman, 1918, with informants William J. Seagraves (1915) & Almira (Brown) Williams (1912) 9 “The Murder of Hi Good” from The Last of the Mill Creeks by Simeon Moak, 1923 10 “The Long Concealment” from Ishi In Two Worlds by Theodora Kroeber, 1961 Document #1 -233- Figure 135. Lower Deer Creek where she divides into channels for about a one stretch mile before reuniting, while veering through Sections 22 and 27 of Tehama County’s Las- sen Township 25N, R1W (See also Fig.152 map of the same on page 266). In the far middle distance, Deer Creek can be barely seen heading to the right, in a westerly direc- tion to empty into the Sacramento River. Photo by author taken March 17, 2007. Hi Good’s former ranch location (SE ¼ of Section 33), is in the distance (far left), Alexander Robb Barrington’s former “Rio Alto Ranch” (160 acres) is in the distant middle, while Good’s sheep camp (study area, CA-TEH-2105H) is out of view in this photo, to the north (far right) about 1 ½ miles distant. -234- Bibliographical Reference: Grabhorn, Jane Bissell 1934 A Gold Rush Miscellany. San Francisco: Grabhorn Press, pp. 43-45. Disposition of Original Document: Unknown. Although Grabhorn Press editor Jane Bissell stated that “. we must acknowledge our indebtedness to Mr. Harold C. Holmes who has been instrumental in supplying us with most of the original material used, a query response (early Octo- ber, 2008) from Librarian Trish Richards with the Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University Library, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, was that “I looked but could not find any original Alex Barrington letters in the Harold C. Holmes Papers on file in this library.” Abstract: Alexander Robb Barrington, born in 1830 in Piqua, Ohio, writes this personal letter to his brother, William Barrington, living in Ohio. Alex had first come to California for eight months in 1849-1850, and made out fairly well, finding some gold and also kept his health. In St. Marys, Ohio, Alex successfully recruited Hi Good to return with him to California in 1854. They chose to settle along Lower Deer Creek in 1855. Barrington was Irish American, while Good was German/English Ameri- can. They were both dandies, who were in pursuit of adventure, fortune, and invariably happiness in promising California. It was learned that Alex Barrington died in Mexico on December 17, 1879. Contributor: Alex R. Barrington. His biographical sketch in on pages 116-117 of this report. Letter No. 9 from ALEXANDER BARRINGTON, to his brother William, dated, “Rio Alto Ranch,”1 February 29, 1856 DEAR BILL: t would be hard for me to say whether I am really indebted to you one letter or you to me; for my part I have been more negligent than I should have been and my only apology is damn bad luck of which I have had my share in the last year, and of course one does not feel like exposing their Iown misfortunes. Sometimes I think I never will write to my friends until I make a good raise; let it be as long as it will, but I find if I do not write that I receive none from you. I recd Mary’s2 3rd last month, dated St. M.3 Nov. 4th, being the only word I have had from home (except a few dutch ones4) since July last, and would have answered it immediately had ever an opportunity offered, or had I anything to write. We had just arrived in Shasta5 after 300 or 400 miles of a hunting and prospecting tramp through Coast Range mountains from Sac. City to Shasta.6 I have neither time nor space, (as the printers say) to give you anything of a description of the country we passed through, our hunt- ing, sports, hard times &c, but you may depend we seen a little of all--I think I could find location for a ranch in some of the small valleys of these mountains, where I would be content to spend my days, were it not quite so far from civilization; the soil will raise anything from white beans to the very best corn; but to bring corn and vegetables it would be necessary to irrigate, which is very eas- ily done from the thousand of mountain streams, running the whole season, from the snow on the mountains. There are wild oats growing in these valleys as high as a man’s arms for thousands of acres, but they don’t cut it this far up on account of hauling so far--hay is now worth in the valley $50 per ton--at Shasta forty miles from here $100, and every season there is more demand. Barley is worth from 4 to 6c --potatoes 5c (a man can raise as many per acre of potatoes as he wishes) wheat grows to perfection, --it is nothing uncommon to see fields of from 200 to 3000 acres wheat under good fence. -235- mountains. There are wild oats growing in these valleys as high as a man’s arms for thousands of acres, but they don’t cut it this far up on account of hauling so far--hay is now worth in the valley $50 per ton--at Shasta forty miles from here $100, and every season there is more demand. Barley is worth from 4 to 6c --potatoes 5c (a man can raise as many per acre of potatoes as he wishes) wheat grows to perfection, --it is nothing uncommon to see fields of from 200 to 3000 acres wheat under good fence. Young James Ide7 (by the way Sam McT. is going to marry his sister8 shortly--or rather marry $50.000) a few miles above this is now making a fence which is eight miles long on the sides and 3 at ends.9 Sam, John & Isaac McT. are mining at Cold Springs, Eldorado Co.[sic] I was down last week, John has been blown up twice this last summer, blasting rock. Harry Barrington was among the first of Walker’s Expedition10 --he died in November last in Niguara,[sic] I sent you the paper containing his death --poor fellow has had hard luck. He got in difficulty with a “Shoulder Striker,” who was drunk and struck Harry knocking him down. Harry returned this by shooting him, the first shot killed him dead, he was then imprisoned for murder, finally bailed out ($20,000) well by the time old Foote’s layer fees &c were paid up it left him nothing --so he got the blews [sic] and took to hard drink, and from there to Niguara[sic]--Harry had been mining since ‘50 his claim was worth $6000 at the time of the difficulty. I wrote the particulars long ago, but I don’t know whether they were recd [received] or not. Times are about as usual in this country--something up and again down as the old saying, 00 by chance, I intend hanging it out if it takes me a quarter of a century. I am glad to hear your prospects are good, and hope you may soon come out of the Kinks. So you have named your boy Alex, have you? Well you must “Train him up and away he’ll go.” Maggie McT. has a half doz or so, I cant[sic] keep the amt as every time I hear from there she has another boy and in fact I disremember now how often I have heard from there. Just tell young Alex as soon as he is big enough I will send him a pair of boots and a plug of to- bacco, and that will be sufficient outfit for over the plains, and then he can make the trip to see his uncle. With my love to all I remain truly ALEX Direct to Cold Springs, Eldorado Co. and John Mc will send to me. Footnoted annotations: They may be found at the back of this chapter. -236- Document #2 Bibliographical Reference: Good, Harmon A. 1862 Letter from Harmon Good to Governor Leland Stanford. Subject: Deer Creek, H. A. Good [Folder F3753:608] Disposition of Original Document: California Secretary of State - Archives, 1020 “O” Street, Sacramento. Abstract: The aftermath of the June 25, 1862 murders of the Hickok children, Ida,16, Minnie, 13, and Franklin A. Hickok, 6 years old, along Rock Creek by hostile Indians, led to swift pursuit by Harmon Good with fifteen other men. This August 8th, 1862 letter by Harmon A. Good and trans- mitted to Governor Leland Stanford on Aug. 15/62, was written upon returning from their July 24- August 6th retaliatory “campaign.” Reported are the killing of many Indians and the capture of the children made orphans. Good also wanted to know why his July 22nd letter asking for a commission and a “muster in” had gone “unheeded.” Contributor: Harmon A. Good. His biographical sketch in on pages 75-98 of this report.