By: Jim Waddell
Joaquin Murrieta, without a doubt, is America’s most well-known Hispanic outlaw. He also was the most notorious bandit of the Gold Rush era.
Born in 1830 near the town of Alamos in Sonora, Mexico, Murrieta was the son of Rosalia and Joaquin Murrieta of Vayoreca, an adobe silver mining village, 15 miles south of Alamos.
When the news of the discovery of gold in California reached Sonora, young Joaquin, along with thousands of his countrymen, headed north in 1848. Murrieta and several of his in-laws landed in the southern mines at what the Americans called the “Sonoranian Camp.” It was a tent city of 5000 that soon became known as Sonora, California. Many of the Mexicans were experienced miners and found early success. Rivalry for good claims, coupled with lingering animosity from the Mexican war led to Anglo-Hispanic violence in 1850.
Much of what has been written about Joaquin Murrieta has been myth. There was a story that circulated throughout the region that his wife had been raped in Sonora and that his brother was lynched by a mob of angry Anglos. These stories, along with all of the prejudices common between the Mexicans and the white Americans of the times, set the stage for Murrieta to become a Robin Hood of the Mexican culture in the Mother Lode. History has proven this to be a fallacy, revealing Murrieta as nothing more than a cold blooded killer and a thief. The story of his wife being raped and his brother being lynched has not been founded by historians. In fact his brother had been seen back in his native county of Mexico in the 1860’s.
On April 5, 1852, Murrieta and several of his followers were at the Humbug Camp on Woods Creek, about three miles from Sonora when they were jumped by a local constable named John Leary. A gunfight ensued. Claudio Feliz was seriously wounded and taken into custody. Murrieta made good his escape while Feliz was taken to Sonora for trial on charges of stolen property when Leary noticed he was in possession of some easily recognized stolen guns. With communications between law jurisdictions being scant in those days, Tuolumne County officials were not aware of Feliz being wanted for murder and other crimes in San Jose and near Tehachapi, (near Bakersfield).
Captain Harry Love
Three weeks after the gunfight near Sonora, Joaquin and some followers were riding on a road south of Stockton when they encountered a local farmer who was riding in a wagon. Murrieta threw a rope and jerked him to the ground. The farmer was shot through the chest and head and $400.00 he was carrying was taken by the bandits. This robbery/murder ultimately proved to be a fatal mistake for Murrieta. The farmer was from a well to do family with money and prestige in the community. The family offered a large reward for the murderers and several posses scoured that whole part of the state. One of the manhunters was a rough, long-haired, heavily bearded 42- year-old frontiersman from Texas, named Harry Love. A big man, Love was highly regarded for his toughness, courage and daring. He already enjoyed a well-earned reputation when he arrived in California in December, 1850.
Love learned that the bandits had struck again near San Buenaventura (now Ventura). Love and a partner caught up with the outlaws and captured Pedro Gonzalez who was one of the main characters in the band. Love was taking him to Los Angeles when Gonzalez attempted to escape by running into some scrub brush after he had asked to go for water. Rather than chase after him on foot or horseback, Love pulled his Colt six-shooter and shot Pedro in the head, killing him instantly. He took the body to Los Angeles where a coroner’s jury found the shooting to be justified. This was the first serious blow struck against the Murrieta gang.
Meanwhile, Joaquin returned to the Mother Lode. On August 28, he and several followers held up three Chinese miners on the highway between Sonora and Jamestown. The banditos then rode on to Chinese Camp where they robbed every man in the camp – all Hispanics – and shot one to death. The next day near Sonora, they robbed and murdered two Americans. The following night they held up a store at Sullivan Creek and killed its owner.
As parties of armed miners hunted in vain for the bandits, Murrieta led his men out of the Sierra foothills. They crossed the San Joaquin Valley and the Coast Range and robbed a man and his wife in what is now Pleasanton. The desperadoes rode south to Monterey County. In the ensuing months, Murrieta and his gang robbed and murdered at will, all over the Mother Lode, the Central Valley and along the coast. Arising out of these exploits, came many myths about the size of the Murrieta gang and all of the places the group had committed crimes. These repeated and audacious bandit raids created a type of mass hysteria among mines. Exaggerated and sometimes totally false reports of more murders made the Mexican bandits larger than life. But, the extreme danger posed by Joaquin’s gang was no exaggeration.
Sheriff Bludworth
Joaquin Murrieta and his gang next moved on to Mariposa County where they believed it would be safe to hole up and re-group. They stopped in the isolated and hilly country around the little Mexican camp of Hornitos (Little Ovens). By this time, some local politicians from Mariposa County managed to push through the creation of a state ranger service. The veteran, Harry Love was selected lead the group. Each man was paid $350.00 a month, an extremely high wage for the time. Among the rangers was Charles Bludworth who later became the Sheriff of Merced County. The men who would end Joaquin Murrieta’s scourge were assembled and the day of reckoning was finally at hand.
The California Rangers and the End of Joaquin Murrieta
Love recruited his company of California Rangers in Mariposa County. He chose Patrick Connor as first lieutenant, a man who had been an officer in the Texas Volunteers in the Mexican War. He later became a well-known Indian fighter and a general in the Civil War. The Rangers consisted of a colorful mixture of hardened frontiersmen and political appointees. Among the former was the previously mentioned Charles Bludworth (later the sheriff in Merced County), William Henderson, a 27 year old prospector and ex-soldier and Bill Byrnes, a gunfighter and Indian war veteran, who had met Joaquin Murrieta in 1850. Many of the 21 men who signed the muster roll had “smelt powder” in Mexico or Texas.
The position held by these Rangers was a most responsible one, for they had the law in their hands and could hang, burn or crucify as they pleased. Under the circumstances, it was necessary to have men with courage and good judgment. They were all dead shots with rifle or pistol and not one of them knew the meaning of the word fear.
Captain Howard and his Wife
One of the members, Captain William J. Howard was a horse breeder and had a number of high grade animals on his ranch. He supplied all of the horses used on this expedition. They all knew the necessity of being well mounted as the Mexican outlaws had access to many fresh horses from friendly Mexican camps. They also would not hesitate to steal others along the way.
In May 1853, Captain Love and his Rangers started their manhunt. For more than a month they scoured the Sierra foothills and San Joaquin Valley in their search. They arrested several men and recovered stolen horses. None proved to be any of the gang they were after. Love then received a tip that Murrieta had been seen in the coastal counties. He led his men to Mission San Jose, located in what is now Fremont. In July, the Rangers had their first success when they located and arrested Jesus Feliz, Murrieta’s cousin. After a lengthy interrogation, Feliz agreed to take them to Murrieta in exchange for his own release.
What prompted Feliz to cooperate with Harry Love is not known. Perhaps the Rangers threatened to kill him; maybe they offered him a reward. At any rate, Feliz led the Rangers to San Juan Batista where they bought provisions for 18 days, then rode west into the Salinas Valley. From there, they were taken by Feliz south and east and on July 23, 1853, they came upon the outlaw’s trail after entering Cantua Canyon, near the site of the present town of Coalinga, in Fresno County.
Captain Howard, noted for his intuition, remarked to Harry Love that he felt something unusually exciting was going to happen that day. A few minutes after making that remark, they saw smoke arising from a camp on the edge of the canyon. They realized at once they had found the bandits. Murrieta and his group had stopped for their midday meal. The Rangers moved in and counted 15 men. Nobody from the Murrieta camp had any idea they were being watched or followed. They were enjoying a siesta and disorder was evident. Their horses were unsaddled and they were mostly laying on their saddle blankets.
Captain Harry Love and William Howard walked into their camp like they were lost travelers and approached 3-Fingered Jack Garcia. A good looking young man standing nearby said, “Talk to me, I’m the leader of this band.” As Love went nearer to the speaker, 3-Fingered Jack fired a pistol, the bullet grazing the side of Love’s face but otherwise leaving him uninjured.
At this time, Ranger Bill Byrnes arrived. He was the Ranger who had met Joaquin over a game of cards. On seeing him, Murrieta jumped on his horse bareback, jumped 15 feet down into a gully, with Byrnes in hot pursuit, telling the others he recognized the fleeing bandit as Joaquin Murrieta.
Byrnes and Ranger John White took off after Murrieta while the remaining Rangers engaged the outlaws in a gun battle. 3-Fingered Jack was mortally wounded along with eleven other outlaws. Armed only with pistols, they made a poor showing against the lawmen who were much better armed for the fight. None of the Rangers were injured except for Harry Love’s close shave. Meanwhile, White caught up with Murrieta who was riding “Injun style,” clutching the mane of his horse with one hand and using the horse as a shield. White, with his second shot, hit Murrieta in the hand, causing him to fall from his horse.
There are several accounts of this battle but it seems clear that Murrieta surrendered to White who informed him he was under arrest. When other Rangers arrived they apparently thought the battle had not ended and Joaquin Murrieta was shot to pieces. This impulsive action upset several of the Rangers as they felt they would have a hard time collecting the reward without proof of the bandito’s identity.
This whole affair occurred about 80 miles from Fresno, so Love decided to sever the head of Murrieta and Jack’s 3-Fingered hand for ease of transportation. He took them to a doctor’s office in Fresno where the head and hand were preserved in alcohol to prove to the public and the State they in fact nabbed the right people. Several people from Mariposa where Murrieta was well known, were summoned to identify the head and hand. Identification was positive and the reward was paid. It is not clearly known to this day, if Love kept the entire reward or shared it with the rest of the Rangers.
The head of Joaquin Murrieta and the hand of 3 fingered Jack, ultimately ended up in San Francisco where they were placed on exhibit. These trophies were destroyed in the earthquake of 1906.
Jim Waddell is a retired law enforcement officer and graduate of the FBI National Academy. In his nearly 40 years of service he worked for two sheriff’s departments and was a chief of police. Jim is a firearms instructor and competed in many statewide pistol matches. He lives in central California where he grows almonds.