The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-06-12
rHE DAILY DISPATCH.
from sne Terre-H Haute undians) Express. M.v q
A TRAGEDY IN CALIFORNIA

On Saturday last, Mr.. B. Boo,h. ~ *;
received letter from his son Ne-,c.s PessGe,
forna, post marked Sacramento Civ ~, AT ~
| which brings us the melancholy tidinss b.ia..
"Wm. Clark, brother of Mrs Donalds",
was killed few days since in endeayor;n~ !,
arrest some Spanish horse thieves. There s
great deal Of excitement in his part OF the
villains are taken, they will suffer summary
| punishment. In haste. NJ
This is in postscript, and all that refers to
| the subject. Q
LArEs-we have received a letter from
Henry II. Clark, which confirms the above
and gives the details of the affray which led to
the death Of VIM. Clark, as follows:
On Monday evening, 5th Of April, three Span.
lards called at the rancho Of VIM. & n. HI.
Clark, Willow Spring, 40 miles from Sacra.
| mento city.) and asked for supper in hurry.
| ricau arrived and stated TO VIM. CLARK that the
three Spaniards were horse thieves, that he
had pursued them for thirty miles, and the
| stolen horse was then standing at the door.
Upon this, VIM. Clark, Thomas Moore, fwho
lived at the ranche,) the man pursuing the
| Spaniarfls, and the cook at the rancho, went
into the supper room, and VIM. G. stepped up
and laid his hands on one Of the Spaniards,
saying you are my prisoner" Immediately,
| the three sprung up. drew eighteen inch revol.
vers, and commenced in indiscriminate firing.
Five or six shots were fred over the supper
table without injury. Two of the Spaniards
then ran into the kitchen, then out ofdoors.-
Mr. Clark and the pursner went into the bar.
room after arms, leaving Moore and one Span
lard IN the supper room. The Spaniard fred
at Moore and missed; Moore caught up a rifle
near by. and shot the Spaniard through the
head. He fell lifeless upon the floor! The
Other two Spaniards, then out side OF the house.
| commenced firing into the barroom at VIM. C..
and their pursaer, who were fixing their fire.
arms. ag
Two or three rounds were exchanged with.
| out injury. VIM. C.. and the man who had
pursued the Spaniards, then went out of the
house, and as MIR. &. came round the corner Of
the house, a Spaniard had secreted himself
behind pine tree near the front door, from
which place he fred at Mr.. Clark, and a large
square slug passed through his lungs, from
which Mr.. G. died in half an hour. The pur-
suer was also shot through the leg and badly
wounded. and one Spaniard sprung to his
horse with his lasso, and tried to secure his
victim IN that way. but the man got into the
chapparal and escaped. During the time
Moore had carried Wm. Clark into the
house, and had his rife loaded, which he fred
| at the two Spaniards and badly wounded one
Of them, as he fell down three times. The
other Spaniard got his wounded accomplice
up before him, on horseback, and the two then
fed together
The result of the affray was one dead Span
lard in the house. and one badly wounded car
ried off by his friends VIM. Clark shot thro'
| the lungs with a square slug, from which he
died in half an hour; the pursuer wounded in
the leg, and Mr.. Moore escaping unhurt. In
the melee, nothing is said about the cook, from
which il is presumed that when he saw the
bullets were flying, he quietly put himself out
OF the way. Harry Clark was not present. but
got home half an hour after the tragedy, in
time to see his brother expire.
Those acquainted with the Spanish charac-
ter in Mexico and California know of no in
stance in which they have shown 80 mucni
game as this. They generally fight with knives
and strike when ene's back is turned. II
seems they are well learning the grit Of their
whittier neighbors. ifa
The friends and relatives Of Harry Clarkre-.
siding in this place, would advise him to get
his traps together and leave the country. He
will be Safer any place else.
I William Clark, the deceased, went from JEFF.
ferson county,.Va. to Missouri, in 1848, and
in the spring of l849, went out TO California, q
over the plains, in company with two brothers.
We had understood that he met with, more
than the usual success in trading in the mining
country. He was never married. was about
81 <years old, and always maintained high
standing among his neighbors, snd those who
knew him best. His relatives here are. and
his friends in Virginia will be, shocked with the
melancholy and sudden fate that awaited him
on the Pacific coast. !
THE GREAT AIAGeN CAsE IN FLoRIpA-