The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-27
THE SAN JOAQUIN TRAGEDY.


Cause-A GhustiY Spectacle.
The Stockton (Cal.) Republican, of December
H. has the following particulars of one of the
most awful tragedies ever committed on the
Pacific coast
About 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, informa-
ton was received at the offices of the Sheriff
and Coroner of this city that a Wholesale mur-
der of the most horrible character had been
committed on Thursday night, on the old Moke-
lumne road about two and a half miles above
Fanning's, and but short distance from Doug
las place, near the Calaveras river, and distant
from the city about twenty miles.
The butehery took place at the house of
Frank Medina, an Italian, who has for some
years past kept store at the point above
named. During the early part OF Thursday
evening, persons passing the house heard con-
siderable noise and confusion within, but pre-
sumed it was a drunken row. and no attempt
was made to enter. Later in the night all be-
came quiet, and no fears seemed to have been
entertained that horrible crime had been COM
mitted.
Yesterday morning people in the vicinity saw
no one astir about Medina's store For time
no notice was taken of this, but as the morning
wore away, and still no sign of life manifested
itself about the premises, curiosity, and then
suspicion began to be felt, and at last 1t was re-
solved to visit the house and ascertain the reason
for the unusual quiet which prevailed.
Reaching the house, scene OF confusion pre-
sented itself. The contents of the store lay
about the floor in damaged and disordered con-
dtion, and the whole interior of the room gave
evidence of contention and struggle. Still,
while there was every indication that the place
had but recently been the scene of violence and
outlawry, there was no blood or bodies, dead or
living, to be found.
1t was not known who or how many persons
had been In the store the evening before, and q
search was Immediately begun to discover, if
possible what had become of Medina and his
clerk, both of whom were known to have been
on the premises the evening before A few
minutes search sufficed, for in the gulch, about
400 yards in the rear of the store, were found
the bodies of five dead men piled up in heap.
They were the remains of Frank Medina, the
owner of the store, the clerk, two Mexicans,
and colored man. 1t is said that they had all
been gagged, and had their hands tied behind
them. Medina, his clerk, and the two Mexi-
cans had been shot through the head, and
the colored mans throat was cut from ear to
ear.
Soon after finding the bodies a messenger was
despatched to the city with the information, i'm
mediately upon the receipt of which Coroner
scene of blood, the Coroner to hold an inquest
on the bodies and the officers to seek some clue
to the perpetrators of the bloody tragedy.
There can be no reason assigned for this whole
| sale murder except that of robbery. Medina
was robbed at the same place some years ago,
and compelled by the robbers to promise not to
take steps for their arrest and it is more than
probable he has met his ceath at the hands of
some, aI lCtlSJ, Ol Lu6 hilllc Dduu WuO TODDeu
him at that time. He has been engaged in
| trading at the scene of his death for several
years, and was known to have saved conside-
rable sum OF money.
Within a fortnight, two men were murdered
| in the night and the house burned on the So
| nora road, within twelve miles of the city, and
now we have another tragedy, more bloody in
! character, but similar in execution and object,
on another road but in the immediate vicinity
| of our city. few days since, a man convicted
| of stage robbery at Los Angeles stated that
there existed an organized band OF robbers
| whose field of operations extended from Yreka
to San Diego. His statement was hardly Gre
dited at the time, but the many robberies and
murders occurring from one end of the State to
| the other would seem to imply that he was
| telling the truth. Certainly there is evidence
! of system and organization among the perpetra-
! tors of the many bloody murders which have
| startled the people of this county so recently
| 1t is high time our citizens were taking prompt
and active measures for the capture of the red.
| handed fiends who are butchering citizens
almost in the very portals of the Sheriffs office
| If the officers-the sworn executors of the laws
are incompetent for the task self-protectior
will compel the people to take the law in theil
own hands and rid the country of the desperate
characters who now imperil their lives and
property.
Frank Medina came to this county from Santa
Cruz county three or four years ago, and it ii
conjectured that he may have recognized some
of the band who murdered him as old offenders
and members of some CT the organized bands O
outlaws which existed, and probably still exist
in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and tina
after robbing they killed him to prevent expo
sure. II is also conjectured that the origina