Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-03-19
A Bad Record.

we copy iIViu VIC oonI XA
Of yesterday, the following relative to
Matt. Tarpey, who was hung by a mob
near Monterey City. day before yester-
day, for the murder OF Mrs. Nicholson (:
Tho following Is q brief history Of
Tarpey, and will suffice to give the
public something Of an Idea Of the man
who has met such q terrible fate. Tar
pey was an Irlshman by birth, though
an old resident Of this and Santa Cruz
counties. He was q man Of medium
size. strongly built not a b~ad-looking
man, and a man Of considerable ability
and some education. he Is about ~
years OF age, has a vile and three chill
dren, and has amassed quite a fortune
here. 1t being estimated from $4,000
to $4,000. He has for many years
been a terror TO all the citizens who
knew him on account Of his bad tenn
per and bullying disposition. He has
also for many years been the leader OF
the Vigilance Committee In tho coun.
ties Of Santa Cruz and Monterey, and
has assisted In hanging as many as nine
persons, many OF whom nre SAID to
have been Innocent. 1t has been his
custom to hunt native Californians,
and II found In possession OF stolen
property, to kill them on sight. Alto
gether he was considered as a most
desperate and blood-thirsty villain.
He Is said to have had some very good
friends, but nearly all who knew him
disliked and feared him. He was not
destitute OF good qualities ; to his
friends he was liberal and even gener-
GUS to his wife a kind and attentive
husband, and to his family q good IA
ther, giving his children all the advan-
tages his standing In life would allow.
He seems to have had a morbid thirst
for blood. and the long career ofblood-
shed through which he passed I'M
scathed, has apparently made him
think. as 1t did the native C~alitornians
about here, that he had a charmed life.
He Is the same man who, years since,
was arrested and tried BY the United
States authorities for forging natural
lization papers, purporting to have
been issued from the Fourth District
Court In San Francisco, but was de-
Tended by Judge Wallace aud finally
acquitted. He was q great country
politician, and was generally known
for miles around. BY his death the
country has been relieved of q lawless
and dangerous man yet the calmer-
thinking citizens, while they are not
sorry he has died, cannot but deprecate
the manner Of his death. Others, IA
miliar with his life, justify the action
of the people, and say 1t was the re-
ward Of a long life Of unpublished
crime.
The San Francisco Chronicle Of yes
terday gives the following:
Tarpey, the brutal murderer Of Mrs.
Nicholson, has long been the terror Of
Monterey county. ~villalny and blood
shed having marked his career for a
number OF years. Detssted and feared
by all peaceful residents, he seemed to
take delight In making himself as great
q social scourge IS possible. and the
enormity Of no crime held him In
check. As far back as 1852 he was
Iueutiucu Will ucCuS VI ViViOhSo NLiiSii
set all law at defiance, and It was
then his boast that no fear Of conse-
quences should ever restrain him from
any criminal course Of action he fan
cied. Just about this time an old man
named McQuinlan took up a lime
claim In Monterey and in some man
nsr provoked the hostility of Tarpey.
who made several attempts to kill
him, but McQuinlan was fortunate
enough to escape unharmed, but he
had to abandon his claim AMI leave the
county. In 1854 he was accused Of
numbering All old man In Santa Cruz.
and came very nsa being convicted
by q Vigilance Committee, but was
exonerated chiefly through the lnfln-
ence Of one man.. Commencing just
about the same time. lawless mobs dis
gracei that section Of the county, and
It has been known for several years
that Tarpey was their leader. Within
one year nine persons were hung and
shot In and near jacksonville, and
very conclusive evidence exists that
they were deprived OF their lives by
these gangs Of cut-throats, led by the
monster Tarpey.