The morning call., 1890-05-25
PHILIP KENNEDY 3 CO.
Southwest Corner Of Market and Fifth Street,

VINO thought he recognized him as an occa-
si9hal VlSltor to Los Angeles and a man
VINO appeared to be law-abiding, and there
lGre ne asked him TO put them on the road
an; ne MeAican LOOK seat with Warren, leav-
ing ms weli-tralned mustang to follow. and
deliberately guided them toward a deep
barranca
" The main road is straight ahead. hum
qreo yards, lie said, and attempted to leave.
Just then a voice was heard on the onnnsita
side, warning them of their danger. Warren
seized the Mexican and attempted to draw
his revolver. They both fell to the crOnnd
struggling for the pistol, and neither one
was al, abe to gain an advantage. They
leel the Mexican's knife between them.
made sudden move; he released the mans
rlgnt nand. and drew small derringer with
his own left hand from another pocket.
ordering his antagonist to surrender. The
iatter refused, and had his knife half drawn
wh en- " arren shot him through the head.
local newspaper commenting upon the
ailair, sald Occurring in the presence Of
the Marshafs wife and family. it sounds
IKE story OF Italian brigand days"
letter written by Mr. Warren in April.
1867, to Harry Morse OF Alameda annsars
In the latteI's very interesting collection of
old-time history, and gives a granbic
account al his search after Hagan, Valen-
Zuela and another Mexican, who were
wanted IN several counties for various
crimes, and who had a few DAYS before
cleaned out" ranch-hOuse abont fortv
miles from Los Angeles City and left the
owners tied to trees in front of the house.
He says:
had often heard of q potrero in the
mountains, inhabited only by thieves, but
very few persons knew or would tell any,
thing about 1t. We got guide who knew
where 1t was and started. After travelling
over mountains, through ravines and dam
serOus passes, we came TO a beautiful val
ley OF some four or five hundred acres, well
WateIeu, Win a house unlnhabited. We
Iounu TWO fresh hOrse-trackS about one day
old leading out toward the ocean. We
started TO follow them, and of all the trails
ever attempted to follow that was the worst: .
through brush, up and down creeks. over
slippery rocks and precipices, where we
had to lead our horses for miles, we came
to another little valley of about len acres.
within short distance of the ocean, we'll
watered, good feed, and where some parties
had camped, the meat still hanging up by
the camp not spoiled. We found a man
with colt about four or five DAYS old. To
this place there are but two entrances, the
one by which we came in and the other
which we followed out. In this little valley
there had been band of some forty or fifty
horses herded for some time, and had been
driven out, apparently, some two or three
days before we got there" The Marshal
and his party spent nearly week in this
region, coming out on the plain Eat a place
called Santa Monica, about eighteen miles
from Los Angeles"
All this was nearly quarter of a century
ago, to be sure, but how times have changed
since! Every efficient officer of the law was
then compelled to be a good rider and
mountaineer, besides being fearless and
handy with his weapons He often had to
make several unsuccessful expeditions,
such as the trip that Warren so well de-
scribed. before he bagged his game The
Mexican outlaws were shy as mountain
quail, unless fairly trapped. and then they
often fought like wolves. Many an officer
In those times spent weeks in the foothills
every summer, looking for camps and visit
ing out-of-the-way places. Sooner OF later
such course ended in the capture of some
notorious bandit In the case of the Hagan
gang, the leader was captured late in 1867,
near Fort Yuma, where he was operating
under the name of Tom King. Warren
picked up Valenzuela about the same time,
and also Jose Ascalanta. another of the
Livermore Valley horse-thieves. Sheriff
Morse went down to Los Angeles and
brought all three back. They were tried,
convicted and sent up for long terms.