Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-12
EARLY HANGING BEES.
SOME kECOLLECTIONs OF DEPUTY
SHERIFF. G. w. ROBINSON.
An Octogenerian who Il still Young
and vigorous -Lynchings Which
Occurred Here More Than
Forty Years Ago.

One of the oldest citizens in Southern
California, and likewise pioneer in
Los Angeles county, is G. W. Robin
son, Mr.. Robinson is SO years of age,
and he insists that be is still young
and vigorous man. In 1851 Mr.. Robin
son was deputy sheriff of this county,
George Burrill at the time being sheriff.
Mr.. Robinson read the other day Of
some of the early hanging bees" in
this county, but as none OF them went
back to his time he has given the HER
AID some interesting data concerning
some of the vigilance committees that
he ran across in his experience as an
officer OF this county, forty-one years
ago
The first two men hung in this county.
he states, were Albertus and Reys, who
were strung up in 1851. They had MUIR
dered two naturaliste, one a German
and the other man named Mccoy, who
lived at Portsmouth, o. They had
sailed south from San Francisco in the
Sea Bird, and had landed at San Diego.
hey were making their way overland
rom San Diego to Los Angeles.
The two naturalists were gathering
insects and journeying slowly toward this
city. Albertus and Reys came across
them. Murder and robbery was de.
termined upon. The two wretches cut
clubs from willow tree, and coming
upon the two unsuspectiDg naturalists
unexpectedly. they fell upon them and
beat their brains out. They robbed the
bodies of s27O, and both murderers
came to Los Angeles with the spoils.
Tbov rof ~ hoo of;v,r ~ N, ,ho L \
done while drunk, and Deputy Sheriff
Robinson and posse of ten men COM
menced to search for the bodies. The
men had been murdered on the Jabon-
eria ranch. The bodies had been w.
ing uncovered for five days, and the
coyotes had carried them off some dis
tance. The two murderers having con-
fessed, were lynched.
The next lynching occurred during
the same year of 1851. An Indian
killed a Yucaibe Indian in the yineyard
OF Don Augustine Machado. He was
sent into eternity with the aid of
moose properly adjusted in the hands of
q vigilance committee. Mr.. Robinson
caught the Indian mile and half
from town, beastlv drunk.
The next party to hang was also an
Indian. He killed a Mexican in 1851,
and suffered in consequence at the hands
OF vigilance committee.
The next who was leading man at
a hanging bee was Sijerano Sandevotiar,
who in 1851 killed Gen. Bean at San
. Gabriel.
The next killing that took place was
in the same year on the west end OF
Court street. Alvitre killed Pickney,
and was hung. He was sent into eter.
nifty, though, according to the forms of
law.
On the same day the Spanish popula-
tion took murderer named Dave Brown
out of Jail and strung him up. They
thought that too much consideration
was being shown American murderers,
and they resented it by organizing a
mob and lynching Brown. He had al.
ready been convicted Of murder, but had
appealed his case to the supreme court.
The leader of the mob on that day is
still alive, and lives here in Los Angeles.
These are q few of the little affairs
that Deputy Sheriff Robinson noted
during his official existence here in Los
Angeles back in '51.