The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-06
BLANC0 WAS A BAD MAN
And, Like Captain Kidd, Many Wicked
Things he Did.
KILLED OFF SENATPS BAND
And Thereby Made Himself a Hero
and Obtained a Reward OF
$2,OOO-Later on He Was
Found to be a Bandit.
From the Philadelphia Times.


waymen, and it never has been free from
robbers. The range of mountains on this
coast slopes into innumerable foot hills
with numerous debouching canyons and
transverse canyons, making the retreat OF
outlaws secure and their positions inn
pregnable. Within her short history,
California has produced more bandits
than has Italy, the home of the baneitti
for century. Joaquin Murietta was the
most daring and bloodthirsty of all; next
came Vasquez and then scores of others
with their small bands, many of whom
we're exterminated by the American vigi-
lantes. These bandit bands were
half patriots, half thieves. and all
murderers. They originated after Cali
fornia passed into the possession of the
United States-many under the guise of
oppression, others for plumber, but all
from hatred to the American conquerors.
Then, during the gold fever, from l8iS to
about 1865, the country was overrun with
bandit bands. Under the pretense of
hunting down Mexican bandits, American
desperadoes robbed and plundered both
Americans and Mexicans. Americans
who came south with gold dust and sin
gots" for the purchase of cattle for the
northern mines never returned. They
were murdered and robbed, and the for
tunes of some of the so-called aristocracy
of California of to-day had their founda-
ton in blood and robbery.
Los Angeles, the city of the Angels, was
the headquarters of the thieves, cut
Threats, adventures and desperadoes of
Southern California. On being driven
from the northern mines, or from Ari-
IONA, they came to the Angelic City and
joined band of coworkers-horse thieves,
gamblers or paid assassins. Every man
carried his code strapped to his back, and
their revolvers were rarely separated from
them-even in sleep their guns were
within easy reach. Street brawls were too
frequent to excite comment, and every
morning, instead of "a fine day." the
question would be: "Well, who was killed
last night ?' If there had not been as
much as a simple shooting and wound
ing, the matter of the quietude of the
town was a subject of comment.
There were more rough characters in
the city at this time, the latter part of
1854, than there was in San Francisco at
the same time, Notwithstanding it's larger
population. This is accounted for by the
fact that large number of desperadoes
and thieves had been run out of San
Francisco and the northern counties, and
which place, if ordered to move on, it was
only two days ride TO the Mexican line.
During the early "fifties'' there were more
murders committed in this city in any one
year than there were in the balance of the
state combined. 1t was the headquarters
of bands of cattle thieves, who preyed
upon the ranchers, stripping them of cat
tie and horses, which they would ship to
the northern market; it was the head
quarters of burglars, many of whom we're
ostensibly business men, and there were
societies of hired assassins who would kill
a man for pay-living upon blood.
The most notorious of these was a
French voyageur from New Orleans called
"Blanco." He was the leader of a secret
society of assassins and had committed
several murders in New Orleans, all for
money. In his party was a Mexican as
sassin named Senati. One morning, on a
corner of the most frequented street in
the city, Senati stabbed to death the city
marshal, Jack Whaling. He then wiped
the blood from his knife, mounted his
horse-in waiting-and disappeared. The
town was thrown into furore. meeting
of the best and most orderly element was
held, and 1t was resolved to Danish all the
bad characters from the city. But some
of those characters were in that meeting
in the guise of respectable business men,
and the intention was abandoned, as it
was feared that the desperate characters
might get the upper hand and
Danish them. Finally reward
of $1,000 was offered for Senati, dead
or alive. Bianco disappeared, and one
rainy morning about two weeks after the
murder has been almost forgotten. he
rode up to the Jail yard, and in his rear
was ramshackle Mexican cart driven by
boy. The cart contained five dead bod
les. exposed to the rain, not even a blan-
ket shielding the CORY corpses from the
elements. In moment the Jail yard was
crowded with the morbid element who
gloat upon blood and revel in human
misery. Blanco stated to the sheriff that
he had been kidnapped by Senati and his
band of cut-throats and held as a hostage
SIS, 900 being demanded for his release
and that he was threatened with death
unless the ransom was paid at a stated
time. tie explained his escape and
the presence of the wagon load of
bodies by saying that one day two
of the gang we're out on a marauding
expedition, he being left with Senati and |
two guards. By strategem he obtained |
possession of revolver and killed, first |
Senati and then the two guards, who |
were out in the yard, whom he shot in |
turn as each entered the door of the |
adobe hut. The other two men. hearing |
the firing, returned and he shot them |
from the window. He then went to the |
adjoining ranch and impressed the boy |
and cart into service. The story was |
readily believed. as it was known that |
Blanco was possessed of considerable |
money, and kidnapping and holding men /
for ransom was frequent occurrence. /
lie kept a saloon and posed as a respect |
able business man.
After the sheriff had taken possession !
of the bodies and told the coroner to Ego /
plant EN-" Blanco cool!y demanded the /
s. 900 reward. The sheriff was a little /
surprieod a. tho Eillin- of Sana.f soor,,.,t i