The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-12-21
Miner Henry Randolph Stays the
Gonzales Brothers
SAN BERNARDINO AFFAIRS
The Result of Frank Payne's Going on
the Warpath
He Is in Jail Nursing q Badly Bruised Head.
A Tangled Affair General
News Notes

SAN BERNARDINo, Dec. 2O.-Henry Ran
dolph, a miner at Hedges, the big camp
sixteen miles from Yuma, in San Diego.
shot and killed two other miners, Mexicans
named Gonzales, Monday night. The
first accurate account of the homi-
cides was brought in yesterday by
DR.. T. f. johnson, coroner of
San Diego county, who was compelled to
take this roundabout route, passing thloug h
three counties to travel from San Diego to
the desert end of that county.
The shooting was witnessed by probably
twenty miners and gamblers, and accord
ing to all the evidence the coroner was
able to discover, Randolph was perfectly
justified in killing the Mexicans, who seem
to have made an entirely unprovoked al
tempt to bring him down with their guns,
which, strange to say, Randolph escape
without a scratch.
Monday evening the miners were gather
ing in the saloon at the camp, and Ran
dolph was seated in chair, at some dis
lance from the bar. He was entirely sober.
and while seated, another miner, an Amer
lean, came in slightly under the influence
of liquor. He went over to where Ran
dolph was seated, and made himself so
offensive that Randolph stood up and
struck light blow, which was little more
than a push, and the intoxicated miner
went to the floor.
The brothers Gonzales were standing at
the bar at the time, and when they saw the
trouble between Randolph and the other
miner the elder brother, although in no
way concerned or interested, so far as
could be learned, drew his revolver and
a c..r De- @l,~l, b<,1 lot io fx,rtn
with his gun and, drawing. returned the
fire. At this the younger Gonzales also
began to shoot and there was a general
rush for exits Oh the part of the crowd in
the saloon.
A number of shots were exchanged in
the melee, the elder Gonzales being pierced
through the heart and falling dead. The
younger brother was wounded in the abdo-
men and died Tuesday night, and, while
the bullets from two revolvers whizzed
past him, Randolph came out without
mark.
Coroner johnson subpHnaed all the wit
nesses to the affray, nearly twenty being
examined. From all that could be learned
the shooting on the part of Randolph was
purely in self defense, and it could not be
ascertained that the Mexicans had any in
terest in the intoxicated miner or any
grievance against the man who subSe-
quently killed both of them. The elder
Gonzales was ~ years OF age and married.
The other was unmarried and but 2 wears
old.
ON THE WAR PATH.
Frank Payne, formerly driver of a milk
wagon for the Wozencroft dairy, is in Jail
and with badly bruised head that may
keep him awake O. nights for some time to
come; Professor L. Steinbrenner has a
broken nose, and Constable Il. j. West a
face considerably scratched and a disfg-
ured eye, and all of this is the result of
Payne's going on the war path this morn
ing.
1t seems that Payne has just been dis
charged from the service of the dairy, and
for some reason laid the blame for the loss
of his position at Steinbrenner's door, Mrs.
Steinbrenner being a daughter of Mrs.
Wozencroft. The first actual step in the
way of hostilities occurred early this morn
ing when Payne caught Professor Stein
brenner unawares and assaulted him,
breaking his nose, and inf1icting other
painful injuries. From all that can be
learned the attack was both unprovoKed
and unexpected.
An hour later Constable T. j. West had
been sent for and was at Steinbrenner' g
house when word came from Mrs. Wezen-
craft that Payne was at her place and the
officer at Ouce went in that dirartioD Ar