The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-15
A BANDITS VENGEANCE.
THE DESPERATE CAREER OF JOA-
QUIN MURIETTA.


He Terrorized California In the Fiji
ties-A Great Wrong Turned Him
From Honest Paths-HOw He and
His Band Were Finally Extermi-
mated.
From the Detroit Free Press.
Kit Carson, when with Gen. Fremont
on his first expedition, with another cele-
brated mountaineer named Cooley, in
Death Valley saved the life of a Mexican
boy, a bright, intelligent lad, whom Free
mont, taking great fancy to, sent to
his father-in-law. Thomas II. Benton,
United States senator from Missouri.
There the boy was treated as one of the
family, finely educated, well dressed and
moved in the best society of St. Louis.
But after awhile he became disconnected,
longed for the mountains of his native
land and the freedom which life there
assured. The senator permitted him to
go back, and that was the last ever
heard of him. until the notorious "Joa-
quin," the bandit of the valley from
which he took his name, and where was
committed deeds of murder and rapine
before unequaled in any civilized commun-
ity. 1t was believed by Gen. Fremont.
Kit Carson and many others that the
blood thirsty Joaquin was none other than
the boy Andrea Fuentez, whom Carson
and Cooley had saved from the torture
at the hands of the savages. Whether the
story that the noted California bandit was
the boy adopted by Senator Benton is
| true, do not know, but that was the
general opinion at the time Joaquin was
! -, tHn -
any rate, the life of Joaquin Murietta, as
he called himself, is a strange one, diff
fering from that of any other brgand
who ever operated in this or any other
country. When he was first known in
California, in 1851, he was a reputable
man. and with his wife, whom ne mao
brought with him from Mexico, lived the
life Of the better class of Mexicans and
both were highly respected by all VINO
were acquainted with them.
Joaquin or Murietta, went to Cahfor-
MIA with thousands of his countrymen, to
prospect for gold, and shortly AFTER MS
arrival he discovered some rich dlgglngS
in Marposa county HIST HIS MINES tiY,es be bsd
accumulated a large amount of the pree-
ious metal which he kept tied up IN PUCK
skin sacks One day four American ues1
peradoes came to his claim and ordered
him to leave il at once. He went 10 ms
cabin to gather up his enects, 1olloWeu
there by the four villains They stole an
his gold which they found in the possess
sion of his young wife, and not satlsneu
With that outrage grossly insulted the
poor little woman, at whlch Murle9ta N
stantly drew his knife to de1end her
The desperadoes then seized Murletta,
dragged him from the cabin, tied MIN TO
a tree and hogged him unmercltuliy, al
ter which they released him, ana told MIN
~ Iaa1-a the state at a certain date. or
thew would hunt him up and Kill him II
thew found him anywhere in California.
Nurietta Immediately left his claim and
went to a mining camp a few miles dis
tant where a number of Mex1cans, all
of them his friends, were working. To
them he related the story OF ms WIoIs 81
his claim that same evening, and Killed
three of the men who had ABUSED MN
and his wife. -. ,,,,,,.oo,,,o =.
the kilIing of the desperadoes who had
treated him so shamefully, no one would
have condemned him. ms SpeSe1y +b be' Safi
fornia code. In those early days in Cali
fornia there existed a strong feeiing or
hostility between the American and the
Mexican miners; and Murietta swore ever
lasting vengeance on every American be-
cause of the action of the four outlaws
against him. The same night after ne mad
lrilIed three of them at his abandoned
claim he left for St. Joseph, many OF his
Mexican friends accompanying him. When
he arrived at st. Joseph, ne met there,
for the first time, the notorious Three
fingered Jack" who became his lieutenant
in an unparalleled career Of crime, and
they at once entered into business ar
rangement as desperadoes and robbers.
JoadlIin. with his lieutenant and several
other Mexicans, then went back to Mari
posa county. where the initial act of the
remaining American who was concerned
. in robbing Joaquin's cabin and insulting
his wife. In a short time the bandits sue
ceeded in robbing and numbering a num-
Der of Americans at a neighbor1ng mining
camp. The gang was soon increased to
thirty men, and they were bound by
VOW to kill and rob every American they
CHANGED to meet; a Mexican, however,
was generally spared; If he was poor,
they would furnish him with horses and
money.
once JOAQUIN and his band robbed the
Wells, Fargo e. Co.'S express on its way
from the camp at Sonora, of $4,000 in gold
dust. In the stage were four passengers
and the driver, who were all murdered,
with the exception of a girl, who was
bandits. The stage horses were captured,
the coach abandoned and the robbers es-
capped to their rendezvous. Shortly after
the. robbery the girl was discovered by the
teamsters of a passing freight caravan
who took her to Calaveras, where her
brother. named Morgan, resided. Upon the
relation of her story, he offered a reward
of 81 900 to any one who would show him
joaquin. Joaquin heard of this offer on
the part of Morgan, and going into Cal
averas one night. entered Morgans house.
with his revolver cooked, and as soon as
he came into the presence of Morgan,
said that he had understood he had offer
ed a reward of 81 900 to any one who would
show him Murietta. Morgan replied that
he had made such an offer, when Joaquin
presenting his pistol to the astonished
mans head, told him: II am the man: /
am Joaquin, and / have come to claim the
reward" Morgan handed him thousand
dollars. and asked him II he had any fur
Their demands to make. NO." the bandit
answered, Il only wanted the reward.
but II you say anything in regard to this