The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-06-26
THE GALLONS TREE.
FAMOUS LIVE OAK OF CALIFORNIA
THAT is NO MORE.

Noteworthy Executions-The Tree Was
Probably 600 or ZOO Years Old.
The famous gallows tree of San Ber-
nardno county, southern California, Ia no
more. There was not another tree in all
the world like it. From its great branches
more than ii men had swung into eternity,
and in it's shade some of the most thrilling
events in the history of the wrestling of
the golden state of California from Indian
half breeds and Mexican dominion have
been planned.
The tree was what is known in Cali
fornia as live oak--in the land where
very few trees grow naturally, and where,
u generation ago, one might travel for days
with OK or mule team across the burning
sandy wastes without once finding tree
under which to rest in the shade. Such
specimen of vegetation was a landmark
known far and wide and a natural resting
and meeting place.
The tree was undoubtedly 600 or 700
years old. 1t stood in the valley of San
Bernardino-the only one of the kind for
miles around. Years ago, before the
Americans poured into the valleys of south
ern California, the tree had no counter
part for several hundred miles adjacent.
When General John G. Fremont and his
troops, acting in conjunction with Com
modore Stockton, seized the quaint old
Mexican pueblo of Los Angeles and raised
the stars and stripes there in June, 1S4S,
the first recorded executions took place at
the big oak tree. In the brief fight that
took place and amid the fleeing of half the
terrified Mexican population from the pu-
eblo when the American cannonading be-
gan, a gang of half breeds improved the
opportunity to rob by visiting homes Cha
ciendas) on the outskirts of the town. AT
one home, where the rascals unexpectedly
found the owners at home, they shot and
stabbed the whole family to death. A
few days later, when the fleeing populace
had recovered from it's fright and returned
to Los Angeles, the fearful murder was
known. A posse of Mexican riders-the
best in the world-was organized and
started out across the plains toward the
nearest neighboring people, San Bernar-
dino, nino miles away. The numbering
and thieving gang was trailed up to the
Cajou pass, and there caught. There were
seven in the gang. The posse dashed the
wretches to their horses and started back
to Los Angeles.
On the way the pursuers with their cap
tives stopped to rest in the shade of the
oak. Two of the captives, who were loosed,
so as to let them feed themselves, made a
desperate attempt to run away. They were
caught after hard struggle, and In the
anger at their attempt to elude justice four
of the prisoners were hanged then and
there.
But the most sensational and memo
rable execution that ever took place at the
oak tree gallows was on May IS, 1868. The
war of the rebellion was on at that time,
and hundreds of rascals, all round bad
men, invaded southern California and
Arizona to escape army duty. The war
made an extraordinary demand for cattle,
and for two years the Mexican cattle men
were harassed day and night by gang of
cattle thieves, who would secretly drive
the cattle feeding in the valleys and can
yons miles from the ranch house to the
foothills, and then by stealth would urge
the beasts in small droves down through
San Bernardino county to Raining, where
rascally agents would buy the cattle and
| get them out of the state at their leisure.
At last, after months of watching and
| some cowboy detective work, a gang of
| nine cattle thieves was surrounded by a
| posse of four times that number of Next
| can and American cowboys at the mouth
of Santa Anita canyon. There was ter
rife short battle. Three of the cowboys
We're shot dead and several were wounded.
| Four of the thieves were killed. The COW.
| boys were so maddened at the killing of
| their companions and so incensed at the
| memory of the robberies that they had SO
| long suffered that they abandoned all con-
! sideration of n trial for the remaining cap
| tured thieves, and, having bound and lash
ed their captives, started forthwith down
across the valley for the gallows tree. All
fl.,, L1, nlna
no way of building a temporary platform
for the execution under {. limb of the tree.
To make the hanging as much of an in
| dignity and as torturoUs as the cowboys
| could conceive moses were made from the
cowhide lariats on the saddles of the cat
tlemen.
The nooses were put about the neck of
each of the five prisoners. Then the pris-
oners were forcibly boosted up into the
| low oak tree, while the armed cowboys cir
cled about the oak to keep close eye on
their game. When the free ends of the
ropes had been fastened about the limb of
the tree and the arms of the doomed thieves
had been tied the men were ordered to
leap down. Two did leap, cursing their
captors as they jumped into midair. The
other three held back, but were pushed of
the limb on which they sat, going down
| with jerk. One of the limbs bent so low
with its human weight that the boots of
one of the strangling men Just touched the
ground, and a horseman held the limb up
at arms length while the hanging man
slowly expired. The bodies were cut down
few days later and were buried beneath
where they were hanged. The graves are
pointed out to this day.
In the fall of $780, when San Bernardino
had grown to a village of 1000 people and
the pueblo of Los Angeles had become q
place of 5000 Americans and Mexicans, q
teamster was killed and his wagon robbed
one night by highway robbers. The people
at San Bernardino were deeply stirred al
the deliberate assassination for money
When George Peters and Henry Walline
were brought TO the new Jail there to avail,
trial for the crime, the male part of the
population could not wait for law to take
its course where facts were so self evident
and went down to the Jail one night in 9
crowd. The jailer was cajoled into deliv