Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-30

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is one of the mysteries of California
jurisprudence.
Levee in Jail
When. on the morning of May 16,
1874. It was announced that the noted
bandit had been lodged in the county
Jail, the excitement in the Angelic City
was at q fever heat. Crowds thronged
all the approaches to the old ADOBE
structure, and Notwithstanding MS
wound, which had been dressed by Dr'
K. d. Wise, who had pronounced 1T not
serious. he held something like king
| levee.
The circumstances attending his cap
ture were something quite sensational
Sheriff w. r. Rowland had been III
eager and effective pursuit of Nasquez
for months past. The Repetto episode
brought matters to focus. Rowland
was placed in possession Of facts when
led him to believe that Vasquez was in
| COnCedln1eIlI Ill lilC llopoC VI
George" alias George Allen, located
about ten miles west of the city, near
the Cahuenga pass. The site of the
house can easily be seen now from the
Hollywood branch of the Santa Monica
electric railway In forming party
for the capture it was thought eXpedl-
ent that Sheriff Rowland himself should
/ a. eI0
the office, as Greek George was IN
town and acting as spy. The party
was accordingly made up of Albert
Johnston, under sheriff; Maj. H. M.
Mitchell, attorney at law; S. j. Bryant
city constable; E. Harris, policeman
w. E. Rogers of the Palace saloon, d.
K. Smith, a citizen; B. F. Hartley
chief of police, and Mr.. Baers, special
correspondent of the San Francisco
Chronicle.
The Capture
At 1:3O on the morning of the loth
of May, 1874, the party started out ana
they breakfasted at a bee ranch of MAJ.
Mitchell's in canyon of the Cahuenga
range. From an emnence nearby
which commanded view of Greek
Georges house, man, presumably
Vasouez. was seen to lead horse TO
water at a spring in clump OF trees
adjacent and then return to the ADOBE
Fortunately, in the nick of time,
teamster came along and the hlgh
bodied vehicle was seen to be just the
thing for a surprise The posse bundled
themselves into 1t and laid fiat in the
wagon bed. They then approached
Creek Georges house without suspl-
cion. Just as they jumped out wo-
man opened a door. and when she saw
the officers she screamed and tried 10
shut the door, but it was too late. Part
of the assailing force started toward
either end of the house, and part win
Emil Harris at their head, rushed on,
surprising Vasquez in the kitchen eat
ing his breakfast. 1.-the as tiger, the
bandit leaped through the window, re-
ceiving a ball from Emil Harris Henry
rife in the act. AS he fell fusillade
from both ends of the house told nm
of the folly of resistance. all unarmed
as he was. and he surrendered.
Such a statement seems ridiculous,
but the miscreant was lionized in Jail,
especially by women. He was not long
to enjoy this adulation, as he was soon
taken to San Jose and hanged. While
in Jail here he repeatedly claimed that
he had never killed man in his life
All the atrocities of his numerous raids
had. according to his story, been per-
petrated by his wicked partners, Cha
vez, Leiva and the rest.
In September, 1877, Tiburcio Vasquez
was arraigned in the twelfth district
court of California at San Jose, charged
with the murder of Leander Davidson,
one of the victims of the Tres Pinos
massacre; and, after trial lasting
four days, he was convicted of murder
In the first degree He was duly hanged
on the 31st day of January, 1875.
Most of the persons mentioned In the
foregoing notes are still living. Sher-
iff Rowland is one of our most enter
prising citizens and has made for
tune out of the oil in his ancestral
acres in the Puente hills. He don't
look five years older than he did twen-
ty-nine years ago, when he was chas-
ing the hills for Vasquez. Emil Harris
is still to the fore, and ready TO show
up for work. The gallant and chivalric
Albert j. Johnston, after making a
fortune in Colorado. returned to his
native state of New York and died.
Others, too have gone over TO Beulah
land. and still others have sought other
homes. But take them for all in all,
they were a gallant and goodly lot