page_title: The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta
section_title: Chapter 10
hierarchical_section_title: The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta / Chapter summaries / Chapter 10
caption_attribution_description: English: The head of the renowned bandit Joaquin Murrieta to be exhibited, as announced on this flyer, at the Stockton House on August 19, 1853. Ignacio Lisarraga of Sonora has given a sworn statement authenticating the identity of the head.
context_page_description: The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit was originally published in 1854 by John Rollin Ridge, writing as "Yellow Bird". It is considered to be one of the first novels written in California and the first novel to be published by a Native American. The novel describes the life of a legendary bandit named Joaquín Murieta who, once a dignified citizen of Mexico, becomes corrupt after traveling to California during the Gold Rush. The book was originally published as a fictional biography, but was taken as truth by many historians of the time. The novel received mass attention and was translated to various European languages, including French and Spanish. Unfortunately, the novel was highly plagiarized and Ridge never received the economic gain he hoped for.
context_section_description: Chapter ten begins with Joaquín deciding to leave Calaveras County and moving his plunders to Mariposa County.  Here, the banditti ravage the area in much the same way they did in Calaveras.  John Rollins Ridge depicts a miraculous story where Joaquín was caught in his sleep by a man named Prescott and group of fifteen men who were out to kill him.  Having awoken by the sound of men in his room, him and his men instantly began shooting and managed to escape.  However, during the encounter, Prescott himself had shot Joaquín in the chest with a double-barreled shotgun.  Three Fingered Jack recounted, “How it come not to kill him, the devil only knows.  I’m certain it would have done the job for me”.  Similar stories are told of Valenzuela, who robbed a house in Bear River.
caption: A poster advertising the display of the supposed head of Murrieta in Stockton, CA. 1853
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