Loafing along Death Valley trails : $b a personal narrative of people and placesCaruthers, William
History
Loafing along Death Valley trails : $b a personal narrative of people and places
Caruthers, William
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.)
He had been a member of the posse organized by Harry Love to shoot on
sight California’s most famous bandit—Joaquin Murietta and boasted that
he fired the bullet which killed the glamorous Joaquin. It was he who
cut off and pickled the bandit’s head as evidence to get the reward. At
the same time he pickled the hand of Three Fingered Jack Garcia,
Joaquin’s chief lieutenant, and the bloodiest monster the West ever saw.
Garcia had an odd habit of cutting off the ears of his victims and
stringing them for a saddle ornament. The slaying of Joaquin was not a
pretty adventure and as the details came out, Henderson renounced the
honor.
The grewsome vouchers which obtained the reward became the attraction
for the morbid on a San Francisco street and there above the din of
traffic one heard a spieler chant the thrills it gave “for only two
measly bits....” The exhibit was destroyed in the San Francisco fire and
earthquake of 1906.
In his book, “On the Old West Coast” Major Horace Bell states that
Henderson confided to him there was never a day nor night that Joaquin
Murietta did not come to him and though headless, would demand the
return of his head; that Henderson was never frightened by the
apparition, which would vanish after Henderson explained why he couldn’t
return the head and his excuse for cutting it off.
Bell quotes Henderson: “I would never have cut Joaquin’s head off except
for the excitement of the chase and the orders of Harry Love.”
To give credence to the ghost story he says of Henderson, “He was for
several years my neighbor and a more genial and generous fellow I never
met....” Major Bell, it is known, was not always strictly factual.
Following the Surprise Canyon strike, Panamint City was quickly built
and quickly filled with thugs who lived by their guns; gamblers and
painted girls who lived by their wits.
An engaging sidewalk promoter known as E. P. Raines, who possessed a
good front and gall in abundance, but no money, assured the owners of
the Panamint claims that he could raise the capital necessary for
development. He set out for the city, registered at the leading hotel,
attached the title of Colonel to his name; exchanged a worthless check
for $25 and made for the barroom. It was no mere coincidence that Mr.
Raines before ordering his drink, parked himself alongside a group of
the town’s richest citizens and began to toy with an incredibly rich
sample of ore. It was natural that members of the group should notice
it. Particularly the multimillionaire, Senator John P. Jones, Nevada
silver king.
Soon the charming crook was the life of the party. His $25 spent, he
actually borrowed $1000 from Jones. Having drunk his guests under the
table, Mr. Raines went forth for further celebration and landed broke in
the hoosegow. Hearing of his misadventure, his new friends promptly went
to his rescue. “... Outrage ... biggest night this town ever had....”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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