"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, March 21, 1890
ACQUITTED The Congregational ministers & deacons from San Francisco
& Oakland who met in Eureka last week to investigate the charges of
unchastity & untruthfulness brought against the Rev. George M. Sanborne
rendered a verdict acquitting the gentleman & commending him &
all concerned to God & to the word of His grace. We earnestly hpe this
will put an end to the bickerings against Mr. Sherborne & that he will
continue the good work he has inaugerated in Eureka. The verdict of the
Council was Joyfully received by Mr. Sherborne's host of friends.
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Tuesday, April 1, 1890
Mr. John S. Connick will accompany Mr. Sanborne to San Francisco to
assist in selecting fittings for the new church edifice.
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Thursday, April 3, 1890
Among the outgoing passengers per "Humboldt" was George M. Sanborne.
"The Humboldt Daily Standard" Eureka, California
Thursday, April 10, 1890
Rev. George M. Sanborne sailed for Honolulu on the barkentine "Quickstep"
last Sunday.
"The Humboldt Daily Times"
Friday, April 25, 1890
Rev. George M. Sanborne was the speaker at the 3rd convention of the
Society of Christian Endeavor at Los Angeles.
"The Humboldt Daily Standard" Eureka, California
Monday, April 28, 1890
Rev. George M. Sanborne is expected to return on the next trip of the
"Corona".
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, May 2, 1890
Mary B. Ricks has been granted a divorce from Thomas F. Ricks, of Eureka,
by a San Francisco court.
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, May 9, 1890
Rev. George M. Sanborne was divorced Saturday from his wife by the Superior
Court.
162
"The Humboldt Weekly Times"
Thursday, May 29, 1890 Editorial
"THE FINAL OUTCOME"
At a meeting at the First Congregational Church Society of this city Wednesday evening, a letter was read from George M. Sherborne, withdrawing from the Patorage of the Church, & stating that he had married Mary Ricks, the recently divorced wife of Thomas Fouts Ricks
of this city, & that he would leave California & the ministry forever. Sanborne came to this city under a cloud, but his fair address & great earnestness won the hearts of the congregation & the people here willingly condoned the past for the sak of the cause of their
church, their earnest faith, & the honor of their families. He was taken to the homes of our people, feted, listened to & praised, & his counsel sought on every occasion. When he was attacked the people defended him, & he was apparently vindicated by a council of the church & by popular sentiment. He became not only a favorite but an idol. His every act was lauded, & any who expressed suspicion of doubt were hushed by the warmth of Sanborne's friends. Never before in this city was such an opportunity offered to a man to do good as that afforded to Sanborne. And this is the requital I He has betrayed his friends, forfeited every consideration of esteem or pity, & thrown away the last chance of becoming a man by this rash act. It would now seem that he is guilty of entering a home & breaking up family ties, in order that he might follow the bent of his lustful nature. The general verdict will be that this action brands him something worse than weak, as a crafty, designing adventurer, better fitting for the mad-house than the pulpit.
Those who stood by him & believed him & made sacrifices for him, have our warm sympathy. It is one of the hardest lessons of life to have our confidence & trust in a person so near, shattered in such a summary matter. The quality of warm adherence to a friend in difficulty is an admireable one, & the wretch who betrays such friendship deserves the condemnation of all. Sanborne should remain an outcast from honest social life.
The following letter, received yesterday, is self-explanatory:
RENO (Nev.) Ma, 16, 1890
To the Congregational Church and Society, Eureka, Cal.:
Friends and Bretheren: --A few months ago I declined to accept your call to the permanent pastorate of your church, but did give you reason to believe that I should remain until the new church was finished and dedicated.
However strange, unaccountable or dishonorable such aciton may seem to be, I must now ask you to considerate the pastorate vacant at the same time assuring you that I have left California and the Congregational ministry forever.
This blow, hard for you to receive, is, if possible, harder for me to give; reasons sufficent and imperative make my resignation at this time the only course to be taken.
Praying that God may send you a pastor better fitted to lead you in your work than I could ever have been, and asking you to be as lenient in your judgment of me as you can, I am
Your former pastor,
Geo. M. Sanborne
163
"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Friday, May 23, 1890
At daylight this morning an effigy in the shape of & robed as a
man, was dangling from the telegraph wire in front of Brett's hall, corner
of Fifth & E streets. A card attached at the waist bore the initials
"G. M. S." Those who read a letter published in yesterday's "Standard"
will readily recognize the name which the above initials were intended
to represent. Under all the circumstances which attend a most unwholesome
& disgraceful case, we had hoped to avoid saying anything further in
connection with what is or should be distasteful to all, & particularly
to those who have been most shamefully deceived by a false-hearted &
perfidious man. Though never managing fully to brush away the cloud which
enveloped his coming, the brief career of George M. Sanborne in Eureka
shows a record of deception, falsehood & humiliation more degrading,
because of the position he occupied, than any ever recorded in this community.
For the subject of this mention we have no care or feeling of regard. It
is evident that he has played a guilty part, & our sympathies are alone
with those who in befriending him have been humiliated. A week after he
penned the avowal that he had "left California & the Congregational
ministry forever," his effigy drifted to sea with the flood tide. Let both
go their ways & be seen no more forever.
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, May 30, 1890
The "Enterprise" has been "eating crow" this week with the balance of
the former admirers of the Rev. George M. Sanborne, late pastor of the
First Congregational church, Eureka. This gentleman, who successfully took
in the county, the "Enterprise" included, by his smooth tongue & apparently
earnest efforts in the cause of all that was right, & who, when accused
of wrong doing, managed to make the public believe that he was being persecuted
by jealous enemies, has uncermoniously "skipped the country, "taking with
him Mrs. Mary Ricks, but a few days divorced from her husband, & whom
he made his wife a few days after leaving San Francisco. The reverend gentleman
was hung in effigy in Eureka Thursday night, & on Friday morning dragged
through the streets & consigned to the waters of the bay. Had it been
Sanborne himself instead of his effigy that received such treatment, the
public would have been all the more rejoiced. The question now confronts
us, who in the clergy are we to trust? When such high divines as Sanborne,
& others whose names we need not mention, prove themselves to be wolves
in sheep's clothing, it seems almost necessary for the public to guard
every "gentleman of the cloth" with a watchful eye until he has proven
himself to be a true man. A rather hard rule to adopt, we must confess,
but Humboldt's experience with preachers has been such as to generally
shake the public confidence. We earnestly hope, however, that this county
has had its last Sanborne, & that no more adventurers in the guise
of ministers will appear among us to detract from the influence of the
sincere & honest clergymen who are laboring in Humboldt.....continued
164
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Saturday, June 7, 1890
In the Superior Court yesterday, Thomas Fouts Ricks commenced suit against
Mary B. & George M. Sherborne to have a certain deed, given by plaintiff
to Mary B. Sanborne, at that time the wife of the plaintiff & known
as Mary B. Ricks, declared null & void, & to have the same cancelled
of record. The complaint sets forth that the plaintiff, on the 4th day
of February, 1890, not knowing the existing relations between Mary B. Ricks
& George M. Sanborne, nor their future intents, but believing her to
be a virtous woman, & a true wife, & yielding to her urgent solicitations
executed to her a conveyance of the lot at the N.W. corner of H & 8th
streets, the same being the S.E.. quarter of Block #88 of this city, the
consideration being $5.00, but which in reality was the love & protection
borne by the plaintiff for his said wife, Mary B. Ricks. That shortly thereafter
the said Mary B. Ricks rented & leased the said property & departed
for San Francisco, where she commenced action for divorce, which the plaintiff,
to avoid scandal, did not defend, & which divorce was granted. That
the said Mary B. Ricks, after obtaining said divorce, married the said
George M. Sanborne & they are now living on the income of said property.
The plaintiff further avers that the said defendants conspired togetheer
to obtain the property & had a secret understanding as to the future
- proceedings after said Mary B. Ricks should have obtained said conveyance,
wherefore the plaintiff asks for the anulment & cancelation of said
conveyance as stated above. J. F. Crowe, Esq. is the attorney for the plaintiff.
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Sunday, June 29, 1890
EDITOR HUMBOLDT TIMES---- The Times dated May 29th, containing a caustic editorial denouncing me, has just been received, on my return from the East. Without any attempt at self-vindication, or to reverse the verdict of your people, allow me to make a statement, the substance of which at least, I ask you in common fairness to make known to your readers.
lst-- I am not guilty of the crime of being a home wrecker, as your article insinuates. The woman who is now my wife secured a divorce from T. F. Ricks against my earnest advice & protest, without having heard me speak one word of affection, or intimate in any way that I would ever marry her. The divorce was the result of domestic troubles of long continuance, difficulties which antedated my pastorale in Eureka. None of the facts set forth in the application for a divorce were denied by Mr. Ricks, & I had no connection with them. So far as known acts or words are concerned I am as guiltless of destroying the home of Mr. Ricks as any man who ever entered a Eureka pulpit.
2nd-- My betrayal of friends & hasty marriage were acts which were
forced on me by a plot, cunningly devised & well executed by an enemy
in Eureka. Soon after my return to Eureka from my April vacation, Mrs.
Ricks was visited by a private detective, who claimed to be in the employ
of my enemy, & was about to furnish him a report which would greatly
injure, if not ruin, both her & myself. Having no proof to present,
as he admitted, & being anxious only to get some compensation for the
time spent in watching me, he offered to suppress the report for $100.00
more than the sum to be paid him from Eureka, in case he could furnish
evidence which would drive me from the
165
pulpit. Mrs. Ricks, knowing as the detective did not, all the complications which had beset me in Eureka, half promised him the amount asked, & sent me a message which caused me to go at once to San Francisco, where I heard the story, took legal advice, & decided that another scandal, & struggle to retain my pulpit in Eureka, would be diastrous to the church & myself.
The detective's report would show imprudence on my part, & in connection with past circumstances the tru explanation did not seem plausible, & would have been disbelieved by many former friends & supporters. Mrs. Ricks was willing to marry me & share the consequences of the blow.
I am as loyal to friends as any man living, & if any sacrifice on my part could have kept the shock from the men & women who so nobly Stood by me when attacked so venomously, I would have made it' but the web of circumstances had been woven about me, so that I was completely entangled & helpless. The only thing for me to do was to act as I did, or end my life. Knowing my act would appear that of a scoundrel, that it seemed a betrayal & breach of friendships dear & strong, I was forced to it.
Far better for the church & those who believed in me is it for me to withdraw from the pulpit, marry the woman whose honor was assailed with my own, & in secular life, prove my worth, if it is possessed.
In conclusion let me say that when I returned from my vacation in Southern California, I had not an idea either of marrying Mrs. Ricks, or of leaving the church in Eureka until the expiration of my second year of service, when I expected to enter the ranks of another denomination. My action & disgrace, was caused wholly by the crafty plotting of a man who had spent money seeking to ruin me, & was Willing to risk the spending of more in the hope that he still might suceed. To forfeit the good will of a large community which has believed in me, is a bitter experience, yet I am confidently conscious that I have not sinned, & that I can be far happier in the future than would have been possible had not this step been forced upon me. I shall never remember Eureka except with feelings of mingled detestation & affection. I still love those who were loyal to me in the dark hours of the past year, but despise those whose slimy projects have at last apparently overthrown me. In Eureka I preached what I believed in sincerely; I preached as best I could the ethics of the New Testament; & , innocent of wrongdoing, made myself appear an evil doer, for what seemed the good of all.
Very truly,
Chicago, Illinois, June 17, 1890 George M. Sanborne
"The Daily Times" Eureka, California
Sunday, August 10, 1890
T. F. Ricks sailed on the Corona yesterday for a business trip in the
East. He will be gone about a month.
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, August 30, 1890
Tom Ricks went East about 2 weeks ago in search of his two children
who were taken away by their mother, who went East with the Rev. Sanborne.
Tom traced them to Cleveland, Ohio. He got the children & would have
"got" Sanborne had it not been for a detective who was with him. Mrs. Sanborne-Ricks
surrendered her rights to all the Eureka property & the children in
consideration of $2,000.00. The children will return with the father. This
probably ends the most disgraceful act ever performed by a once respectable
couple in Eureka.
166
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Friday, September 5, 1890
T. F. Ricks accompanied by his 2 children & Miss. Georgia Turner,
arrived at San Francisco from the East last Sunday. Mr. Ricks will remain
in the city until after the celebration, & will attend the State Fair
at Sacramento before returning to Eureka.
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Friday, September 12, 1890
From an interview with T. F. Ricks, who is now in San Francisco, we
learned that the public telegrams purporting to give the facts concerning
his interview with Sanborne & his wife in Cleveland, were more sensational
than accurate. Mr. Ricks states that Sanborne is peddleing books &
he did not even see him. He went to Cleveland with one sole object--to
recover his children-- & that he accomplished. Without serious trouble
or material sacrifice. He desired no compromise nor offered any except
so far as was necessary to restore his children to their home.
"The Humboldt Daily Times" Eureka, California
Friday, September 19, 1890
T. F. Ricks, who has been in attendance at the State Fair since his
return from the East, came up on the "Corona".
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, September 12, 1890
Mary B. & George M. Sanborne have deeded certain property in Eureka
to T. F. Ricks.
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, September 5,1890
A dispatch dated Cleveland, Ohio, August 8th, we received at Eureka
Friday containing the information that T. F. Hick', of Eureka, kind pan'
that city a visit,, and had, by the aid of a detective' ferreted out the
dwelling place of( his former wife, his two children, nod the Rev. George
M. Sanborne. Mr. Kick' demanded his children, but It was not until the
end of the second day that the mother decided to give them up. She also
signed away all her right to certain property in Eureka, receiving $2,000
in cash from Mr. Ricks for so doing . The dispatch also stated that kind
it not been for the Interference of the detective, Rev. Sanborne would
probably have lost his life, as the in.' injured husband wanted to kill
him, The message states thirdly that Ricks offered to take his erring wife
back and forgive her, but that she refused to go with him.. San. borne
has been working in a book store in Cleveland, pending negotiations for
a pastor. ate In Massachusetts.
167
"The Daily Humboldt Standard"
Friday, August 29, 1890
OH, GEORGE
G. M. Sanborne at Cleveland, Ohio in the Role of Clerk
T. F. Ricks Finds the Loving Couple & Secured his Children
San Francisco, August 29 --- A special from Cleveland, Ohio, says' About
a month ago there arrived in this city an attractive looking couple with
two pretty little children. They attracted considerable attention, &
the natural inquiry was, who are they? It was soon learned that they were
Mr. & Mrs. George M. Sanborne, & that they were from California.
The suave manners, pleasing address & dignified bearing of Sanborne
soon secured for him a position in a book store. The couple rented rooms
on Granger street, where they have lived quietly, & during their short
residence have made many acquaintances. Everything went well with the couple
& they appeared to be living contentedly & happy. But last Tuesday
a change occurred which convinced the acquaintances of the couple that
"all is not gold that glitters." On that day there arrived here from Eureka,
California, a gentleman named T. F. Ricks, who said he was in search of
his wife, who had run away from California with a man named Sanborne, pastor
of the First Congregational church of Eureka. He was informed as to where
they resided, & in company with a detective visited them at their rooms
where a lively scene ensued. Ricks informed the couple that the children
had been awarded him by a California Court, & that he wanted them.
Mrs. Sanborne, or Ricks, strenously objected to him taking them, declaring
that he should not have them, her objections being seconded by Sanborne.
A lively time ensued, in which Ricks wanted to kill Sanborne, but was prevented
from so doing by the detective who accompanied him. Matters were not settled
at this meeting of the parties, but for two days they negotiated, the outcome
being that the children were surrendered to Mr. Ricks. Mrs. Sanborne, or
Ricks, also, upon the payment to her by Ricks of $2,000 in cash, signed
away all her rights & interest to certain property in Eureka. Sanborne
has been negotiating for a pastorale in Massachusetts, & today he &
the woman left here for that State.
"The Daily Humboldt Standard"
Friday, September 19, 1890
Thomas F. Ricks, returned on the steamer yesterday, bringing his second
son, Barclay. The youngest child is ill in San Francisco, & remains
with friends in the city.
168
"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Thursday, February 14, 1895
It is common for some people to take a paper for several years & forget to pay for it & order it discontinued when they move to other parts. An man with the instincts of a gentleman will settle with the publisher, & order it discontinued when he removes, & not let the postmaster notify him after he has gone. If that kind of trick is better than downright thievery the difference is small. Every now & then a postal card comes to this paper saying that an old, & apparently honest subscriber has left the country, & left the publisher with a three or four years delinquent subscription bill. Such a course is unmanly, indecent, dishonest. Every paper should publish the name of each scoundrel that treats it in that way & let the world know the names of the dead beats who defraud printers of their just dues.
The"Standard" has a number of these names on its black list & is tempted to publish every mother's son of them. It would do it but for the thought that some of them did it unintentionally. The man who will take a newspaper for years & refuse to pay for it would do any little act of disreputable dishonesty. A thousand dollars per month will not pay the running expenses of the "Standard," & yet some people think it costs but little to run a newspaper, & are willing to leave the county in debt to the paper for several years reading material. And these people profess to be honest!
They will find a climate where it never freezes in winter, unless they
repent of such deeds & square their consciences by settling the delinquencies
before they reach St. Peter's gate, "and don t you forget it." If a man
can't pay' if he is too poor to settle, & is honest enough to write
a letter & say so, he will be forgiven the debt. Printers are generous
--- too generous, as a rule, for their own benefit --- and they cannot
resist the plea of poverty when made with even a reasonable show of honesty.
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, July 27, 1895
The notorious Dr. Bowers of San Francisco, has come to the front again
by marrying Miss Mary Bird, being his third or fourth venture in the matrimonial
line. Miss Bird was formerly a school teacher in Arcata, & is well
& favorably remembered by people here. She taught the intermediate
public school in this place in 1874. Dr. Bowers was convicted, a few years
ago of poisoning one of his wives & sentenced to be hanged. He escaped
by the poisoning of his wife's brother, Benhayon, who was the principal
witness against him. In Benhayon's room, after his death, a confession
that saved Bower's neck was found. A man named Demig was tried for the
murder of Benhayon, & although the public has always been satisfied
that he committed the murder, & forged the document that saved Bower's
neck, he was not convicted. The friends of the present Mrs. Bowers here
hope that she will keep a sharp lookout for the medicine her husband administers
to her.
169
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, December 21, 1895
MADE HER MARK
About two years ago a sensation was created all along the coast by the elopement of a married woman, Mrs. L. H. Jamieson, with a young man named Turner, son of the Minister of Finance of British Columbia. Mrs. Jamieson lived with her husband & three children, at Port Townsend, Washington, but the elopement took place from Victoria. Jamieson followed the eloping couple to San Francisco & chased Turner & the guilty wife out of two or three of their hiding places, the erring couple barely getting away, in one instance, in time to avert the avenging hand of the injured husband. Finally the guilty pair escaped to Mexico. Until recently, for a year or more past, nothing was heard from Turner & the woman, but two weeks ago Mrs. Jamieson passed through San Francisco on the way to her old home to see her old & heartbroken father.
The "Sacramento Bee" in its issue of December 11th, passes the following judgement on Turner & his father:
It is not the purpose here to deliver any moral lecture to the woman
who has sinned & suffered. Her fault was a grievous one, & most
grievously hath she atoned. But if there be outside of hell, or in its
cavernous furnaces either, a more despicable & contemptible cur, a
more debased & utterly repulsive wretch, than Arthur Turner, then hell
must be spewing out even meaner spawn than has ever been credited with
producing. And his father cannot be much better, for a man who will make
assistance to his son conditioned upon that son leave a sick & dependent
woman friendless & starving in a foreign land, must be lost to all
principles of humanity, to all instincts even of common decency. If Arthur
Turner were one-tenth a man, he would have married the woman who sinned
with him, & would have helped her through life, or would have starved
with her. Not being a man, but a cur, he forsook his companion on Mexican
soil, took his father's money, & journeyed to London to "take a responsible
position in a London bank."
"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Saturday, July 13, 1895
Johnnie Chambers of Petrolia told a good story. He stated that a beef cattle herd which he took to San Francisco on the steamer "Pomona" week before last contained a black steer beonging to Charley Giacomini. The animal objected to being transported & after the steamer left Eureka, he started bawling & kept it up until the "Pomona" was off the Mattole river. Here he jumped the steamer's railing & when last seen he was swimming for the shore.
When Johnnie returned home July 4th, he inquired after the deserter
& learned that he had reached the ranch where he was raised, safe &
sound.
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, January 30, 1892
Hides put in the vats at the old Preston tannery near the Jolly Giant
mill thirty years ago, are now being taken out of the liquor & prepared
for market. They ought to be well tanned by this time.
170
"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Saturday, September 16, 1893
IS IT A WOMAN OR A MAN?
Johnnie LeConte Who Dresses In Woman's Apparel
What Is It?
Quite a sensation was created in the Superior Court yesterday in the trial of Willis Norton, when "Johnnie" La Conte was called as a witness by the prosecution. Of course when the name of Johnnie was called it was generally expected that someone of the male persuasion would answer to it & great was the surprise when the District Attorney gallantly escorted to the stand what appeared to be a buxom "native daughter" of the first water. The surprise was increased when to the question, "Are you a man?" the witness answered, "I don't know " & soon it was whispered about that "Johnnie" was really a man in female attire.
No matter to what sex it really belonged to, all appearances, the being that occupied the witness chair, both in manner & apparel was a woman. It was dressed in a rich, purple plush dress of the latest fashion, wore a black boa about its neck & on its head a jaunty woman's hat. Its raven hair was done up in a Pysche knot & a filmy veil was worn over the face reaching to the mouth. Beneath the bottom of the dress the white edges of female ingerie could be observed, & one half-expected to see a tiny foot peeping from under the mass of ruffles, but for some reason this part of the anatomy was carefully concealed. This reason, however, was apparent when it got up to leave the stand & the feet were unavoidably exposed in stepping down, for the glimpse afforded showed them to be about number 10 or number 11, men's size shoes, fitting mates for the immense hands which nervously rolled & unrolled a dainty lace-edged handkerchief throughout the examination.
In leaving the stand a good view at close range was obtained of the mystery. Apparently it is a full blooded Indian about 25 years of age with coarse, masculine features & a decided straddle in the left eye, while a suspicious blueness of the jaws & upper lip suggests the use of the razor. In form it was of medium height with a generously proportioned bust which might however been artificial, but here the female likeness stopped, for the double triangle which ancient sculptors gave as the outline of the female form divine was not apparent. Instead it was the single triangle of the male form for the waist was broad, the hips contracted, & not withstandint the feminine diaphram it could be seen that the form tapered from the broad shoulders to the feet. In addition to the voice, while not exactly as deep as that of an ordinary man, was too coarse for a woman.
Inquiry of some of the old Humboldters developed the fact that it is a full-blooded male Indian, born amid the redwood forests of Humboldt, & raised by a pioneer mountaineer named LaConte from whom it gets its surname. Up to ten or twelve years ago it played about the town of Blue Lake with white children & was always dressed in the habiliations of the male sex & answered to the name of Johnnie. About that time, Johnnie, for a joke, was arrayed in feminine costume by someone & taken to a masquerade ball with the result that everyone was completely deceived. After that it was common practice among the "boys" to dress Johnnie in female raiment & pass him off on the "tenderfeet" as an Indian maiden, until finally, as the story goes, Johnnie became accustomed to the clothes of the gentler sex,
& probably attracted by the privileges they secured him, adopted them in place of those decreed by usage for his sex. Having assumed the outward appearance he must of course adopt an occupation suitable to women, therefore Johnnie became a cook & has been employed as such in several logging camps. At present he is employed as a cook at the Norton place near Blue Lake.
This is a fitting contrast to the tannery gulch "it" as well known to
our people.
"The Daily Humboldt Times"
Saturday, January 13, 1894
A PECULIAR CHARACTER
The bell connected with the sheriff's office rang a merry peal Thursday night at midnight & Under Sheriff Brown & Nightwatchman Janes answered the call. Outside were two women in a buggy, & Constable Minor said they were charged with grand larceny & he wanted them locked up. The two were Daisy Land & Johnny LaCount, both residents of Blue Lake. A few nights ago Wm. Watson, a nightwatchman at one of the mills near Blue Lake, on going to his cabin in the morning found that it had been entered, his trunk broken into & clothing & other valuables to the amount of over $50 taken. Johnny LaCount had been in the neighborhood & obtaining a search warrant the constable & he went to LaCount's cabin at the Indian rancheria & found most of the stolen articles. They then searched the place of the half-breed girl, Daisy Land, & found still more of them. A warrant was sworn out charging them both with grand larceny & they were brought to the jail here.
Daisy Land is a good looking half-breed girl about 18 years old. She claims that the articles were given her by LaCount & that she did not know they were stolen.
Johnny LaCount is getting to be a familiar figure in the courts. Sometime back he was an important witness in a trial in the Superior Court. He is an Indian about 33 years old, who is daft on the subject of wearing female apparel. He wears long hair, done up at the back of his head, bangs, a neat dress & basque, & in all respects corresponds to the latest mode. He is very reticent on the question of his attire & claims to have worn it so long that he does not remember wearing any other. He imitates a woman in his voice & manner of speaking, & has several little characteristic ways peculiar to women. It is likely that his hobby will stand him in good stead if he can make the plea of insanity an excuse for his robbery.
Persons who know LaCount's history say that when a lad some young men
dressed him in woman's clothes as a joke, & he liked the dress so much
he has never abandoned it.
"The Daily Humboldt Times"
Wednesday, January 24, 1894
Johnny LaCount had his hair cut & was appropriately dressed in male attire yesterday for the first time in twenty years. He is not quite used to it yet & occasionaly reaches for the small of his back to adjust an imaginary improvement of his apparel & a surprised look steals over his swarthy countenance as he reaIizes it is not there.
NOTE: Johnny LaCount was sentenced to two years in San Quentin prison.
172
"The Daily Humbodt Standard" Eureka, California
Friday, September 6, 1895
DESPERATELY INSANE
Last night A. J. McGreer, a well known man took lunch at Abe's restaurant on Second & D streets. During the time that he was in the dining room he acted very peculiarly & at times did things that no sane man would be expected to do, such as swearing in a loud voice with no apparent reason. After leaving the restaurant he stood on the corner near by & delivered an extemporaneous speech to a visionary audience & hurled epithets in all directions. An officer swooped down upon him & after a desperate struggle suceeded in lodging him in the "cooler" for the night. For several hours he kept up an incessant howl, & this morning it took the combined efforts of three officers to conduct him to the justice's office, where he was charged with insanity. He was lodged in the county jail, & at various intervals has regaled the other prisoners with a continuation of his long-winded discourse.
He is imbued with the idea that Jack the Ripper is at Trinidad, & he wants him arrested. McGreer is well known here & a year ago was considered a very bright young man.
McGreer was first noticed on Fifth street last evening, where he seemed inclined with the idea that he was a regiment under march with a full brass band & drum major thrown in. The way he tramped up & down that street made the sidewalks rattle & a loud whistling & singing accompanied the tramping. Later he ran foul of the officers & was run in. He also had an idea that he was a runner for the Grand hotel.
The unfortunate man is subject to these spells & will be remembered
as having stopped the train near Blue Lake some time in August, by getting
on the track. He was examined on August 1st, & was sent to the county
hospital where he became better, & was discharged. He is a woodsman
by
occupation, 35 years of age, & his residence is at Trinidad. He will
probably be commited to the asylum.
"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Thursday, April 4, 1895
JUDGE CARR LOST A CUSTOMER
When the doors were thrown open yesterday morning for the second day
of Judge Carr's grand opening, Miss Viola Foster was on hand with a bevy
of fair damsels from the tenderloin precinct to see about her bargain in
peace disturbing. Evidently she had been thinking the matter over &
was rather reluctant to invest in such an expensive article in face of
the hard times. In her dilema she applied to six good & true friends
of the male persuasion to decide for her. As a result Judge Carr lost a
customer & still has on his hands a superfine article of colored peace
disturbance which can be had at a bargain, for the six friends decided
that Viola did not need it & she triumphantly drew down her $10 installment.
Being heavier in pocket & she was lighter in heart, & in the exhuberance
of her joy extended an invitation to her six friends to smile with her
in front of Tommy Nash's saloon mirror, an invitation which they were not
slow in accepting.
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"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Sunday, September 24, 1893
NOTE: Charles H. Bawden was hung September 22, 1893 for the murder of Lily Price. This was the last hanging to take place in Humboldt county.
CHARLES H. BAWDEN BURIED
At three o'clock yesterday afternoon the hearse drove up to Walter Pierce's undertaking parlors. In a few moments the body of Charles H. Bawden was carried out, Rev. Griffith Griffiths, Thomas Spencer, Mr. Petch & Mr. Bond acting as pall bearers. The hearse moved slowly to Myrtle Grove cemetery, preceded by the undertaker's buggy followed by a single carriage & escorted by the pall bearers afoot. At the cemetery about two dozen people were assembled around the open grave.
By special request of the comdemned man the services were conducted by Rev. Thomas Spencer, an acquaintance of years standing, who through his years of imprisonment has stuck to him like a brother. With a slight tremor in his voice he read the burial service & briefly addressed the small company assembled in a way that will long be remembered by them all.
The service being over all dispersed except Mr. Bond, a mutual friend
of Mr. Spencer & the executed man, who remained until the last shovelful
of earth was placed upon the grave. During the last twentyfour hours before
his death, the comdemned man made & repeatedly emphasized the following
request.
1--That his body should not be mutilated for medical or scientific purposes.
2--That it should not be exposed to the gaze of the curious in the undertaking parlors.
3--That whilst he acknowledges his folly & wrong doing, & implored &oaf's forgiveness, Rev. Griffiths in his prayer upon the scaffold should not give any utterance to anything that may be considered as an admission on his (Bawden's) part of guilt so far as intent to comit murder was concerned.
4--That his old friend "Tom Spencer," for whom he cherished the warmest & tenderest affection because of his prolonged & untiring kindness, should conduct his burial services.
Charles H. Bawden is gone & a tragic chapter of local history is
closed.
BAWDEN'S BODY
In compliance with a request from Bawden, immediately after his body
had been cut down Friday, it was delivered to Rev. Thomas Spencer to see
to its proper interment, & by him turned over to Undertaker Pierce
to be prepared for burial. As soon as it became known that the body was
at the undertaking establishment, numbers of morbidly curious people besieged
the doors to get a glimpse of the remains of the unfortunate man. All through
the afternoon & up to the time of the funeral yesterday, people were
demanding to see the body, but in accordance with orders from friends of
the dead man, Mr. Pierce was compelled to refuse them admittance. Some
of the curious became angry at the refusal &
174
insisted, that as they had paid taxes which went toward paying the expenses
of Bawden's trial, imprisonment & execution, they had a right to see
his body. Mr. Pierce was blamed in the matter, but those who felt affrieved
forgot that the minute the sentence of the law had been executed upon the
condemned man & the physcicians in attendance had pronounced him dead,
the law was done with Bawden & he was no longer public property. His
body then belonged to his friends, or to anyone whom he had designated
to receive it, & who had a perfect right to make whatever arrangements
they pleased in the matter of his burial Had there been no friends to claim
the remains, it might have been different, for then the body would have
been turned over to the county undertaker for burial in the potter's field.
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, October 27, 1894
A couple of young mashers from San Francisco, who had no visible means of support, & whose sole occupation seems to have been to promenade the streets & ogle young girls whom the passed, met with a hot reception from a crowd of school urchins last week. These fine cut dudes, who were easily distinguished from town boys by the fact that they wore affected yachting caps on the back of their heads, exposing the hair plasters on their foreheads, were wont to hang around the big schoolhouse about dismissal time & accost the girls on their way home. The school boys soon "got on to them," however, & a few days ago when the urchins came trooping out of school nearly everyone was loaded for the dudes. These worthies, all unsuspicious of danger, stood on the corner of a public street, smiling & smirking & ogling the girls, when all of a sudden they were greeted with a volley of hard apples. Volley succeeded volley, & after an ineffectual erfort to make a stand, they wer forced to take to their heels to escape the well aimed missles of the school boys. The yachting caps are no more seen in that vicinity.
The latest exploit credited to these dudes with the light colored yachting
caps, is their connection with the mysterious absence of a 15-year-old
school girl whose mother was nearly frantic at her failure to return home
from school Tuesday. She was last seen in company with these gentlemen
of leisure & did not reach home until 5 o'clock the next morning.
"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, January 13, 1894
Indian Charlie, an Arcata aboriginal gentleman of leisure, was arrested
by Marshall Xiques Friday night for going on a little war scare, caused
by an overdose of plaza "fire water." When the belligerent savage was searched,
after being knocked down, a long bladed pocket knife was found on his clothes.
Recorder Burrill fined him $10 the next morning.
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"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Tuesday, April 17, 1894
POLICE COURT
There were three presentations at Judge Carr's reception yesterday morning, Chief of Police Lindsay setting as master of ceremonies & escorting the presentees from the waiting room below stairs. The first was John Sanderson, "Hard working John", a sailor, who looked as if his hair "pulled" considerably. John couldn't remember whether he had been drunk or not. If he had been, it was the first time in sixteen years. Taking this fact into consideration His Honor retired him for six days to get the kinks out of his hair.
Ed Weldon was next on the list. He denied having been disorderly although he might have had a few drinks. At first he wanted to stand trial, but the prospect of staying in jail until the next day, in default of $10 bail, caused him to change his mind, & he, was allowed to go out & "rustle" $5 with which to pay his footing with the judge. A. H. Smith, a companion of Weldon, felt so agrieved at the loss of his company that he told Officer Chamberlain so in very plain language. The officer's heart was touched by this proof of friendship & rather than seperate Damon from his Pythias, allowed him to share his friend's quarters till morning. Smith pleaded guilty to "cussing" an officer & after paying $3 was allowed to go out to raise $2 more.
At 2 p.m. August Fischer, better known as "Frenchy", the little frog-catcher, was brought up for trial on a charge of having been drunk & disorderly. Fischer was staggering along C street about midnight last Friday & upon reaching the corner of Fourth was observed to make a lurch & disappear from sight over a low fence. Officer Hitchings ran to the spot & suceeding in getting Fischer on the street again attempted to take him home. To this Fischer objected so strenously that the officer was compelled to take him to jail to prevent him from breaking his neck. Before Judge Carr Saturday morning Fischer denied having been drunk & was remanded to jail for trial. Yesterday a number of witnesses testified that Fischer was
exceedingly mellow about 11 p.m. Friday & upon this showing, &
the stubborness of Fischer in denying the fact he was sentenced to 10 days
in jail in default of the payment of $10 fine.
"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka, California
Sunday, December 16, 1894
According to a dispatch, Mrs. Hugo Juvenal, formerly of this city has
fallen heir to a fortune by the death of a paternal uncle in Germany. The
deceased uncle, Carl Anchutz was a wealthy gun manufacturer & left
an estate variously estimated at 3 million to 5 million which has been
bequeathed to Mrs. Juvenal & her three sisters. The lady & her
husband Hugo Juvenal, who in partnership with Herman Schutte at one time
conducted the Le Grande restaurant at 217 F street, left here several years
ago & went to San Jose. They have lived there ever since & according
to all accounts have not been overly prosperous.
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"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Saturday, December 3, 1898
CAUGHT AT LAST
For some time past William Tilley, an inoffensive peddler, has been pelted & otherwise abused by the boys constituting the notorious Tannery Gulch gang, but it was only yesterday that he suceeded in landing one of his tormentors behind the bars. This was Charlie Bryans, aged about 12 years, who pelted him & then ran away but was chased by Tilley right into the arms of Chief of Police Hitchings who happened along just in the nick of time.
The boys of Tannery Gulch have been the bane of Tilley's life since he has been in the city & he has never visited that neighborhood that he was not stoned or otherwise maltreated by them. On one occasion, emboldened by numbers, they caught & threw him down & beat him severely. At another time they stoned him when he gave chase & catching the largest of the crowd cuffed his ears. The injured innocent in this case sought the aid of the police & endeavored to get a warrant for the peddler's arrest but upon hearing the circumstances Judge Melendy refused to issue one.
Young Bryans is charged with assault & has been released upon his
own recognizance to appear for trial Tuesday morning.
"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Tuesday, December 13, 1898
DIDN'T TELL IT ALL
The case of young Charlie Bryans charged with assault had a rather peculiar ending in the Police Court this afternoon when after summoning a jury of twelve & listening to the testimony of the prosecution the defendant substituted a plea of guilty for that of not guilty & threw himself on the mercy of the court.
Bryans is one of a gang of boys who have been making life miserable for various people about the classic precincts of Tannery Gulch & who was arrested a week or so ago upon the specific charge of pelting William Tilley, a peddler who had previously been roughly handled by the same crowd of boys. The boy told a very plausible story which was corroborated by certain witnesses going to show that the charge was a mistake & his mother believing him engaged Attorneys Gregor & Connick to defend him. The attorneys also believed his story & the first move they made was to advise him to plead not guilty & demand a jury trial. At the trial today, however, it was shown by the witnesses for the prosecution that young Bryans had told only half of his story & that the witnesses had seen only part of the trouble between him & Tilley. These facts were admitted by the boy when placed on the stand & pressed by the prosecution whereupon, to save a heavier penalty, his attorneys withdrew his plea of not guilty & compelled him to plead guilty.
The defendant attempted to show some extenuating circumstances &
was patiently listened to by His Honor who when he had concluded sentenced
him to pay a fine of $15 or serve 15 days in jail. His mother paid the
fine.
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"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Friday, July 17, 1896
EUREKA'S BOAST
She Claims the Prize For Venerable Old Men All Past Eighty and Still Hearty
Eureka is the home of many persons of advanced age, but we have secured the following information concerning these men who have passed the eighty year period & are still hale & vigorous. The oldest is Captain Edwin Tomlinson, who lives on B & Sixth street. He was born in Manchester, England on November 1, 1809, & is nearing his 87th birthday. Captain Tomlinson came to America before he was two years old & when he grew towards manhood went to sea. He was promoted from one station to another until he became captain of a ship & as such followed the sea for many years. He is still hale & hearty though somewhat crippled with rheumatism. He retains his mental hea1th well & is still a very interesting conversationalist, although he has passed the four score mark by nearly seven years.
The next in age is Rev. Charles Andrew Huntington, who resides in his cozy home with his wife on H near Twentieth street. He was born at Vergennes, Addison county, Vermont on April 25, 1812, & has passed his 84th birthday. For one of his age he is one of the strongest & most vigorous men to be found in any part of the world. He walks erect with a firm & elastic step, sees well enough to read ordinary print with the naked eye, & his mind is as clear to all appearances as it ever was.
He writes & speaks with force & precision, takes long walks nearly every day, reads the papers & current literature, & converses on leading topics with ease & intelligence. He was married at the age or 32 or more, & he celebrated his golden wedding some two years ago, at the Congregational church, in the presence of a large concourse of descendants & friends. Captain Tomlinson & Rev. C. A. Huntington both have their life partners still with them, a comfort & a benediction in their declining years.
The third of our trio of old men is Charles Kinsey who lives on the corner of G & Third streets. He was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on June 7, 1812, & has also passed his 84th birthday. His good wife who has a sister in the writer's old home, crossed the dark river several years ago at the age of over 80 years. Mr. Kinsey came to California in 1850, & until a few years ago lived on a farm where he labored hard. He was a man of almost giant stature & great strength, & in his prime few men could match him for either strength or endurance. He has "held his age" well & until recently not much signs of impaired vigor or mental faculties could be noticed though now age seems to be telling on his strength & vitality. He is the father of exMayor Kinsey, who is his only son.
There are few cities of the size of Eureka which can show a trio of
octogenarians physically & mentally more hale & vigorous than Edwin
Tomlinson, O. A. Huntington & Charles Kinsey. Their memories run back
to the administration of the younger Adams, & each was nearly old enough
to vote for Andrew Jackson when he ran for president. Each has lived a
long time as human life is estimated, & each is reaching the end of
a useful life surrounded by friends who respect & honor & love
them for what they have been & are today.
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"The Arcata Union" Arcata, California
Saturday, August 1, 1896
The "Standard" of a recent date contained quite a lengthy writeup on a few of Eureka's citizens, who were well advanced in years, & how hale & hearty they were at their time of life. We do not wish to discredit anything in the article, but would say that we have an old gentleman at this end of the bay that puts them all in the shade in the matter of being hale, hearty & active. The person is none other than Samuel Mitchell of Bayside, & tho 83 years old last November, works every day in the woods making shingle bolts ---- & making bolts is hard work. Mr. Getchell also enjoys the very best of health.
"The Arcata Union, Arcata, California
Saturday, April 18, 1896
Some weeks ago a traveling school master, --- do not know what his name
is --- may be Jules Verne --- arrived in Arcata in search of employment.
He found work at the tannery where he earned money enough to take him to
San Francisco. He drew his wages last Saturday, & on Sunday morning
footed it around the bay to Eureka, where he bought a ticket for San Francisco
on a steamer that was expected in that day but did not arrive. On Monday
he strolled about town awaiting the arrival of the boat. In the afternoon
when the "Alta" whistled for her Arcata trip he rushed to the wharf, inquired
if that was his steamer & was told that it was. In the fullness of
his joy he boarded her, came to Arcata, stopped at the Union Hotel, &
being a little "tired," went to bed. When he awoke on Tuesday morning,
his jag having been unloaded, he was very much disappointed to find that
he was not in San Francisco.
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, December 18, 1895
Taken from the "San Francisco Call," December 13, 1895. F. L. Edeline
commenced suit in San Jose last Wednesday against Susan M. Edeline for
divorce on the ground of desertion. The couple were married in Humboldt
county about 20 years ago. Four years ago the couple moved to San Jose
& shortly afterwards Edeline went to Santa Clara county to engage in
logging. Mrs. Edeline did not accompany her husband, but remained in the
Garden City, where her husband provided for her with a home. She soon tired
of that place & went to San Francisco where her husband supported her
until about a year ago when she ran off with another man. There are no
children & no community property.
"The Ferndale Enterprise" Ferndale, California
Friday, December 14, 1888
Eureka has a sensation, rumor states that two women have been living
together in that city for two years as man & wife, the bogus husband
being a cobbler by trade, doing business there. It is said that the deceived
wife has been intimidated into keeping silent during that time, but finally
divulged. Eureka agin' the world.
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"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Wednesday, October 25, 1899
IN the POLICE COURT
Last night the police gathered in a trio of drunks, one of whom proved to be "Stuttering Mike," a repeater. Mike was up before His Honor yesterday morning on a charge of drunk but it took him so long to stammer through his explanations & excuses that to save time & expense he was allowed to go as also a fellow inebriate who went to sleep while Mike was trying to tell the Judge how it happened.
This morning Mike showed up rather shamefaced before the Court & as he was told to "stand up" he commenced'
"D-D-D-D-Don't b-b-b-be t-t-t-too h-h-h-hard on m-mm-me J-J-J-Judge, I-I-I-I" --- But the Judge knew what was coming & to cut a long story short, remarked "$10 or ten days."
"B-B-B-But J-J-J-Judge" --- Mike began again : but the Judge cut it short by asking him if he had the requisite $10, to which Mike replied' "N-N-N-No" --- & was about to go on with another appeal when the Judge said sternly: "Officer, remove the prisoner," & while Mike was still trying to pucker up his mouth for a word he was whisked down stairs. Just as he reached the bottom, however, he succeeded in getting the proper pucker & there came floating up the stairway the result of his laborious linguistic effort which sounded like" "B-B-BBe G-G-G-Gosh I'll b-b-b-board wid B-B-B-Brown."
Mike's companions, who are sailors, paid their fines & were released
without a stammer.
"The Daily Humboldt Standard" Eureka, California
Thursday, September 21, 1899
BAILEY BAGGED
John Bailey, the old man who is wanted by the Siskiyou authorites for
bunkoing the gold miners of Sawyers Bar with bogus Klondike nuggets &
incidently for feloniously borrowing the constable's horse there, has been
apprehended at Crescent City & will be returned to await the pleasure
of the Siskiyou officers. Bailey mixed his shady transactions too much
when he branched out into horse stealing. The meek miners of Sawyers Bar
could afford to lose a few dollars on worthless gilded quartz rather than
let the story out but when he toyed with such valuable property as horses
all the country was up in arms against him & particularily the Constable
who owned the horse. But this was not all. Bailey extended his transactions
in horse flesh to Humboldt county & as a result at least one Humboldter
took his trail with vengeance in his eye. This was John Wilson of Dows
Prairie, with whom Bailey traded the Constable's horse for one of Wilson's
mares. Wilson is now on his way to Crescent City to regain his horse while
still another man is enroute for the same place for Bailey himself. This
is Deputy Sheriff Frank Brown who is expected to arrive here tomorrow night
& be back here with his prisoner Sunday evening.
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"The Daily Humboldt Times" Eureka. California
Thursday, October 12, 1894
THE KNEELAND HOMICIDE
The Coroner's Jury Charge Edward Barry With the Killing of His Son
The Barry Inquest
The body of William Barry, who was shot & killed by his father Edward Barry, on the Barry place, Kneeland Prairie, Tuesday forenoon, was brought to the city early yesterday morning & now lies in the undertaking rooms of Mel Engles & Co. The unfortunate victim of his own father was shot at close range with a Winchester rifle of 44 calibre, the bullet from which entered his head just under the right eye & passed out behind & below the left ear, killing him instantly. The sad affair is the culmination - of family troubles extending over a period of 8 or 10 years & the carrying out of threats repeatedly made by the murderer against the members of his family.
An inquest was held yesterday afternoon in the Superior Court room by Deputy Cororner Frost, assisted by Assistant District Attorney Cliff Connick, & all witnesses who could throw any light on the tragedy were present. These were few, however, as no one was present in the house when the shooting occured. The mother, sisters & brother of the murdered man, the wife & the children of his slayer, were in attendance but could not enlighten the jury on the events immediately preceeding & suceeding the tragedy.
It appears that the accused, although separated from his wife was allowed to live on the ranch, & for some time had been eating & sleeping in the same house with the family. He had been there this time since his release from jail last May, where he had been kept in default of bonds to keep the peace as against his wife, & had only been to Eureka once, about two weeks ago. According to the testimony of the family Barry was very irasible & inclined to quarrel & find fault with them, but for the sake of peace the family paid no attention to his quarrelling & never aggravated him. He had repeatedly made threats against them but they refered to no particular member of the family. They were directed aginst the family generally & were to the effect that he would " have money or their heart s blood", as Sarah Barry, a daughter testified.
When Mrs. Barry left the ranch Tuesday morning with her young son & two daughters, Sarah Barry & Mrs. Mullin in, Barry seemed peaceably inclined & no trouble was apprehended. William Barry & the hired man, Clarence McLaughlin, had gone to the woods to cut timber & no particular attention was paid to the movements of the elder Barry who had taken breakfast with the family that morning. Upon their return from the woods shortly before 11 o'clock young Barry went to the dwelling house & built a fire in the kitchen stove, while McLaughlin went into the barn about 100 yards away. He was at work there when he heard the report of a rifle but paid no attention to it until he heard the elder Barry calling him. Upon going outside he saw Barry standing at the gate near the kitchen door with the rifle in his hand. Barry called agin to him but he refused to approach untill Barry had put down the rifle when he came up to him & Barry said: "Come in here. He is begging now." McLaughlin then went into the kitchen & saw the body of William Barry lying on the floor with the head in a pool of blood near the stove. Near the body was a chair & on the floor on the other side of the chair was a newspaper. The elder Barry did not seem excited & appeared to be as rational as ever. He made no explanation but told McLaughlin to go & tell Jack Wyatt, a neighbor, to come over. To Wyatt, Barry intimated that he wanted to give himself up & accordingly a rig was procured & Wyatt started for Eureka with him. Barry made no explanations to Wyatt, as the latter, advised him to tell him nothing, but on the way to the city, Barry informed several differnt persons whom they met