chapter 10 of the life and adventures of joaquin marietta the celebrated california bandit by john rollin ridge also known as yellow bird this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org this recording by dan hogan chapter 10 having ravaged the country for several long and to the people distressing weeks and having lost some of the bravest and most useful members of his band and having aroused his enemies so that they meet him on every trail and surprised him at almost every encampment and
having besides this collected by his plunders a large amount of money joaquin concluded to abandon calaveras and try his hand a while upon the citizens of mariposa of course that county suffered it'll not be necessary to recount anything like the entire series of his fearful deeds in that devoted region as it would only be a repetition of the bloody and harrowing scenes that have already sufficiently marked these pages his guardian fiend seemed never to desert him and he came forth from every emergency and triumph the following incident is but one among many that shows the
extraordinary success that attended him and would almost lead us to adopt the old cherokee superstition that there were some men who bear charmed lives and whom nothing can kill but a silver bullet about the first of april in the little town of ornithos or little ovens an american named prescott a very bold and resolute man was one night informed by a friendly mexican who was a miner in the district that joaquin and four or five of his men were at that moment sleeping in a house kept by a mexican woman on the edge of town
if i point him out to you said he be sure and kill him for if you don't my life is not worth three cents prescott raised some 15 men with secrecy and dispatch and guided by the mexican gained the house without raising an alarm stationing his men around the house in every necessary direction he and a few others cautiously entered candles were still burning and everything was visible in the room there they are whispered the trembling mexican pointing to several separate heaps rolled up in blankets and slipping out as soon as he had spoken one
of the party holding a candle over joaquin's face in his anxiety to see if it might not possibly be a mistake startled the formidable chief from his slumber he with rapid return of consciousness that belongs to man accustomed to danger rose like lightning to his feet cocking his pistol as it were in the very act of waking and fired the astounded candle holder staggered back severely wounded in the side prescott at this moment discharged both barrels of his shotgun into joaquin's breast and was amazed to see him stand firm after a momentary stagger and return
the fire press got very near fell to the floor a ball having passed clean through his chest the other bandits in the meantime having sprung up blew out the lights and firing their revolvers they immediately shifted their positions so that the americans discharged their pistols into space merely where their enemies had stood joaquin shot twice after the lights were extinguished hitting a man on each time with his pistol dubbed he trod resolutely for the door where he met an american over whose head he shattered his pistol and nearly killing him on the spot it happened
that at the same time the bandits made their egress a few americans were also coming out and before the two parties could fairly be separated so as to render it safe to fire the bull robbers had made their escape it is significant to add that in a few days after this occurrence the mexican informer was found hanging to a tree near the highway his dead body bearing the marks of a recent terrible scourging joaquin was badly wounded by the discharge of prescott's double-barrelled shotgun and three-fingered jack who is now continually with him was engaged as
he laughingly remarked to an acquaintance afterwards for three weeks off and on in picking out buckshot from joaquin's breast how would come not to kill him said he the devil only knows i'm certain it would have done the job for me but subsequent events will show that three finger jack was himself equally hard to kill press got lay for a long time in a doubtful state and joaquin sent spies daily from his own sick bed in the woods to see if there was any prospect of his dying much to his disappointment prescott recovered and surely
after all he had suffered he is entitled to live a long time valenzuela was at this time in the county of yuba in obedience to the orders of his leader who told him to do his best in the space of two weeks and then to meet him at the arroyo cantuba rendezvous a description of one or two scenes that happened on bear river about 20 miles from the city of marysville will serve to give an idea of what he was about this stream heads in the sierra nevada foothills and crossing a broad plain empties into
the feather river near the town of nicolas ferry it waters a fine agricultural and grazing region and houses in the spring of 1853 as now were scattered at intervals four five and six miles along its banks in one of these houses lived an old widow woman with her son and daughter these three seated in their door on a pleasant evening were surprised as they had lived off the public road to see four huge fellows ride up splendidly dressed and armed to the teeth one of them had four revolvers and a bowie knife this mounting they
requested supper it was soon gotten readiness by the brisk young lady and she is fresh and rosie a creature as ever one had the happiness to see as the travelers partook of it most freely the fellow with the four revolvers who notwithstanding his fierce look was quite gentlemanly in his manners conversing with her agreeably as she politely waited upon them the old woman looked rather suspiciously at the well-dressed eaters from under her spectacles but said nothing as soon as they had finished valenzuela for as that worthy and none other stepped up to where the young
man was sitting and cocking a pistol between his eyes asked him if he had any objection to having the house robbed if so to name it the woman here screamed out oh lord i knowed it i seed the cloven foot to sticking out the whole time and continue to cry out with such vehemence that they were forced to put a gag in her mouth the young lady saved them the trouble of using that precaution in her case by fainting the young man not relishing a cocked pistol in his face with a man carelessly fingering the
trigger very readily gave his consent to have the house searched every drawer was ransacked and every trunk burst open and having obtained a few hundred dollars the robbers left at a late hour in the night another house was burst open and the terrified inmates were dragged out of their beds and securely bound hand and foot besides being gagged before they awoke sufficiently to know whether it was a dream or a reality there was only one man at the house the rest were women and children all the money and jewelry was taken that could be found
among other things a gold watch the chain of which valenzuela very coolly put over his neck go to that woman and take the gag out of her mouth said he to one of his men she looks as if she were choking herself to death an effort to say something as soon as the gag was removed she begged valenzuela with many tears to give her back the watch as it was a present from a dear friend who was dead and contained a precious lock of hair certainly said the robber that's the case i don't want it
and handed it to her strange as it may seem at first glance the age widow felt a sentiment of gratitude toward the robber who steeped in villainy as he was had sole enough to answer an appeal of this kind the unfortunate family was found the next morning by their neighbors still lying upon the floor bound hand and foot such terror possessed that neighborhood for some time afterwards that a traveler no matter how peaceable his intentions could no more get a chance to stay all night on the part of bear river than he could fly a
young fellow from the mountains on his way down from the valley happening to be belated in that vicinity called one night at every house and every direction he was refused admittance or hospitality with an obstinacy that astonished him the doors were barred on his approach as if he had been a bearer of pestilence and to his loud hellos and earnest solicitations for shelter from the night air he received the response that they had no accommodation for travelers and he began to believe that indeed they did have but little accommodations sure enough he was drizzling rain
the hour was waxing late it was dark and there were many deep and miri sloughs which were dangerous to pass unless in broad daylight directed at each refusal of accommodation to go to another house just across the slough or just beyond that paint the poor fella wandered around nearly all night narrowly escaping being drowned a dozen times finally towards the morning leaving his horse tied on the bank of a slough and crossing to the other side in a canoe he succeeded after fighting a pitch battle with a gang of fierce dogs in reaching an old
shanty in a barley field whose occupant a bachelor consented to his great surprise to let him stay it seems that the young fellow was dark-skinned and unfortunately not a very amiable looking fellow at the best and so he was accordingly taken for joaquin or someone of his band traveling around as a spy end of chapter 10.
