WOMAN LYNCHED - A Forgotten Piece of California History Recalled by Only Living Witness - San Francisco Call, Volume 108, Number 146, 24 December 1920
WOMAN LYNCHED
A Forgotten Piece of California History Recalled by Only Living Witness
(From the San Jose News.)
J. Q. A. BALLOU of Palo Alto and San Jose, one of the founders of the Farmers' Union, now 94 years of age, is the sole man living who saw lynching of the only woman ever-lynched in California, Recently Mr. Ballou told The News the story of that event. He was a young man mining on the Yuba River, which flows through Downieville.
He went into town on July 4, 1851, to get some provisions. Governor Weller was then making the campaign that elected him, and the town was full of people who had come to hear Weller make his speech. Mr. Ballou heard on the morning of July 4 what had happened the previous evening.
Frank Cannon, a very successful American miner. who was quarrelsome, had come in from one of the rich creeks loaded with gold. There was much gambling and drinking in Downieville. The principal gambling house was kept by John Craycroft. In his gambling house was a Mexican who played regularly. This Mexican had with him as companion a Mexican woman to whom, it was said, he was not married.
At any rate, they lived together as man and wife in a little house on the principal street. Frank Cannon and his companions, all prosperous and drunk, on the night of July 3, endeavored to force an entrance to the house where the Mexican gambler and his companion lived. They were rebuffed and driven away.
Cannon and his friends were very indignant at this and went away to get a larger crowd. They returned to the gambler's house and succeeded in forcing a entrance to attack the woman. She stabbed Cannon, killing him.
Great was the indignation of the American and mining population in Downieville that Cannon should have been killed. The next morning the woman was taken from her home and a trial of her was held in an empty building in one of the main streets. Nearly the entire population stood outside the building waiting to hear the result.
A crier stood at the door of the improvised court room and told the people what was happening inside. Lynching talk was in the air. It was commonly said. "The woman is only a -------. Hanging is too good for her." Only one effort was made to save the woman's life. A Nevada lawyer who had come to hear Weller's speech mounted a box and began to plead with the crowd.
"Gentlemen," he said, "Let's see fair play. Let's see if murder has really been committed." The lawyer got no further. The box was knocked from under him and The fell to the ground.
In a few minutes the word came that the woman had been found guilty of murder. She was swept out of the court room, dragged by the crowd of men to the bridge over Yuba River. Mr. Ballou says that he followed the crowd. He saw that already a scaffold had been erected on the bridge. The noose was over a beam. At this point Mr. Ballou turned away his gaze. The woman died in that minute. Where she was buried no one knew or cared. Her husband or companion, left town, but Downieville felt that justice had been done.
Comments
Post a Comment