Joaquin Murrieta [pp. 530-539]

JOAQUIN MURRIETA.
stores, and gaming houses, and at the
opportune time these would be raided by
Murrieta or one of the detachments.
Relays of horses were in waiting at varIious places, and provisions were also
supplied at these agencies. The organization was as complete as that of an
army-having a "military" staff, a
quartermaster, and a code of signals and
passwords.
The division of the band into squads,
and their robberies in various portions of
the State at the same time, gave to the
band the reputation of being ubiquitous,
and threw a kind of supernatural glamor
around Murrieta. One of his lieutenants, Joaquin Valenzuela, alias Carillo,
alias Botillier, bore a striking resemblance to his leader, and when these
bandits appeared at different points simultaneously, there were many who believed that Murrieta was more than
human. The hatred of Murrieta's
double seemed to be directed in an opposite direction from that of his chief, for he
made a specialty of killing Chinese. He
would throw a lariat around the body of a
Chinaman, pinioning his arms, then pull
his head backward by the cue and cut his
throat. He was the most cruel assassin
of the band, and murdered merely to
revel in blood.
Murrieta was mild in manner, genial
in disposition, and affectionate and kind
to all save Americans. He had a low,
sweet voice, and spoke with that calmness and decision which denotes a positive character, and his well-shaped
mouth denoted firmness. He was of
average height and slender figure, was
quick in movement, and walked gracefully. He had a high forehead, piercing
black eyes, and his features bore the
stamp (of intellectuality. His hair was
what novelists style " raven black," and
he wore it in semi-curls over his shoulders. This was not in imitation of the
regulation bandit style, but after the fashion of the Spanish settlers in the early
part of this century, which had not then
gone out of fashion among the gallants.
He also wore a "dark, curling mustache," and being handsome and gay,
was the ideal and idol of the senioritas,
and of many of the sefioras.
He came to Los Angeles from Sonora,
Mexico, in 1849, when in his eighteenth
year, as a horse trainer in a Mexican
maroona, or circus. Here, he met again
and loved Rosita Feliz, a Castilian beauty
whom he had known in Sonora. Her father being a Spaniard, objected to the marriage of his daughter with a Mexican. lt
seems that the lovers eloped singly.
Joaquin went ahead to get out of range
of the old gentleman's musket, and the
dutiful daughter with her clailo chaperon,
followed to the designated point in Stanislaus County. Here he located a mine,
and it proved to be of great value.
Ever since the discovery of gold lawless bands of Americans had been murdering and robbing successful miners, more
especially if they were Mexicans or Chinese. No soonerhadthe rumor spread that
the young Mexican had discovered a valuable mine, than his cabin was visited by
a number of cowardly ruffians, styling
themselves American freemen.
The spokesman of the gang said to
Joaquin: "Greasers are not allowed to
take gold from American ground. This
is our country now, and you had better
git."
Joaquin replied that he had located
the claim in compliance with law, and
he had as good a right to seek gold as any
one.
"'Wall, you git, and take that with
you," said the bully, pointing to Rosita.
This allusion to his wvife aroused.'the
Aztec blood of Murrieta, and he replied
in a quiet but firm manner, yet in tones
expressing a threat: " I will leave,
53t