Joaquin Murrieta [pp. 530-539]

JOAQUIN MURRIETA.
band to join the band, taunting him with
cowardice on his refusal. Finally he
consented, and like Antonia, she accompanied her lover on his raids. But as
her husband was along, she did not don
male attire. Finally, Leiva's eyes were
opened and he shot Vasquez, slightly
vounding him. He then took his faithless wife home, where it is presumed
they lived happily " ever afterwards."
The depredations of this band were
confined to Santa Clara, Alameda, Monterey, and Fresno counties. Horses and
cattle were stolen, ranches plundered,
stages robbed, stores sacked, and people
murdered. This continued until the
spring of 1874, when a sheriff's posse
surprised Vasquez in the house of
"Greek George," near San Fernandino
Mission, Los Angeles County. Like his
prototype, Murrieta, he was unarmed
and sitting at the dinner table. On seeing the officers he jumped through a window and ran for his horse, but was
stopped by a load of buck-shot. He
turned and faced the officers, and was
again shot. He threw up his hands, and
walking towards the officers, exclaimed:
"You have done very well!"
It is believed that Leiva betrayed him.
Vasquez was hanged at San Jose about a
year later.
Chavez, late lieutenant of Vasquez,
with Procopio, or " Red-Handed Dick,"
Chico Lugo, Santo Satelo, and Jose
Tapia, soon organized and began operations in Southern California. Two of
them were captured, and the others were
pursued into Arizona, where all were
killed.
This was the last of the Mexican banditti in California, which began because
of an outrage, and was perpetuated by
race hatred, covering a period of nearly a
quarter of a century.
No treasure of any considerable value
was found in the camps or on the persons
bf these bandits. Yet it is known that
many of their robberies were very fruitful, raids on mining camps netting ordinarily five and ten thousand dollars.
And the amounts plundered from the
ranches, cattle and horse-buyers, and
travelers, was also considerable. But
what became of it? By many of the
early Spanish settlers it is believed that
much of this booty was buried in jars in
and around the temporary camps of the
bandits; and that Cantau Cafion is a
veritable gold mine -already coined.
With the death of Murrieta and his lieutenants, the secret of their buried treasure died with them. All of them died in
poverty, and as nearly all of them died
suddenly, it is not believed that these
hiding places had been revealed to their
families or friends. For years parties of
hidden treasure-seekers have been prospecting in the vicinity of these bandit
camps, but the results of their searches
have not been told for prudential reasons. Some of the hunters have acted
under the advice of clairvoyants, who
can see for others, but not for themselves,
but have not reported progress. It may
be, however, that a great deal of the
treasure has been found during the cointinual burrowing, and yet large sums
remain buried, like the victims of the
bandits, in forgotten places.
J. M. Scaunland.
539