El Bandito,
Vasquez, Part 2
by Cecile Page Vargo
The
narrow canyons and unusual rock formations near
Lake
Elizabeth
, now called Vasquez Rocks, were like home for
Tiburcio Vasquez and his men. They
not only found safety in
its many
nooks and crannies, but family
and friends lived nearby.
Lieutenant Cleovaro Chavez was placed here to
handle operations north of the
Antelope
Valley
. Horses were stolen from
nearby ranches and exchanged for new ones
that Vasquez had stolen
further south, to make it less apt for them to be discovered.
The
San Gabriel Mountains
north of Los Angeles
also came in handy for the banditos.
Big
Tujunga
Canyon
was the most popular route when they needed to travel north or east.
Three miles above the present Big Tujunga Dam, a narrow gorge
with tremendous rock walls and various side canyons
proved to be a good spot to hole up in.
The end of the road also branched off to trails leading to
other favorite spots, such as Chilao, Little Rock Creek, or the
previous mentioned Vasquez Rocks.
Vasquez was also able to take some time off from his life as a
highway bandit, and tried his hand at mining in nearby Mill Creek.
Near the Monte Cristo Mine he was said to have had an arrastra
for crushing ore.
East
of Big Tujunga, on the southern slope of
Mount
Lukens
, and north of
the town of
Montrose
, Vasquez found
Dunsmore
Canyon
. Here, a mile from the
mouth, just where the canyon splits in two branches, a huge oak tree
formed a natural screen where he could hide, yet he could easily
observe anyone else who might try to come up the trail.
There were passes in all directions except the north. All of Los
Angeles
County
south of the
San Gabriel Mountains
, was easily reachable from here.
Behind the camp and over the ridge was the Dark Canyon-Vasquez
trail that allowed him to get to the Arroyo Seco and Big Tujunga and
on to more trails.
Long
before Newcombs Ranch became a favorite stopping spot for a
bite to eat for modern travelers going up Angeles Crest,
East Chilao
provided a remote
refuge for Vasquez.
West Chilao
and Horse Flat, with a long narrow valley, and a secret trail,
provided grazing grounds for stolen
San Fernando & San
Gabriel
Valley
horses.
Mount
Hillyer
, overlooking Horse Flat, provided a rock fortress from any lawmen
that might wander up after the bandits.
Horses were often stolen from the
United States
government in
Yuma
,
Arizona
, taken up to Chilao where
they were re-branded then sold down in
San Fernando Valley
. One time, a pair of
extra large mules were stolen and brought to camp, also,
but were too easily recognizable because of their size, and
wound up being shot instead, so there would be no chance of the
thieves being discovered. Before
horses were taken to the Valley to be sold, Vasquez and his men picked
the best for their own private use.
On
April 18, 1874
Vasquez headed into the hills near
El Monte
. Vasquez, Chavez, and
three new recruits, came
to Alessandro Repetto’s Ranch, posing as sheep shearers.
Once they were invited in the house, they pulled out their guns
and began demanding money. Repetto
was only able to produce eighty dollars in coins, but Vasquez new
better. Repetto was forced
to show his books which proved his real worth which was safe in a bank
in
Los Angeles
. If Repetto did not write
a check for eight hundred dollars, Vasquez promised to tie him to an
olive tree on the ranch and hang him.
Repetto
apparently did not believe the threat, and objected to writing the
check. Only after he was
tied to the trunk of the olive tree and pinned down with a pistol at
each of his ears, did he finally agree to write the check, which was
then handed to his nephew
who was forced to ride 6 miles into
Los Angeles
to cash the check. At the
Temple bank in
Los Angeles
, Repetto’s nephew was observed by the president of the bank who
knew his uncle Alessandro. After
an inquiry about his uncle, he began to cry and revealed the whole
story.
Los
Angeles County Sheriff Billy Rowland, who had missed capturing Vasquez
and Chavez in previous chases into the mountains, was alerted of what
was going on in Repetto’s Ranch in
El Monte
. As the Repetto nephew
was given money so he wouldn’t come back to Vasquez empty handed,
Rowland rounded up a posse
and headed up to the ranch himself.
The posse was discovered on their way up
by one of Vasquez men, and the banditos mounted their horses
and hurried away. Before
heading up
Dark
Canyon
from the Arroyo Seco they stopped
in the Pasadena Colony Lands and held up Charles E. Miles of the Los
Angeles Water Company. After
talking him out of his $250 watch, Charles companions thought it best
to contribute to Vasquez as well.
The famed gang then proceeded to overtake a
Pasadena
settler and relieve him of $15.00, before heading on into the
mountains just as darkness fell. Vasquez
camped in a grassy area just below the crest of the divide. Seven
hundred feet below him, at the end of the road to
Dark
Canyon
, Billy Rowland and his posse camped as well.
As
the sun rose the following morning, both groups of men took off once
again. Vasquez and men
headed towards the bend of Big Tujunga and wound up at Grizzly Flat.
Amongst the thick chaparral, Vasquez’s horse
fell in a gully and broke its leg.
Vasquez himself, leapt off the animal as it fell, recovering
without injury. He shot
the horse, and continued on foot, taking the saddle and his two guns
with him as he went. Eventually,
the saddle, and one of the
pistols were abandoned or accidentally lost.
Vasquez hitched a
ride with another gang member and
they rode well out of reach of Sheriff
Rowland and his posse once more time.
A pistol with the initials T. V.
carved on the barrel was
recovered 9 years later by 16 year old Phil Begue of La
Crescenta. It was
eventually sold by Begue’s son to historian Will Thrall.
The saddle wound up in the
Los Angeles
County
Museum
many, many, years later.
Newspapers
of
Los Angeles
spat out headlines in outrage. The
editor of the Los Angeles Express demanded Vasquez and gang be
exterminated no matter what the cost.
Travelers left town in groups, armed with weapons in case they
would become the bandits next victims.
Many were afraid Vasquez
would ride in to the city
of
Los Angeles
and create havoc there as he had the areas to the north of them.
Storekeepers and citizens were warned to be armed and ready at
all times.
May
8, 1874
, the price on Tiburcio Vasquez was eight thousand dollars if he was
caught alive, six thousand if he was
brought in dead. An
unnamed betrayer alerted Rowland to the bandit’s current hide out
hoping to get a share of
the reward money for the information.
By 1:30 am
May 14, Undersheriff
Albert Johnston and eight other men formed a posse and left a corral
at Spring and Seventh streets in
Los Angeles
. Billy Rowland was
purposely left behind as his absence in town to join a posse
would alert spies to send word ahead to Vasquez of what was
going on.
Two
miles past
Cahuenga
Pass
, on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd & King’s Canyon, Vasquez
was staying at the house of “Greek George” Allen, who had come to
Los Angeles
in 1858 as a camel driver during the construction of the Butterfield
Stage Road. Greek
George’s home had been a refuge for the Vasquez gang for over a
month. By mid day on May 14, Tiburcio sat in the kitchen of Greek
George’s eating lunch. His
palomino horse was tied to trees near the northwest corner of the
cabin. The Greek himself
had gone to
Los Angeles
for news of what Sheriff Rowland was doing.
His wife and baby and one other member of Vasquez band of men
were in his home. A little
after
one o’clock
Vasquez heard a wagon drive up but was not alarmed as it was driven by
native Californians.
A
hundred yards away 6 armed men suddenly charged the house.
Greek George’s wife saw them, and screamed as she hurried to
shut the kitchen door. Los
Angeles
City
detective Emil Harris was able to wedge the door open with his Henry
rifle and get inside. Vasquez
jumped from his spot at the table, and headed out the window.
Officer Frank Hartley aimed at him, and fired his shotgun.
The charge struck Vasquez and he dropped to the ground for a
moment, to get back up again and head for his horse.
George A. Beers, a correspondent of the San Francisco
Chronicle, who was part of the posse, came around the corner of the
building and fired at Vasquez point blank, hitting Vasquez in the
shoulder.
As
Vasquez now found himself staring into the muzzle of Officer
Hartley’s gun, he threw up his hands and
let them know they had got him, and asked not to be shot at
again. As blood ran from
wounds in his arms and legs, the posse closed in on him, and Vasquez
claimed he was Alejandro Martinez.
Undersheriff Johnston told him that he had his photograph for
years and knew exactly who he was, so the ruse was up at last.
Meantime, the posse that remained inside the house captured
Vasquez’s companion.
The
posse with Vasquez attended to his wounds. He rose to the occasion of
his capture and complimented them on a job well done.
Someone apologized for wounding him, and Vasquez told them he
had been a damned fool for attempting to escape.
After being assured by the Chronicle reporter that his wounds
were not serious, Tiburcio winked and said
“You dress my wounds and nurse me careful.
You boys get eight
thousand dollars! If you
let me die, you only get six. You
get two thousand dollars for being kind.”
Back
in
Los Angeles
with Vasquez as their prisoner, a large crowd waited outside the City
Courthouse. Sheriff
Rowland appeared at the jail with a bottle of whiskey for Vasquez,
which was cheerfully accepted, and the bandit made a toast to the
president of the
United States
. Later Charlie Miles came
to visit his cell and Vasquez handed him the $250.00 watch he had
stolen and apologized for robbing such a “genial a gentleman”.
Allesandro Repetto even appeared at the jail cell one day, and
told Vasquez that “the little account could be settled with God.”
As Vasquez thanked Repetto and started to mention repayment,
the rancher interrupted him and told him that was unnecessary, only
requesting the bandit not make a repeat visit to his home.
Vasquez in turn offered to reimburse him at the earliest
opportunity if he was lucky enough to serve a short term of
imprisonment.
Vasquez
was becoming a celebrity. The
Merced Theater put together a burlesque production called “The Life
of Vasquez”. The actor
who played his part was granted many
interviews with Tiburcio in jail, and was
even allowed to borrow his clothes for the show.
His cell became a major tourist attraction for thousands of
people. Women
would profess their love for the famous bandito, bringing flowers and
money for his defense. He
would pose for photographs and sign autographs.
Tiburcio
Vasquez was taken from his cell in
Los Angeles
on
May 23, 1874
and taken to
Monterey
County
to stand trial for the murders he had committed at Tres Pinos years
before. He was tried and
convicted, and hung on
March 19, 1875
in
San Jose
. As rumors spread that
the Mexican government was sending troops to his rescue,
admirers gathered to watch the bandits life come to an end.
As the hangman put the rope around his neck, he replied
“Pronto”. The trap
door dropped under his feet and his neck was broken.
An observer wrote that “he died a man and a Californian”.
Following
his execution, Vasquez body lay in state at the
Santa Clara
home of his cousin Mrs. Guadalupe Bee.
Hundreds of men and women came to pay their last respects.
After he was buried, his sister Maria was afraid grave robbers
would cut off his head and exhibit it
as Joaquin Murietta’s had been.
Day and night for a week, Maria guarded the grave.
Public officials came and opened the grave to reassure her that
her brother's body was safe. To
this day Tiburcio Vasquez
rests peacefully in the
Catholic
Cemetery
at
Santa Clara
,
California
.
Bibliography:
City-Makers: The Story of Southern California’s First Boom
by Remi Nadeau
Trans-Anglo Books
The San Gabriels
by John W. Robinson
Big Santa Anita Historical Society
The San Gabriels: Southern California Mountain Country
by John W. Robinson
Golden West Books, San Marin County
On the Web:
http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/vasquez-thrall.htm
http://www.francescacontreras.com/graves/vasquez.html
http://www.socalhistory.org/Biographies/vasquez.htm
