Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 January 1878 — A TRAGEDY IN CALIFORNIA. [ARTICLE]

A TRAGEDY IN CALIFORNIA.

a Robbery and Its Terrible Punishment— Five Mexican Bandits Taken from the Bakersfield Jail and Hanged. A correspondent of the San Francisoo Chronicle , at Bakersfield, OaL, gives the following particulars of the summary death of five Mexican horse-thieves: “Between sundown and dark, the five Mexicans were brought into town by James Young, W. L. Kennedy, and others, and lodged in jail. The news of their capture spread over the town at once, and created much excitement during the evening. It began to be whispered about that, violence was anticipated, and, this coming to Under Sheriff Lightner’s ears, he went up to the jail, and, having first locked all the cells and outer doors, deposited the key in the safe, locked it with a combination that no one understands but himself, and carried the safe-key with him. Between 1 and 2 o’clock this (Saturday) morning, eight men went up to the Court House and demanded the keys of Deputy Sheriff Fountain. He told them they were locked up in the vault of the safe, and that he did not have the key. They then caught him and took from his pockets his private keys, but, not finding the jail keys or the key to the vault of the safe, they sent a committee of three after Under Sheriff Lightner. He was called out of his house just as he was getting ready fcr bed and told that he must go and open the safe, but he declined, saying that he would not think of it, and nothing could induce him to do it. Finding they could do nothing with him, they left. This was about 1:30. The party went back to the Court House, and, having secured a sledgehammer, an ax, and a crowbar, passed into the small room by the side of the main jail, and which communicates with it by means of a heavy wooden door. Upon this door they commenced work, and, after battering and chopping two or three hours, they finally succeeded in breaking the door to pieces and effecting an entrance. . By this time not less than 100 persons had gathered. Once inside the jail, it took but little time to break the catches to the locks and get to the prisoners. Seeing that the crowd could not be prevented from entering, and to prevent the useless destruction of locks, Deputy Sheriff Fountain pointed out the cells in which the prisoners were confined. Two were in one cell and two in another, and the fifth was confined in a cell with another Mexican who was not of their party. Having secured the five the crowd took them up stairs into the District Court-room, went through the form of a trial, convicted them, and sentenced them to be hanged immediately. Some of them were in favor of swinging them up on the front porch of the Court House, but it was finally agreed that they should be hanged to the trees in the back part of the lot and in the rear of the jail-yard. A beam was secured and placed across between two trees, one end resting in a fork of each. Three of the doomed men were swung up to this beam and two to the limbs of one of the trees, where they remained, a ghastly sight, until 9 o’clock this morning, when they were taken down and laid in the hall of the lower floor of the Court House. Their names, as ascertained from papers on their persons, were Francisco Encinas, Firman Eldia, Antonio Meron, Miguel Elias, and Vincente Buiz. Upon their persons were found various articles, such as watches, pocket-knives, purses, etc., doubtless a part of the property taken from Swett’s store, at Caliente. A Coroner’s inquest was held, and a verdict was found in accordance with the circumstances, witiiout, however, attaching any blame to the participants, who must be known.”