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Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
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Page: of 713
HIS1ORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 41
suffer any indignity, much less a horrid outrage
like this. It demanded instant and exemplary
punishment. Volunteers were called for to go
in search of the murderers. The whole garrison volunteered. All could not go. Twentythree were selected and put under command of
Lieutenant W. L. Ford. Among the number
was Frank Bidwell, to whom the writer is indebted for this account of the pursuit. Captain
Ford and his command came first to Santa Rosa.
Padillo had fled. From Santa Rosa he went to
the’ Roblar de la Miseria, Padillo’s-ranch. He
was there told by some Indians that the maranding band had gone, some three hours before, to
the Laguna de San Antonio. Captain Ford
pushed on to that point and bivouacked half a
mile from the supposed headquarters. He
charged upon the house next morning and
found ouly four men there, whom he _ took
prisoners. ’ He left some of his men to guard
the prisoners and horses which he had captured.
With fourteen men he continued the pursuit.
After a brief ride of a few miles he came to
the Olompali ranch, now Dr. Burdell’s place, in
Marin County. He saw a number of horses
in acorral near the house apparently in charge
of a vaquero. He dashed up rapidly to prevent the man in charge frum turning them
loose, as he propcsed to confiscate them. Getting nearer he was astonished to see the Californians pouring out of the house and hastily
mounting their already saddled horses. He
had run upon the combined forces of Captain
Joaquin de la Torre and the Santa Rosa murderers, numbering all told eighty-three men.
Both parties had been surprised. Fortunately
there was a willow thicket about sixty yards
from the house. While the enemy were getting
in motion Captain Ford ordered his men to fall
back to the brush and to dismount, tie their
horses, take position in the brush, and by no
means to fire until “sure of a man.” There
was a mountaineer in the party who went by
the name of “Old Red.” He was a dead shot,
and was stationed in the upper end of the wood.
Frank Bidwell was some distance below him.
8
The Californians, made bold by the supposed
retreat, formed their lines and came up handsomely. Their advance was lead by a gallant
young sergeant. All was still in the willows.
_The sharp crack of a rifle broke the silence,
followed by a puff of smoke which burst
through the brush. It was “Old Red,” who
could not hold his fire. This bruught on the
fight. Other shots came in quick succession.
In a very few moments eight of the assaulting
party lay dead upon the plain, two were
wounded, and a horse with an ugly bullet-hole
in his neck was struggling in the field. The
young sergeant was the last to fall, wherenpon
the whole band broke for the cover of the hills,
receiving as they left a volley at long range as
a parting salute. Twenty-three shots had been
fired; eleven took effect. “ Old Red’s”’ excuse
for firing so soon was, that he was “sure of a
man ” anywhere in range.
As soon as the fight began a woman in the
house cut Todd’s bonds, and he joined his comrades before it was over. Captain Ford rested
on his arms for some time thirking that the
enemy would rally and renew the fight, but
they made no sign. It was enough. He thereupon set out on his return to Sonoma with his
rescued prisoners and his captives. The captured
horses he drove before him as the spoil of war.
The murder of Cowie and Fowler was avenged
on the field of Olompali.
On the 20th of June, Castro made his first
move in the direction of trying to recover lost
ground north of the bay. On that date Captain Joaquin de la Torre crossed the bay with
about seventy Californians and being joined by
Padea and Correo, took a position near San
Rafael. Of these movements Fremont was
speedily apprised, and now for the first time
gave open recognition of the claims of the revolutionists upon him for active aid. On the
23d of June, Harrison Pierce, a pioncer settler
of Napa Valley, made a forced ride of eighty
miles to Fremont’s camp announcing the presence of Castro’s troops on the north side of the
bay and the consequent peril of those who had