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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
42 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
captured Sonoma. He received a promise from
Fremont to come to their aid just as soon as he
could put ninety men into the saddle. Pierce,
with this cheering news, retraced the eighty
miles turmerly passed over, with but one change
of horse, and soon carried the news to the little
garrison at Sonoma, that Fremont was coming.
On the evening of the day he had received the
tidings Fremunt and his men were on their
way toward Sonoma. Of the make-up of Fre.
mont’s force, one of the party wrote as follows:
“There were Americans, French, English,
Swiss, Poles, Ruseians, Prussians, Chilians,
Germans, Greeks, Austrians, Pawnees, native
Indians, etc., all riding side by side and talking a
polyglot lingual hash never exceeded in diversibility since the confusion of tongues at the
tower of Babel. Some wore the relics of their
home-spun garments, some relied upon the antelope and the bear for their wardrobe, some
lightly habited in buckskin leggings and a coat
of war-paint, and their weapons were equally
various. There was the grim old hunter with
his long heavy rifle, the farmer with his doublebarreled shot-gun, the Indian with his bows
and arrows; and others with horse-pistols, revolvers, sabres, ships’ cutlasses, bowie-knives,
and pepper-boxes (Allen’s revolvers).” Fremont, with his incongruous band, made forced
marches and reached Sonoma on the morning
of June 25th. After a rest Fremont started
for San Rafael in quest of Castro and Torre’s
forces. Castro had not crossed over as supposed,
and Torre was invisible. A decoy letter of
Torre fell into Fremont’s hands, the purport of
which was that Torre’s force, with some other
imaginary ally was to proceed against Sonoma.
Fremont at once called to saddle and his command went toward Sonoma as fast as muscle
and tendon of mustang horses would carry
them. Arrived there, Fremont became satistied
that he had been deceived, and made swift haste
back toward San Rafael; but it was of no
avail: the wily Torre had succeeded in getting
his troops across the bay and was out of reach
of the clutches of the « Path Finder.”
It was on this occasion of the return of Fremont tu San Rafael that occurred what has the
reseinblance of wanton sacrifice of human life.
We allude to the shooting of Ramon and Francisco de Haro. They were of a_ respectable
family living at Yerba Buena. They reached
the San Ratael Embarcadero in a boat managed
by José R. Berryessa. The Haros are said to
have been quite young—only sixteen or eighteen
years of age. One version is that they were
taken prisoners, as spies, and were regularly
sentenced and shot. But the statement that
Bancoft seems to give credence to is, that when
they were seen to land, Kit Carson asked Fremont, on starting with a squad of men to meet
them, whether he should take them prisoners,
and that Fremont’s reply was, “ We have no use
for prisoners.” It is then claimed that Carson
and his men as soon as in shooting distance
opened fire, killing them on the spot. The late
Jasper O’Farrel] is given as the authority for
this version, and claimed to have witnessed the
whole transaction. Unless there is more light
cast on this transaction than we have had as yet,
the killing of those young men will always seem
wanton and cruel.
Captain William D. Phelps of Lexington,
Massachusetts, who was lying at Sausalito with his
bark, the * Moscow,” remarks, says Mr. Lancey:
When Fremont passed San Rafael in pursuit of Captain de la Torre’s party, I had just left them, and he sent
me word that he would drive them to Sausalito that
night, when they could not escape unless they got my
boats. I hastened back to the ship and made all safe.
There was a large launch lying near the beach; this was
anchored further off, andI put provisions on board to be
ready for Fremont should he need her. At night there
was nota boatonshore. Torre’s party must shortly arrive
and show fight or surrender. Toward morning we heard
them arrive, and to our surprise they were seen passing
with a small boat from the shore to the launch. A small
boat had arrived from Yerba Buena during the night
which had proved their salvation. I dispatched a note to
the commander of the Portsmouth, sloop-of-war, then lying at Yerba Buena, a cove (now San Francisco) informing him of their movements, and intimating that a couple
of bis boats could easily intercept and capture them.
Captain Montgomery replied that not having received
any official notice of war existing he could not act in the
matter.