Description: February 11-16, 1861

Date: February 1861

Newspaper published in: Stockton, San Joaquin Co., CA

>>Monday, 11 Feb 1861<<

CONVICTION -- Michael HARGAIN, who some weeks since entered a Coffee Saloon in San Francisco where his wife was eating breakfast and cut her throat, killing her almost instantly, has been convicted of murder in the 1st degree. The jury recommended him to mercy, on the ground that his wife's lewd course of life had disgraced him, and wrought upon his feeling to an unusual degree.

>>Tuesday, 12 Feb 1861<<

FOR SAN QUENTIN -- Marshal SANBORN left this city last evening for San Quentin, having in his custody Charles HARMON, sentenced yesterday in the Court of Sessions, to 4 years in the State Prison, and Joseph VANCE, an escaped convict, who was sentenced from the county of San Luis Obispo for 1 year for grand larceny, and escaped on the 20th of June last.

DEATH of JOHN CRIMM -- A telegraphic dispatch received in this city yesterday, announced the death at Virginia City of Mr. John CRIMM, formerly of the "Orleans."

>>Wednesday, 13 Feb 1861<<

RECOVERED -- The body of Rufus HIGGINS, clerk of the river steamer Antelope, who fell overboard and was drowned on a dark night some 2 or 3 weeks since, was recovered about 5 miles below Rio Vista, off which point the boat was when Mr. HIGGINS disappeared. The body was disfigured. The countenance showed a slight wound, probably made by the wheel of the steamer. The deceased had a large number of friends.

MAN KILLED -- Our correspondent at Knight's Ferry writes that on Monday, a miner by name of John HARTLOF, who was at work in his claim on Goat Hill, within half a mile of the town, was killed by the caving of a bank upon him. HARTLOF was a native of Cappelu, in the Dukedom of Schlerwig, and was 23 years of age.

A DISTINGUISHED ARRIVAL -- Lady FRANKLIN, the widow of the lost Sir John FRANKLIN, arrived in San Francisco on the 9th inst., in the steamer St. Louis, from New York, via Cape Horn. She is accompanied by her niece, Miss Sophie CRAYCROFT.

>>Thursday, 14 Feb 1861<<

PROBABLE MURDER -- Body of a Man Found Hanging to a Tree --
Yesterday evening the dead body of a man was found hanging to a tree about half a mile in front of Dave WRIGHTMAN's Five Mile House. His position was such as to make it evident he had been murdered and carried there. The attempt to make it appear a case of suicide was bunglingly made. The rope was passed under his chin and was drawn against the top of the back of his head. The feet rested upon the ground, the body in a diagonal line with the tree to such a degree that if placed upright, there would be a slack of rope of some 10 inches in length. The tree was a difficult one to climb, requiring some one to assist another to get up it, and the ground around it was considerably trampled when the body was discovered. The body was first found by a man hunting. The dead man appeared to have been about 30 years of age, and was respectable looking. He had evidently been hanging since Monday, as he was last seen at WRIGHTMAN's , where he stopped Sunday night and appeared to have plenty of money. His hat was lying close to his feet, and his head was still wet with the recent rains.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT -- A lad some 6 years of age, son of Mr. Frank SEILNACHT, in this city, while playing on Centre street yesterday, was run over by a horse and dray, the horse stepping upon him and wounding him severely. His wounds, which were principally upon the left breast, were properly dressed and every attention bestowed to relieve the little sufferer of distress.

ASSAULT WITH a KNIFE -- A warrant was issued yesterday from the Court of Justice Bours upon the complaint of Ambrose MARTIN and Geo. SOMERS, charging one George WOLF with making an attack upon them on Tuesday night with a knife. WOLF was arrested and at his request the examination was deferred until today, and bail fixed at $1500. In default of sureties in that amount, WOLF was sent to jail. His case will probably come directly before the Grand Jury now in session.

PAID HIS FINE -- Paul BAGLEY was arrested by officer Bradley yesterday and taken before the Police Judge upon the charge of disorderly conduct. He was fined $15 upon his plea of guilty and discharged.

>A TELEGRAM to the Sacramento ‘Union' says that on Tuesday night it was reported in San Francisco that an affray occurred between Major BRADLEY, member from this county, and Colonel ROSS, State Granger. Weapons were drawn but no one hurt.

>>Friday, 15 Feb 1861<<

MARRIAGE in CHURCH -- Rev. Mr. CUNNINGHAM performed last evening in the Cumberland Presbyterian church, the marriage ceremony between Mr. Henry WIPPERMAN, of Calaveras county, and Miss Matilda OSSEMBECK, of this city. The latter is a recent graduate of Dr. COLLINS' Seminary. The ceremony was remarkable for brevity; but as the binding force of the marriage ceremony is not governed by the time occupied in tying the knot, it is probably that in this case it will prove quite as secure as though accompanied by a prologue as "long as the moral law."

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CORONER'S INQUEST -- Coroner DOWNING held an inquest yesterday upon the body of Jacob FREDERICK, a German, who was found hanging to a tree on MITCHELL's ranch on the Woodbridge road. The corpse was brought to this city yesterday morning and the inquest held at the office of the City Sexton. It was with considerable difficulty that the body was taken from the tree, the water in the slough over which he was hanging being several feet deep. We publish below all the principal evidence taken upon the inquest, as also the translation of a letter found upon his person, together with the verdict of the jury:

EDWARD HALL, sworn: I do not known deceased; never saw him until I saw him hanging on the tree. I was out hunting yesterday afternoon, about 4 o'clock, and was attracted by the barking of a dog to the spot where the deceased was hanging; I reported finding him and visited the spot afterward; no one disturbed the body to the best of my knowledge until the Coroner took it down this morning; I assisted in taking the body down; the rope and knot now around his neck are the same we left for the inspection of the jury; ground looked as though there had been considerable struggling; his feet were on the ground, and he might have saved himself by standing up straight; I could not find any tracks other than those immediately around the body, nor any tracks other than those that might have been made by deceased in struggling during death; the tree was a leaning one, about 10 inches in diameter and bore marks of having been climbed; the rope was around the body of the tree about 10 feet from the ground; the rope was a small tarred hemp rope, about the size of a clothes line and was doubled and twisted; my opinion is that he committed suicide, that he had deliberately committed the deed and unassisted; the spot where I found him was on Mitchell's slough, on the lower Sacramento road and about 400 yards to the right of said road; he must have hung himself previous to the rain on Tuesday, 12th inst., because his hair looked as though it had been very wet; his arms were free.

J.M. THORN, sworn -- I know deceased; his name was Jacob FREDERICK; I have known him about 5 weeks; I first saw him at John MILLER's ranch about 8 miles east of Stockton between the Mariposa and Sonora Roads; I worked with him about 3 weeks at MILLER's Ranch at plowing; last Thursday, Feb. 7th, we came into Stockton together; he told me he was a German by birth, had been 4 years in America, that his age was 32 years, that he had been employed as a brass finisher in a Foundry in Cincinnati, Ohio; his employer's name was Miles GREENWOOD; he said he came to San Francisco about a year ago; that he could find no employment at his business and had been put into the Hospital at that place until about 2 months ago; he also said he had a trunk and some valuable clothing in the possession of a Dr. LOHR in San Francisco, which had been detained because of his having no money to pay his way; he often spoke of committing suicide but said he wished to get money enough to go and kill the Doctor above mentioned, and afterward kill himself; he said he had no scruples about it as he did not believe in the existence of a God; he thought the Doctor above mentioned had given him medicine to poison and detain him to get his property, as there was nothing the matter with him when he went to the Hospital; the last I saw of him was on Thursday, 7th inst.; we parted in the city near the Asylum; he appeared at times quite irrational; he had worked for Mr. MILLER for his board; Mr. MILLER bought the boots and pants he now has on, and made a present of them; he seemed quite rational on the day I saw him last; he then went in search of employment; I know nothing of the manner or means of his death; he wanted to take the ropes off the horses 2 or 3 weeks ago when we were ploughing -- and hang himself, which I persuaded him not to do.

Copy of letter found in pocket of deceased, written in German and translated by Geo. DAHL, Esq.:

Mr. John SCHRECK,
Union Saloon, Stockton
I would like to have lived longer. I have made my living from my 14th year until the present time. It is a dog's life. A dog has rest in this world, but I have not. You have given me a dollar to stay over night at St. Charles Hotel. I have left my watch with that old Frenchman, which I have saved for myself. I have the rest of my clothes down at San Francisco with Mr. Beicht BECHT, Pennsylvania House. I have lived a sad life through others, but have been the cause myself, to a great extent, of my own misfortune. My brother is a Lithographer in New York, the rest of my relations are in Cincinnati, Ohio. I will live a better life probably.
Jacob FREDERICK

On the opposite page was written as follows:

Doctor LOHR, in San Francisco, is a fool. He has injured my health and I swear to that; and I swear that he is a fool. He does not know what he does. My uncle is Grand Master, in the State of Ohio, of the Odd Fellows' Order. His name is Conrad FREDERICK, 306 Main street, Cincinnati, Ohio. The hospital is a humbug.

The foregoing is a correct and literal translation of the letter aforesaid from the German into the English.
G. DAHL

VERDICT: We, the undersigned, the Jurors summoned to appear before J.L. DOWNING, Coroner of San Joaquin county, on the 14th day of February, A.D., 1861, in the city of Stockton, to inquire into the cause of the death of said Jacob FREDERICK, found dead hanging upon a tree by a rope fastened about his neck -- and a leaning tree -- on Mitchell's Slough, on the Lower Sacramento road, about 5 miles from the city of Stockton, and in the county of San Joaquin, having been duly sworn according to law, and having made such inquisition after inspecting the body and hearing the testimony adduced upon our oaths, each and all do say that we find the deceased was named Jacob FREDERICK; that he was a native of Germany, aged about 32 years; that he came to his death on some day between the morning of the 11th and the evening of the 13th day of February, 1861, in this county, by hanging himself with a rope adjusted by his own hand, with the intent to commit suicide.

All of which we duly certify by this inquisition in writing, by us signed this 14th day of February, A.D., 1861,
John PAUPEW
John GINN
G.B. HOLLAND
J. CLYMER
G. DAHL
John CRAWFORD
J.A. TIBBETTS
J.F. CLARK

We, the remaining jurors who names do not appear in the foregoing, consent thereto, with the exception of the belief that the rope caused his death by strangulation.
Columbus HAMPTON
P. LEFFER
E.H. REYNOLDS

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COURT of SESSIONS --
-James HART, of Woodbridge, was arraigned yesterday upon an indictment for exhibiting a deadly weapon in "a rude and threatening manner." He filed his demurrer, which was argued and overruled; whereupon he entered a plea of not guilty and the case was set for trial on Tuesday next.
-J. RETBERG was arraigned upon an indictment for committing a deadly assault upon A.M. GRIFFIN. He was allowed 1 day to plead and admitted to bail in $1500.
-The case of the People vs. Jacob MATOY was dismissed on the motion of the District Attorney, the evidence being insufficient.

>THE AFFRAY in San Francisco between Messrs. BRADLEY and ROSS, did not comprise Maj. BRADLEY of this county; but it was B.T. BRADLEY of Calaveras, who had the difficulty with Mr. ROSS.

DROWNED MAN FUOND -- The body of a man was found on Tuesday in the Stanislaus river, a short distance below the wire suspension bridge at Knight's Ferry. He is supposed to be a Mexican who was missing at Six-Mile Bar, some 2 months since. An inquest was held by Judge STONE, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental drowning. The body had become disfigured to such an extent as to be beyond recognition.

ASSASSINATION of JOSPEH L. WHITE -- Joseph L. WHITE, formerly President of the Nicaragua Accessory Transit and Canal Company; and who endeavored 2 years since to reorganize the Nicaragua and California Steamship line, with the Hermann and Washington, on this coast; and who left New York on the 21st December, for the purpose of purchasing of the Government of Nicaragua the exclusive right of gathering India rubber; was murdered at Point Icaw, on the 5th of last month, by Jonathan GARRITT. As WHITE was passing to his hammock, suspecting no attack, GARRITT, who was reclining in another hammock in the same room, shot him with a revolver, the ball taking effect in the leg, shattering it a little below the knee. The limb was amputated; but mortification set in and on the 12th ult., 7 days after the occurrence, WHITE died. GARRITT formerly kept a crockery establishment in San Francisco, is about 40 years of age and has a wife and children in Boston. The cause of the murder was GARRITT had been in Nicaragua several months on the same business that WHITE was striving to attain and he feared the latter's success. GARRIT [spelled 2 ways] is now in prison.

>>Saturday, 16 Feb 1861<<

LOSS of LIFE -- During the late storm near Virginia City, a man and horse fell into a shaft 100 feet deep. Both were killed. The unfortunate man's name was NEELLY.