John Mason (outlaw)
Encyclopedia
John Mason, was one of the leaders of the Mason Henry Gang
organized by secessionist Judge George Gordon Belt
, that posed as Confederate
partisan rangers but acted as outlaw
s, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley
, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County
and later in the counties of Southern California
.
Little is known about John Mason before he joined the Mason Henry Gang. He was Southern-born and a former stage hostler
who had reportedly killed several men in altercations. In the spring of 1864 the gang rode from Belt's rancho over to Santa Clara County, a center of Copperhead
sympathizers, to recruit more members. They returned without success to the San Joaquin Valley
. By October, 1864, with the Presidential election approaching and the Civil War on the east coast was reaching a climax, Mason and Henry's gang quickly deteriorated into brigands but because they called themselves Confederate soldiers, they managed to have support among the Copperheads in the area. They threatened to kill every "black republican" they chanced to meet.
. Following the voting, during a party held at the Elkhorn Station and settlement, George Robinson who ran the stage station, a strong Union supporter from Maine
, had gotten drunk and had made certain remarks slurring all Southern women. Word of this insult reached the Mason Henry Gang, who were camped in the area. They immediately rode over to Elkhorn Station and found the station keeper was working in a field a few miles away. The gang rode up the trail and found Robinson who was heading home. They drew their revolvers, surrounded him, asking if he had insulted Southern womanhood in such a way. He denied it. Mason pointed his pistol at Robinson's face, forcing him to kneel on the ground and swear to it. The man did so and got to his feet. Mason said, "I'm going to kill you anyhow. You're nothing but a damn black Republican and should die." Then he pulled the trigger, but the pistol misfired. Robinson attempted to escape but he was shot down by the rest of the gang. He was hit several times and died almost immediately. The gang galloped up the road eight miles to the next stage stop which was kept by Joseph Hawthorne who was also killed because he was a Union man. Word of the murders spread, the newspapers named Mason and Henry "The Copperhead Murderers" and Governor
Low offered a 500 USD reward for their arrest.
Mason was described by The Visalia 'Delta' of November 30, 1864 as one of two secession guerillas and murderers "who killed ROBINSON and 2 other men the day after the late Presidential election:"
, and went into hiding at a camp in the mountains above Corralitos
. While in hiding, the gang frequented Watsonville
where the local secessionists continued to shelter them as they made periodic raids up and down the San Joaquin Valley. They held up a stage on the road from Watsonville to Visalia
, killing three men and vowing to "slay every Republican they would meet." Under the pretense of being Confederate guerrillas, the gang terrorized Monterey County and the nearby counties for the next several months.
In April 1865, word arrived at San Juan that the Mason Henry Gang had attacked at Firebaugh's Ferry. Captain Jimeno, in command of Camp Low, sent Lieutenant John Lafferty and a detachment of five Californio
lancers from Company B, 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
, in pursuit of the bandits. Hoping to cut off the gang at Panoche Pass, the lancers rode south along the western flank of the Diablo Range
and encountered Mason the next morning. As the bandit spurred his horse in a desperate attempt to escape, Lafferty fired, wounding Mason in the hip and felling his mount with a single bullet. Although the soldiers captured the outlaw's horse, somehow Mason managed to elude them. At six that evening, Lafferty and his troopers returned to Camp Low with the only the horse in tow.
and in what is now Kern County with the $500 reward still on his head. While hiding in the mountains near Fort Tejon in April 1866, he tried to recruit Ben Hayfield, a former Indian fighter into his gang. But Hayfield aware of the reward for Mason planned to collect it. One night when they were preparing to bed down, Hayfield shot Mason with his pistol before Mason could reach for his own gun. Hayfield's shot passed through his neck, killing him.
Mason Henry Gang
Mason Henry Gang 1864-1865, a bandit gang that posed as Confederate partisan rangers but acted as outlaws, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, and in counties of Southern California.- Mason and Henry as...
organized by secessionist Judge George Gordon Belt
George Gordon Belt
George Gordon Belt , soldier, 49er, businessman, judge, Confederate sympathizer who organized the Mason Henry Gang in California during the American Civil War.-Early Life and California:...
, that posed as Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
partisan rangers but acted as outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
and later in the counties of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
Little is known about John Mason before he joined the Mason Henry Gang. He was Southern-born and a former stage hostler
Hostler
An hostler or ostler in the horse industry is a groom or stableman, who is employed in a stable to take care of horses...
who had reportedly killed several men in altercations. In the spring of 1864 the gang rode from Belt's rancho over to Santa Clara County, a center of Copperhead
Copperheads (politics)
The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern United States who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. Republicans started calling anti-war Democrats "Copperheads," likening them to the venomous snake...
sympathizers, to recruit more members. They returned without success to the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
. By October, 1864, with the Presidential election approaching and the Civil War on the east coast was reaching a climax, Mason and Henry's gang quickly deteriorated into brigands but because they called themselves Confederate soldiers, they managed to have support among the Copperheads in the area. They threatened to kill every "black republican" they chanced to meet.
The Copperhead Murderers
Mason seems to have led the Mason Henry Gang into outright criminality, two murders committed on November 10, 1864, soon after the second election of Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Following the voting, during a party held at the Elkhorn Station and settlement, George Robinson who ran the stage station, a strong Union supporter from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, had gotten drunk and had made certain remarks slurring all Southern women. Word of this insult reached the Mason Henry Gang, who were camped in the area. They immediately rode over to Elkhorn Station and found the station keeper was working in a field a few miles away. The gang rode up the trail and found Robinson who was heading home. They drew their revolvers, surrounded him, asking if he had insulted Southern womanhood in such a way. He denied it. Mason pointed his pistol at Robinson's face, forcing him to kneel on the ground and swear to it. The man did so and got to his feet. Mason said, "I'm going to kill you anyhow. You're nothing but a damn black Republican and should die." Then he pulled the trigger, but the pistol misfired. Robinson attempted to escape but he was shot down by the rest of the gang. He was hit several times and died almost immediately. The gang galloped up the road eight miles to the next stage stop which was kept by Joseph Hawthorne who was also killed because he was a Union man. Word of the murders spread, the newspapers named Mason and Henry "The Copperhead Murderers" and Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Low offered a 500 USD reward for their arrest.
Mason was described by The Visalia 'Delta' of November 30, 1864 as one of two secession guerillas and murderers "who killed ROBINSON and 2 other men the day after the late Presidential election:"
- JOHN MASON - Thick set man; about 5 feet 7 inches in hight; weight, 165 or 170 pounds; age 30 or 32 years; limps one leg, and has a rocking walk; scar on 1 cheek; hair light color and very long; has it cut short underneath, so that he can tuck it up and give it the appearance of being short; small whiskers on the chin, redish color; small blue eyes, and have rather a glassy appearance; high, broad cheed bones. This man (MASON) lived at Fort Tejon about the year of '59 or '60, and says that he killed 1 man at that place; and says that his name is John J. MONROE. MASON is light complexion; front teeth are black or decayed; wearing new boots; blue overalls; check shirt; hat made of Cayote skin with tail standing in front; 1 6-shooter and butcher knife.
Criminal career
After the murders the Gang crossed over Pacheco PassPacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main road over the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley....
, and went into hiding at a camp in the mountains above Corralitos
Corralitos, California
Corralitos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Corralitos is located at ....
. While in hiding, the gang frequented Watsonville
Watsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...
where the local secessionists continued to shelter them as they made periodic raids up and down the San Joaquin Valley. They held up a stage on the road from Watsonville to Visalia
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
, killing three men and vowing to "slay every Republican they would meet." Under the pretense of being Confederate guerrillas, the gang terrorized Monterey County and the nearby counties for the next several months.
In April 1865, word arrived at San Juan that the Mason Henry Gang had attacked at Firebaugh's Ferry. Captain Jimeno, in command of Camp Low, sent Lieutenant John Lafferty and a detachment of five Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
lancers from Company B, 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
The 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers was a cavalry battalion in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Recruits were largely drawn from the Californio population , though its ranks included Yaqui and Mission Indians as well as immigrants from Mexico, Latin America and...
, in pursuit of the bandits. Hoping to cut off the gang at Panoche Pass, the lancers rode south along the western flank of the Diablo Range
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
and encountered Mason the next morning. As the bandit spurred his horse in a desperate attempt to escape, Lafferty fired, wounding Mason in the hip and felling his mount with a single bullet. Although the soldiers captured the outlaw's horse, somehow Mason managed to elude them. At six that evening, Lafferty and his troopers returned to Camp Low with the only the horse in tow.
Gang breaks up, Death of Mason
When the Civil War ended in April with Lee's surrender at Appomattox and no longer shielded by "the cause", the gang came under pressure in Central California. They moved into Southern California and split up. James Mason continued his criminal career in Los Angeles County in the vicinity of Fort TejonFort Tejon
Fort Tejon in California is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854, until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon area of Tejon Pass along Interstate 5, the main route through the mountains separating the Central Valley from Los...
and in what is now Kern County with the $500 reward still on his head. While hiding in the mountains near Fort Tejon in April 1866, he tried to recruit Ben Hayfield, a former Indian fighter into his gang. But Hayfield aware of the reward for Mason planned to collect it. One night when they were preparing to bed down, Hayfield shot Mason with his pistol before Mason could reach for his own gun. Hayfield's shot passed through his neck, killing him.