Mason Henry Gang
Encyclopedia
Mason Henry Gang 1864-1865, a bandit gang that posed as Confederate
partisan rangers but acted as outlaw
s, 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
.
, secessionist Judge George Gordon Belt
a rancher and former alcalde
in Stockton
used his ranch on the Merced River
to organize a group of partisan rangers. They would be led by two southerners John Mason
and "Jim Henry
" and sent them out to recruit more men and pillage the property of Union men in the countryside.
Unfortunately Judge Belt had chosen his men poorly. Both men had unsavory pasts. Mason was a southern born former stage hostler
who had reportedly killed several men. Jim Henry, was a criminal whose real name was Tom McCauley
. He and his brother had been robbers within the gold camps and together had murdered a man in Tuolumne County in 1856. He had been sent to prison for ten years and his brother was hung. After his release from prison McCauley had returned to robbery with a gang along the Fresno River
. When several of the gang were captured and lynched by vigilantes, Tom McCauley then fled and reinvented himself as Jim Henry.
In the spring of 1864 the gang rode over to Santa Clara County, a center of Copperhead
sympathizers, to recruit more members. Unfortunately it was a drought year that depressed the economy and the increasingly bad war news also discouraged most of their recruits. 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.
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. They searched the body for valuables and ransacked the station, then crossed over Pacheco Pass
, and went into hiding at a camp in the mountains above Corralitos
. 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. 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 late January 1865, Company B, 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
, a unit of Californio
lancers arrived at Camp Low at San Juan Bautista
. It was the entire cavalry force in the county under the Camp commander Major
Michael O'Brien
, 6th California Infantry
. Shortly after, Major O'Brien received intelligence about the location of the Mason Henry Gang hideout. A detachment of a dozen Native cavalrymen under 1st Lieutenant John Lafferty rode out to find them but he was unsuccessful.
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 Lafferty and a detachment of five men 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 horse in tow.
During the summer of 1865, there were two companies of Native Californian Cavalry in the field looking for the gang. But no one could locate their hideout at Loma Prieta
. In June, 1865, a posse of nine soldiers and five citizens led by Sheriff John Hicks Adams
of San Jose searched the area around the Panoche Valley in what is now southern San Benito County in search of the gang after receiving a reliable tip that they were planning a raid on the ranches there. But a system of spies set up by the secessionists had warned the band of their approach, so by the time Sheriff Adams and his party arrived at Panoche, Mason and Henry were already retreating towards Corralitos.
and split up. Henry with his gang moved to the San Bernardino Mountains. In September 1865, outlaw James Henry and his gang were rustling to robbery and murder. In September of that year, he and his associates were camped out near San Bernardino and sent John Rogers to town to obtain provisions. While there, Rogers beame liquored up and started boasting about his outlaw connections. Locals of Union sympathies took note and Rogers soon found himself in the company of San Bernardino County Sheriff
George T. Fulgham
and his posse leading them to the outlaw camp. They found Henry camped at Santa Jacinto Canyon
, about twenty-five miles from town. At sunrise on September 14, the posse approached cautiously when Henry was awakened. He roused himself to fire three shots, striking one posse member in the foot. Henry died in a hail of gunfire, sustaining 57 wounds. His corpse was taken back to town, photographed and displayed in Old West fashion. Rogers was sent to prison for five years.
James Mason continued his criminal career in Los Angeles County in the vicinity of Fort Tejon
and in what is now Kern County with a $500 reward on his head. While hiding in the mountains near Fort Tejon in April 1866, he tried to recruit Ben Hayfield, a well known 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.
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...
, 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...
, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, and in 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...
.
Mason and Henry as Partisan Rangers
In early 1864, a dedicated southern sympathizer from TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, 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:...
a rancher and former alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
used his ranch on the Merced River
Merced River
The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...
to organize a group of partisan rangers. They would be led by two southerners John Mason
John Mason (outlaw)
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 outlaws, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Santa...
and "Jim Henry
Tom McCauley
Tom McCauley, better known by his alias as James Henry or Jim Henry , was one of the many California Gold Rush criminals in Tuolumne County convicted of murder with his brother in 1857 and imprisoned for ten years...
" and sent them out to recruit more men and pillage the property of Union men in the countryside.
Unfortunately Judge Belt had chosen his men poorly. Both men had unsavory pasts. Mason was a southern born 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. Jim Henry, was a criminal whose real name was Tom McCauley
Tom McCauley
Tom McCauley, better known by his alias as James Henry or Jim Henry , was one of the many California Gold Rush criminals in Tuolumne County convicted of murder with his brother in 1857 and imprisoned for ten years...
. He and his brother had been robbers within the gold camps and together had murdered a man in Tuolumne County in 1856. He had been sent to prison for ten years and his brother was hung. After his release from prison McCauley had returned to robbery with a gang along the Fresno River
Fresno River
The Fresno River is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately from the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River.-Course:...
. When several of the gang were captured and lynched by vigilantes, Tom McCauley then fled and reinvented himself as Jim Henry.
In the spring of 1864 the gang rode 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. Unfortunately it was a drought year that depressed the economy and the increasingly bad war news also discouraged most of their recruits. 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.
Mason and Henry become Outlaws
The first crimes of the Mason Henry Gang were two murders committed on November 10, 1864, soon after the election of Abraham Lincoln. George Robinson who ran the Elkhorn Station, a strong Union supporter from Maine, had taken an active part in the election. Following the voting during a party held at the station and settlement, Robinson 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. They searched the body for valuables and ransacked the station, then crossed over Pacheco Pass
Pacheco 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 ....
. 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. 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 late January 1865, 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...
, a unit of Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
lancers arrived at Camp Low at San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, California
San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, up from 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista...
. It was the entire cavalry force in the county under the Camp commander Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Michael O'Brien
Michael O'Brien
Michael or Mike O'Brien may refer to:* Michael O'Brien , American poet* Michael O'Brien , West Coast Eagles...
, 6th California Infantry
6th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
The 6th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States attached to the Department of the Pacific. The Regiment was organized at Benicia Barracks, San Francisco on...
. Shortly after, Major O'Brien received intelligence about the location of the Mason Henry Gang hideout. A detachment of a dozen Native cavalrymen under 1st Lieutenant John Lafferty rode out to find them but he was unsuccessful.
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 Lafferty and a detachment of five men 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 horse in tow.
During the summer of 1865, there were two companies of Native Californian Cavalry in the field looking for the gang. But no one could locate their hideout at Loma Prieta
Loma Prieta
Loma Prieta is a Northern California mountain located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The peak is located on private property, about west of Morgan Hill and within the boundaries of Santa Clara County...
. In June, 1865, a posse of nine soldiers and five citizens led by Sheriff John Hicks Adams
John Hicks Adams
John Hicks Adams , Soldier, 49er, Santa Clara County Sheriff, , Deputy United States Marshal for the Arizona Territory 1878.- Early life :...
of San Jose searched the area around the Panoche Valley in what is now southern San Benito County in search of the gang after receiving a reliable tip that they were planning a raid on the ranches there. But a system of spies set up by the secessionists had warned the band of their approach, so by the time Sheriff Adams and his party arrived at Panoche, Mason and Henry were already retreating towards Corralitos.
Breakup of the Gang, Death of Henry and Mason
Although the Civil War had ended in April with Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the gang under pressure in Central California moved into Southern CaliforniaSouthern 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...
and split up. Henry with his gang moved to the San Bernardino Mountains. In September 1865, outlaw James Henry and his gang were rustling to robbery and murder. In September of that year, he and his associates were camped out near San Bernardino and sent John Rogers to town to obtain provisions. While there, Rogers beame liquored up and started boasting about his outlaw connections. Locals of Union sympathies took note and Rogers soon found himself in the company of San Bernardino County Sheriff
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department serves San Bernardino County, California, which is geographically the largest county in the lower 48 states. SBSD provides law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the county and contract law enforcement services to 14 of the county's...
George T. Fulgham
George T. Fulgham
George T. Fulgham, Sheriff of San Bernardino County, California from 1864-1866. Led the posse that killed Jim Henry of the Mason Henry Gang in San Jacinto Canyon on September 14, 1865.-References:...
and his posse leading them to the outlaw camp. They found Henry camped at Santa Jacinto Canyon
Railroad Canyon
Railroad Canyon, also known as San Jacinto Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Annie Orton Canyon, lies along the course of the San Jacinto River at the point where the river passes south through the hills from Perris, California, through Canyon Lake, California, then west to Lake Elsinore, California...
, about twenty-five miles from town. At sunrise on September 14, the posse approached cautiously when Henry was awakened. He roused himself to fire three shots, striking one posse member in the foot. Henry died in a hail of gunfire, sustaining 57 wounds. His corpse was taken back to town, photographed and displayed in Old West fashion. Rogers was sent to prison for five years.
James Mason continued his criminal career in Los Angeles County in the vicinity of Fort Tejon
Fort 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 a $500 reward on his head. While hiding in the mountains near Fort Tejon in April 1866, he tried to recruit Ben Hayfield, a well known 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.
Membership
Estimates of the number of gang members ranged from sixteen to as few as four or five. Members would come and go. Some disappeared with the continual bad news for the cause in the war. Others probably left when they became disillusioned with the criminal behavior of Mason and Henry that had nothing to do with the war.Members and others accused of being members
- Jim Henry, whose real name was Tom McCauleyTom McCauleyTom McCauley, better known by his alias as James Henry or Jim Henry , was one of the many California Gold Rush criminals in Tuolumne County convicted of murder with his brother in 1857 and imprisoned for ten years...
. - John MasonJohn Mason (outlaw)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 outlaws, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Santa...
, a Southern-born former stage hostlerHostlerAn 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. - Tom Hawkins
- John Rogers, caught bragging in a saloon in San Bernardino, guided the posse that shot Jim Henry to his camp in September 1865
- Joe DyeJoseph Franklin DyeJoseph Franklin Dye , teamster, alleged member of the Mason Henry Gang, lawman, rancher and oilman.-Early life:Joseph Franklin Dye was born in Union County, Kentucky in 1831 as one of 16 children in a family that later settled in Texas. In 1849, he and two of his brothers came west in the...
, short-time member, a pal of John Rogers - Ben "Old Man" KelseyBenjamin KelseyBenjamin or Ben Kelsey was an early American pioneer of California with his brothers Andy and Sam Kelsey. He was a founder, often with one or more of his brothers, of several settlements in California....
and several of his sons. - A man named Pierce, alias Hall.
- 2 Mexicans, names unknown.
- A man named "Overton", a later member.
- Jack GordonJack Gordon (Peter Worthington)Jack Gordon , original name, Peter Worthington, renegade, outlaw, in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Later moving to California he became a member of the Mason Henry Gang....
, (formerly Peter Worthington), of TailholtWhite River, CaliforniaWhite River is a little village in Tulare County, ten miles east of Delano, California, United States. It was founded as a gold camp in 1856, during the Kern River Gold Rush. It was first located on the Coarse Gold Gulch two miles east of the present site and was called Dogtown.When the first road...
. - Charles G. Rudd
- John Tungate