Mussel Slough Tragedy: People

Mussel Slough Tragedy Mussel Slough Participants/Figures

The Big 4 (owners of the Southern Pacific Railroad):

Leland Stanford

Collis P. Huntington

Mark Hopkins
Charles Crocker

The Mussel Slough “Five”

John J. Doyle – Leader in the Settler’s League

John D. Pursell – no further information given about him; apparently must have been present at the scene
James N. Patterson – leader of the settlers approaching the Marshall’s group; member of Coroner’s jury;
hoped to stop any violence

Wayman L. Pryor – present at the fight, said “Nobody didn’t come here to shoot.” Hoped to prevent
violence

William Braden – present at the fight; thought 10 shots were fired over a period of 45 seconds

Killed at Mussel Slough
Settlers:

Archibald McGregor, 42 (unmarried) – 1 bullet-hole in body from the front and one from the back;
buried in Grangeville Cemetery

Daniel Kelly, 22 (unmarried) – 3 shot holes in back; buried in Grangeville Cemetery

Iver Knutson, 49 (wife and 9 children) – 12 shot holes in left breast; buried in Grangeville Cemetery

John E. Henderson, 29 (wife and 1 son*) – 1 bullet-hole in left breast; buried in Hanford Cemetery

James Harris, 33 (wife and one child) – 4 shot holes in stomach; buried in Hanford Cemetery

Marshal’s Group:
Mills Hartt, 28 (wife and at least one child—4-year old daughter critically burned playing at Daniel
                  Springer's place North of Hanford, recovered; an Augusta C. Hartt and Maud F. Hartt were living
                  June 4, 1881 ) – pistol shot in abdomen; He was a former railroad station agent at Goshen; buried
                  in Grangeville Cemetery

Walter Crow, 30 (wife and two children; third born 2 weeks after—1 daughter and two sons: Pennsylvania
[wife], Clarence Cross, Lola Annie, and Walter J.) – rifle shot in the back later about a mile and
half away; buried in Stockton Rural Cemetery

Involved in the fight; survived
U.S. Marshal Alonzo W. Poole – charged with removing settlers from railroad land and delivering the land to
purchasers; thought 20 – 30 shots were fired
William H. Clark – Railroad land grader who accompanied Marshal Poole

Edwin Haymaker – settler; suffered a superficial wound in the scalp; died a month later from pneumonia;
death unrelated to the fight, though often included in the tragedy victims; also buried in Grangeville
Cemetery

Peripherally involved

W. L. Morton – Settler present at fight; testified that Hartt told him he had not fired once

B. S. Burr – Settler present at fight; testified a pistol with one empty chamber was found in Hartt’s pocket;
friend of Brewer

Hugh Robinson – testified that Caleb Flewelling was armed with a rifle and arrived at the scene after the fight
was over

Others involved

Dr. J. A. Davidson – Hanford; attended wounded after fight
Dr. Lemuel Lovelace – Lemoore; attended wounded after fight

Caleb W. Flewelling – not present at fight but credited by some with taking Crow’s rifle out of the wagon and
killing him with it later

Henry D. Brewer – co-owner of section where fight took place; plowing on his own land; later cited for
contempt of court for going on the land, but case dismissed
John Storer – co-owner of section where fight took place; was accompanying the Poole party just before the
fight, but left them to talk to Brewer
A. T. Ellis – witnessed the fight from the fence around the house

Locals:

Rufus Abbott – Attorney who advised Hanford telegraph operator to leave early, preventing word from
getting out immediately and causing the railroad people to fret

S. E. Biddle – Merchant and landowner, spoke at meeting on May 27, 1880, unofficial liaison between
the railroad and Mussel Slough community to assess post-tragedy willingness to compromise
on prices (i.e. 25% reduction)

William B. Braden – settler whose home goods were removed and set on the road by Poole, Clark, Crow
and Hartt prior to reaching Brewer and Storer’s place

Major T. J. McQuiddy – leader of group of 15-20 horsemen who approached immediately afterward and
“escorted” Poole to Kingston. A leader of the Settler’s League

Louis Haas – Walter Crow’s father-in-law; Crow had been living at his house and was returning there when
he was killed. Witness at trial

San Francisco Figures

M/M Ackerman – showed kindness to the 5; Mr. Ackerman left their door unlocked

Ambrose Pierce – SF Post columnist showed no sympathy toward the 5; but generally supported the settlers
Well-known for his vitriolic rhetoric aimed at the Big Four and the Railroads.

Sheriff Frank E. Williams –Sheriff of Santa Clara County; in charge of jailing the prisoners
Officer Fritts – befriended the 5; either a deputy Sheriff or a jailer

Susan Curtis – daughter of one of the jailers; fell in love with and married William Braden

Others

M. S. Featherstone – resident of Goshen; investigated fight and left a record in the California State Library.
Knew Hartt;

M. N. Doggett – later owner of the Brewer House, who wrecked and removed the house; son of R. V.
Doggett who bought the house from Brewer and carried the news to Grangeville of the
tragedy. R. V. was a friend of Archibald MacGregor and probably present at the fight.

Sheriff Morgan Wells – Tulare County Sheriff; present at least the next day

Wallace Leach – San Diego newsman present in Hanford the next day

Thomas M. Kennen – from Visalia; knew Hartt and Crow; testified that they were arming themselves ahead
                    of time, were antagonistic toward the settlers (Hartt called them “sandlappers”), and had
                    threatened to kill any opponents.
J. H. Paddock – took target practice with Hartt and testified that Hartt said he was practicing to “shoot
                   sandlappers.”

John L. Sullivan – testified that the settlers found no fault with Crow except for his willingness to do business
with the railroad

Oppenheimer Store – Crow and Hartt bought ammunition here
H. C. Fiddler – Druggist; also sold them ammunition

J. G. Pope – store clerk who testified Crow and Hartt were in a hurry to pick up a shotgun Hartt had ordered

Daniel Spangler – witness at trial; said he heard Hartt say he did not shoot and that Harris shot at Crow but
hit him instead; Hartt’s daughter was later burned while playing at Spangler’s house

Members of the Corners Inquest Jury:

J. T. Baker

F. A. Blakely

W. A. Gray

A. D. House

W. F. White

N. W. Motheral

Thomas Jenkinson

H. H. Freeman

J. N. Patterson (Mussel Slough 5)

E.R. Hurlburt (Archibald McGregor was staying at this man’s house)

J. S. Robinson

L. L. Moore

Trial in Circuit Court at San Francisco (Federal Grand Jury)
Defendants (in addition to the 5)
    Courtney Talbot – Hanford Judge; a leader in the Settlers League; indicted and tried
            with the Mussel Slough 5; granted a new trial which apparently was never held;
           did not serve time with the 5

    J. B. Flewelling – indicted; case against him dismissed after two weeks;
   John Yeager – indicted, not tried (not arrested in time)
   John Doe Fallon – indicted, not tried (not arrested in time)

Judges

Justice Ogden Hoffman – Main Presiding Judge
Justice Lorenzo Sawyer – Presiding Judge

Prosecution

   Phillip Teare – US Attorney
   A. P. Van Duzer – Assistant US Attorney
   Delos Lake – US Attorney (minor role)

Defense

Henry E. Highton – Chief Counsel for the Defense

Edward C. Marshal – Principle Assistant

Mr. McBride – Assistant (minor)
Mr. McClure – Assistant (minor)

Jurors
R. W. Osgood, foreman

Isaiah Baker
A. P. Peck

Warren Franz
C. W. Plass (from Napa) fainted at one point in the trial

J. V. Lapham
W. G. Elliot

H. L. Coye

J. S. Hendshaw

L. F. Baker

J. O. Roundtree

Samuel Drew

Verdict: Guilty of resisting an officer, but not conspiring to do so.

Sentence: 8 months and fined $300 each plus costs

Released: midnight September 23, 1881

*This information was from period news reports. Additional information received from one of Henderson's descendents shows this to be in error. Click the link for more information.