>> Dr. bitter anko wrote:
>>> Unfortunately there are millions of him in N. America. That's why I
>>> call it as the racist land. They are not even staying underneath the
>>> surface. They often come out from the surface and yell like Vernon
>>> North or J. Venning does all the time.
>>>>>
http://truckeehistory.tripod.com/history6.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> THE TROUT CREEK OUTRAGE
>>>>> (By Guy H. Coates)
>>>>>
>>>>> During the gold rush it had been estimated that 48,070 Chinese came to
>>>>> California to work in the mines. As the diggings begun to decline, over
>>>>> 10, 000 Chinese laborers were recruited by the Central Pacific Railroad
>>>>> for bringing the railroad over the Sierra.
>>>>>
>>>>> Reports tell of Chinese workers being lowered in baskets two thousand
>>>>> foot cliffs to set explosives. Many lost their lives in the blasting of
>>>>> the granite. Following the completion of the railroad through the
>>>>> Truckee basin in 1869, approximately 1,000 Chinese workers and their
>>>>> families decided to make Truckee their home.
>>>>>
>>>>> The experience of the Chinese in Truckee is merely a microcosm of the
>>>>> attitudes that generally prevailed in the state. Violent prejudice
>>>>> developed in the mid-1870s as a post Civil War depression hit the
>>>>> nation. Up and down the Pacific Coast, the Chinese became the scapegoats
>>>>> and were blamed for depriving white laborers of their jobs.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sunday morning, June 18, 1876, shortly after midnight, seven armed
>>>>> white men silently set out from C.W. Humphrey's Saloon and followed the
>>>>> old trail north along Trout Creek which led to two small cabins about
>>>>> one and a half miles northwest of Truckee, near today's Tahoe Donner
>>>>> subdivision.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sleeping inside the cabins was a crew of six Chinese woodcutters who had
>>>>> been hired by Joseph Gray to cut wood and gather firewood. Earlier that
>>>>> week, the workers had been warned by the same men to stop their work and
>>>>> leave town. The warnings may not have been understood and were not heeded.
>>>>>
>>>>> At approximately one o'clock a.m., the gunmen surrounded one of the
>>>>> cabins. Two men poured coal tar onto the roof and lit it on fire, then
>>>>> took cover and waited. Within a minute or two, several terrified workers
>>>>> ran out of the cabins and began throwing water on the fire.
>>>>>
>>>>> Without warning, the perpetrators opened up on them with their weapons.
>>>>> One Chinese worker, Ah Ling, was immediately shot, receiving a full
>>>>> charge in the left side of his abdomen. Several others were wounded
>>>>> before realizing they were being fired upon. The terrified woodcutters
>>>>> fled into the woods and hid until daybreak. Eleven shots were fired and
>>>>> the cabin was burned to ashes.
>>>>>
>>>>> The same group then raided another camp, again, terrorizing another
>>>>> group of Chinese workers. Fortunately, nobody was killed or wounded in
>>>>> the second raid.
>>>>>
>>>>> Early the next morning, the weary survivors carried the body of their
>>>>> mortally wounded companion to town, passing families on their way to
>>>>> church. They were met by constables Hank Greeley and Jake Cross at
>>>>> Gray's cabin. Joseph Gray immediately summoned Dr. Curless but by the
>>>>> next morning Ah Ling was dead.
>>>>>
>>>>> Only one of the woodcutters, Ah Fook, spoke English. He informed the
>>>>> lawmen of what had transpired but was unable to identify the culprits.
>>>>> Constable Cross promptly headed for the depot and had a telegraph sent
>>>>> to Nevada City. The following day an investigation began which
>>>>> culminated in Truckee's most widely publicized criminal trial.
>>>>>
>>>>> Six years earlier hostilities had began to grow as Truckee's Chinese
>>>>> population swelled to approximately 1,400. The town had the largest
>>>>> Chinatowns in the Sierras, encompassing the entire hillside below
>>>>> Rocking Stone Tower. Many townspeople believed that crowded wooden
>>>>> shanties posed a serious threat of fire to the rest of the community.
>>>>>
>>>>> These concerns were inflamed by frequent editorials published by the
>>>>> Truckee Republican telling of Chinese opium houses, prostitution and
>>>>> petty crimes committed both in Chinatown and along Jibboom Street. At
>>>>> the same time, Sisson, Wallace & Co. was publishing full-page
>>>>> advertisements offering inexpensive Chinese labor to be furnished on
>>>>> short notice, infuriating competing white workers.
>>>>>
>>>>> In 1872 a riot exploded in Chinatown over the ancient practice of buying
>>>>> and keeping women as slaves. A gunfight with deputies resulted in a
>>>>> terrible fire and the death of two men. Another terrible riot in 1874
>>>>> fueled anti-Chinese sentiments. Continuing reports of stabbings, murders
>>>>> and other illegal activities among the Chinese population led to the
>>>>> formation of several vigilante committees and the construction of a
>>>>> fire-proof jail, strategically located near Chinatown on Jibboom Street.
>>>>>
>>>>> In May 1875, a fire of suspicious origin consumed most of Chinatown.
>>>>> After each fire, Truckee's beleaguered and maligned Chinese rebuilt
>>>>> their rickety shacks on the same site. By this time, many of the towns
>>>>> leading citizens began meeting regularly to find ways to drive the
>>>>> Chinese out of town.
>>>>>
>>>>> In 1876 a white supremacist group, known as the Order of Caucasians or
>>>>> the "Caucasian League," was established. The secret society had more
>>>>> than 300 members in Truckee and 10,000 members in throughout California.
>>>>> Its membership included many of the town's most prominent citizens, such
>>>>> as grocer Hamlet Davis, and physician, Dr. William Curless.
>>>>>
>>>>> Meetings were openly held in the town every Saturday evening. New
>>>>> members were inducted with secret initiations. The primary goal of this
>>>>> group was to extinguish, through any means, the Chinese population from
>>>>> Truckee and from California.
>>>>>
>>>>> The plan for raid on the cabins at Trout Creek the result of a drunken
>>>>> and angry meeting that took place in the smoke filled meeting hall above
>>>>> the Capitol Saloon on June 18, 1876.
>>>>> Many people in town were surprised when the murder of Ah Ling made the
>>>>> headlines of newspapers throughout the state. It became known as "The
>>>>> Trout Creek Outrage." The Virginia City Territorial Enterprise referred
>>>>> to it as "one of the most cold blooded and unprovoked murders ever
>>>>> recorded." The Stockton Herald published unfavorable assertions about
>>>>> the people of Truckee, calling it "The Truckee War."
>>>>>
>>>>> Prompted by the enormous amount unfavorable publicity, Truckee
>>>>> Republican (predecessor to the Sierra Sun) felt compelled to respond on
>>>>> June 21, 1876 by declaring, "The citizens of Truckee are greatly
>>>>> incensed over this outrageous, fiendish, cowardly act." Yet, many
>>>>> townspeople were not enraged and although they may have known who
>>>>> committed the crime, they remained silent.
>>>>>
>>>>> Detectives from Nevada City dispatched to Truckee to ferret out the
>>>>> perpetrators worked unsuccessfully for weeks. Eventually, a few
>>>>> sympathetic businessmen in Town raised a reward of $1,000. Governor
>>>>> Irwin offered $300 and the Chinese raised $200 among themselves.
>>>>>
>>>>> Constable Cross, who led the investigation, received an anonymous threat
>>>>> that he would be killed if he persisted, but this made him more
>>>>> determined then ever to solve the crime. The Central Pacific Railroad
>>>>> sent its best detective, Len Harris, to assist Cross in the investigation.
>>>>>
>>>>> The hard work of the lawmen paid off. Confessions of Calvin McCullough
>>>>> and G.W. Getchell led to indictments for arson and murder against their
>>>>> fellow conspirators, Fred Wilbert, Frank Wilson, G.W. Mershon, William
>>>>> O'Neal and James Reed. A search of Domingo Reed's brothel on Jibboom
>>>>> Street resulted in the discovery Reed's double-barreled shotgun that had
>>>>> been recently fired.
>>>>>
>>>>> The morning of September 5, 1876 began a long and highly publicized
>>>>> trial in Nevada City. Although all seven men were indicted, only O'Neal
>>>>> was brought to trial for murder. The others, who were well known
>>>>> adequately represented, faced lesser charges of arson.
>>>>>
>>>>> O'Neal was an employee of the Central Pacific railroad and had only
>>>>> arrived in Truckee a short time before the incident. James Reed was best
>>>>> known and well liked and although there was much reason to believe that
>>>>> he fired the fatal shots at Ah Ling, he was able to evade indictment for
>>>>> murder.
>>>>>
>>>>> Tall and handsome and always impeccably dressed, Reed was widely known
>>>>> for his proficiency with firearms. A month earlier he had "accidentally"
>>>>> fired his shotgun into Chinatown, wounding a Chinese man in the leg. He
>>>>> was a tough man and enormously popular in the saloons on Commercial Row.
>>>>> Reed knew nearly every man in town as well as all the ladies on Jibboom
>>>>> Street. Many feared him but most respected him.
>>>>>
>>>>> The best lawyers in Truckee appeared before the grand jury to defend the
>>>>> parties. Among them was Truckee's most respected attorney, Charles F.
>>>>> McGlashan. A festive atmosphere prevailed as hundreds of people from
>>>>> Truckee and reporters from newspapers throughout California crowded into
>>>>> Nevada City's hotels. . Many had to camp out on the courthouse lawn.
>>>>> Witnesses for the defense included John Moody, proprietor of the Truckee
>>>>> Hotel, and Caucasian League president, Hamlet Davis.
>>>>> On September 27, 1876, opening statements were made. During the trial,
>>>>> Getchell and McCullough, who had turned state's evidence, were placed on
>>>>> the stand and told their stories, corroborating each other in every
>>>>> detail. They testified that the plot was initiated by the Caucasian
>>>>> League with the intention that after the cabins were fired the Chinese
>>>>> workers would be shot as they came out.
>>>>>
>>>>> Calvin McCullough described how Reed loaded his shotgun with wire shot
>>>>> then headed out with the others above Ele Ellen's mill on Trout Creek.
>>>>> Upon arriving at the cabin he told how Getchell threw coal oil on the
>>>>> roof and set it on fire. He recalled that he and the other gunmen waited
>>>>> in the darkness until Ah Ling came out to with a bucket and how all the
>>>>> guns went off just as he was throwing water in the fire.
>>>>>
>>>>> McCullough testified that the gunmen then went to another cabin a short
>>>>> distance away where Getchell again poured coal oil on it and set it on
>>>>> fire. As the terrified men began to come out, they were fired on but
>>>>> they immediately ran into the woods and none were killed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Upon intense cross-examination, McCullough was discredited when it was
>>>>> disclosed that he had served 60 days in jail in Nevada for stealing a
>>>>> pair of boots and was jailed in Austin Nevada for steeling horses. He
>>>>> further admitted to being in jail in Virginia City and even to having
>>>>> served a year in San Quentin. The defense scored significantly when
>>>>> McCullough testified that when he confessed his role in the crime,
>>>>> constable cross offered him $500 of the reward when the conviction was
>>>>> made. This fact that was later supported by the testimony of Fred Wilbert.
>>>>>
>>>>> G.W. Getchell admitted that he attended the meeting of the Caucasian
>>>>> League that adjourned at 10 p.m. Eleven men remained who devised a plan
>>>>> to give the Chinese a "scare" by setting their cabins on fire and
>>>>> shooting off their guns. The plans progressed as they later shared
>>>>> several bottles of whiskey at C.W. Humphrey's saloon. He confirmed that
>>>>> James Reed carried his own double-barreled shotgun.
>>>>>
>>>>> Mershon testified that he knew where the two camps were and suggested
>>>>> "giving the Chinese a scare." He recalled that weapon used in the raid
>>>>> was obtained from Frank Wilson and James Reed who refused to loan his
>>>>> guns unless he went with them. He described how the men armed themselves
>>>>> at Wilson's home and that Reed loaded his shotgun with deadly wire shot
>>>>> while the others strapped on side arms. They then set out for Trout
>>>>> Creek where Getchell poured coal oil on the cabin and set fire to it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ah Fook, a companion of Ah Ling, testified to being awakened by the
>>>>> flames that he and his companions tried to extinguish with three cans of
>>>>> water. When they were unable to do so, Ah Ling took a can and ran
>>>>> outside toward the creek that was only a few feet away and was
>>>>> immediately gunned down. With Bullets whizzing over his head, he told
>>>>> how he dragged Ah Ling back into the blazing cabin while the others
>>>>> tried to shield themselves from the flames with blankets.
>>>>>
>>>>> Finally forced to evacuate their home by the searing heat, they carried
>>>>> their wounded companion across the creek, covered him with a blanket;
>>>>> and then hid in the bushes until dawn. Ah Fook recalled that there were
>>>>> six or seven armed men, all dressed in black who fired on them from a
>>>>> distance of about 25 feet from the cabin. He stated that they remained
>>>>> hidden until daylight, and then quietly carried their companion into
>>>>> town where they procured the services of Dr. Curless.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dr. William Curless, himself a member of the Caucasian League, recalled
>>>>> tending to the victim, dressing his wounds and then leaving him. In
>>>>> desperation, a Chinese doctor was summoned who came and placed a
>>>>> poultice of pounded leaves on the wound, but by the next day Ah Ling was
>>>>> dead. "I knew he was mortally wounded when I dressed the wounds,"
>>>>> Curless stated. "It was quite a large bullet hole."
>>>>>
>>>>> The defense placed some fifty witnesses on the stand by whom the
>>>>> testimony of the two prosecuting witnesses was overwhelmingly
>>>>> contradicted and an alibi was provided for each of the implicated men.
>>>>> In all, over 75 witnesses were examined.
>>>>>
>>>>> Given the blanket of protective testimony thrown about the accused
>>>>> parties, the prosecution eventually abandoned the case in despair. After
>>>>> deliberating nine minutes, the all male jury returned a verdict of not
>>>>> guilty as to O'Neal, while a nolle prosequi was entered as to the arson
>>>>> charges in the other six cases. All the defendants were released on
>>>>> their own recognizance.
>>>>>
>>>>> News of the acquittals was unfavorably received. On October 3, 1876, The
>>>>> Sacramento Daily Union stated, "The general conclusion to be reached,
>>>>> therefore, is that certain white men did perpetrate this outrage and
>>>>> though those accused have been acquitted, the people of Truckee cannot
>>>>> clear themselves of the responsibility so easily."
>>>>>
>>>>> The Reno Evening Gazette declared, on October 5, 1876, "We are forced to
>>>>> think that the whole transaction was a maliciously arranged plot are
>>>>> inclined to believe further, that when the whole history of this
>>>>> transaction is written, it will reveal a phase of human depravity and
>>>>> cupidity that would cast a gloom over the dark shades of hell."
>>>>>
>>>>> On October 3, 1876, the Nevada City Daily Transcript reported that a
>>>>> number of people in Truckee "brought out a big cannon and fired a
>>>>> salute." It was further reported "that there was considerable excitement
>>>>> in Truckee in regard to constable Jake Cross."
>>>>>
>>>>> Three dispatches were sent to the District Attorney Gaylord and Sheriff
>>>>> Clark asking them to protect constable Cross. "The cause of the feeling
>>>>> against Cross," said the Nevada Daily Transcript, "is on account of his
>>>>> working up a case and causing the arrest of five men who were afterwards
>>>>> indicted by the Grand Jury for the crime and murder and arson at Trout
>>>>> Creek."
>>>>>
>>>>> W.F. Edwards, editor of the Truckee Republican, defended the town by
>>>>> denying rumors of a plot to assassinate Jake Cross, "The strongest point
>>>>> entirely overlooked at the trial," he stated, "was that two different
>>>>> Chinamen at different times, had been murdered on this very spot by
>>>>> Chinamen themselves."
>>>>>
>>>>> While few doubted that the deed was committed as related, most public
>>>>> opinion at the time sanctioned the verdict. Since most of the
>>>>> perpetrators were well known and respected citizens in Truckee, the
>>>>> crime could not be proven in a court of law at the time.
>>>>>
>>>>> The History of Nevada County, published in 1880 noted that there was no
>>>>> case in the criminal annals of Nevada County that attracted such
>>>>> attention and interest in Truckee and abroad. A Congressional Commission
>>>>> was dispatched to California to inquire into other injustices committed
>>>>> against the Chinese.
>>>>>
>>>>> During the late 1870s, anti-Chinese sentiments continued as Truckee's
>>>>> Chinese population swelled to nearly 2,000. On October 28, 1878,
>>>>> Chinatown was burned down again. This time they were forbidden to
>>>>> rebuild. Amid freezing temperatures, the hungry Chinese population was
>>>>> forced to relocate across the river on land donated by the Central
>>>>> Pacific Railroad.
>>>>>
>>>>> Crowds cheered as the remains of old Chinatown were torn down. Young
>>>>> boys threw rocks as the homeless Chinese carried their few remaining
>>>>> possessions through town while adults idly stood by. Whites who dared to
>>>>> assist the Chinese were themselves threatened.
>>>>>
>>>>> Newspapers in San Francisco used the term "total anarchy" in describing
>>>>> the cruel heartless ways that Truckee treated its Chinese citizens who
>>>>> had only a few grains of rice left to feed themselves. Things might have
>>>>> been worse had not a few Chinese managed to obtain a supply of rifles
>>>>> and ammunition to protect their families.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Chinese economic strength was finally destroyed in Truckee in a
>>>>> general boycott during 1885-1886 when the "Safety Committee of Truckee"
>>>>> was formed. The boycotting committee, under the leadership Charles
>>>>> Fayette McGlashan, published a manifesto wherein every businessman in
>>>>> Truckee pledged himself "never in the future to buy from, sell to, or
>>>>> barter with Chinamen for anything of value." Within five weeks,
>>>>> Truckee's entire Chinese population had left town. The town held a
>>>>> torchlight parade in celebration of the event.
>>>>>
>>>>> As a footnote, James Reed was elected Truckee's Constable, replacing
>>>>> Cross. Although he was an effective lawman he remained sympathetic to
>>>>> vigilante groups until 1891 when his career culminated in a violent
>>>>> gunfight with another constable, Jacob Teeter in which Teeter was
>>>>> killed. The circumstances of the shooting remain a subject of
>>>>> controversy among local historians to this day but many believe that
>>>>> their feud began following the events of 1876.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Chinese made a monumental contribution for their role in the
>>>>> completion of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1869. Truckee became a
>>>>> leader in the expulsion of the very people who helped make the town
>>>>> possible with boycotts and exclusion laws. Perhaps their treacherous
>>>>> passage over the Summit into a new land became an omen for the life
>>>>> fraught with antagonism and alienation which later confronted them.
>>>>>
>>>>> The actions of Truckee's early townspeople cannot be remembered with
>>>>> pride. What had begun as a viable concern evolved into an atmosphere of
>>>>> pervasive racism. It happened without decorum, without reason. Such
>>>>> torment and hatred must be known and understood as a part of a time and
>>>>> a place in history so that it is never repeated.
