Auroras Vigilantes

The Esmeralda Mining District attracted prospectors, shopkeepers and tradesmen,

many of whom arrived with great optimism. Tents and makeshift uildings scattered
etween !ast "hance #ill and Esmeralda $ulch ecame the town of Aurora.
%am "lemens headed west to avoid the "ivil &ar and to try his luck in the mining
camps of the 'evada Territory. #e arrived at the Esmeralda mines in ()*+ and egan
searching for silver along a ledge that showed promise. "lemens and a partner
eventually discovered an outcrop that assayed a high percentage silver. They marked
their claim ut for some reason failed to register it with the mining district secretary
within the ten days re,uired.
During that period, the partners left their prospect to e-plore Mono !ake located (.
miles to the southwest. &hen they returned to Aurora they found that others had
legally taken possession of their claim. /n his ook aout his travels in the west,
"lemens states that, 0a great fortune was lost y this misdeed1. 2ears later, fame and
fortune caught up with "lemens with pulication of Huckleberry Flynn.
Aurora also attracted the unsavory. 3ne4hundred miles and at least two mountain
ranges separated the town from any recogni5ale center having a civili5ed population 44
well eyond the reach of 6ustice.
The Daly $ang, a loose collection of characters, rode into Aurora and found
employment with the 7ond Mining "ompany. They were to use what ever means
necessary to intimidate those who might testify against the 7ond in court.
The 7ond ecame locked in a legal attle with the Del Monte mines over the e-tent of
their respective claims. The two represented the largest and est financed mining
companies in the district8 oth willing to spend great sums to win their case.
9ohn Daly cemented his place in &estern !ore y killing ten men efore his +.
th

irthday. 3ther memers of the gang included Three4:ingers Mc Dowell, Mike :agen,
9ohn $illman, &ash 7arker, /rish Tom "arerry, &illiam ;uckley, 7liney $ardiner and
a few others whose names have slipped from history.
&hen #.T. 7arlin, a witness for Del Monte, got word that he was to e e-ecuted y a
gang memer, he ,uickly sold his mining interests and left y early stage for the east
coast. ;oth the president and counsel of the Del Monte "ompany ecame targets.
<ather than leave town they hired armed odyguards and avoided standing near
windows or in doorways.
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At Dalys urging, one of the gang memers entered the race for city marshal in the
()*= city election. #e won on a split vote among a numer of candidates. Daly
ecame Assistant Marshal and the rest of the gang ecame city policemen.
%hakedowns of prostitutes, gamlers and other less prominent citi5ens provided gang
memers with e-tra gamling money. "rime went up. 7unishment went down.
3n a cool 3ctoer evening, activity at the 7.9. McMahans Del Monte E-change %aloon
was interrupted when 9ohn Daly confronted $eorge !loyd at the ar. They had had a
longstanding argument aout something that wasnt going to e settled without a call to
the local coroner. "ustomers ,uickly si5ed the seriousness of this encounter taking
their leave in true western style y tripping over roken chairs and overturned tales as
they headed for the door.
The two men drew their guns at the same time. %tanding perhaps only si- feet apart,
oth fired. !loyd went to the floor with wounds serious enough that he would soon
die. :or those keeping score, this would e Dalys eleventh killing.
After two hung 6uries, the 7ond and Del Monte companies settled their differences out
of court. The Daly $ang no longer on the payroll received a second 6olt when the city
elected a new marshal and all memers of the gang were replaced on the police force.
&illiam 9ohnson, a potato farmer and proprietor of a way station located south of
Aurora, rode into town to do some drinking and gamling. &hen Daly found out that
9ohnson was in town, he declared that he could now take revenge. #e elieved that
9ohnson was responsile for the death of his friend 9ames %ears.
9ohnson partied away the evening8 drinking, playing illiards and doing some
gamling. Two gang memers stayed close to him and rought him drinks while
Daly, Three4:ingered 9ack, &illiam ;uckley and 9ames Masterson waited crouched
ehind a woodpile across from the saloon.
&hen the ar closed at four in the morning, 9ohnson staggered up the street. As he
approached the woodpile, Daly stepped out and shot him pointlank in the head.
;uckley then slashed 9ohnsons throat with a owie knife.
That morning citi5ens of Aurora learned that 9ohnson had een murdered. "old
looded killing of a respected memer of the community y this gang of miscreants
would not e tolerated. ;ecause the capital of the territory was two days ride from the
district, it was agreed that the locals should take the law into their own hand.
At noon, the coroner, 9T Moore, convened an in,uest over the ody of 9ohnson. %;
Vance was aout to e sworn in as a witness when an angry miner pulled a gun and
shot Vince in the groin. The in,uest ended when Daly arrived, gun in hand, demanding
to know who shot his friend Vance.
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The ne-t day >?? citi5ens met to form a "iti5ens %afety "ommittee. %ome were issued
rifles from the Aurora "ity $uard armory. A few of the memers had taken part in a
vigilante uprising in the Mother !ode and gave guidance to the proceedings.
A few witnesses agreed to testify against the gang when the coroner reopened the
in,uest. :ollowing the hearing Daly, ;uckley, McDowell and Masterson were charged
with the murder of &illiam 9ohnson and held for trial y the "iti5ens %afety
"ommittee.
Moving rapidly 44 vigilantes locked all roads leading into town, placed the "ity
Marshal under house arrest and took possession of the prisoners.
A 6ury selected y the "ommittee was convened a few days later. ;ased on findings y
the coroner, the four men were sentenced to death y hanging. /n anticipation of the
outcome, workmen with hammer and saw egan raising a wooden gallows large
enough to accommodate four men
At noon on :eruary @, ()*>, the condemned men were rought to the gallows and
directed to take their final steps up a ladder to a platform ten feet aove the ground.
They were then allowed to step forward on the platform and address the enthusiastic
crowd, numering, y some estimates, close to .,???.
Daly stated that, 0/ killed 9ohnson, do you understand that, 9ohnson was a damn
Mormon thiefA1 #e then pointed his finger and spoke to a man randishing a gun, 0/f
/ had a revolver /d make you get1, he said.
;uckley stated8 0/ deserve to e punished and / die a rave man A All of you oys
must come up to my wake in 9ohn Dalys cain to night. ;e sure of this.1
McDowell declared 0$entlemen, / am as innocent as the man in the moonA / dont
want my ody to e uried with the alance of them.1
Masterson simply declared, 0$entlemen, / am innocent.1
After a local preacher led the spectators in prayer, the order was given to egin the
e-ecution. &ith their hands tied, a lindfold over their eyes and a noose placed around
their necks, the four men then took their place over a trap door.
The firing of a cannon located ne-t to the gallows signaled a dramatic end to the
spectacle as the four men dropped elow the platform then aruptly reached the end of
their rope.
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&hen $overnor 'ye and B% Marshal &asson arrived in Aurora things had ,uieted
down. A meeting with the %afety "ommittee convinced the governor that the men had
een given a fair trial. The $overnor warned that any more vigilante activity will ring
martial law to the camp.
The remaining gang memers took leave of Aurora soon after the hanging. /rish Tom
"arerry went on to gain more fame as a gunfighter in the town of Austin where he
eliminated two lesser known troule makers %.;.Vince and "harles <idgely.
7rospectors and town folk egan leaving Aurora when it ecame clear that paying ore
did not run deep in the district and new opportunities awaited them a few miles to the
south in ;odie.
The two mines continued production off and on well into the Twentieth "entury.
During the (@*?s most of the uildings which were constructed of red rick were
destroyed y scavengers who sold the ricks to home developers in %outhern
"alifornia. 'othing now e-ists e-cept foundations.
The town site can e reached from #ighway =@.. Aurora is located at8 =) (*.>.?C (()
.>.?)= on $oogle Earth.

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