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Historic Pinole: Gunfight Between Chilean Desperado and Rancher

A Civil War-era fight near Pinole — with some amazingly inept gunplay — ended with the killing of a bandit.

This week's Historic Pinole reads like a crime drama involving a gang of outlaws and a rancher. It also reads like slapstick comedy, with wayward gunshots and some choice dialogue that belongs in a spaghetti Western movie.

The headlines above the article are about Civil War battles far away, but a Sacramento newspaper judged this event worthy of reporting. We can only guess the exact location of the ranch in question and the rancher's first name. Neither are mentioned.

The article is from the June 29, 1864 editon of the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, which relayed an account from the Oakland News. We post it with the original spelling and punctuation, but we've changed the spacing to make it easier on the eyes. As always, the vocabulary adds entertainment value.

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RUFFIANISM IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY. — The Oakland News publishes a detailed account of the recent affray in Pinole. The deceased was a ruffian called Domingo Arabaines, alias Fernando, alias Poncho, and a Chilean by birth.

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A number of citizens, tired of submitting to his lawless proceedings, threatened to organize a Vigilance Committee for the purpose of taking summary vengeance on him and the gang of desperadoes of which he was the recognized leader. Humblot, who owns a ranch near Pinole, was active in urging prompt action, and on this account became exceedingly obnoxious to the gang. They plundered him regularly, and finally compelled him to remove to Oakland. The News says:

Sunday last he went to Pinole for the purpose of making some disposition of a quantity of hay which he had on his ranch. He had hardly got there before the gang got wind of his presence, and they determined that he should never leave the place alive, and a couple of them were selected to watch him. Humblot kept in the house all day, not daring to go out. During the afternoon he noticed Domingo passing up and down the road in front of his house twice.

Monday morning Humblot went to Martinez to procure a warrant for their arrest, and was accompanied on his return home by a Constable named Smith, who remained with him during the night, both sleeping with loaded weapons in reach. No attack was made, however, and the Constable returned home on Tuesday morning.

Humblot did his business the same afternoon, and got up early the following morning, intending to reach Oakland early in the forenoon. He went into a restaurant or grocery just before starting to get a cup of coffee, and while there noticed Domingo passing down the road over which he must travel. There is a narrow pass on the direct route from Oakland to Pinole, a short distance this side of the latter place, and here Domingo was lying in wait for Humblot, whom he expected to pass that way in a short time.

It so happened Humblot desired to speak with some men who were working in a field to the left of the main road opposite the pass where Domingo was hid, and striking off on a by-road, escaped meeting the latter for the present. Domingo followed down the main road leisurely, and came up with Humblot just as he emerged from the by-road. He approached and bid Humblot "good morning," which salutation was returned by the latter. The Chilean then rushed up, seized him by the collar, and leveled his revolver at his head, remarking at the same instant, "Now G— d d— n you, we've both got to die !"

Humblot threw up his hand and seized the muzzle of the pistol, when both tumbled off their horses. The first discharge sent the ball whizzing through Humblot's hat, cutting a slight wound in his head.

They now both fell to the ground struggling, the Chilean uppermost, but Humblot still retained his grasp on the muzzle of Domingo's pistol. Notwithstanding the great strength of the would be murderer, Humblot so baffled his aim that he escaped the five remaining shots which were quickly discharged at him by Domingo. During the struggle, the Frenchman succeeded in drawing his own revolver, and discharged it at the Chilean — how many times he can't say. Domingo wrested the revolver from him, and after pounding him on the head and jumping on his breast as he lay on his back apparently insensible started off remarking that he was ''now satisfied — we are both going to die."

Domingo went toward Pinole, but had got only about three hundred yards when he fell down dead. An inquest was held on the body on Wednesday, and a verdict rendered in accordance with the above facts. Humblot was so weak from the loss of blood that he fell down three times before he could gather sufficient strength to return to Pinole to get his head and face washed.

It is only four or five weeks ago that Arabaines rescued one of his gang from a San Pablo officer who had him in custody for committing some crime and was taking him to Martinez. He rode up to the Constable and desired him to release the prisoner, which was refused. He then told the prisoner to start off and he would take care of the officer. The prisoner left, and Domingo prevented the Constable from following him by deliberately discharging four shots from his revolver at his head. The Constable reciprocated by firing two shots but; miraculous enough, neither party received a scratch.

This article comes from the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc. The collection has digitzed more than 400,000 images from newspapers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Images dated between 1846 and 1922 are in the public domain and not subject to copyright.


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