DIVISION ONE — PRK-PASADNIAN. 



83 



but it had an asphaltum roof, and the Mexicans succeeded in setting this on 

 fire, so that Wilson and his men were now at their mercy ; and on promise 

 of protection as prisoners of war they surrendered. They were marched to 

 I.OS Angeles and turned over to Gen. Jose Maria Flores, who had been 

 chosen commander-in-chief of the Mexican troops. While on their march 

 to I.0S Angeles, some of the victors, led, as B. D. Wilson afterward claimed, 

 by Capt. Jose del Carmen Lugo, concluded to end all this trouble at once by 

 shooting the prisoners right there.* And of this episode the 1880-History 

 of Los Angeles County, page 43, says : "The treacherous Mexicans had 

 drawn their prisoners up in file on one side of the road, and were about to 

 massacre the whole lot. Barelas bravely dashed between, and swore he 

 would run his sword through the first of his command who dared to fire a 

 shot. He said he had pledged his honor as a man and as a commander for 

 the safety of the prisoners, and only over his dead body might they suffer 

 harm." 



THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES. 



When Gillespie sent to Capt. Wilson for help, the latter was off" in the 

 mountains with most of his company, on a bear hunt, and there was a de- 

 lay of some days in finding him. Meanwhile, as Hittell's History relates, 

 the Mexicans made a dashing assault on Gillespie's barracks, September 

 23 ;t but as the Americans were well armed, had plenty of ammunition, 

 and were sheltered within adobe walls, the assailants were defeated with a 

 loss of eight killed and many wounded. [See J. G. Parson's " Life of John 

 W. Marshall."] This was four or five days before the Mexicans had found 

 their own hidden-away cannon which afterward became famous as the 

 "Woman's Gun." Notwithstanding their defeat the Mexicans kept Gil- 

 lespie in a state of siege and he probably could not hold out another week. 

 September 27-28 the Chino prisoners were turned over to Gen. Flores. 

 There had been a sort of guerilla fight going on every day. And on the 

 29th, Flores, with a view to save further bloodshed, sent B. D. Wilson to 

 tell Gillespie that he might march out unmolested if he would go to San 

 Pedro and there embark his troops. Now, before Stockton and Fremont left 

 in August, Gillespie had dug up and brought into his barracks some old Mexi- 

 can cast-iron cannon which had been spiked and buried in a field east of Boyle 

 Heights, when Gen. Castro and Gov. Pico fled the country on Stockton and 

 Fremont's approach ; and now, to shade off the ignominy of retreat, he 

 asked permission to take these cannon along on his march. This was 



*Bancroft says there was "a young man named Sepulveda " who joined with Lugo in this scheme 

 to shoot the prisoners. I learn from Jesus Rubio and E. S. Hereford that the man referred to was En- 

 rique Sepulveda, who with Jose Perez had received a grant of Rancho San Pasqual in 1840. 



. . t"The assailants, according to Marshall's biographer, were forced to retreat, with a loss of eight 

 k.\ned."—Leztfis' HiU. Los A. Co. p. 72. [Pub. 18S9.] 



"On September 23, under the leadership of Jose Maria Flores, the Californian forces attacked and 

 beseiged Gillespie and his handful of men. * * He, however, made a determined resistance, 

 until finally on September 30, finding the odds too great against him, he capitulated."— //zV^«//'j History 

 Cal., Vol. 2, p. 599. 



