150 HISTORY OF PASADHNA. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Horrors. — Notable Crimes, Calamities, Accidents, Storms, Floods, etc., within 

 Pasadenaland. 



VASQUEZ, THE ROBBER. 



The first thing to record for Pasadena under this head is the visit here 

 of Tiburcio Vasqnez, one of the most noted bandits of California history. 

 In April, 1874, the colonj^ men were hard at work getting their water pipe 

 laid from Devil's Gate down to the Orange Grove reservoir, having con- 

 tracted with Miles & Holbrook of Los Angeles to furnish a supplj^ of 

 1 1 -inch iron pipe for the piirpose, while Judge Eaton took charge of the 

 spring-heads, the sand-box and the pipe-lining and ditching part of the work. 

 Just after dinner on April i6th Mr. Miles and his teamster George Osborne 

 were returning down the Arroyo bottom road to I,os Angeles, after deliver- 

 ing a load of pipe to Judge Eaton's workmen up toward Devil's Gate ; and 

 when they had got down in the vicinity of Sheep Corral springs wdiere the 

 old road began to wind through the oak park by a steep grade up to Orange 

 Grove Avenue (just below Wm. S. Hanaford's place — 1894), thej^ were met 

 by Vasquez and four of his gang, all well mounted, and all armed with 

 rifles, pistols and knives, in the most approved and ferocious style of their 

 craft. The men in the wagon were required to halt and throw up their 

 hands ; then to deliver their money. Osborne had none, and Miles had 

 only a little loose change — less than a dollar ; so Vasquez said very politel5% 

 " Then, if you please, .sir, I will take that watch." Miles hesitated, or pre- 

 tended he had none. Vasquez cocked his Winchester rifle, saying, " No 

 foolishness ! I can't parley with you. Billy Workman's only a few rods 

 down the road after me!" And he began to draw a bead on Miles, who 

 then handed over his watch. [This he recovered after the bandit's final 

 capture.] And at this time the Deputy Sheriff Albert Johnston (not the 

 sheriff, Wm. H. Workman) and his posse were on their trail, less than a 

 mile behind. 



The outlaws now rode leisurely on itp to where Judge Eaton had fifteen 

 or twenty men at work on the colony ditch and pipe-line, near the Richard- 

 son springs ; and here were A. O. Porter, P. M. Green, Col. J. Banbur}', 

 A. O. Bristol, W. T. Clapp and D. M. Berry, besides Judge Eaton and 

 others -all unarmed, .so that the robbers could have taken ever)^ watch and 

 every dollar in the crowd. The workmen were sitting or lying around tak- 

 ing their nooning or after-dinner rest. Eaton, Porter and Green were just 

 coming down afoot from the .sand-box, in their shirt-sleeves, and were thus 

 supposed by the robbers to be workmen like the rest and probably had 

 nothing worth taking. As Va.squez drew near he called out to the work- 

 men and told them who he was ; and one of his men who could speak 

 English well introduced him, assuring them that he was "a gentleman ! a 



