Five Joaquins Gang

The Five Joaquins (1850–1853) were an outlaw gang which the State of California said was led by:

"... the five Joaquins, whose names are Joaquin Muriati, Joaquin Ocomorenia, Joaquin Valenzuela, Joaquin Botellier, and Joaquin Carillo, and their banded associates."[1]

Between 1850 and 1853, the gang, joined by Murrieta's right-hand man, Three Fingered Jack, were reported to have been responsible for most of the horse theft, robberies, and murders committed in the Mother Lode area of the Sierra Nevadas. They are credited with stealing more than $100,000 in gold and over 100 horses, killing at least 19 people, and having outrun three posses and killed three lawmen.[2] The gang is believed to have killed up to 28 Chinese and 13 Whites.[3]

On May 11, 1853, Governor of California John Bigler signed a legislative act creating the "California State Rangers," led by Captain Harry Love (a former Texas Ranger). Their mission was to capture the "Five Joaquins," named above. The California Rangers were paid $150 a month and stood a chance to share a $5000 reward for the capture of Joaquin Murrieta.[1]

On July 25, 1853, a group of Rangers, led by Captain Love, encountered a band of armed Mexican men near Panoche Pass in San Benito County, 50 miles from Monterey. A confrontation took place, and two of the Mexicans were killed. One was claimed to be Murrieta, and the other was thought to be Three-Fingered Jack. A plaque (California Historical Landmark #344) near the intersection of State Routes 33 and 198 now marks the approximate site of Murrieta's headquarters in Arroyo de Cantua, where he was presumably and officially ruled by the State of California to have been killed.[2] However that claim was soon disputed and has continued to be. However the result of that skirmish was that the gang was broken up, and its activities ended. Some of the members returned to Sonora, although many of the gang's members remained in California, some continuing their criminal carriers, many others became vaqueros on California ranches or followed other walks of life.

The Five Joaquins of the Five Joaquins Gang

Of the Joaquins named by the bill of the California state legislature, three were actual leaders in the gang, two others were only members.

  • Joaquin Murrieta, a Sonoran, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, Sonora, was the head of this group of bandit bands.[4]:127
  • Joaquin Ocomorenia, the alias used by Jesus Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, he was the brother of Joaquin and Teodoro Valenzuela and was like them a cousin of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers and other Murrieta cousins. Jesus Valenzuela was member of the gang not a leader. After he killed a fellow Mexican in a gold camp he promised his brothers he would return to Sonora but he spent the money they gave him for the trip and stayed in California, running with the band of Tres Dedos. A garbled form of his alias, Joaquin Ocomorenia became known to the State Legislature and was put on the list of the Five Joaquins.[4]:133–134
  • Joaquin Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, cousin of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers, stepbrothers and cousins. Leader his own gang, in charge of gathering and organizing the droves of the gang's horses. Additionally he drove them south for the trade in horses from California to Sonora, along with his brother Teodoro Valenzuela whose own band took the droves from Joaquin near the Rancho Cucamonga then drove them over the Sonoran Desert for sale in Sonora.[4]:134–135
  • Joaquin Botellier, according to the state of California listed as one of the Five Joaquins, actually Joaquin Botellas, a Sonoran, born near Real de los Álamos, came to Alta California before the Gold Rush. He mined with Joaquin Murrieta, in Murphy's New Diggins and took up Murrieta's cause against the American mob that lynched Murrieta's elder stepbrother Jesus Carrillo and whipped Joaquin, on the false accusation of the theft of a mule. Botellas became an active member of Joaquin's personal band of the Gang.[4]:96
  • Joaquin Carrillo, born in Spain, as Joaquin Manuel Carrillo before his father moved to Ures, Sonora from Spain. He was the younger brother of Jesus Carrillo. At age five, he along with his older brother would acquire the Murrieta name after his widowed mother remarried the Sonoran Joaquin Murrieta of Pueblo de Murrieta, soon to be the father of the famous Joaquin. Both were older Carrillo stepbrothers of Joaquin Murrieta and his younger brothers. Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta came to California before 1848 and wrote his stepbrother, Joaquin to bring members of the family to California when gold was discovered. He rode with Joaquin Murrieta to avenge his brother Jesus' lynching by a mob at Murphy's New Diggins and occasionally at other times. He operated the Murrieta rancho in Cañada Molina Vallejo with Joaquin Murrieta's brother-in-law Vincente Jesus Féliz and both watched over Rosa Féliz, Murrieta's wife who lived there following the attack on her and her husband Joaquin by American claim jumpers in their gold claim.[4]:127–128

Representations in media
  • The Mask of Zorro (1998) The film features a fictionalised representation of the confrontation between the gang and Captain Love. Joaquin Murrieta, an American version Three-Fingered Jack and Murrieta's fictional brother Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) are three bandits who are confronted by Captain Harrison Love (A Fictionalized Harry Love) and his posse. Joaquin and Jack are killed whilst Alejandro escapes to assume the role of Zorro and kills Love in revenge. Victor Rivers played Joaquin.[5]
  • Behind The Mask of Zorro (2005) a History Channel documentary about Murrieta and his gang, and how he inspired the character of Zorro.[6]
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See also
  • Three Fingered Jack (California)
  • Joaquin Juan Murrieta
  • Martin Murrieta

References
  1. The Statutes of California passed at the Fourth Session of the Legislature, George Kerr, State Printer, 1853, p.194 An Act to Create a Company of Rangers
  2. Paz, Ireneo (1904). Vida y Aventuras del Mas Celebre Bandido Sonorense, Joaquin Murrieta: Sus Grandes Proezas En California (in Spanish) (English translation by Francis P. Belle, Regan Pub. Corp., Chicago, 1925. ed.). Mexico City. Republished with introduction and additional translation by Luis Leal as Life and Adventures of the Celebrated Bandit Joaquin Murrieta: His Exploits in the State of California, Arte Publico Press, 1999.
  3. Peter Mancall, Benjamin Heber-Johnson. Making of the American West: People and Perspectives. p. 270.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  4. Frank F. Latta, Joaquin Murrieta and His Horse Gangs, Bear State Books. Santa Cruz, California. 1980. xv,685 pages. Illustrated with numerous photos. Index. Photographic front end-papers.
  5. Five Joaquins Gang on IMDb
  6. Five Joaquins Gang on IMDb
  • Frank F. Latta, JOAQUIN MURRIETA AND HIS HORSE GANGS, Bear State Books. Santa Cruz, California. 1980. xv,685 pages. Illustrated with numerous photos. Index. Photographic front endpapers.
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