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VOLUME 2
JULY-SEPTEMBER
NO. 3
1 956
SANTA
BARBARA
HISTORICAL
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New Light on an Old Legend Song of the Bells,” this year’s Old Spanish Days mu sical extravaganza—wound it’s plot around a favorite bit of early Santa Barbara whimsy, the oft-recounted “lost cannon incident of May, 1848. The historical back ground surrounding “El Canon Perdido” is well known, but not so well known is the following account, told by one who participated in the action. We have our former president, Mr. Francis Price, Sr., to thank for a trans lation of notes dictated in Spanish by Don Jose E. Garcia in 1878, recounting how the “lost cannon” got lost, and his own part in the event. Mr. Price’s translation was made from a photocopy of the original manuscript, which is in the Bancroft Library. It bears the imposing title Episodios Historicos de California—Apuntados como los dicto a E. F. Murray en Sta. Barbara—Don Jose E. 5? Garcia—1878. Mr. Prices’s hitherto unpublished translation follows: I-IISTORICAL EPISODES OF CALIFORNIA Noted as they were dictated to E. F. Murray m Santa Barbara Don Jose E. Garcia 1878 Narrative of Jose E. Garcia, a native of Santa Barbarbara, California, aliout the theft and sequestration of the “Lost Cannon” and the part he look in the “Fiores Revolution.” —Santa Barbara, Cal., March 28, 1878 My name is Jose E. Garcia; 1 was horn in Santa Barbara in 1826 on the 6th of March; my parents were Jose Maria Garcia and Maria Antonia Ayala, liolh residents of this town; my father was born in San Diego, and my mother here in Santa Barbara; my paternal grandfather was Francisco Cano Garcia, born in Cadiz, Spain, and my paternal grandmother was Maria Louisa Ortega, of Real del Rosario, Baja California, and was the daugh ter of Don Josef Ortega, who came with Padre Junipero. My maternal grandparents were Jose Ayala, a native of Real de Alamos, and Juana Feliz, of Real de Casala. My father came here while very young and was raised in the Presidio, where he re sided until his death. THE LOST CANNON The plan to steal the cannon was conceived by Don Jose Antonia de la Guerra, son of Capt. de la Guerra, and Jose Lugo or “Chato.” I was invited by them, as well as my brother named
SOCIETY
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El Canon Perdido
Jose Dolores Garcia. Pacifico Cota also accompanied us. On the niglu llie plan was executed, there came to my house at about ten or eleven at night, Don Jose Antonia de la Guerra and Chato Lugo, and they invited mo and my brother to accompany them. We went to the home of Pacifico Cola, wlto also accompanied us. But I should say that Valentin Cola, father of Pacifico, had originally been invited instead of his son. But that night, being indisposed, Don Valentin told us that his son would go in his place, that it would be the same. We all mounted, I on the rump of Jose Lugo’s horse. When they came to my house, they brought a pair of yolked oxen, which I later learned belonged to Dona Bernarda Ruiz, who had loaned them. We went all together to the beach down the old road, which followed generally the course of State Street today, and arrived near the old wharf at the foot of Chapala Street. The cannon, as T knew, had once been in the headquarters of the company of .American soldiers who at that time occupied the house of Thompson, the one whicii is now known as the San Carlos Hotel, and on that same day, the date of which I do not rememher, or it might have heeii a few days earlier, the cannon had been taken to llie beach for shipping. It was a moonlit night, but quite foggy, and tiic tide was very high. We found the cannon near tlic wharf, lying on the ground, al)out 5 varas above the waterline. As soon as wc arrived, we fastened around the boll or button of the cannon a strong rope, wliich we had brought for tliat purpose. We tied the other end to the oxen’s yoke. It appeared (in the darkness) to be a cannon of some 4 or 5 feet in length and, therefore, I was rather surprised when, some years later they discovered it and it turned out to be 11 feet long, more or less. When the rope was secured, with the oxen moving in the water, we dragged it along the beach so as to leave no trace. The oxen were strong, hut nevertheless it was necessary to rest them twice before reaching the place where we buried it. The plan was to lake it to a small hill, wliich was called “Volunlario,” which was about a half a mile distant from the wharf and also located on the beach. As the oxen could go no further, we drew it out of the water and buried it, excavating the bole with our hands, on the sliorc of llie same beach about 500 or 600 varas distant from the big wliarf. Tlien Pacifico Cota and I went to bring a band of mares of the Noriegas, which we drove back and forth over the place where we had put the cannon to erase the evidence of burial. On finishing this we returned to our homes. On the following day, which was Wednesday or Thursday of Holy Week (if I remember correctly) my brother and I went to Mass at the Mission. Wiiile we were there, Don Francisco de la Guerra called us aside and look us to a room and very seriously told us that the Americans were very angry about the cannon and we should be very careful not to tell anybody about it. To this wc replied that, being well aware of our guilt, we would be very careful never to tell anyone. {Conlinued on Page 4)