The Hatfields and McCoys had nothing on the Johnsons and Vallencias, who were feuding up a storm in Santa Rosa.
We don’t know when the war began between the neighbors, but it’s likely that their 1909 court appearances were only the latest salvos in a marathon battle, which escalated after Mr. Johnson asked for an arrest warrant against Louis Vallencia. The charge was unusual, maybe even unprecedented in the local court; he wanted Vallencia arrested for elder abuse upon his own father. The Santa Rosa Republican reporter seemed sympathetic: “The elder Vallencia is an aged and helpless man. He would not of his own account take any legal action against his son, consequently the neighbors at length took the matter up.”
A week later, both families were in court. Johnson wanted additional charges filed against Louis’ brother for storming to his house where he “delivered himself of much unseemly language in the presence of the Johnson family.” Still in 1909, using “vulgar and profane language in the presence of women and children” was considered a more serious offense than even child abuse or animal cruelty.
Then Louis Vallencia had his say. He called Johnson “a particular kind” of liar, and “volunteered to beat him up.”
Not to be outdone, Vallencia had scraped together his own list of offenses: Johnson had people camping in a wagon in front of Vallencia’s house; Johnson’s young son was working at a shoeshine stand and doing janitorial work in saloons. “This latter, contended Vallencia, was apt to imbue the young man with a desire for intoxicants, and hence was, on the parent’s part, an offense against the peace and dignity of the State of California, as well as of the immediate community in which Vallencia lived.”
The newspaper observed, “[Vallencia] had several other complaints, which for reasons not altogether of space and relevancy are omitted here.”
The exasperated sigh of Judge Atchinson can be heard in the final (?) ruling on the squabble: “The court dismissed the parties with the admonition that they use every effort to have peace prevail in their neighborhood.”
SOME UGLY BATTERY CASES COME UP[..]
At the instance of J. W. Johnson, a neighbor, a warrant was issued on Monday for Louis Vallencia’s arrest on the charge of battery. Johnson states that Vallencia had been in the habit of beating his (the defendant’s) father, and mistreating him continually. The elder Vallencia is an aged and helpless man. He would not of his own account take any legal action against his son, consequently the neighbors at length took the matter up.
– Santa Rosa Republican, August 16, 1909
NEIGHBORS ARE IN TROUBLEW. H. Johnson, who swore out a warrant of arrest some days ago for Louis Vallencia for cruelty to his–the latter’s–father, appeared in the Justice court Monday morning with some more charges. It appeared that the brother of Vallencia had not taken kindly to the issuing of the warrant, and Sunday he appeared in front of Johnson’s house and delivered himself of much unseemly language in the presence of the Johnson family. Vallencia, who accompanied his accuser into court, denied the charges, and he called the other a liar, a particular kind of one, and volunteered to beat him up, which he was not permitted by the court to do, however.
He further stated that he had various grievances against Johnson: the first, that the latter had a camping wagon in front of the Vallencia premises, which same, by virture of its inmates building nightly fires about it, was, in his opinion, highly conducive to setting said premises aflame; second, Johnson’s son was engaged in running a bootblack stand while still of school age; and third, but not least, for he had several other complaints, which for reasons not altogether of space and relevancy are omitted here, this son of his neighbor was in the habit of being hired by saloon men to clean out their barrooms. This latter, contended Vallencia, was apt to imbue the young man with a desire for intoxicants, and hence was, on the parent’s part, an offense against the peace and dignity of the State of California, as well as of the immediate community in which Vallencia lived.
The court dismissed the parties with the admonition that they use every effort to have peace prevail in their neighborhood.
– Santa Rosa Republican, August 23, 1909