1907

OATES AND THE CITY DISPLACED

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

What happens to a town when its business center is wiped out? In 1906 Santa Rosa, most merchants tried to continue doing business at their old locations during the reconstruction, while the less retail/more professional trade either worked from home or operated from a business shantytown that was cobbled together a block away from the old downtown core.

But first: How did James Wyatt and Mattie Oates fare during the 1906 Santa Rosa earthquake? Was their grand home damaged? Did they pitch a tent on their lawn for a few days, as did many others? Alas, we don’t know anything about how they coped, but Wyatt kept his office near the center of the action.

Never was the house mentioned in the ad-hoc newspaper published in the weeks after the quake, so the damage, if any, probably wasn’t serious. Today, repairs or rebuilding likely would be impossible to spot; the home was scarcely a year old at the time, so any work done in 1906 would be indistinguishable from the original. And if the disaster did reveal any structural flaws, the Oates didn’t blame architect Brainerd Jones, whom they soon would work with again in the design of the Saturday Afternoon Club hall.

The quake hit just two days before Mattie Oates was to host her first party of the year, a Friday evening shindig for the Married Ladies Club on her first anniversary of being in the house. The party had been mentioned with anticipation weeks earlier in the society section of both papers and was, of course, postponed for several months. The Oates did host a lunch at the house for the Masonic Grand Master of California on May 18.

Wyatt placed a notice in the interim Democrat-Republican to announce that he was working at home temporarily, which was unusual; he hadn’t advertised in the paper before, and also because no other lawyer publicized himself at the time – yes, doctors, dentists, barbers, butchers, and other tradesmen bought classifieds in those hectic days to announce their temporary locations, but Oates was the only attorney to do so. This was likely more for reasons of ego than opportunism; the paper noted the same week that no suits had been filed since the quake.

Although his house has a cozy library/study, it’s more likely that Wyatt Oates commandeered the dining room during those weeks. The social convention at the time was that women held sway in the parlor(s), but men had the liberty to smoke and scatter their papers over the dining table outside of mealtimes. The side door leading to the porch also would have spared his family the fragrance of his stogies, Oates being a militant when it came to his rights to smoke anywhere in his house. Perhaps the bent-open letterbox that’s still next to that porch door is an artifact from those home office days.

By late May, Oates’ had moved his office into the Finlaw building at the northeast corner of Fifth St. and Mendocino (current location of the El Coqui Puerto Rican restaurant) which he was to share with Dr. McLeod. Here Wyatt Oates had a front row seat to watch the political reconstruction of Santa Rosa.

Immediately after the disaster, the intersection of Mendocino and 5th became the de facto emergency command center for Santa Rosa. Two views of it have already appeared in this space – most recently here, which offers a link back to an earlier photograph. At right, men with a wagon of debris state their business at the militia checkpoint on this corner (detail from image courtesy Larry Lapeere).

Dr. Finlaw’s former office on the corner was apparently unharmed by earthquake or fire; in that first urgent month, it became the post office and provided the only telephone line to points north – the phone used to reach points south was nailed outside of the Chinese laundry next door. That wash house wrapped around Finlaw’s small building, and Press Democrat editor Ernest L. Finley rented it quickly; for the following year and more, the laundry’s storefront on Mendocino with the telephone became the temporary home of the PD, and the side facing 5th street became the Santa Rosa Republican. In the crook of the L-shaped lot was the printing plant that the Press Democrat used by night and the Republican by day.

Next up on Mendocino was to be found one of the rarest sites in post-quake Santa Rosa – a large vacant lot. Amid all the rubble and wreckage, here was a spacious parcel which the Native Sons of the Golden West had cleared in preparation of building their new lodge hall. The construction of their magnificent red concrete building (which still stands today) was delayed as the property became the site of Santa Rosa’s city hall and the rest of the civic center for the next sixteen months.

No photos survive, but it must have been somewhat of a rat’s warren of sheds and shacks (and you probably don’t want to think about the lack of toilet facilities). Editor Finley, who later waxed fond over producing a daily newspaper in such hardships, offered a backwards glance as the campground closed. Writing in August 1907 he recalled, “… many small temporary structures [were] hastily erected to house public officials and accommodate private business. The Post Office, City Hall, Police station, numerous attorneys, cigar stands, the Lighting Company, photographers, architects, physicians, and The Press Democrat all found their first temporary homes on these two properties, and around them revolved for a time practically the entire business activity of the city.”

As the others packed their tents and left, so did Oates; he moved out of the Finlaw building as the last businesses cleared out of the Native Sons’ lot next door. For the rest of his life he would work across from the new courthouse at the Union-Trust Saving Bank Building at 4th and Hinton, now known as the corner of Courthouse Square with the Wolf Coffee shop Rendez-Vous Bistro.

Mrs. James Wyatt Oates to Entertain Married Ladies

Mrs. James Wyatt Oates will entertain the Married Ladies Card Club on Friday evening, March 20 [sic – April 20]. The elegant home of Colonel and Mrs. Oates will be thrown open to the members of the club and a few friends and they will be delightfully entertained. Colonel and Mrs. Oates enjoy a reputation second to none for hospitality, and the members of the club will spend a delightful evening with their hosts. The home of the entertainers on Healdsburg avenue is one of the most beautiful in this city, and is finely appointed for entertaining large parties.

– Santa Rosa Republican, March 26, 1906

So far no suits have been commenced in the Superior Court since the quake. The justice and police courts are likewise bereft of business.

– Democrat-Republican, April 27, 1906

James W. Oates has his law office temporarily at his residence 767 Healdsburg avenue. Will be permanently in the Dr. Finlaw corner after this week.

– Democrat-Republican, April 30, 1906
GRAND CHANGE ON MENDOCINO
Temporary Business Quarters Given Up and Work to Begin on Handsome Native Sons’ Hall

The next few days will witness the clearing away of the last vestige of what for several months after the great disaster constituted the business center of Santa Rosa. Before the present week is ended the temporary buildings hastily erected on Mendocino avenue, just off of Fifth, will all be tenantless and those occupying the Native Sons’ lot will be torn down to make room for the new Native Sons Hall, ground for which will be broken about Tuesday or Wednesday.

The first business established after the shake in the vicinity mentioned was the Telephone Exchange. On the afternoon of April 18 an old-fashioned long-distance transmitter was fastened to the front wall of the Chinese wash-house which then stood on the site that has since been occupied by the Press Democrat office, and outside communication was established with points north. Miss Clara Simmons was in charge of this unique outdoor exchange, and from that little beginning there immediately began to grow up a busy business community. The Finlaw property and the Native Sons’ lot were leased by various parties and many small temporary structures hastily erected to house public officials and accommodate private business. The Postoffice, City Hall, Police station, numerous attorneys, cigar stands, the Lighting Company, photographers, architects, physicians, and The Press Democrat all found their first temporary homes on these two properties, and around them revolved for a time practically the entire business activity of the city.

Monday morning the Press Democrat will move into its handsome and commodious new quarters on Fifth street, just off of Mendocino, while the Santa Rosa Lighting Company will leave its present offices at the same time for those now ready in the Union Trust Savings Bank building. Contractor J. O. Kuykendall is also to move Monday into the Eardley building on Fifth street, while W. H. Summers, the cigar dealer, will move into upstairs rooms in the Taylor building on Fifth street and discontinue the retail business for a while, doing manufacturing only until he can secure satisfactory accommodations elsewhere. Summers will be the last to move, as he has to wait for the arrival of permission from the government authorities for the removal of his factory. But he expects to “pull out”not later than Tuesday.

The new Native Sons’ Hall, which is to grace the site of the temporary buildings now being vacated, will be a handsome and commodious structure, details of which have already been published. The contract for the steel frame and general construction has been given to the Rickon-Ehrhart company. It is also the intention of Mrs. Finlaw to construct a fine building on the corner adjoining, although no definite plans have as yet been decided upon.

– Press Democrat, August 4, 1907

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SALOON TOWN

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

On April 18, 1906, a great tragedy befell Santa Rosa: All saloons closed for about a month. There was also that earthquake thing, too.

This was a hard-drinking town in the early 20th Century, with nearly three dozen saloons packed into its small downtown; you were never more than a few doors away from a glass of beer or a shot of whisky, particularly if you were staggering along 4th Street.


View 1906 Santa Rosa in a larger map

(RIGHT: Approximate locations of saloons in 1906 projected on a map of modern-day Santa Rosa. Data based on list of applications for liquor license renewals that appeared in the Press Democrat, Dec. 13, 1906)

Like every other business in town, the saloon trade was disrupted by the earthquake. Some of Santa Rosa’s most famous drinking holes aren’t found on this map; the Occidental Bar was gone until its namesake hotel was again standing, and the Oberon wouldn’t reopen until the Shea Building was rebuilt. Also not listed here is the infamous “Call No. 2;” that joint wasn’t even allowed to apply for a license renewal following a standing-room-only public hearing where complaints were aired about noise and rowdiness. But there are 33 places on this map, and the 1908 city directory lists thirty bars at that time, so although names and locations slightly drift, this is still a fair representation of the Santa Rosa saloon scene in that era.

About a dozen saloons each were clustered around the train station and court house square. The places closer to the court house seemed to appeal to men from the town’s business class and gamblers visiting Santa Rosa for the horse races (although the Oberon, Santa Rosa’s pre-quake gambling HQ was in limbo, owners Brown & Gnesa had two interim saloons shown on this map). The downtown saloons consistently enjoyed good press; when Jake Luppold reopened his “New” Senate Saloon with a big feed, the Republican gushed that “Luppold’s reputation for hospitality is second to none…Luppold’s friends are legion, and they called and partook of the viands with a relish.”

By contrast, the Call and other places down by the train tracks – which never, ever, advertised in the papers – were never, ever, mentioned kindly in the papers. During the Jan. 2 1907 City Council meeting where saloon license renewals were discussed, two of the three applications being questioned were part of the cluster near the tracks, and the police chief reported that the owner of one saloon was frequently intoxicated and “used vile language [that] had driven ladies from the adjoining restaurant.” Besides running a “disorderly house,” it was also alleged that he frequently beat his wife. There was no mention at all why the single downtown saloon’s license application was denied.

Compare also the way police treated code violations: The proprietor of the downtown Germania was slapped on the wrist when an officer caught him drawing a beer after the earthquake curfew. The same officer Boyce later arrested the proprietor of a restaurant on lower 4th Street who violated the law by serving a plate of crackers as a “meal” to drinking men (read update here).

Saloon hours were restricted in the wake of the quake, but details are unclear. It’s presumed that they were ordered closed immediately after the disaster just as they were in San Francisco, but there’s no mention in the contemporary newspapers. We likewise don’t know when they were allowed to reopen for limited daytime hours after signing an agreement to obey curfews (and probably other rules), but it was presumably about a month later. The thread picks up again in mid-June, as saloonkeepers were bridling under the restrictions that they could only be open from 8AM to 6PM. The City Council was inclined to return their hours to the pre-earthquake 5AM-Midnight, but the mayor forced through a rule that the new hours would be 6AM-8PM.

At the “Call No. 2” hearing, by the way, it came out that one of the witnesses against the place had repeatedly tried to bring a “lady” – quotes theirs, presumably to suggest that she was a prostitute – into the saloon, but wasn’t allowed entry. Women were reportedly seen around the saloon (although witnesses couldn’t be sure that they weren’t seeing the housekeeper, who lived there). Another witness claimed that some time ago “two negroes came out of the saloon and addressed remarks to her.” Apparently these vague allegations were serious enough to lose your business, if it happened to be a bar on the wrong side of the tracks.

City Council Meeting

[..]

Proprietor Pflugi, of the Germania Hotel, was summoned to appear before the council, it having been charged that he had kept his bar open after 6 o’clock in the evening. He stated that his bar had to do triple duty, bar, office, and sitting room, and that a portion of his boarders had to sit there Thursday night out of the rain, while the others ate their supper. He said he had not sold any liquor. Police officer Boyes said he saw a glass of beer drawn at 8 o’clock and carried out of the room. This glass, the proprietor claimed, was for the cook, who “would not work without his beer.” Mr. Pflugi was allowed to go with an admonition. After the storm the bar must close.

Chief of Police Rushmore said other saloon men wanted to make their saloons into “offices.” The matter was discussed and it was stated plainly that any liquor selling after 6 o’clock at night will result in the revocation of the license.

In the opinion of councilmen the saloon men ought to feel satisfied that they had been allowed to open their places at all at this time and should be very careful to obey the agreement they had signed.

– Press Democrat, May 26, 1906

SALOON MEN CAME NEAR WINNING OUT

The saloon men of Santa Rosa presented a petition to the city council Tuesday evening, asking that they be permitted to return to the opening and closing hours which prevailed before April 18. At present they open at 8 in the morning and close at 6 in the evening, and under the former regime they opened at 5 and closed at midnight.

Councilman Donahue moved that the petition be granted, saying he saw no reason why a return to the old regime should be longer delayed. He stated that most of the money spent in saloons was spent after 6 o’clock in the evening, at which time the saloons were now forced to close…

Mayor Overton declared he believed it a good idea to keep the saloons closed, and give the people an opportunity to save the money instead of spending it for booze. Councilmen Johnston and Reynolds entertained similar views, and voted against the proposed opening until midnight. Councilman Wallace had not arrived at the meeting, and had no chance to vote.

When the motion was about to be declared as carried, it was learned that the opening of the saloons after the hours now prescribed would have to be done by resolution. The matter was dropped for the time being.

– Santa Rosa Republican, June 20, 1906
SALOONS CAN OPEN NOW FROM 6 A. M. TO 8 P. M.

The saloons of Santa Rosa open at 6 o’clock this morning and will remain open until 8 o’clock tonight. This will be the rule until further notice, a resolution prescribing these hours having been carried at last night’s Council meeting. The matter was introduced by the reading of the following communication from Mayor Overton:

Santa Rosa, Cal., July 3–To the City Council of the City of Santa Rosa, Gentlemen:

After careful consideration of the resolution passed by your honorable body at your last meeting allowing the opening and closing of saloons same hours as before April 18th, I have to withhold my approval of the resolution.

I deem it for the best interests of the people of Santa Rosa and for the best interests of men engaged in the liquor business that they close their places of business at reasonable hours as all other business men do. The present hours from 8 to 6 o’clock I regard as being too stringent and would recommend the adoption of the same hours to prevail in San Francisco when the saloons open there, to wit, from 6 o’clock in the morning to 8 o’clock in the evening. Respectfully submitted, J. P. Overton, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa

When it came to adopting the Mayor’s suggestion the vote stood as follows: [ 3 Ayes, 3 Noes ], Mayor Overton gave the casting vote in favor of the amendment.

– Press Democrat, July 4, 1906

LUPPOLD ENTERTAINS HOST OF FRIENDS

Jake Luppold celebrated the opening of the “New Senate Saloon” Sunday in a manner worthy of his past efforts at entertaining his friends. Mr. Luppold’s reputation for hospitality is second to none, and on Sunday he exceeded his former substantial menus. The piece de resistance was chicken, and of these sixty-four were roasted. Each was stuffed and those who partook of the feast were served generously. To this were added eight hogs’ heads, a number of different salads, relishes and all the concomitants that go to make a magnificent spread. Mr. Luppold’s friends are legion, and they called and partook of the viands with a relish. Experienced caterers were on hand to serve the feast, and all had an enjoyable time. Mr. Luppold expects to duplicate the feast on Thanksgiving day, that being an established annual custom with him.

– Santa Rosa Republican, July 23, 1906

SUPERVISORS HEAR EVIDENCE
Petition to Revoke License of Alleged Disorderly Saloon on West Third Street

The “Standing Room Only” sign could have been out at Supervisor’s hall on Thursday afternoon. The seating capacity of the room was taxed to its utmost. The occasion was the hearing of the petition to revoke the liquor license held by George M. Simpson for the “Call No. 2 Saloon,” on West Third Street.

It was alleged that Simpson had kept a disorderly house, that unseemly noise and disturbance was created there and there were other charges.

Among the witnesses called were [13 names] and others.

After listening to the testimony, the petition to revoke the license was dismissed. It is only a few more days until all saloon keepers will have to present new petitions, as licenses have to be renewed at the first of the year.

After dismissing the petition, the Supervisors proceeded to hear evidence on the revocation of the license under which the saloon is run, and when all the witnesses were heard the matter was taken under advisement. The reason for the dismissal of the petition was owing to the fact that it was shown that Simpson does not personally hold the license.

One of the ladies called testified that she had once been accosted by intoxicated men outside the saloon. Another testified as to the noise from the place. Other witnesses testified as to the general reputation of the saloon.

Simpson denied that he had kept a disorderly house despite the fact that others had testified that there had been unbecoming conduct. Simpson claimed that one of the principal male witnesses against him had asked to be allowed to entertain a lady friend at his place and when he refused to allow him to do so the witness became angry.

– Press Democrat, December 7, 1906

TAKEN UNDER ADVISEMENT

The Board of Supervisors took the matter of the refusal to grant a liquor license to George Simson, of the Call saloon No. 2 under advisement late Thursday afternoon. The hearing of the matter continued until 5 o’clock, and the board took an immediate adjournment. The hearing brought to light some matters that were unexpected and it was testified that a certain witness had attempted to meet a “lady” there three times, but without the consent of the proprietor. The woman and other persons at divers times, it was shown in the testimony, had been ejected from the saloon. The petitioners declared that Simpson’s place was noisy and boisterous, and that it was not properly conducted. All of the allegations were specifically denied by Simpson, who declared that his place was conducted equally well as other similar places. One of the lady witnesses declared that a couple of months since two negroes came out of the saloon and addressed remarks to her as she was passing en route to her home. Some witnesses testified to seeing women about the place, but they were not certain it was not Mr. Simpson’s housekeeper, who is there permanently.

– Santa Rosa Republican, December 7, 1906
ARREST UNDER A NEW ORDINANCE
Elisa Perrotta Charged With Violation of Provision for the New Restaurant License

Elisa Perrotta, the erstwhile former proprietor of the Milano hotel on lower Fourth street, who lost his license for disobeying the city ordinance some time ago, and who since opened a restaurant, is again in trouble.

A complaint was sworn out by Police Officer John M. Boyes on Saturday against Perotta charging him with a violation of the new license ordinance No. 238, particular the section applying to restaurant licenses.

It was stated that three men went into Perotta’s restaurant and three drinks were put on a table and at the same time a plate with two or three crackers on it was also placed thereon. The restaurant ordinance provides that liquors can be served with meals only, and the cracker diet is not going to be tolerated and in this instance the arresting officer knew it was only a “blind.”

– Press Democrat, April 21, 1907

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THE MAN WHO WOULD BE SIDEWALK KING

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

Even if the newspaper ad wasn’t offering services from a petty criminal and drug addict, it still would’ve been unusual.

Taking up a full one-third page in the Press Democrat page on June 18, 1905, the advertisement was essentially a 20-word classified on steroids, with its few lines of type stretched, padded, and boxed to try to fill the empty space. Even larger than the usual weekly ads for children’s clothes and ladies’ dainties from The White House department store, this display promoted only product: The services of one Joseph N. Forgett, cement contractor.

It’s easy to imagine Forgett walking into the Press Democrat office to purchase that prominent advertisement and likely also ordering a large number of flyers as well, confident that a remarkable business opportunity was at hand. The Santa Rosa City Council was ordering property owners to lay concrete sidewalks next to their curbs — a decree not without controversy — and there were many absentee landlords, not to mention many locals who were probably clueless on mixing cement from scratch, as you had to do in 1905.

But the unusual ad from the man with the unusual name appeared only once, and less than three months later, Forgett was in the papers again, this time for being under arrest. He was charged with carrying a meat cleaver under his coat and stealing an opium pipe.

This was only the beginning of the Forgett’s public disgrace, which would climax two years later in 1907 as he led a sensational escape from the Sonoma County jail. In the accounts that appeared in the PD (transcribed below), Forgett and two other inmates overpowered the jailer and beat him severely before stealing his gun. A mob formed as word spread. Forgett and most of the other fugitives were quickly caught.

At his trial that October, Forgett offered a surprising defense: “I got out to save my wife,” he told the court, claiming that the jailor was making moves on Mrs. Forgett, also in jail as a vagrant. Another female prisoner supported the claim by testifying that the jailer “had hugged Mrs. Forgett so violently that her waist was almost black and blue.” The District Attorney countered that he had letters from Mrs. Forgett where she vowed to “stand pat” and that she and the other girls “would give old Fred [the jailer] merry hell.”

But defending his vagrant wife’s waist from “old Fred” wasn’t the main defense: He was insane because of opium withdrawal, the court was told. “When he could not get it, he said, he suffered considerably and at times did not know what he was doing,” the Press Democrat reported. His brother and mother testified tearfully that Joe was 15 years into his drug habit. The jury found him guilty, but asked the court for mercy.

The details of what happened to Forgett after that isn’t yet known to me (UPDATE HERE), but other records show that he lived a long life and stayed around Santa Rosa. The 1910 census finds him as an inmate in the county jail; a 1913 city directory lists him as a contractor, which could be a hopeful sign that he was on the straight-and-narrow. Voter registration records indicate he was a bricklayer in the late 1920s, and a few years later, a mason staying at the Belle Vista Hotel.

Despite his woes, Joseph N. Forgett left his mark on Santa Rosa; on at least one sidewalk (Beaver St. north of College Ave.) you can still see his name stamped into the pavement. A century-old advertisement set into stone. Perhaps Joe Forgett visited these tombstone-like slabs in his old age; maybe these were the links that kept him here past his years of wildness.


FORGETT PLACED UNDER HEAVY BAIL
LANGUISHES IN COUNTY JAIL IN DEFAULT OF NECESSAY BONDS
He Now Faces Charge of Petit Larceny With Prior Which May Mean Term in Prison

Justice Atchinson placed Joseph Forgett under $1,000 bonds Monday to keep the peace for six months. This was the result of the charge made last week by Harry Long that Forgett had made threat against his life and was carrying a concealed weapon. Justice Atchinson suspended sentence on Forgett’s promise of good behavior but as he was arrested again Saturday night with a cleaver under his coat the court decided to place him under bonds. Forgett is in the county jail in default of the necessary bond.

The charge of petit larceny for the stealing of the cleaver and opium pipe found on his person when arrested Saturday is being held in suspension as he has been convicted on a similar charge and this time a prior will make the offense a felony, and conviction a term in the penitentiary.

– Press Democrat, September 12, 1905

Opium Pipe Stolen

Joseph Forgett was arrested yesterday afternoon by Constable James H. Boswell, charged with petty larceny. The warrant was sworn out a couple of weeks ago, but was withheld until yesterday. Forgett is charged by Ty San with having stolen an opium pipe and a cleaver while he was visiting at the place of the Chinese on Second street. Ty does not mind the loss of the cleaver, but when his pipe was missing and he was temporarily deprived of his poppy sleep he became wroth and affixed his signature to a complaint alleging its theft by Forgett. The man was released on his own recognizance by Justice Atchinson and his case set for trial next week.

– Santa Rosa Republican, October 12, 1905

DESPERATE JAIL BREAK IN THIS CITY LAST NIGHT
JAILER OVERPOWERED AND TEN PRISONERS ESCAPE
Dragged Into a Cell and Keys and Gun Are Taken
Great Excitement Prevails and Scores of Citizens Surround Jail–Eight Prisoners Recaptured–Two Desperadoes at Large

A jail break, planned with all the cunning of the criminal heart that stops not at the sacrifice of human life if the taking of it is necessary to effect the desired purpose, took place at the Sonoma county jail on Third street about five minutes to six o’clock last night. Ten prisoners, including three women, escaped. Jailer Fred LaPoint was attacked and brutally beaten, dragged into a cell and locked up, and his keys and pistol taken.

These are some of the sensational features of last night’s occurrence at the jail. The city was thrown into a state of excitement as the news of the break spread and for hours the grim building was besieged with an eager throng. Up to midnight eight of the ten escapes [sic] had been returned to jail. Two, the most desperate of the gang, were still at large. They were John Anderson, who was yesterday morning convicted of grand larceny in the Superior Court and Tom Williams, awaiting trial on a charge of burglary.

OVERPOWER JAILER

When locking up time came Jailer LaPoint went to the door of the small cage that leads into the main jail and unlocked the gate to let Trusty Ralph Rogers passed into lock up. Joe Forgett, who has been doing time for several weeks, made a dash at the gate, grasped the jailer around the throat. A moment later Jack Anderson and Tom Williams rushed to Forgett’s assistance and after a hard struggle they had the officer down and overpowered, stunned by blows in the face and head. They jumped on him and then dragged him inside and hurled him into a cell, turned the lock and then they and the others made a rush from the building. Trusties Rogers and Ed Clark say they did what they could to assist the jailer, but were driven back by the threats and a flourish of knives and a pistol. Rogers ran around to the police station and gave the alarm and Clark telephone[d] news of the affair to Sheriff Smith from the jail, making no attempt to escape.

J. Capell and W. Kraus, arrested last Sunday for carrying brass knuckles, and believed to be bad characters, were locked in their cells when the break occurred, having refused to go to work that morning. When they saw what was being done, they begged the escaping prisoners to unlock their cell doors and allow them to join them, but no attention was given their entreaties. The nine other prisoners, most of whom could have escaped if they desired, followed Clark’s example and made no attempt to leave. Most of these men were up on minor charges.

START IN PURSUIT

Sheriff Jack Smith, who was at his home, and his deputies and the other officers were all quickly on the scene. At the jail a hasty tob [sic] was taken and it was found that the missing ones were Anderson, Williams, Forgett, McGriff, three boys named Foster, Karbaugh and Mazza, and three women, Mrs. Bane and Miss McNeill of Petaluma and Mrs. Joe Forgett. Then the Sheriff and many citizens in vehicles, autos, bicycles and afoot started in pursuit. Then also the crowd began to gather around the jail doors and the excitement grew amain. Dr. Jesse arrived and attended to Jailer LaPoint’s injuries, finding in addition to the cuts and bruises that his shoulder had been dislocated.

It was not long before a hack dashed up to the jail and Chief Deputy County Clerk G. W. Libby jumped out followed by Miss McNeill, one of the women who had escaped. Sometime afterwards W. A. Bolton’s auto pulled up with a rush at the jail. It contained Police Officer John Boyes and with him were Joe Forgett, Mrs. Forgett and Mrs. Bane. The quartet were found lying in an orchard near the race track by Officer Skaggs.

Later in the evening Chief of Police Rushmore and Police Officer Ed Skaggs came in with Mazza, Karbaugh and Foster. They were captured several miles from town on the Bennett Valley road. They had secured a ride on a wagon and had left it when it turned down a lane. Jeff Cook learned that three lads had passed along the road on a wagon and he and Chief of Police Rushmore drove hurriedly and overtook them. Rushmore and Skaggs took the trio back to jail. The boys had the jailer’s keys.

CAPTURED AT MELITTA

It was about 11 o’clock when a telephone message was sent to town by former Deputy Sheriff J. L. Gist that Constable Sam Gilliam had captured McGiff at Melitta.

Mention has already been made of the part played by the two trusties, Clark and Rogers, in their effort to rescue the jailer. They told their stories to the newspapermen and officials. Jailer LaPoint declares that Forgett made the first attack on him. Anderson and Williams are said to have been prime movers with Forgett and they appear to have been the ones who evolved the attack and plan of escape, according to declarations made to District Attorney Lea last night.

Forgett was the first taken into the jail office after his return to make a statement to the District Attorney, which statement was taken down in shorthand by Court Reporter Scott. He stated that the break had been planned for two or three days. He said it was not the intention to hurt the jailer and he said he did not see blows struck when the attack was made. He made a rambling statement.

William Verley, one of the prisoners who did not go with the rest, told the District Attorney that he had refused to yield to the importunings of Forgett and the others to join in the break. He said Forgett and the others had talked up the plan for a couple of days. Forgett’s suggestion was that they should saw themselves out. Then the scheme followed out last night was finally determined upon. A weapon that would have come in very handy doubtless was secured in the form of the leg of an iron bedstead. Both Verley and the lad Mazza saw Forgett secrete this in the bosom of his shirt. Later, Mazza says, Forgett carried it into a closet and afterwards threw it down on the floor of the cook room. Verley says he did not see much of the struggle at the time of the attack upon LaPoint. He claims that he ran outside with the idea of summoning aid and says he did tell one man to go for an officer. He then returned to jail.

MAZZA AFRAID

When Mazza told District Attorney Lea that he saw Forgett put the iron in his shirt, he (Mazza) stated and almost screamed “Don’t tell him that I told you. He will kill me if he knows it.”

After describing how Jailer La Point was handled by Forgett, Anderson and Williams the lad burst out, “I tell you I cried, for the man had been good to me. Yes, he had.”

At the time of the attack upon La Point, McGriff is said by one of the prisoner spectators to have been standing at the table where the meals are served and some of the prisoners interviewed say he had agreed beforehand to “stick with the boys” if they made the break. Verley’s reason for not going is characterized by one of the returned escapes as being an attack of “cold feet”

Jailer La Point’s pistol was taken from a drawer in a bureau in his bedroom. One of the prisoners says Anderson was the man who took it. At another time he is said to have been seen by both Verley and Mazza with part of a knife. The offense with which the jailbreakers will be charged is a most serious one. The three women appear to have simply run out with the rest. The Bane and McNeill women would have been liberated today, having served out their sentence.

At the time of the outbreak Under Sheriff Lindsay was at the hospital. When he returned to town he took command at the jail and notified the officers in the adjoining town to be on the lookout.

In addition to the officers named Deputy Sheriffs McIntosh and Reynolds, Police Officer Lindley, and Yeager, Constable Boswell and others assisted in the pursuit of the escapes.

Forgett told a frivolous story in excusing the part he took as leader of the plot.

Little Mildred Treanor, granddaughter of Mrs. H. A. Hahmann, who lives opposite the jail, and another little girl saw the crowd rush from the jail and she at once ran round to the police station to give an alarm. Several persons heard Jailer La Point’s lusty cries of “murder,” but for the time being took them to be shouts of possibly an insane patient confined in the jail.

PLAN DEAD MARCH

Yesterday afternoon when Jailer La Point carried a cup of coffee to a man named Ed Miller, detained in the insane cell upstairs in the jail building, Miller said: “Look out! They have planned a dead march on you.” Here was a warning which the jailer did not heed. This was natural enough, as it came from a man supposedly mentally deranged and who had in his rambling frequently cursed him. Miller called the turn. They had planned a “dead march” on the old man, sure enough.

– Press Democrat, June 8, 1907

TO BE TRIED ON ANOTHER CHARGE
Preliminary Examination of Joe Forgett on Two Complaints Takes Place of Saturday

The preliminary examination of Joe Forgett on two more charges, jail breaking and burglary, took place in Justice Atchinson’s court on Saturday morning. The charges are a sequel to the break last month from the county jail in this city. The alleged burglary consisted of the taking of Jailer La Point’s pistol from a bureau drawer in the latter’s bedroom. He was held for trial on the breaking jail charge and the burglary matter was taken under advisement. Forgett is already held for assault upon the jailer. At the proceedings on Saturday, District Attorney Lea prosecuted and Attorney William F. Cowan defended.

– Press Democrat, July 7, 1907

SENSATIONAL DAY IN FORGETT TRIAL
Joseph Forgett Faces a Jury in Judge Seawell’s Department of Superior Court

“I got out to save my wife.” This is the excuse Joseph Forgett offered on the witness stand in Judge Seawell’s Department of the Superior Court on Wednesday in explaining his part in the memorable break from the county jail three months ago when some seventeen prisoners escaped.

Before making this statement Forgett had prefaced it with others in which he alleged he had been informed by notes and by two other young women occupying upstairs rooms in the jail that Jailer Fred La Point had been making love to his wife, Jessie Forgett. This information, combined with a sudden reduction of the amount of morphine to which he had been accustomed before his incarceration in the county jail, he alleged had worked him up to such a pitch that he had resolved to take the first chance to break jail. Consequently when on the night of the break Jailer La Point momentarily left both gates leading from the big cage open he jumped for liberty, but denied that he had seriously hurt the jailor. It was his intention, he said, to grab the jailor and lock him up in the cell he (Forgett) had been occupying and then to sit on the steps of the bastille and await the coming of Sheriff Smith, whom he proposed to tell what he had done with La Point.

Mrs. Jessie Forgett testified as to the alleged familiarity on the part of the jailor with herself. At the time she was in the jail on a vagrancy charge with two other young women, who were also witnesses, Mrs. Bains and Viola McNeill, the latter two from Petaluma. Mrs. Forgett stated that La Point had called her into the bathroom at a time when, she alleged, he was ready to take a bath. The other females testified as to other alleged improprieties. One of the wanted it understood that La Point had hugged Mrs. Forgett so violently that her waist was almost black and blue.

District Attorney Lea had some letters, however, in which Mrs. Forgett had written to her husband that she and the other girls would “stand pat” and that they “would give old Fred (Jailer La Point) merry hell.” District Attorney Lea contended that the women were making unjust charges against the jailor and intended falsifying their testimony. Another letter from Mrs. Forgett to her husband was referred to in which Mrs. Forgett mentioned the story that she and the girls would testify to when the trial came in which Forgett would be charged with assisting in the jail break. The jury, of course, is the judge of the credibility of the witnesses. Jailer La Point gives the allegations of the women the lie direct.

Witnesses were called Wednesday to show that Forgett had been addicted to the use of morphine for years. He admitted himself that he had used it for fifteen years, and had taken as much as fifteen or sixteen grains a day when he could get it. When he could not get it, he said, he suffered considerably and at times did not know what he was doing.

The witnesses examined during the day were […]

– Press Democrat, October 10, 1907

JURY’S VERDICT JUSTICE–MERCY
After Brief Deliberation Joseph Forgett is Found Guilty of Assisting in Break at County Jail

After a very short deliberation the jury in the case of the state against Joseph Forgett brought in a verdict of guilty as charged in the information, namely, assisting prisoners to escape from the county jail in this city, and recommended him to the mercy of the Court. The Judge will take cognizance of the recommendation.

Thursday morning was devoted to the arguments by counsel for the state and defense. The District Attorney opened for the prosecution and W. F. Cowan responded. District Attorney Lea made the closing argument. The verdict did not occasion surprise as Forgett himself the night of the jail break, when he was returned to jail, told in a calm deliberate manner how he and other men in the prison had planned the escape. A strong plea was made, however, that at the time he was in a state of insanity by reason of his supply of morphine having been cut short.

Time was when Joe Forgett was a sober and industrious man. Then he began taking morphine and to this can be traced his downfall. His brother and mother did what they could to help him break away from the habit. When Fred Forgett broke down on the witness stand and wept on Wednesday while telling what he had done to aid his brother to reform he told the truth as many in the court room knew. The brother’s tears were genuine. They were not shed for effect. Neither was the mostening of that aged mother’s eye simply the effervescing of sentiment. She still loves her wayward boy despite he is come to forty years of age.

– Press Democrat, October 11, 1907

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