October 29, 1896: “SHOOTING AT RANDSBURG—ONE MAN REPORTED INSTANTLY KILLED—AND TWO FATALLY INJURED—They Are Now on the Road to Mojave.—SHERIFF BORGWARDT IS SENT FOR—Impossible to Obtain Anything but the Most Meager Details –Strange Silence—At an early hour this morning Sheriff Borgwardt received a dispatch from Deputy Sheriff J. M. Crawford, telling him that a man had been killed at Randsburg the night before, and for him, the coroner, and the district attorney to come at once. The message came by telephone from Cow Wells (Garlock) to Mojave, and thence by the Postal here. Subsequently another message was received from Mojave, saying that there had been a desperate affray at Randsburg, in which one man had been instantly killed, another fatally wounded, who was expected to die at any time, and a third also badly wounded. The only name mentioned was that of the man killed, who was said to be one Ault, from Tulare County. The CALIFORNIAN, at once telegraphed to its correspondent at Mojave to wire full details of the affair. Only the meagerest details can be obtained. The shooting was all done by two men, and the man killed was shot through the head with a Winchester. Whether the two wounded are the men who did the shooting is not learned. At 3:30 a message was received saying that a team left Garlock at noon with the wounded men, and the both were believed to be fatally injured. They will arrive at Mojave about 9:00 o’clock this evening at the earliest. For some reason the parties at the Garlock end of the telephone would not give any particulars of the affray, the names of the wounded, or anything about the affair. From the face that the Garlock telephone operator is so loath to talk about the affair, it is surmised that there have been some very sensational occurrences there. Judge Conklin is at Garlock today. 4:15 p.m.—Word was just received that immediately on receipt of the news at Mojave, the CALIFORNIAN’S correspondent started out with others to meet the party that was enroute from Garlock. Their return to Mojave is momentarily expected, when full details of the tragedy will at once be wired to this paper, and if received at a reasonable hour, and extra will be issued. The CALIFORNIAN has left nothing undone to obtain details of the shooting, but nothing more is known in Mojave about it. It is difficult to understand why details have not been sent by the telephone from Garlock. Something extraordinary must have occurred. The officer’s will go on to-night’s train to Mojave.” –Bakersfield Daily Californian October 30, 1896: “SHOOTING AT RANDSBURG—Difficulty in Getting at the Facts.—AN INNOCENT MAN KILLED—Walking Along the Road When Shot—FULL DETAILS OF THE OCCURRENCE—A Clash of Authority as to the Inquest—Two Prisoners En Route Here. –Seldom has there been an occurrence concerning which it has been so difficult to get at the facts as the fatal shooting at Randsburg Wednesday night. All sorts of wild rumors were afloat all day, and to add to the difficulty of learning anything definite, parties at Garlock who were asked over the telephone for information refused to give it. There was no earthly reason for this reticence, but repeated efforts were met by the abrupt shutting off of communication. In order to learn something definite, a CALIFORNIAN representative went to Mojave on No. 19 last night and returned on a special stock train, reaching here about 9:30 this morning. At Mojave many different stories were afloat, but from gathering all and piecing them together, what seems to be a fairly correct solution of the affair was obtained. The shooting took place in Thompson’s saloon, a frame and canvas structure on Jerusalem Flat, at the junction of the Fiddler’s Gulch and Randsburg roads, and it occurred between 2 and 4 o’clock Thursday morning. George Wooster was playing with Buster Sr. he lost steadily, and finally noticed that young Buster, who was standing by his father’s side occasionally nudged his as if giving him pointers on the game. After seeing this going on for some time, and continuing to lose steadily, Wooster at last got tired of it and accused the old man of cheating by the aid of his son. Young Buster at once drew a knife and started for Wooster. The latter stepped back and the barkeeper, a youth named Fesler, passed him a Winchester rifle which had been standing behind the bar. Quick as a flash Wooster drew it down on Buster and shouted: “Throw up your hands or I’ll blow your head off!” Up went Buster’s hands and down went the knife on the floor. The old man picked it up, and making no move to use it, Wooster gave the gun back to the barkeeper and went out. In a short time he returned, and just here all the accounts grow hazy. What is clear, however, is that in some way young Buster got Wooster up against the wall, and held his arms to his sides while the old man stabbed him in the thigh and back, inflicting some bad wounds. Then the account grows still more indistinct. A rifle was seen in Wooster’s hands, and afterward in young Buster’s, and then the shooting began. Fesler got out a six-shooter and joined in. Quite a number of shots were fired, and the Busters ran out of the saloon. When the fight was over it was found that a man lay in the road some 200 or 300 feet away. Examination showed that it was a young man named Ault, who had recently came there with his stepfather, James Stewart, of Visalia, brother of George Stewart, editor of the Delta. Auld had not been in the saloon at all, and was going up the road to look after his team, so it is supposed, when he met his death. Examination of the body showed that he had been shot in the back, the bullet passing completely through the abdomen and inflicting a wound that was necessarily fatal. After passing through the body the bullet went over a hundred feet further and struck a post in blacksmith shop. Ault lived some time after being shot. Dr. Tuthill, who examined the wound, said he thought it came from a 38-caliber pistol bullet, but men familiar with gunshots say it would be impossible for a revolver bullet to do such execution. Deputy Sheriff J. M. Crawford and Constable Claude Bohannon were asleep at the time of the affray, but heard the shots and at once hastened to the scene. The two Busters were put under arrest, as was young Fesler, who, it is said, owned up that he did some shooting, but that he was trying to protect Wooster from young Buster, who was firing his rifle promiscuously. It was found that a bullet had passed through young Buster’s ear, but neither of the men were otherwise injured. Fearing the result should the prisoners be kept in camp till the tragedy became known, a team was at once procured and as soon as possible Crawford and Bohannon started with the Buster’s for Mojave. Crawford left, the party at Garlock and returned, while Bohannon kept on to Mojave. His prisoners were quite willing to go, indeed displayed the utmost readiness to leave Randsburg as far behind as possible, and when they reached Mojave they did not want to stop, but requested the officer to keep a going with them till they were safe in the Bakersfield jail. Their apprehensions, it may be said were well founded. At Mojave they were brought before Justice Tolfree, where the elder Buster declared that he was his own lawyer and would plead his own case, saying that he would have no trouble at all in getting out of it. Nevertheless the men were locked up and will be brought here this evening. It is expected that Deputy Sheriff Crawford will arrive in Mojave some time to-day with Fesler and bring him to Bakersfield as well. After the prisoners had been disposed of, a discussion arose as to the disposition of the body of Ault. Ed McGinnis had recently been appointed Justice of the Peace at Randsburg, but has not yet qualified. Acting it is said under the advice of Judge Conklin, who was present, McGinnis held an Inquest and the body was then sent to Mojave, and put on No. 20, to be taken to Tulare. In the meantime Crawford telegraphed for the sheriff, coroner and district attorney, and Coroner Helm telegraphed to McGinnis not to hold the inquest. But this dispatch evidently was not delivered until after the inquest has been held, this being explained by the fact that it had to be carried from Garlock to Randsburg, the former place being the end of the telephone line. The party with the body left Randsburg at 1:30 p. m. and reached Mojave late in the evening. James Stewart, the stepfather of the youth, was in Bakersfield yesterday until about 2 o’clock, and while he heard of the killing he did not learn the name. He left with his team going north, and near Poso was met by a messenger who had come from Tulare on a bicycle with the sad news. He at once took the southbound train on which was a Tulare undertaker who had been sent by the dead youth’s mother to get his body. Sheriff Borgwardt and the CALIFORNIAN representative joined them on the train, and on arrival at Mojave it was found that the remains had already been shipped. So Mr. Stewart and the undertaker took the next train, a freight, for the north. In the meantime Coroner Helm had heard of the disposition the body and went to Kern City, had it taken off the train and sent back to Mojave. The train with the coroner and the body on board passed the one on which were Mr. Stewart, the undertaker and the CALIFORNIAN representative, at Keene, and while they passed there was not chance to speak a word, and Mr. Stewart went on without the least idea that the body was not already in Tulare. Mr. Stewart, by good fortune, heard of the disposition that had been made of the body, and consequently remained here to await developments. The CALIFORNIAN received the following dispatch at 3 p.m.: Mojave, Oct. 30—Sheriff Borgwardt and Constable Bohannon left on the freight train this noon with the Busters, father and son. A Coroner’s jury was empaneled and the remains were viewed. The body will be sent to Tulare to-night. Coroner Helm has gone to Randsburg for witnesses, and the inquest will be held here to-morrow night. Two more men have been arrested at Randsburg. There is nothing new. THE BUSTERS’ STORY—The two men under arrest, John Buster Sr., and John Buster Jr., were seen in jail at Mojave by a CALIFORNIAN representative, and asked for their side of the story. The father spoke first. He said that he and George Wooster had been playing poker together, and he finally won all of Wooster’s money. At that Wooster accused him of cheating and acted as if he wanted to fight. Buster told Wooster that he did not come there to fight but to make money. After a few more words Wooster left the saloon, but in a little while came in the door with a Henry rifle in his hands and began shooting promiscuously. Buster said that was all he knew about it and that neither he nor his son did any shooting. When asked how Wooster came to get cut. Buster professed the utmost astonishment and said he had nothing to do with it. Neither he nor his son had any knife. Young Buster corroborated his father’s story in the utmost detail. The old man eyes went so far as to express astonishment when told that someone had been killed. That was the first he know of it he said.” –Bakersfield Daily Californian November 14, 1896: “KERN COUNTY—As a result of a desperate fight in a tent saloon at Randsburg, the new mining camp near Mojave, Frank Ault of Bakersfield is dead, the victim of a stray bullet; George Worchester is fatally stabbed and J. H. Buster Jr. has a bullet hole through his ear. Ault had no part in the quarrel and was not in the tent. The bartender fired a shot and it is supposed that he killed Ault and put the hole in young Buster’s ear.” –Placervillle Mountain Democrat November 16, 1896: “THE EXAMINATION OF WILSON AND THE BUSTERS will take place the first of the week, George Wooster being much improved and able to testify.” –Bakersfield Daily Californian November 19, 1896: “THE RANDSBURG AFFRAY—George Worchester, the man who got cut in the row at Randsburg the time Ault was killed, is now in jail. There is a criminal charge against him for being mixed up in that racket. The preliminary hearing of all who were connected with this trouble will likely take place next week. ” –Bakersfield Daily Californian November 27, 1896: “The preliminary examination of the Busters, Worcester, and Wilson, charged with being implicated in that Randsburg tragedy, will begin to-day at Mojave.” –Bakersfield Daily Californian January 26, 1897: “SUPERIOR COURT NOTES—People vs. Worcester and Wilson—Trial continued to February 10th.” –Bakersfield Daily Californian January 27, 1897: “CHARGE DISMISSED—The murder charge against Worcester and Wilson, alleged to have been committed at Randsburg when young Ault of Tulare was killed, was dismissed this morning on motion of the District Attorney on the grounds of insufficient evidence to convict. To say nothing of the cost of the arrest, examination, and detention of these men at the jail for several months, nearly $200 was paid out this morning to the witnesses in the case. ” –Bakersfield Daily Californian The photo on the left is of a later date than the story by abour 2 years. But it is the only one I could fine to show the approximate location of the saloon in which the shooting took place. The saloon would have been in the general area of the building at the extreme right. The corrals where the team was kept were just past the jail.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 20:53:09 +0000
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