[Granville-Hough] 12 Oct 2009 - Saga of Tomato Springs

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:36:51 -0700
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: The Saga of Tomato Springs - 21 Oct 2009

1912 - The Huff Girls in the Saga of Tomato Springs.

    By 1912, Orange County was developed farmland growing cattle, grain, 
beans and citrus crops.  William Cook's family was growing beans on the 
Irvine ranch, where the El Toro Marine Base was built during World War 
II.  There were two Huff nieces with the family - Jessie, age 13 and 
Myrtle, age 17.  On December 15, 1912, these nieces became the center of 
an episode known as the "Saga of Tomato Springs.aaaaaaa'
    It began when an unknown drifter came by the Cook home with a pack 
on his baack and a rifle and asked for work.  While there, he eyed the 
two Huff girls with great interest.  He was told there was no work and 
then he left.  He then went on to Myford (now East Irvine) and purchased 
dinner.
    He walked back to the Cook ranch and was watching the house from a 
concealed position, The family dog began barking and Mrs. Cook sent the 
Huff girls out to see if a coyote was in the barnyard.  Then the girls 
reached the barn, the drifter jumped out with a gun and said: "Dont 
scream, or I'll kill you both."  He asked which girl was older.  Myrtle 
said she was the older, so he tied Jessie to a fence post and hustled 
Myrtle to the nearest pile of hay.  Meanwhile, Jessie worked herself 
free and ran into the house.  William Cook ran out, unarmed, to help 
Myrtle.  The drifter fired two shots at him, but Myrtle Huff was able to 
get to the house.  Later in medical examination, she was found to be 
unharmed.
    William Cook mounted a horse and rode to a brother's ranch and the 
two began to round up a posse to capture the drifter.  The sheriff was 
alerted and he sent deputies to help.  With lanterns, they were able to 
trace the assailant, but could not find him in the hills.
    The next morning, the drifter went to Edgar Chamber's ranch and 
forced the people to feed him breakfast.  He boasted he would kill a 
half dozen men before giving up.  Within an hour, the Sheriff's posse 
had found him.  in thhe ensuing fight, he killed Undersheriff Robert 
Squires with six bullets, put two bullets through Deputy Sheriff J. F. 
Stacy, and put one each through William Culver, the Irvine blacksmith, 
and Albert Prater.
    When news of the morning assault became known, Company L of the 
National Guard under Captain Nate Ulm was called out, issued guns and 
ammunition, and joined the fight.  The drifter was surrounded and kept 
pinned down.  Over two hundred men were firing into the area of Tomato 
Springs where he was holed up.  Finally they decided to fire an intense 
volley and then rush in.  When they ceased firing and began moving in, 
they heard a single shot.  Fifteen different men claimed credit, but 
none had a weapon which used a 32 caliber bullet.  The drifter had 
killed himself with a 32-caliber pistol.
    Undersheriff Squires  was given a hero's funeral, and the drifter 
was assigned a pauper's grave.  Before he was buried, he was tentatively 
identified as Joe Matlock, son of a former mayor of Eugene, Oregon.  The 
senior Matlock came to view the body, but denied it was his son,  Later 
he seems to have concluded it was his son, though the son's appearance 
was much changed.  The son, Joe Matlock, had severe tuberculosis, and 
his bravada showed he knew he was dying.
References:_ The Times_, December 17, 1912, with reprint of _Los Angeles 
Times,_ Orange County Section, October 4, 1981.  (The references show a 
line drawing of Tomato Springs overlooking the plats of land involved 
all the way to East Irvine.  I believe this drawing is in the Jim 
Sleeper Collection.)  (GWH: As written above, I republished the story in 
Granville W. Hough, _Tales of Our People,_ privately published, 1989.)
----------------------------------------
Now, as one looks at the canyons which flow from the hills down into the 
Great Park of Orange County, they are all quite similar.  It might be 
worth a student research project to look up this canyon and see how it 
relates to the site for Crean Lutheran South High School