Odd, Old News: Séance Shortened by Spirited Spirit
George White, Mendocino Cattle King [Image adjusted from here]
The latter half of the 1800’s saw an upsurge of interest in mediums and spiritualism in America. Even George White, the ruthless land baron of northern Mendocino/southern Humboldt and Trinity counties had a favorite psychic who he would visit in San Francisco. Here is an account of a séance that called up a rowdy entity in Eagle Prairie (Rio Dell).
MANIFESTATIONS– Some curious spiritual manifestations were had at Eagle Prairie last Sunday evening. A party had evoked the spirits and the way the [spirit] sent a table spinning was a caution. One of the party present made inquiries relative to the presence of a certain friend of his who was in the spirit world, and being answered in the affirmative, was told that the spirit was constantly in attendance upon him, and the reason for this was that he was considered the wickedest in the whole party and needed more watching. The spirit was so demonstrative on the subject that the table was split in half, and broke up the seance.
Humboldt Times, 8/31/1876
Earlier Odd and Old News:
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- The Legend of Humboldt’s Loch Ness Monster
- Return Of The Man Eating Snake Of The South Fork (First ‘Viral’ Story From SoHum)
- Schumacher’s Snake as Caught by the Press
- Odd, Old News: A Curious Cave in the Eel River Valley
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??Good morning Kym and thank you David for not letting us forget our history.
I keep waiting for an old-timey steam-powered UFO to show up in these tales.
How about:
Ruthless Indian Killer Warned ‘Hell Awaits.’
My family has been in Laytonville area for 7 generations now and I have never heard one story where Mr. White had done anything good. Even hearing his name gives me shivers and It must be in my DNA. My grandfather told me his ppl killed so many natives that the water at bloody run creek ran red for a week and was named bloody run creek outside of Covelo because of it. That might be why the spirits hated him. He was a viscious, evil man.
Local
Being a generational native myself, I can tell you that most of what we hear about history is mostly wrong.
Cattle King white was Indeed an evil man to both Indian and white people. He would offer a person $75.00 for their land and you took it and left or “Indians” would kill you.
However, I don’t think he had anything to do with Bloody Run. It was actually Jack Farley and a group of local Long Valley residents that did it. A raiding party of Indians from Modoc county rustled Jack Farley’s prize horses. The Indians slaughtered the horses. That is why the Creek ran red. And, coincidentally, that is how Farley found the Indians.
There is way, way more to the story than can ever be told here. David Heller is one of my forever heroes for moving here and trying to get to the true history of our people. Which as I am sure that he knows by now, there is at least three versions of every local history story. Some are even the truth.
That sounds similar to the offer that I have heard the Mexican drug cartels make people. Silver or lead?
Thanks for the praise Ernie, will try and live up to the acclaim.
Why is fabricated bulshit of the past more interesting than fabricated bulshit of the present?
Are there more and more ghosts seen holding smartphones now? When will the first ghost jogger complete with Fitbit or a smartwatch be reported?
The past is almost always more interesting than the present because we know the present. I find the future to be really interesting except for the fact that it’s all speculation. If time travel is real then the present is the future’s past which would make it more interesting than the current present.
I believe! I was grabbed once by an invisible force Had me by the wrist for about 20 seconds! My beliefs changed that day I tell you! Cannot say it was a ghost but it was powerful! Fight or flight kicked in and all I could do was bounce up and down. It was like a vice! I am 6 foot 2inches and run 220 lbs and it takes 3 or 4 men to restrain me. I believe.
Ah good ol’ George White, destroyer of so many, including his own wives. He was some piece of work. There’s a story that when his henchman and assassin Wylackie John was killed, a local judge danced a jig.
Really enjoying these articles, please keep ’em coming!
If you are ever able to get your hands on the book “Genocide and vendetta” I recommend reading it. My family has been in the Laytonville area for many generations also. Some of my fondest memories were deer and pig hunting on the family cattle ranch near Covelo as a kid in the 80’s. The book explains a lot about what went on in that time period mainly between Sherwood and alderpoint. Its absolutely horrifying and sad to say the least. Yes George White was a terrible man. It’s been quite a few years since I read it, I might pull my copy out and start reading it again tonight. I’m loving the history thanks Kym and David! Oh and Ernie for that matter, Blackbelts original history buff haha
Thanks T— Asbill’s the “Last of the West”, “Genocide and Vendetta”, and the George White saga are such huge topics that I have barely, and purposefully, touched on the topic. George E. White gradually acquired over 35-40,000 acres of the best range in Mendocino, Trinity, and southern Humboldt counties. His vast holdings covered the watershed for four rivers. Alfilaria, a wild oat, grew as tall as the cattle. The Round Valley had a history of lawlessness and came to be called a ‘paradise for outlaws’. The only law was the .44-40 model 1873 Winchester, which was usually administered from behind a tree with a .44-caliber slug. White hated the homesteaders and his outlaw buckaroos had orders to keep the homesteaders out.” And so they did, by every means possible. There is a movie there that would rival any of the better known Westerns of the SW and Texas, one where the bad guys won and dominated…for decades.
Carranco and Beard wrote in Last of the West that “George E. White became convinced of the truth and value of spiritualism when he first invited Mrs. Whitney to his home in Round Valley. White had sold a colt at that time, and Mrs. Whitney told him that the spirits reported to her that the colt would return at a certain hour. When the specific hour arrived, the colt was back in the yard. From that time on White sought the advice of the medium for all his troubles.” (p.246)
hmm might appreciate hearing that after a contested divorce case with his last wife “He even paraded before the public as a fanatical spiritualist to establish a foundation on which to base a pleas of unsound mentality to avoid paying any alimony”. (p. 257) 🙂
You might be on to something there David, let’s get a script going! It’s like Young Guns but Murphy’s got nothing on White haha. The history of this area is absolutely fascinating, brutal but fascinating. It’s not called the wild west for nothing!
Dang,
I really found this comment informative. Thank you.
I dont care about Seances today, tomorrow or 200 years ago. Just me, sorry Kym, I’m glad others enjoy these wacko stories of past.
My apologies! Carranco and Beard wrote in GENOCIDE AND VENDETTA, not Last of the West. sheesh!
That’s funny…. I was going to say that you just came up with a fourth version of history. Glad you caught it. Lol.
My comment editor is getting older Ernie, he can repeatedly go over what I have typed
and not see the glaring errors… at least I didn’t mispeel anthing! 🙂
let them lie… and lets go on…. please and thank you:) Nothing of this is worth celebrating so lets hang this “party” up…*why not* make a better day… trusting and believing we are better than that. Peace and love to all… Be well!
I just love these old stories. My family has been around forever too. I would love to read that book if anyone of you would allow it to be borrowed in good hands.
Ask you’re uncle johnny, I’m pretty sure he has a copy. I think he’s the one that originally turned me on to the book. I’m sorry tho, that’s the one book I don’t loan out.
Genocide and vendetta is available to read online for free at archive.org
the last I heard, there is a copy of Genocide and Vendetta that can be read IF the reader agrees to stay in the Garberville Library, seated, and within view the librarian. Needless to say, the book cannot be borrowed. My information is based on some time ago so it’s possible things have changed..
There is at least one copy at the Round Valley Public Library in the Reserved Section, however the last time I checked it was kept behind the Front Desk and cannot be checked out. Many copies have been given to the RVPL over the years and every one of them has sprouted legs and walked away, or was checked out and never returned. Old copies can sometimes be found and purchased at a very high price, usually in poor condition. Someone once gave me a hand-copied, spiral bound copy of the book in two volumes, which I was later told violated copyright laws. I gave it to the Library. It is indeed a fascinating book, but Mr. Beard’s writing style may be termed “dense” to the point of impenetrability. Very. slow. reading. I’m not sure I ever managed to read it from cover to cover. Kept it by my bedside for years as a sure cure for insomnia. Even though it’s a factual account of the wild, wild west, reading it can be painfully tedious. At least I found it so.