THE TENNESSEE LETTERS:

From Carson Valley, 1857-1860

Compiled by

DAVID THOMPSON

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APPENDIX

Additional Correspondence Concerning Richard Allen

Territorial Enterprise

February 5, 1859

A CARD TO THE PUBLIC

In view of the slanderous charges which have been preferred against this community, by certain unprincipled correspondents, through the Weekly Alta, San Francisco Weekly Herald, and the Sacramento Union, the undersigned, residents of Carson Valley, in order to remove the false impressions which may obtain abroad to the great and irreparable injury of our country, deny the statements made by "Carson" and "Tennessee," --the correspondents above referred to, -- and charge the said "Carson" and "Tennessee" with willful and malicious falsehood.

To our certain knowledge there is not at this time a resident of Carson Valley living with more than one wife or woman. The Mormon residents of the Valley, in response to the call of their Prophet, left for Salt Lake City in the Fall of 1857, and at this time there is not one man on the Eastern Slope of the Sierras who claims alleigance to the Mormon faith, who be it known has but one wife.

Mark M. Gaige            J.J. Coddington

John K. Trumbo          Nelson Brobant

H. Monk                     Frank S. Jones

Wm. J. Thorington     James McSherry

Lewis A. Greenleaf      A.L. Dorsey

Leory A. Greenleaf     Robert Lyon

E. Smith                      John S. Child

John Walker                Rufus Adams

Albert Swett                John Adams

Benj. Murphy              James McMarlin

John H. Taylor            Stephen A. Kinsey

E.H. Knott                   Miles E. Reese

Jas. B. Webster            Mikel Bordway

N.J. Crow                    Orin Gray

Wm. Francis                George Dittenrider

Thomas Yancy             Geo. W. Chedic

John S. Butler             Wm. H. Carey

R. J. Gilman                John Flint

Jack B. Brown             A.B. Cole

Peter W. Vansickle      A.A. Parker

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J.A. Thompson            John Olds

A. Grimell                   H.S. Raymond

Luther Old                  Benjamin Parmer

E. K. Gandy                 Thomas Irvine

E. R. Barklin               C. E. Holbrook

J. P.  Pettegrene           J.M. Luther

George Hunt               S. Weill

Hiram Mott, Jr.           S. Mott

J.A. Smyth                   James Silly

N. Dutcher                  J. Shaver

John Hawkins              W.E. Cullum

M.W. Wheeler            H.J. Standridge

J.J. Holmes                  Calvin Hale

James O. Williams       Henry W. Savitz

Henry Vansickle          William Williams

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Territorial Enterprise

February 12, 1859

As you have published a Card in your issue of last week in which the Carson Valley correspondent of the San Francisco Herald is charged by seventy persons with falsehood, and as it is well known in California that I am that correspondent, I claim the privilege of replying through your columns.

Of the seventy signers of this Card about one-half are known to me; of the rest I never heard before, and for aught I know they may be mere suppositious personages. If the character of those whom I know were as well understood in California as here, I would deem it unnecessary to make any reply. "Carson," a correspondent of the Sacramento Union whose real name is unknown to me, in a communication to that paper, declared that all those who compose the Mormon faction here, have two or more wives living somewhere, or are married to women who have more than one husband. It was not stated that all the husbands or wives resided in this Valley. My offence seems to be in admitting the truth of this charge. Knowing that some of the Mormon faction were so situated, I admitted the charge against the whole, being unprepared to deny it. I would gladly have refuted the charge if I could, which I intimated in my communication to the Herald.

The customs of all Christian countries for ages past have clearly defined the position of a man with two wives and a woman with two husbands. The laws of all such countries declare them criminal, and justly consign them to the penitentiary, nor does the name of religion mitigate the crime or its punishment. But polygamy is not the only crime which the Mormons and their sympathizers are guilty of, though they have the pardon of the President hanging about their necks, they stand convicted of treason before the bar of public opinion, and it is hardly fit that they be entrusted with the administration of the government.

The Card to which I have referred bears a falsehood upon its face, by declaring that there is not one man on the Eastern Slope of the Sierra Nevada who claims allegiance to the Mormon faith. One of the signers of the Card has told me often that he is a Mormon, in fact, he rarely losses (sic) an opportunity of declaring it publicly. A gentleman long resident here told me yesterday, in your presence, Mr. Editor, that he

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could name more than a dozen persons in this valley who "claim allegiance to the Mormon faith."

The ground of my opposition to the Utah Statutes, or rather to their administration in this county, is falsely charged by one of the immaculate Seventy to my disappointment at not receiving the position now held by John Child; I can easily prove by Gov. Cumming himself that I never sought this appointment; and I could also prove to his Excellency that if I had done so I could have brought such influence to bear upon him in my favor as could have secured it to me. But I desire no official position, least of all do I wish to hold an office which I know a great majority of the people would have remain vacant. When I am one of a minority on any question, I hope at least that it will be a respectable minority. I have mentioned this charge because it has appeared in one of the Sacramento papers.

Equally groundless is the charge which has been made against me that I affiliate with the Vigilance Committee here. I have always opposed and always will oppose such illegal organization. In 1856 I was on a court jury against the Vigilance Committee of San Francisco, and I have now in my possession letters from prominent citizens of California in which the efficiency of my aid in suppressing that dangerous rebellion is handsomely acknowledged. In this valley it is well known that I did more last summer in opposing the action of the committee than any other person. I oppose the operation of the Utah Statutes here, because I apprehend their establishment will destroy our prospects for a separate Territorial Government, and because I am convinced of the incapacity of the officers appointed as well as for the reason above mentioned, viz: that a large majority of the people here, in fact I may say nearly the whole of the respectable part of our population, are unwilling to be governed by the laws which have been enacted by a traitorous band of foreign vagabonds, to suit the peculiar views of Brigham Young.

In conclusion, I will say that for the sake of those who have given me the trouble of writing this letter, I hope to have no further occasion to notice them.

RICHARD N. ALLEN

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Territorial Enterprise

May 21, 1859

A CARD

In the weekly San Francisco Herald, of April 15th, I notice a correspondence from this place, over the signature of "Tennessee," in which my name is used in connection with my business, in the lowest and most disrespectful terms. This correspondent, who has chosen to disgrace the name of Tennessee rather than that of R.N. Allen -- his real name -- is so well known in this community as a base and unscrupulous disseminator of falsehood, through the San Francisco Herald, has preyed so long upon the duplicity of the traders at Genoa, and is so familiarly known as a sponge upon this community, that his efforts to injure me at home are futile, and unworthy of notice. But since I am only one among the many who have been the victim of his ingratitude, I beg leave to make a plain statement of the business relation which has heretofore existed between him and myself, leaving the public to form an opinion of the man.

Upon his arrival in this place I rented him a house belonging to a man in Sacramento City, for whom I was acting as agent, and for whom I asked of "Tennessee" the payment of the rent due, to which he replied that the owner of the house should collect his own rent, at the same time warning me in a threatening manner to say no more about it. Subsequently, I let him have many of the necessaries of life on credit, amounting to about $155, for which I have never received a dollar, nor do I expect to. A short time since, while on a drunken spree, he visited my house, and without any provocation, drew a double-barreled shot-gun on a gentleman of this place, attempting to shoot him; after which, he struck him with it, with such violence as to sever the stock in two, with the breech end of which the gentleman struck him, causing his late confinement. I interfered, and thereby saved his life. Since his indisposition I have furnished him provisions, from time to time, and hired a man to provide wood for his family. Lately I bought a sack of flour for him, paying my own money, where his credit would not obtain it, (the money for which was afterwards re-paid), and although believing from the manner in which, others had been duped by him, that I never would receive pay for goods which he purchased from me; I never refused him any articles which he called or sent for, except on one

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occasion, when his boy called for a bottle of whiskey, which through kindness towards him I refused, knowing that he was addicted to intemperance, and fearing that it might aggravate his disease, but upon learning that he wanted the whiskey for medicinal purposes I immediately sent it to him.

This ungrateful conduct on the part of "Tennessee" is inhuman and entirely incomprehensible to me.

THOMAS J. SINGLETON

Territorial Enterprise

May 28, 1859

A CARD

My attention has been called to a scurrilous Card published in your last week's paper, by T.J. Singleton. I can take no notice of Mr. Singleton, personally, but it is proper for me to contradict a few of the falsehoods he has published. The only traders with whom I have dealt here are Judge Child and Major Ormsby. To the former I recently paid very near if not quite all that I owed him. If Major Ormsby is not already paid, (I have not seen him for three months), he will tell any one who chooses to inquire of him that he is secured to his satisfaction. I do not owe Mr. Singleton $155, I owe him about $100, sixty of which I assumed for Col. Rodgers, who will testify that I did so merely as a favor to Mr. Singleton, this was all for whiskey; ten dollars I assumed for John Chapman; also a whiskey bill. (Query, are these the necessaries of life?) I never had ten dollars worth of provisions of Mr. Singleton, either on credit or otherwise, since I came to this place. During my late illness, I had nothing from him but what I paid for. Of course, I do not know whether he expects to receive payment of what I now owe him or not, but from his paying me a dunning visit lately, while I was confined to my room, with rheumatism, I infer that he does. I paid him $17 on this occasion, which was just half the money I had.

A fool is the only character I despise more than an ingrate, and will therefore clear myself of the charge of ingratitude which Mr. Singleton has made against me. I have loaned him $70 or $80 at a time when he was going over to Placerville to purchase his solution of Strychnine, which I think is a fair balance to any favors I have received of him.

As to his saving my life, it is all "fudge." Those who were present, at the difficulty to which he alludes, know that he was not there till it was over. He washed my wounds, a kindness for which I addressed him a note of thanks the next day. My late illness was not superinduced by the wounds received on this occasion, they only confined me a few days. Who ever heard of contused wounds bringing on the rheumatism and boils, with which I have been suffering?

In regard to the article I published in the San Francisco Herald, to which this foolish old man has

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taken exception, it was not intended to do him injury, nor has he thence sustained any. I afterwards stated in a letter to the Herald that I did not intend to reflect upon him, and I also stated to himself that if he really felt himself aggrieved I would make any reparation he would suggest.

But I have already noticed Mr. Singleton more than I should have done -- more than I intended, and certainly all I ever shall under any circumstances.

RICHARD N. ALLEN

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The San Francisco Herald published the following article on May 19, 1860 on the subject: "CALIFORNIA ARMS.--The explanation in reference to Indians at Carson Valley having some of the California State arms marked with the initials of Gen. Kibbe, is that Uncle Billy Rodgers, some three years since, got one hundred rifles from our State to protect his party from the savages, and they afterwards got into the possession of the Indians."

A letter by M. Scott, Jr., published in the Herald on June 5, 1860, developed the topic further; it is reprinted below:

Answer to the Charges against Col. Wm. Rogers

In 1857 Col. William Rogers resided at Hope Valley, near Carson City, in Western Utah, where he was engaged in mining. Col. Rogers suffered much from the depredations of the Indians and made applications to Governor J. Neely Johnson for twenty-five muskets, to be used in repelling Indian invasions. The requisition was granted and Quartermaster General Kibbe turned over about twenty-five muskets to Col. Rogers, six of which were taken from the Prison Brig at Sacramento. These arms were yagers, or muskets of the most ordinary description. Several of the citizens of Sacramento subscribed to the amount of $110, which was expended by Col. Rogers for ammunition and expenses of transportation. He left Sacramento for Carson in the fall of 1857, accompanied by a number of volunteers. These arms were used by Col. Rogers for the purposes above mentioned, and were afterwards turned over by him to the Postmaster at Genoa. Whether the Pah-Ute Indians have obtained possession of these arms, and if they have, from whom they procured them is a question which will be fully investigated hereafter. The object of this statement is to refute the charges which have been published in California to the effect that the arms in question were sold to the Indians by Col. Rogers. He is entirely innocent of that offense. For the last two years he has been acting as Indian Agent in Utah, and has resided upon a reservation about two hundred miles west of Salt Lake.

SAN FRANCISCO, JUNE 3, 1860. M. SCOTT, JR.

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The first of these articles, or perhaps both, produced a letter from Allen, writing under his own name, which was published in the San Francisco Herald on June 15, 1860:

Genoa, U.T.,

June 9, 1860

The Guns of the Pah-Utes

It is stated, and probably with truth, that some of the guns furnished by Ex-Governor Johnson of California, for use against the Indians here in 1857, are now in the hands of the Pah-Utes; and in a late issue of the HERALD I notice an article upon the subject headed "Explanation." It is however due to myself that further explanation should be published.

Upon the departure of Uncle Billy Rodgers for Salt Lake, in the fall of 1858, I was requested by Gov. Weller to collect these guns and hold them subject to his order. Accordingly I received nine guns from Rodgers, who stated that the balance, sixteen, were in the hands of one Rupely, who lives on the mountains between Carson Valley and Placerville. Before I could make application to Rupely, he alleging that Rodgers owed him money, had sold the sixteen guns for a trifle, to one Ditenrider, then residing in this Valley.

Subsequently upon informing Gen. Kibbe of these circumstances, he sent me an order for the guns upon Ditenrider, who refused to deliver them, and shortly afterward removed to his station on the Emigrant road, eighty miles east of Genoa.

Of the nine guns that were in my possession, I have one on hand. The others, upon the breaking out of the present Indian war, I took the responsibility to deliver to Judge Cradlebaugh for the use of his company. Five were lost in the battle of Pyramid Lake, and three remain in the Judge's possession. Rodgers received twenty five guns, instead of one hundred, from Governor Johnson. Your obedient serv't,

RICHARD N. ALLEN

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An excerpt from the account of the death of Richard Allen which appeared in the White Pine News, May 25, 1870, follows:

About 8 o'clock yesterday morning our town was startled by two reports from a pistol, on Main street. Both shots were fired by Dr. J. N. R. Owen, the first taking effect in the body of Judge Richard N. Allen, proving fatal in three hours, and the other shot passed away harmless. The shooting took place at 8:10, and Allen died at 11:15. As near as we could learn, the circumstances which led to this unfortunate affair are about these: Dr. Owen attended Allen professionally, several months since, but could not recover payment therefore. A short time since Allen sent Owen a note requesting him to come at once and prescribe for his (Allen's) wife, as she was sick of pneumonia. The Doctor went at once, found Mrs. Allen in the congestive state of pneumonia, and prescribed for her relief. Allen was not at home when the Doctor visited his wife. Coming down town, Dr. Owen met Allen and told him he (Owen) could not practice his profession for nothing; that he had prescribed for his wife, and that if he (Allen) would settle the old bill he would go ahead and attend to the case; other wise, he must get some other physician. Thus the affair ended for a time. Monday, Allen got on a spree, and, meeting Dr. Owen, appeared desirous of provoking a difficulty. The Doctor avoided him on several occasions, but in the evening the two men met on the street, when Allen remarked: "You acted dishonorably toward me;" whereat the Doctor struck him a blow with his fist, staggering him, and walked away. The same evening Allen approached Dr. Owen, apparently with hostile intentions, and making demonstrations as though he had a knife or other weapon in his coat sleeve, seeing which, Owen drew a pistol and ordered him to halt, which he did. Owen then covered him with the pistol, and told him to walk away, which command he obeyed. Between the time of the last difficulty and morning, several friends warned the Doctor to look out for Allen, as he was considered a desperate and dangerous man. Early yesterday morning, Dr. Owen was in Belding's, when he saw Allen approaching; but, thinking he was over his spree, and would let the affair drop, approached him and offered him his hand.

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Allen made a demonstration as though about to draw a weapon, when Dr. Owen stepped back and drew his pistol. He then told Allen not to come near him again, as he (Owen) did not want anything to do with him. Allen remarked; "You may have to have something to do with me, whether you like it or not." Friends then interfered, caught Dr. Owen, and rushed Allen out of his room. After waiting for him to get off the street, Dr. Owen started to his office for the purpose of lying down, in order to avoid meeting Allen while the latter was drunk. Reaching the front of Armitage's drug store, Dr. Owen saw Allen approaching him, and, deeming himself in danger, drew his pistol and fired two shots -- the first striking Allen two inches above and half an inch to the left of the navel, passing along the line dividing the umbilical and epigastric regions, diagonally through the body, and making its exit through the upper and left portion of the upper lumbar region, cutting the superior mesentric artery in its course, passing out through his clothes, through the pantaloons and drawers of C.H. Fuller (who was a few feet to the rear and right); striking the side walk, and ricochetting (sic), passed through a second story window of the Pollard House and lodged in the bed of Mr. Gehr. Allen threw up both hands, and stood for a moment apparently stupified with fear or pain; then turned, clasped his right hand upon his right side, took a step or two into the street, then changed hands, clasping his left side with left hand, and started to run across the street diagonally, holding his side, leaning to the right and looking back over his left shoulder. When about 30 feet distant, Dr. Owen fired again, the ball striking in the street near Cook's store, 150 yards away. Officer Connelly sprang to Dr. Owen and seized the pistol, while Marshal O'Keefe rushed across the street and caught Allen. The latter was given in charge of two gentlemen, with whom he walked up to his residence.

At the Coroner's inquest, yesterday afternoon, Major O'Keefe testified that he did not search Allen, and did not know whether he was armed or not; immediately after reaching deceased, witness asked if he was hurt; at which he placed his hand upon his left side, near the pit of his stomach, and said he was. O"Keefe then said: "I guess he scraped you a little;" to which Allen replied: "Major, I'm wounded pretty badly." The Marshal then asked what was the cause of the difficulty, when deceased answered that it was all his own

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fault, and that he deserved it; that he had forced the fight, and it served him right. This conversation took place two minutes after the shooting. Ten minutes later, Major O'Keefe visited Allen at his residence, when the latter called him to his bedside and said: "Major, go and tell Dr. Owen I want to see him; I want to seek his forgiveness, and forgive him." Dr. Owen was sent for, but on reaching Mr. Kittrell's office, learned that Allen was then unconscious and dying, and concluded not to go. Dr. Owen expressed his regret that the necessity for such an occurrence had been forced.

The editor of the Carson Appeal, in an article published May 26, 1870, had this to say about Dr. J. N. R. Owen:

"Dr. Owen we have known for many years. A long time ago he used to indulge in sprees; but he abandoned the habit of drinking, entirely, as long ago as 1855 and it is probable that he has never tasted intoxicating liquors since. He is an Alabamian, a fine scholar, a highly courteous and gentlemanlike person, peaceable and much respected. We believe that he held a commission in the Rebel army during the latter part of the war. We should judge him to be a man, rising fifty years of age."

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