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In 1963,or so, employees of oilman E.A.Bender discovered these graves under brush and weeds. The site was cleared to bare ground, concrete headstones and plaques were provided by Mr. Bender, and a chain-link fence constructed. According to a story about the occupants of the graves, a cowboy (center grave) and a Chinese man (right-hand grave) got into a gunfight in 1907, east of McKittrick, CA. They managed to shoot and kill each other and were buried at this site. The brother of the cowboy is buried in the left-hand grave. He died in 1940. The wooden crosses were the original grave markers for the cowboy and the Chinese man.
I saw this site after Bender's employees discovered it. I read an article about these graves in the Taft Midway Driller, I believe. They probably have the article in their archives.
I used to stop by this grave site every now and then when I worked security at Elk Hills. One of my checkpoints took me out Gate 5 to McKittrick down Skyline Road. On my way back, I'd take the right fork down Reserve Road. The first time I saw it, however, was years before, when I was a little kid. My dad took me out there and told me a different version of the story.
The way I heard it, the chinaman was a slave worker digging in the mines near McKittrick. Some type of disagreement arose between him and the cowboy, who subsequently cut off his queue (ponytail). This being a great insult to the chinaman, he killed the cowboy. The brother of the cowboy then killed the chinaman and died some years later.
Of course I'm not sure I believe either story simply because it seems odd to bury a man next to his killer (or vice versa). I would bet that the first two died as a result of some mining accident in the hills south of the grave, where the old mines still exist, and the brother was just buried next to them after dying of old age some years later. That's just my $0.02.
From the Morning Echo Bakersfield Newspaper - October 12, 1907.
October 11. At about 5 o'clock this morning Fred W. Sperry and two companions sleeping in the bunk house on the Vishnu Oil Company's lease about twenty-one miles norththwest of McKittrick, were awakened by a series of unearthly yells originating in an adjoining bunk house and looking out they saw a terrible sight. Billy Glenn, one of the employees of the lease, stark naked and apparently insane, with a long butcher knife in his hand was chasing the Chinese cook around the bunk house and making the air hideous with blood curdling yells. After the Chinaman had made his escape down the road, Glenn turned the knife on himself burying the eight-inch blade into his body several times and partly disemboweling himself.
He then saw Sperry and the other boys in the bunk house and made a rush for the door trying to batter it down, presenting a horrible sight to those inside. Sperry and his companions grabbed their guns beginning to realize that they might have to battle for their lives. Glenn charged the door several times.
"Kill me, for God sake kill me" he yelled.
He finally forced a partial entrance Into the house and Sperry broke the stock of a gun over him and knocked the knife out of his hands. Both stooped for the gun but Glenn got it and failing to reach Sperry again, plunged the weapon into his own abdomen and neck. He made another effort to get into the house, Sperry again hit him over the head with a gun stock dazing him for a few minutes.
The terrible loss of blood was beginning to tell on the Maniac and he finally walked off and lay down where the boys later were able to hold him down. Sperry sent word to a neighboring lease and endeavored to wash the wounds but it was found impossible to do anything as the abdomen was literally hacked into pieces and about 9 a.m. death came.
Vishnu lease is in San Luis Obispo County so the coroner's inquest will be held there. Glenn was well known to all the older residents of Mckittrick.
William Glenn Becomes Insane and Chases Chinese with Knife. Tries to Kill Other Men
By Associated Press. BAKERSFIELD, Cal., Oct. 12.— William Glenn, well known In this vicinity, employed by the Vishnu Oil company In San Luis Obispo county, became suddenly Insane yesterday and, nude, chased the Chinese cook from one of the cottages. When the Chinese escaped Glenn turned and burled the eight-inch blade of a knife In his own body. Glenn then went to a bunk house where Fred Sperry and two companions were and tried to batter down the door. The ocoupants had been awakened by the screams of the maniac and Chinaman and had grabbed their guns to protect themselves. The crazy man finally forced a partial entrance into the house and Sperry broke the stock of a gun over Glenn's head and knocked the knife out of his hands. Both stooped for the knife, but Glenn got It, and failing to reach Sperry, again plunged the weapon into his own abdomen and neck. He made still another effort to get into the house and Sperry again hit him over 'the head with the butt of a gun, dazing him. The loss of blood was beginning to weaken the maniac and he walked off and the men were able to control him. Word was sent for help, but the man's abdomen was literally hacked to pieces, and he died in a few hours.
Comments (5)
In 1963,or so, employees of oilman E.A.Bender discovered these graves under brush and weeds. The site was cleared to bare ground, concrete headstones and plaques were provided by Mr. Bender, and a chain-link fence constructed. According to a story about the occupants of the graves, a cowboy (center grave) and a Chinese man (right-hand grave) got into a gunfight in 1907, east of McKittrick, CA. They managed to shoot and kill each other and were buried at this site. The brother of the cowboy is buried in the left-hand grave. He died in 1940. The wooden crosses were the original grave markers for the cowboy and the Chinese man.
I saw this site after Bender's employees discovered it. I read an article about these graves in the Taft Midway Driller, I believe. They probably have the article in their archives.
I used to stop by this grave site every now and then when I worked security at Elk Hills. One of my checkpoints took me out Gate 5 to McKittrick down Skyline Road. On my way back, I'd take the right fork down Reserve Road. The first time I saw it, however, was years before, when I was a little kid. My dad took me out there and told me a different version of the story.
The way I heard it, the chinaman was a slave worker digging in the mines near McKittrick. Some type of disagreement arose between him and the cowboy, who subsequently cut off his queue (ponytail). This being a great insult to the chinaman, he killed the cowboy. The brother of the cowboy then killed the chinaman and died some years later.
Of course I'm not sure I believe either story simply because it seems odd to bury a man next to his killer (or vice versa). I would bet that the first two died as a result of some mining accident in the hills south of the grave, where the old mines still exist, and the brother was just buried next to them after dying of old age some years later. That's just my $0.02.
From the Morning Echo Bakersfield Newspaper - October 12, 1907.
October 11. At about 5 o'clock this morning Fred W. Sperry and two companions sleeping in the bunk house on the Vishnu Oil Company's lease about twenty-one miles norththwest of McKittrick, were awakened by a series of unearthly yells originating in an adjoining bunk house and looking out they saw a terrible sight. Billy Glenn, one of the employees of the lease, stark naked and apparently insane, with a long butcher knife in his hand was chasing the Chinese cook around the bunk house and making the air hideous with blood curdling yells. After the Chinaman had made his escape down the road, Glenn turned the knife on himself burying the eight-inch blade into his body several times and partly disemboweling himself. He then saw Sperry and the other boys in the bunk house and made a rush for the door trying to batter it down, presenting a horrible sight to those inside. Sperry and his companions grabbed their guns beginning to realize that they might have to battle for their lives. Glenn charged the door several times. "Kill me, for God sake kill me" he yelled. He finally forced a partial entrance Into the house and Sperry broke the stock of a gun over him and knocked the knife out of his hands. Both stooped for the gun but Glenn got it and failing to reach Sperry again, plunged the weapon into his own abdomen and neck. He made another effort to get into the house, Sperry again hit him over the head with a gun stock dazing him for a few minutes. The terrible loss of blood was beginning to tell on the Maniac and he finally walked off and lay down where the boys later were able to hold him down. Sperry sent word to a neighboring lease and endeavored to wash the wounds but it was found impossible to do anything as the abdomen was literally hacked into pieces and about 9 a.m. death came. Vishnu lease is in San Luis Obispo County so the coroner's inquest will be held there. Glenn was well known to all the older residents of Mckittrick.
http://newspaperarchive.com/bakersfield-morning-echo/1907-10-12
Newspaper doesn't explain the Chinaman's demise.
From the Los Angeles Herald October 13, 1907
MANIAC RUNS AMUCK, FATALLY STABS SELF
EMPLOYES AT OIL WORKS ARE THROWN INTO PANIC
William Glenn Becomes Insane and Chases Chinese with Knife. Tries to Kill Other Men By Associated Press. BAKERSFIELD, Cal., Oct. 12.— William Glenn, well known In this vicinity, employed by the Vishnu Oil company In San Luis Obispo county, became suddenly Insane yesterday and, nude, chased the Chinese cook from one of the cottages. When the Chinese escaped Glenn turned and burled the eight-inch blade of a knife In his own body. Glenn then went to a bunk house where Fred Sperry and two companions were and tried to batter down the door. The ocoupants had been awakened by the screams of the maniac and Chinaman and had grabbed their guns to protect themselves. The crazy man finally forced a partial entrance into the house and Sperry broke the stock of a gun over Glenn's head and knocked the knife out of his hands. Both stooped for the knife, but Glenn got It, and failing to reach Sperry, again plunged the weapon into his own abdomen and neck. He made still another effort to get into the house and Sperry again hit him over 'the head with the butt of a gun, dazing him. The loss of blood was beginning to weaken the maniac and he walked off and the men were able to control him. Word was sent for help, but the man's abdomen was literally hacked to pieces, and he died in a few hours.
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19071013.2.13#