Causa criminal — uxoricide by a neophyte (CLOSED). On 4 Aug 1817 Cabo Antonio Olivera of the Sta Buenaventura escort reported the indio Gorgonio had killed his wife, buried her, then taken refuge in the church (iglesia) [ecclesiastical asylum]; the indio Vitorio named accomplice (relayed by soldier José Vicente Pico). Body found 'con 5 heridas y la cabeza muy maltratada.' 5 Aug Tte. Guerra ordered Maitorena's sumaria. Defender Ignacio Martínez 10 Nov 1818; returned to fiscal 2 Mzo 1819; Gorgonio cited por edictos. Dictamen fiscal (Martínez): neophyte Gorgonio confessed strangling his own wife, afternoon of 3 Aug 1817 → digno de severo castigo; urges the Tribunal weigh 'el derramamiento de la sangre inocente'; notes a parallel atrocious killing at Mission San Fernando, 22 leguas distant, plus others 'quedado impunes' for difficulty of proving culprits — argues exemplary punishment is needed to deter these crimes 'entre estos naturales.' '(No se encuentra la defensa)' — defense not in the record. Orig. pp.417–453.
| Date | 1817-08 → 1819-03-02 (dictamen) (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | Alférez José Mª Maitorena, juez fiscal; under Tte. José de la Guerra y Noriega |
| Place | Santa Bárbara / Mission San Buenaventura |
| Series | Provincial State Papers, Benicia (Military) |
| Tomo | XL–LII (volume range; this entry is not resolved to one tomo) |
| Original tomo page | pp.417–453 |
| Savage copy page | 320–323 |
| Scan leaf | n320–n323 |
| Document type | verbatim transcription |
| Source | verbatim transcription |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n320–n323
Alférez José Mª Maitorena, juez fiscal; under Tte. José de la Guerra y Noriega, Santa Bárbara / Mission San Buenaventura, 1817-08 → 1819-03-02 (dictamen), Provincial State Papers, Benicia (Military), XL–LII, pp.417–453, Archives of California, C-A 17, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. [the tomo is given as the volume’s full range: this entry has not been resolved to a single tomo within XL–LII]Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca17/ca17-d349.html