Napa stagecoach robber stole his way into local lore
Post on: 2011-09-05 By: admin
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Napa stagecoach robber stole his way into local lore
Napa stagecoach robber stole his way into local lore
Posted: Saturday, August 20, 2011 1:54 pm
Lawrence “Buck” English was one of Napa County’s wild west
characters. Photo courtesy of Napa County Historical Society
The author, the late Doug Hattala, passed away not long after
researching and writing the story of Buck English at the Napa
Country Historical Society in Napa’s Goodman Library. Hattala, had
a passion for films and screenwriting, and loved history. He was a
valuable asset to the society and was appreciated by the staff and
the volunteers.
For more information or to become a member of the Napa County
Historical Society, visit napahistory.org or call 224-1739.
Lawrence B. “Buck” English, Napa County’s most notorious
stagecoach robber and bandit, seemed destined to a life of crime by
the twisted family feuding that blighted his childhood.
His father, Benjamin F. English, and mother, Pauline, relocated
from Missouri to Oregon with their children in 1846. They carved
out a farm on 640 acres north of Corvallis but the brutal winter of
1861 bankrupted the family. This financial downturn apparently led
Buck’s older brother, David, to begin a brief criminal career as a
highwayman. This decision caught up with him in 1862 when he was
lynched in Lewiston, Idaho.
The loss of their son may have spurred the family’s move in 1863
to California’s Green Valley, now in Solano County.
Members of Pauline’s family, the Durbins, traveled in their
wagon train with Benjamin’s relatives. One day, a quarrel over
property escalated into a violent confrontation when Pauline’s
Kentucky-bred brother, Perry Durbin, rejoiced over President
Lincoln’s assassination. Ben became enraged and when Perry appeared
to be reaching for a weapon, drew his gun and began firing.
Ben’s son, Charley, a nephew named Perry English and Buck’s
uncle, Frank Grady, joined the shootout and Perry was eventually
shot and killed by Grady.
Grady was charged with murder but escaped the authorities. Ben
lost an eye and Charley was partially crippled in one arm. Ben made
his 13-year-old son, Buck, promise to kill his uncle to avenge the
Further adding to the disorderly family environment was Buck’s
older brothers’ favorite form of recreation: After enjoying the
services of prostitutes in one of the brothels in Napa’s
Spanishtown, Dan and Charley would brandish their guns, threaten
the Mexican proprietor and simply walk out without paying. Since
the authorities considered the area “a nuisance to respectable
people,” the brothers English continued their intimidating ways
without worrying about repercussions.
One night, the brothers marched into Spanishtown for another
evening of free entertainment, but things didn’t go as planned. A
racially motivated dispute led to a violent confrontation.
As the Napa Register reported: “Upon the floor in the center of
the room lay the body of Daniel English in a pool of blood ... To
add to the awful tableau, his brother Charley lay within a foot of
him, groaning, and weltering in his own blood, which was flowing
from a ghastly wound in the right breast.”
Dan English was killed in the fight. Charley was thought to be
mortally wounded, but was saved by an operation. However, his face
was scarred and his other arm was crippled.
In 1872, the English family relocated to southern Lake County
and bought a farm near Middletown. Buck, Charley and Eugene
assisted their father with the farm chores, but they always seemed
to be getting in trouble with the law because of their association
with ex-convicts, loafers and robbers like Bulger Raines and John
“Blackjack” Bowen.
In 1875, the brothers stepped up from petty crime when they
robbed several Chinese miners and then held up the
Calistoga-Lakeport stage. When he found that the express box held
only two brass castings, an enraged Buck vowed to “make Wells Fargo
Next, the English boys decided to try rustling cattle and hogs.
One cattle owner Buck should never have crossed, however, was
Andrew Rocca, superintendent of the Great Western Mining Company.
Infuriated when Buck scared a passerby by shooting a handkerchief
out of a man’s hand to show off his markmanship, Rocca confronted
him with a verbal tongue-lashing. Buck and his brothers retreated,
but Buck sent Rocca a message through an intermediary stating that
he would tan Rocca’s hide “and make shoestrings out of it!”
Soon after this confrontation, cattle started disappearing from
the Great Western property. Rocca began to build his case against
Buck, who was arrested on rustling charges. On Oct. 25, 1876, he
was sentenced to San Quentin for seven years as Prisoner #7235.
Thanks to his connections and a good lawyer, he served less than a
Buck next expanded his criminal activities to include horse
thievery. Whenever he fancied a horse, he would intimidate its
owner into handing it over, saying curtly, “That’s my horse.” He
would then ride off on his new mount.
When his gang began holding up travelers on backcountry roads,
Buck was tracked down and arrested, convicted and sent to San
Quentin a second time. On Jan. 20, 1878, he entered the prison,
this time as Prisoner #7984, and began serving a second seven-year
After an early release in late October 1882, Buck tried making
an honest living by driving a stagecoach in Lake County for two
years. When he was suspected of robbing a stagecoach in 1883,
however, he left for his brother Ben, Jr.’s ranch in Ashcroft, B.
C. He herded cattle, broke horses and was badly wounded while
scouting for the Canadian army. Unable to resist the lure of quick
cash, he became involved in smuggling whiskey over the border near
Fort Macleod, Alberta.
In 1892, Buck was arrested for robbing Chinese miners near
Baker, Ore. Convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, he
persuaded the governor that he was wrongfully accused. He was
pardoned after serving two years and moved to Portland. While
bartending in 1895, he became reacquainted with R.N. Breckenridge,
an ex-convict he had known in prison.
Gambling losses had left Buck bankrupt and bitter. Certain that
Buck’s knowledge of the stage routes in Napa and Lake counties
would be an asset in their future criminal endeavors, Breckenridge
joined forces with him.
On May 7, 1895, Buck and Breckenridge stopped a stage traveling
between Troutdale Creek and Rattlesnake Spring in Napa County near
Mt. Saint Helena. The six passengers, four San Francisco
businessmen, a Chinese man, and a young boy, were robbed of $1,000.
Buck’s initial command to the driver was “Throw up your hands!”
said passenger H. R. Goss. “One of the robbers jumped to the
horses’ heads, and both leveled their guns. The weapons and the
profanity, which accompanied a threat to blow the driver off the
box took all the humor out of the situation and the driver and
passengers awaited the will of the highwaymen.
“The particularly cool robber is about five feet eleven in
height, the other and shorter is about five feet eight inches. They
both wore masks, and each was nearly covered with a dark gray
duster, beneath which showed overalls and old shoes. They both wore
black slouch hats ... The taller man did all the talking as well as
all the searching ... They were both armed with old-style Colt’s
revolvers, and swore at everyone, especially the Chinese man, who
was beaten and robbed of his papers.”
The driver, Allen Palmer, was told to throw down the strongbox,
which was broken open with a hatchet. The box yielded only
worthless packages. Furious, the two masked men walked off in the
When news of the robbery reached the authorities, Napa and Lake
County sheriffs couldn’t decide who had jurisdiction, giving
English and Breckenridge a 16-hour head start on their escape.
The morning after the hold-up, the two robbers had breakfast at
Charles Moore’s ranch, near Monticello. A farmer, who had known
English in the past, tipped off stage driver, Johnnie Gardiner,
about the two strangers who would be boarding his stage. Gardiner
managed to send word by way of some schoolchildren to Constable
Phelan, who telephoned the information to the Napa County Sheriff’s
The two robbers each paid the $1.50 fare to Napa at Windy Flat,
where they had a beer, as did the driver. Since the authorities in
Napa had been notified, Gardiner thought it safer not to try to
alert anyone at the Flat.
Napa County Undersheriff R.A. Brownlee organized a posse made up
of himself, District Attorney Theodore Bell (who had just wandered
into the office and was deputized on the spot), John Williams and
They all carried shotguns as they left in a two-seat surrey to
meet the Napa-bound stagecoach. Hoping to set up an ambush on the
north side of Mt. George, they realized it was too late as the
stage came around a bend in the road.
Buck English sat beside driver Gardiner with a shotgun across
his knees. Breckenridge sat on a seat behind Buck. As the two
vehicles were about to meet, Undersheriff Brownlee aimed his
shotgun at Buck, saying, “There’s the fellow! Stand them up!”
The outlaw, a crack shot, recognized Brownlee and fired a
shotgun blast that blew away the undersheriff’s shotgun stock and
peppered his face with small-diameter birdshot pellets.
John Williams fired his shotgun. Buck lurched forward in his
seat, as did the driver, both wounded by the larger buckshot
pellets. Still, Buck drew his Colt .45 revolver and thrust it in
Gardiner’s face, yelling, “Drive fast, you s** of a b****, or I’ll
blow your head off!”
With Gardiner whipping the horses, now only 15 yards away, Bell
fired a hurried shot. Buck slumped against the driver as the stage
picked up speed on the down slope of the hill.
Bell chased the stage on foot for 500 yards until the wounded
Gardiner could bring the vehicle to a stop. Buck had passed out
from pain, blood loss and shock. The driver had a painful, but not
dangerous, wound in one thigh. Breckenridge jumped from the stage
and ran into the brush, but quickly surrendered after a warning
The stage carried the wounded Buck and Gardiner back to Napa.
Buck, with 52 buckshot pellets in his body, was not expected to
live. The doctors removed the buckshot, as well as three rifle
bullets lodged near his spine from a previous gunfight.
To everyone’s surprise, the outlaw managed to survive his wounds
and was put on trial as soon as he was well enough to stand. After
an unsuccessful escape attempt, Buck English was convicted and, due
to his past record, given a life sentence. He entered San Quentin
on July 9, 1895, as Prisoner #16426. His accomplice, R.N.
Breckenridge, received a 25-year sentence.
Surprisingly, Buck became a model prisoner and urged the younger
convicts to turn away from crime. He told them, “Twenty-five years
ago, I was a farmer’s son from Lake County. Now I am a convict,
sentenced to spend the rest of my life within these walls.”
Buck English was paroled in 1912, a changed man. He died three
years later in Colma just before his 60th birthday.
Copyright 2011 Napa Valley Register. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Saturday, August 20, 2011 1:54 pm
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