But despite the other guy being better qualified Jim narrowly won, thanks in great part to sweeping the vote in District 4 – and he was probably helped by none of the papers mentioning the dark chapter in his life.
He was the underdog when he ran for sheriff in 1918 his opponent was Joe Ryan, another deputy who had much more experience and was a bulldog when it came to chasing down suspects (Ryan would be elected sheriff in 1922). When the Santa Rosa High baseball team played Healdsburg High, Jim was the ump. He was the Grand Marshall for Healdsburg’s day-long 1918 patriotic blowout in support of the troops overseas and when the war was over he declined to join the Armistice Day ceremonies in Santa Rosa, choosing to celebrate in his hometown. He arranged a benefit in 1915 to furnish Christmas dinners for anyone in town who was needy and was chairman of the the Healdsburg Red Cross Relief Committee.
All of the local newspapers wrote about him with adoration and when he was murdered at age 55 the Republican printed a touching editorial about the sorrow felt by the loss of “our Jim.”Ī Healdsburg native and its deputy sheriff in the 1910s, he could have been mistaken for the mayor or district supervisor by his deeds. Petray, who was known as a guy with a big heart and a ready smile. In Santa Rosa at the time we had Sunny Jim Hill of Bennett Valley whose first name was actually William – you didn’t need to be a James to qualify as a Sunny Jim – but the monicker particularly fit James A. “Sunny Jim” was a common nickname in his era for any cheery and affable fellow (it came from a turn of the century breakfast cereal). This article contains descriptions and images that some might find disturbing. Also, since we at least like to pretend the internet is a civilized place, please be forewarned: The next (and final) part describes the aftermath and offers thoughts on who led the lynching party and how it was organized.
#SUNNY CAME HOME WITH A VENGEANCE SERIES#
This is the seventh chapter in the series on the 1920 lynchings in Santa Rosa, “ THERE WILL BE PRICES PAID,” and covers just the events of that night, including how Barney’s testimony has changed the record. It was not unexpected after Sheriff Jim Petray’s murder and the subsequent riot at the jail, the county was awash with rumors that a lynching was in the works. Setting the record straight is important, but the core of the story remained unchanged: An unidentified group of men seized three gangsters being held at the Sonoma County jail and hung them from a tree. She also recorded an interview with him in 1989 which is available on the SSU website (it adds little to what she originally wrote, and Barnard was so confused at that point he was unsure if he had been born in 1889 or 1899). His recollections – which appeared in her Decemcolumn – rewrote several key parts of the story. Almost 65 years after the events, Barnard walked into the Press Democrat office and asked to speak to Gaye LeBaron. “Barney” Barnard, who was the only member of the lynching party to talk about it. There are just four first-hand accounts of what happened at the jailhouse late on the night of Novemand the lynching that followed at the Rural Cemetery.
Series on the 1920 lynchings in Santa Rosa It’s the most infamous event in Santa Rosa history, but there’s really not much to say about it – as long as you stick to the facts, that is.
0 kommentar(er)
