Draft:The Lynching of Francisco Arias and José Chamales

In 1877, Francisco Arias and José Chamales were lynched in Santa Cruz, California. The two ex-convicts had murdered a 62-year old man and robbed him.

Background
In 1877, a grand circus was arriving to Santa Cruz. Two ex-convicts Francisco Arias and Jose Chamales wanted to attend but did not have the money, The 35 year old Arias of Pescadero had previously served time in San Quentin for robbery and the fatal killing of a sheepherder. Chamales, aged 21 of Santa Cruz, had also served time in San Quentin for robbery.

That night, they were seen at the sideshows, one of the police chiefs questioned how they got the money. The next morning the police discovered the body of Henry De Forest, he'd been fatally shot. Sheriff Bob Norton began an investigation to find the two suspects, "Chamales was discovered in Watsonville, while Arias was found with two women on the road to San Juan Bautista." Chamales had admitted to the murder and said that Arias had murdered Deforest so they could get money for the circus, Chamales then led the officers to the crime scene and reenacted the murder telling how Arias had pulled the trigger, killing De Forest. Henry De Forest was murdered and robbed on the 28 April, 1877. Both men were brought back to Santa Cruz. Chamales petitioned for them not to be sent to the same cell.

Lynching
On May 2, 1877 a lynch mob ascended up the hill, stormed the jail, took the two men out of their cells, positioned them on a wagon and drove them down to water street bridge on the San Lorenzo River. Where they were handed one last drink of whiskey and hanged.

The two men were Californios of Mexican descent. Which has sparked racial debate over the lynching.

Aftermath
On the morning of May 3, 1877, Santa Cruz residents discovered the two lynched men. According to Santa Cruz’s Most Notorious Lynching, Santa Cruz photographer John Elijah Davis took the photograph.