ROSE MURDERS LUCAS

from the Mariposa Gazette, Jan 2, 1857

.......    DEATH---One of those terrible death tragedies which falls within our province to record,  but too
often in this county,  took place at Whitlock's on Sunday evening.

It appears that two men, one of whom was a Mr. Rose, the name of the other we do not know, were playing
cards for a small amount at the store in that place.  While so engaged, a Mrs. Lucas approached the table
and picked up the money belonging to Mr. Rose,  amounting to about three dollars.  Mr. Lucas was intoxicated
and no notice was taken of it.  Later, Mr. Rose demanded the money, and Mr. Lucas refused to give it up.  No
harsh language, however, was used, and on the repeated refusal of Mr. Lucas to the demand, Rose plunged a
large knife into his breast, cutting through the heart and killing him instantly.  The blade of the knife used was
about nine inches in length, and was buried in the body of the unfortunate man to the hilt.  Rose is a large,
powerful man, and Mr. Lucas was much his inferior in physical ability, and besides, was under the influence
of liquor.  Rose was soon arrested by under-Sheriff Moore, and brought to Mariposa, where he, waiving an
examination,  was fully committed without bail,  to answer for the crime of murder,  at the next term of the
District Court, to be holden in February next.

We learn that Mr. Lucas was a native of Kentucky, and came here from Placerville about two weeks since.
No papers were found upon him to denote his length of residence in California,  or whether he has relatives
here.



(note,  checked subsequent issues of the Gazette, for a month, and could not find any followup to the story.)


Steve Miller
October 22, 2003

RETUNR TO MARIPOSA DISASTERS and other events.......