Escape From Gold Mountain

by Zina Abbott

  Some of the names of real people who lived in Mono County, California in about 1884 that I used in my story are listed below:

  In Lundy: Ling Loi, prostitute; Charles “Charley” Jardine, Lundy miner and “rough” (as the newspapers of the day called trouble-makers. He was also suspected of cattle rustling); Deputy Sheriff William Callahan; George Lee (aka Joe Lee aka George Fry), former assistant constable and owner of the Magnolia Saloon; Kirkus “Kirk” Steves, half-owner of the Eire Mine, former assistant constable and a deputy sheriff in October, 1884; Charles A. Schuman, attorney; Wilson Irwin, the other half-owner of the Eire Mine; Jim Toy, Chinese doctor and Chinese food restaurant owner; Stephen Jones, barber; James Jardine, Lundy miner, brother of Charles; Doctor Guirado, formerly of Lundy, but by October, 1884, living in Southern California; Jack Murray, saloon owner and former assistant constable.

  In Bridgeport: C. F. McKinney, Mono County Sheriff, formerly from Bodie, but living in Bridgeport in 1884; Deputy Sheriff Willcox (sometimes spelled Wilcox); J. E. Goodall, attorney, district attorney; R. M. Briggs, Superior Court Judge for Mono County; Andrew (or his brother, Alton) Waltze, stagecoach driver, also stable owners.

  In Bodie: John “Tex” Wilson, suspected of cattle rustling, stagecoach robberies, and thefts in parts of Mono County at large; David Walker, medical doctor; Ernest Marks, a resident and a “rough.”

  I have been questioned about certain elements of my plot. However, based on some colorful local histories of Mono County written by historians from the region—most of which did not agree with each other when it came to the fine details—and some very sketchy newspaper accounts, many of the basic events portrayed in this story did take place.

  My hero, Luke McDaniels aka Dan Mackey aka Shorty, and Ah Chin, the On Yick hatchet man who ran the local Lundy brothel, and other minor characters from Lundy in this story are entirely fictional. Most of my characters from previous stories in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series that made cameo appearances in this book, the characters from Canton, China, and the characters from Farmington, New Mexico Territory, are entirely fictional.

  Here are some tidbits of information that I discovered as part of my research:

  The On Yick, a criminal tong based in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the last half of the 1800’s, was known to specialize in brothels. I have no idea if On Yick was the tong responsible for bringing Chinese prostitutes to the mining regions of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, but it is possible.

  Find-a-Grave records for the Lundy, California cemetery at Geneva list William Callahan, birth date unknown; death date October, 1884.

  On December 4, 1884, George M. Lee was held to answer to a charge of assault to commit murder in the sum of $5,000. On April 30, 1885, a jury was impaneled and George Lee went on trial for the murder of William Callahan. With the help of his attorney, Pat Reddy, considered one of the best lawyers in the region at that time, he got off with a sentence of nine years in San Quentin. The sentence was later reduced, and he was released after three years.

  In the summer of 1884, there were several reported sightings of Tex Wilson in the mountains of Mono County. He was believed to be involved with cattle thefts and robberies. He was known to be a close associate of Charles Jardine, James Jardine, and the bartender, George Lee.

  Charles Jardine was suspected of rustling cattle in November, 1884, which, if true, meant he would have already recovered from his gunshot wound received October 18th of that year. For the purposes of my story, I placed this activity in September, after the closure of the May Lundy Mine and Millworks and before the stagecoach abduction. After recovering from his injuries, on about January 20, 1885, Charles Jardine was judged to be not guilty in the shooting of Kirkus Steves. He eventually made his home in Bodie, but did not change his outlaw ways.

  Much to the chagrin of Mono County Sheriff, C. F. McKinney, the man he knew as John “Tex” Wilson, one of the many aliases for John Ballard also known as Tom Kellett, was captured by the Fresno County Sheriff three years after he escaped from the Mono County jail in Bridgeport. Accounts vary, but it appears John Ballard was convicted of his crimes in Fresno and sentenced to prison. Sheriff McKinney received a lot of criticism as a result of this jail escape. He was not reelected as county sheriff.

  I found no additional information about the real Ling Loi once she returned to Lundy and reported her abduction. One historian speculated she and Tex grew sweet on each other, which could explain why he risked returning her close to Lundy after the failed ransom attempt rather than leaving her in an isolated region to die while he made his escape.

  Another author speculated she worked as an independent prostitute earning her own fees, and she was traveling to Chinatown of her own volition at the time she was abducted off the Lundy to Bodie stagecoach. However, my research has convinced me that by the mid-1880’s, after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the criminal tongs of San Francisco’s Chinatown had grown powerful enough they controlled the immigration of most Chinese women for the purpose of prostitution. From the San Francisco Chinatown, they ruled the Chinese vice trades, both in the larger Chinatowns, and throughout the mining communities of the West. I believe it is highly unlikely she was able to work independently of tong control. If she was independent, and she returned to San Francisco, she most likely would have been captured by one of the criminal tongs and forced to work as a prostitute under their control.

  It is also likely that Ling Loi was not this prostitute’s real name, or she switched the traditional way of presenting her name to conform to Western naming practices. It is also possible that the historians who recorded the name were not aware of Chinese naming practices where the surname, or family name, is first, followed by the given name. Ling is a Cantonese Chinese woman’s given name, not usually a surname. Loi might be a phonetic spelling of a different, more common Cantonese surname. It is possible that her family was Lai, Li, Lei, Lui, Lo, Loh, Luo or Liu, and her given name was Ling.

  My final thoughts:

  My speculation that Ling Loi was returned to Lundy safely because the ransom was paid by the Lundy Chinese, which could be a plausible explanation for why men who were known to kill made a point to return her safely, has no basis in any facts or allegations found in my research. It is my own hypothesis I developed for the purposes of my story. If I am wrong, I might owe Charles Jardine an apology on that matter at some point in eternity.

  I doubt that the outcome for the real Ling Loi following the stagecoach abduction and her return to Lundy was good. Wherever she is now, I hope she appreciates the alternative history happily-ever-after ending I created for her.

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  Book Club Questions

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  1.The prologue in the first section describes some of the culture and customs of the Cantonese Chinese, especially for women, in the late 1800s during the Quin dynasty before social conditions began to change in the early 1900s. In what way do you think they differed or were the same as the customs and attitudes in the Western nations during the Victorian era?

  2.What differences in religious beliefs and social practices between the two groups of people do you believe led to conflict? Or, was it all racial?

  3.Luke McDaniels left home to escape an unhappy family situation. In what way did his perspective and actions change after meeting Ling Loi? What do you think prompted those changes?

  4.Both Ling Loi and Luke McDaniels found themselves in difficult personal situations that each desperately wished to escape. What are the differences and similarities of how each found themselves in those situations?

  5.Have you, or a person with whom you are familiar, found yourself in an entrapping situation from which you or they desperately wished to be free? If the situation was resolved favorably, how did it come about?

  6.Once Ling Loi was abducted off of the stagecoach and held for ransom, what choices did she make throughout that experience that reveale
d her personality and character?

  7.Luke wanted no part of being part of the abduction and ransom situation. He was given the opportunity to leave. What decisions did he make during this time that revealed his personality and character?

  8.This book pulls no punches in depicting the prejudices and negative attitudes of the time period in which the story is set. In what way do those same prejudices and attitudes exist today and/or how are they different? What do you think is an appropriate way today to handle situations similar to those in this book?

  9.In what way did Ling Loi demonstrate that she did not always think or behave in the submissive manner expected of her in her culture? Considering the decision she made regarding her future, how will those traits be a benefit or a drawback for her?

  10.This book contains a scene in which perjury is committed. What were all the factors that prompted Ling Loi to say what she did? Do you think she had good motives for her decision? Do you think she was justified?

  11.If you were Ling Loi, or someone in her same position, considering the context (conditions, time period, social conditions) in which this scene took place, would you have handled things differently in court? If so, how?

  12.This romance deals with an inter-racial romance. I chose a part-Native American for Ling Loi for reasons I hope became apparent as you read about the social and cultural situation among the Chinese in America during the 1880s and the social and legal situation in the United States at that time. Inter-racial marriages were frowned upon then. In some states, including California, they were illegal. They are still frowned upon by some people today.

  What problems do you foresee in the lives of Ling Loi and Luke McDaniels as they live together as a family and have children? What could a couple in their situation do to overcome the difficulties they and their children would probably face so they could increase their opportunities for a successful and happy family life?

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  Thank you for reading

  Escape from Gold Mountain.

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  This Gold Mountain book is a Sweet Historical Romance full of scenes inspired by actual historical events.

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  My books that are part of a Sweet Americana Sweethearts multi-author series:

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  Grandma’s Wedding Quilts:

  2.Kizzie's Kisses - Running from hostile Indians attacking Salina, Kansas in 1862, feisty Kizzie Atwell runs into freighter Leander Jones traveling the Smoky Hill Trail. Will the two joining forces to prevent the Fort Riley Army captain from requisitioning their beloved horses for the Civil War-era cavalry lead to a more romantic bargain sealed with a kiss?

  (Also Book 2 in my Atwell Kin series.)

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  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs:

  3. Aaron’s Annulment Bride - Believing she’s unworthy to be any man’s wife, Andrea Dalton marries Aaron Brinks so he can get title to a mining company house. But now she wants an annulment. Can he convince her to stay?

  6. Cat’s Meow - Catherine Everett loves tall, lanky miner, Harold Calloway. She wants to marry him, but there is one “meowly” little problem.

  7. Bargain Bessie - Bessie Carlson, a confirmed spinster, meets Zeb Jacobson, a successful Monarch Bend rancher who is NOT pushing forty.

  11.Dead-Set Delphinia - Delphinia is dead set on being married within a week before her father can track her down. Bennett is dead set on continuing to muddle through life on his own.

  15.Evasive Eddie Joe - Cowboy vs. the miners – who will marry the bride?

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  Lockets & Lace:

  0.0The Bavarian Jeweler - (The Lockets & Lace series prequel) The back of her locket read, “My heart is always with you.”

  3.Otto’s Offer - Will Otto’s offer still stand when trouble from Libby’s past catches up with her?

  (Also Book 3 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  19.Virginia’s Vocation - Will Virginia’s chosen vocation fill the empty spaces in her heart?

  (Also Book 1 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  Coming April, 2020Hannah’s Handkerchief

  (Also Book 4 in my Atwell Kin series)

  Zina Abbott books in other multi-author series’:

  The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series:

  Book 3: Nissa

  Nissa desperately wished to leave Wildcat Ridge. Birdie desperately wished to find a new teller job in a large city. Were the cowboys who rode into town for the horse auction their way out?

  Book 14: Diantha

  A widow after the mine disaster that killed most of Wildcat Ridge’s men, Diantha runs her hotel and the post office until Hank shows up claiming to be the new postmaster. Hilaina chooses to stay with her mother even though her heart yearns for wrangler Buck who rode away the previous summer. Is there hope of finding love in this town full of single women?

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  Bachelors & Babies series:

  Coming January, 2020Kendrick

  Baby Madeline is cast adrift in the world with no one to love her. What will become of her? Kendrick could not believe the sheriff’s words, “She named you as the father.”

  (Also Too Old for Babies in my Too Old in Columbia series)

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  Other Zina Abbott Books

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  Charlie’s Choice

  Prequel to the Atwell Kin series:

  Charlie, it would be easier to stop the flow of the great Missouri and Kansas Rivers than to prevent the Americans from coming to Kansas. Will Charlie stay with the white Americans, cling to the past with the Kansa tribe, or try to straddle both worlds?

  Millwright’s Daughter

  The past held her future hostage. He risked future to save hers.

  Christmas Stories

  A Christmas Promise

  The gift of second chances and a promise for a brighter future in this novelette set during Christmas in 1873 Wyoming.

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  Too Old For Christmas

  (Too Old in Columbia series)

  In 1854 Columbia, California, Sean Flood meets the widow Ona McNair on one of the worst days of his life, and then he meets the widow’s two sons. At nine years of age, the oldest has been told he is too old for Christmas. As a grown man, Sean doesn’t accept that he is too old for Christmas. He knows exactly what he wants for Christmas that year.

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  Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series

  Big Meadows Valentine

  In this novella, only chickens will win her heart. But don’t let the title fool you. This is the first of five books in the series and starts in early January, 1884.

  A Resurrected Heart

  In this novella set in the gold mining town of Lundy during the weekend the locals had set aside as “Resurrection Day,” can the love of a good man bring Beth A RESURRECTED HEART?

  Her Independent Spirit

  Louisa, or “Lulu”, as she is known in the Blue Feather brothel, wishes to escape with her newborn daughter to live a respectable life. Beth, no longer willing to be completely dependent on any man for her future, seeks to buy land of her own. Will independent spirits yield to hearts bound by love?

  Haunted By Love

  Hazel comes to the Leavitt House in Bridgeport as she searches for her sister. There she meets the specter, Charlotte. She is attacked by someone far mo
re dangerous than the ghost in Room 16, and then abandoned by her chaperone. Prankster Luther offers to help her, only to discover that for once the joke is on him. No matter who haunts him, only one woman will win his heart.

  Bridgeport Holiday Brides

  Two women have found their home and see wedding bells in their futures. But, will a land grab rob them of their hearts’ desire?

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  Zina Abbott’s Independence Day 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 1 of her first three books in the

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series.

  Zina Abbott’s Harvest Dance 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 2 of her fourth and fifth books in the

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Spring series.

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  About The Author

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  Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels.

  The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She is a member of Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and American Night Writers Association. She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.