The Monument

The monument erected on Mountain Ranch Road 

January 12, 1963, reads:

ATTEMPTED STAGE ROBBERY

At this place April 30, 1892 without warning

 a lone bandit fired two charges of buckshot

 into the stage carrying the payroll for the 

Sheep Ranch Mine.  Miss Johanna Rodesino a 

passenger was instantly killed.  Babe Raggio 

driver was severely wounded. Mike Tovey 

messenger was slightly wounded, Miss Agnes 

Filipini and Mrs. A.Lloyd passengers were unhurt.

  No treasure was taken and the bandit was

 never apprehended.  

Erected Jan. 12, 1963

by

Matuca Chapter E. CLAMPUS VITUS

and 

CALAVERAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The monument was erected in memory of Miss Rodesino who was 15 years old.  She was from one of the pioneer families of Mountain Ranch.  Her grandfather, G. Rodesino, built the two-story stone building which housed Senders Market before it burned down Christmas of 1968.  She is buried at the Mountain Ranch Cemetary, marked by a beautiful head stone.

You can still see the marks of the buckshot on the oak tree behind the monument.  You should stop some time and read the monument.  

The following story appeared in the San Andreas newspaper:
April 30th, 1892

A BLOODY TRAGEDY
A LONE ROBBER’S WORK NEAR SAN ANDREAS
MURDER OF MISS RODESINO
The Sheep Ranch Stage Fired Upon on Willow Creek.  Chase of the Villain.

Last Saturday morning between nine and ten o’clock the people of San Andreas were startled by the reappearance of the Sheep Ranch stage, which only about two hours beforehand had left this place for its usual trip.  They were more than startled when it was learned from the lips of the messenger the extent of the tragedy which had occurred.  The details of the case are known to most of our readers probably before they will see this, yet we shall endeavor to give it a truthful account.

When the Sheep Ranch stage left here Saturday morning, it continued besides the driver Well’s Fargo & Co. messenger, Mike Tovey, Miss Johanna Rodesino, Miss Aggie Fillippini and Mrs. A. Lloyd, and quite an amount of coin for the Sheep Ranch mine.  Everything went along all right for about five miles, when as the stage was ascending a slight incline just above the forks of the road, where a branch goes through the Agostini Ranch to Old Gulch, suddenly without a word of warning a shot was fired into the stage from the left hand side.  With scarcely a groan Miss Rodesino who was on the middle seat fell into the arms of one of her companions, shot through the head.  

The messenger who was on the front seat sprang to the ground, but as he did so young Raggio, the driver known to all as “Babe”, pitched forward with an apparently mortal wound through the chest.   As he fell he explained, “They have killed me Tovey, but look out for the horses.”  Miss Fillippini also sprang out and managed to catch a glimpse of the robber, who seeing that he had failed to kill the messenger, which was his evident intention, immediately fled.  

Tovey drove the stage to Sperry’s house, about a quarter of a mile distant, where the extent of the tragedy was soon seen.  The wounded girl just gasped and expired as she was being lifted from the stage, and it was found that she received three shots one in the head causing death and the others in the body.  Young Raggio had two shots about an inch apart, and ranging into the lung, one shot in the right shoulder and one grazing the neck.  The messenger had one shot through the right arm near the shoulder, but nothing serious.  The top of the stage was shattered by the shot, which was fired from above.  Evidently most of the shot that took effect, first cam through the top of the stage.  Probably a sudden lurch of the stage saved the messenger’s life.  

On examining the ground it was found that the assassin had located himself in the most favorable position for his nefarious purpose.  A complete wall of rock, screened by trees formed a fortress from which a dozen men could not have dislodged him by possibility of an attack in front.  From this position at less then forty feet he had poured the contents of his gun upon the unconscious victims.  The man was evidently a coward for he made no attempt to follow up his first attack.  

After the dead and dying were in good hands messenger Tovey took the stage team and drove back to town with the coin, and left it at Well’s Fargo & Co. office.  It did not take long for the news to spread through the town, and instantly all was excitement.  The streets were quickly  crowded with excited and angry men, who almost instantly dispersed again for arms and horses, and soon nearly every able bodied man was on the way to the scene.  Sheriff Thorn with constables Masterson and Hawes, and deputy constable Getchell, were among the first to go, and deputy Getchell and Frank Washburn were the first to arrive on the ground.  Search for the trail was quickly begun, and the well defined track of the man was soon found.  The country is extremely wild and brushy and the fugitive took the roughest and most difficult routes.  

In the party were many that were familiar with that wilderness of mountains and deep ravines, and they managed to follow the trail pretty closely, though at times losing it in the dense thickets.

The trail led across Murray Creek, which he crossed between George’s place and Hodes.  Up over the limestone hill the hunters followed to where the man had evidently stood for a time taking observations, the imprint of a butt of a gun being plainly visible.  From there he turned westward, and shortly afterward the track changed as though he had taken off his shoes, or wrapped them in something.

Late in the afternoon the severe labor began to tell on the searchers, and one by one they returned to their homes.  Only C. W. Getchell and his father continued on towards the old Doak place, near which place Mr. Getchell found a stick of giant powder, evidently dropped by the fugitive.  Night was coming on and the search was reluctantly abandoned for the night, the trail being lost in what is known as the big chaparral, near Doaks.

Sunday detective J.B. Hume of Wells Fargo & Co. arrived in town, and took charge of the search.  Very little clue is in the hands of the officers, but no stone will be left unturned to bring the wretch to justice.

Sunday morning the coin was taken to Sheep Ranch by a special messenger, on the usual stage.  It shows something of the stuff that our California boys are made of, that driver a little older than the wounded Raggio, should be found ready to take the vacant seat, beside a shot gun messenger, and safely take that fateful coin to its destination.  

The heroic “Babe” thinking only of his duty while writhing from what he thought to be his death wound, and the brave Waters who was ready to take his place, will perhaps never be known outside of their own circle, but “Don’t give up the ship,” was not more heroic than “They have killed me Tovey, but look out for the horses.”