El Campo Santo (The Holy Field)

Died December 1879 25 Years Excerpt from the Book of the Dead "December 15, 1879, I have given ecclesiatical burial to Jesus Indian; 25 years, who died of a blow without receiving sacraments. They told me that he was completely drunk, and thus I command him to be buried near the gate of the cemetery" Signed Juan Pujol, Priest.

James W. Robinson, who was known as “Yankee Jim,” suffered the extreme penalty for stealing the only rowboat in San Diego Bay. The verdict of the jury was as follows: "Your jurors in the within case of James W. Robinson have the honor to return the verdict of guilty and do therefore sentence him, James Robinson, to be hanged by the neck until dead. Cave C. Couts, Foreman of the Jury” The poor fellow could not believe that he was to be hanged until the very last moment. He appeared to think it all a grim joke or, at the worst, a serious effort to impress him with enormity of his evil ways. He was still talking when the Deputy Sheriff gave the signal. Then the cart was driven from beneath him, and he was left dangling in the air. Surely, the punishment was far more wicked than the crime, yet the example must have proved effective in discouraging theft. Yankee Jim converted to the Roman Catholic Church prior to his death, thus his baptismal name of Santiago (Spanish for James). His Godfather was Philip Crosthwaite, the Deputy Sheriff who gave the signal for the execution.

December 13, 1851 HANGED Bill Marshall was an American man married to the daughter of a local Indian Chieftain. He was a renegade sailor from Providence, Rhode Island, who deserted from a whaling ship at San Diego in 1844. He had taken up habitation with the Indians. He took an active part in the Garra Indian Uprising in 1851. Bill Marshall and the Indian, Juan Verduga, were caught and brought back to San Diego to be promptly tried by court martial. Marshall was found guilty and thus sentenced to hang, as was Juan Verdugo. The Indian acknowledged his guilt, but Marshall insisted he was innocent. At two o’clock in the afternoon, a scaffold was erected near the old Catholic Cemetery, (El Campo Santo), on the Thomas Whaley property. The men were put on a wagon and the ropes adjusted about their necks. The wagon moved on, leaving the two to dangle to death.

See The Gravedigger of Old Town marker for additional information.