Clements in San Joaquin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

David S. Terry

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 9, 2020

1. David S. Terry Marker

Inscription. "David S. Terry sold Charles Clements the ranch in 1871 where Clements now stands. Terry, Texas Ranger, 49er, California Supreme Court Justice and Confederate General became in 1888 husband and attorney for Sarah Hill, "The Rose of Sharon". In a suit against Senator Sharon of the Comstock. Terry lost and was sent to jail for contempt by California Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field. In 1889, Terry attacked Field in the Southern Pacific dining room, in Lathrop and was shot by Field's bodyguard David Neagle. The shock of Terry's death sent "Rose of Sharon" to Stockton State Hospital until her death in 1937."
Dedicated October 20, 1973, Re-erected April 11, 2015

Erected 2015 by E Clampus Vitus, Tuleburgh Chapter No. 69.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Women. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.

Location. 38° 11.481′ N, 121° 5.198′ W. Marker is in Clements, California, in San Joaquin County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 88 and Mackville Road, on the right when traveling west on State Highway 88. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18783 California Highway 88, Clements CA 95227, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Athearn School Bell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Clements Elementary School (approx. 0.2 miles away); History of Clements Buckaroos (approx. half a mile away); James B. Anderson (approx. ¾ mile away); Glenview Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); Lone Star Mill (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mackville Road Bridge (approx. 1.1 miles away); Dogtown Cemetery (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clements.

Also see . . .
1. David Smith Terry - The Handbook of Texas Online - Texas State Historical Association. In 1884 Terry became involved in a long case that attracted wide attention. He represented Sarah Althea Hill, who claimed she was secretly married to William Sharon, a multimillionaire and former senator from Nevada. She sought to validate the marriage, obtain a divorce, and share in the community property....In January 1886 Terry, almost sixty-three years old and a widower, married Sarah Hill, who was twenty-five years younger than he. During a courtroom hearing concerning her case, the new Mrs. Terry caused a scene by loudly declaring that the circuit judge, Stephen J. Field, a justice of the United States Supreme Court, had been "bought" by the opposition. In the ensuing commotion as the marshal attempted to remove her, Terry scuffled
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 9, 2020

2. David S. Terry Marker
with deputies inside and outside the courtroom. Field, who had long differed with Terry on moral and political issues, sentenced Terry to six months in jail for contempt of court. On August 14, 1889, Terry and his wife had a chance encounter with Justice Field and his bodyguard in a railroad station restaurant at Lathrop, California. The unarmed Terry slapped Field twice and was instantly shot to death by the bodyguard, David Neagle. (Submitted on June 11, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

2. Sarah Althea Hill -- Wikipedia. Sarah Althea Hill ... was a socialite, mistress, and mentally unstable woman with a history of violent behavior who became a national celebrity when she sued millionaire Senator William Sharon for divorce, citing adultery, in 1883. She claimed he had secretly married her three years earlier in a private contract. She was known to carry a small-caliber Colt revolver in her purse and did not hesitate to threaten all who crossed her. (Submitted on June 11, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

David Smith Terry image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Wikipedia

3. David Smith Terry

Sarah Althea Hill image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Wikipedia

4. Sarah Althea Hill

Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 11, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 306 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 11, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.