184:, Adams joined Company J, 5th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers. During the march south, the commander of his company, Captain Niles, died and Hicks was promoted to Captain of Company J, the rank he continued to maintain throughout his year and half of active duty. Hicks served most of his time in the Southwest, fighting Indians. Captain Adams was discharged from the service on the October 12, 1848.
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While in office Adams acquired a good reputation as a lawman and ran successfully for re-election in 1865 and 1867. He became the first sheriff in Santa Clara County to be elected to three successive terms. Retiring for a couple of years in 1870, he again ran for re-election in 1871 and 1873, winning
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was gunned down when he surprised them at a rooming house the next day. Information filtered to
Sheriff Adams that the Confederates were holed up in a shack near Almaden. Sheriff Adams and a posse of Deputies surrounded the shack, and demanded their surrender. The robbers failed to obey the order
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John started his political career by running for and winning the office of Santa Clara County
Supervisor for Gilroy and Almaden Township in the September election of 1861. In 1863, John ran for sheriff, beating William Aram by more than 500 votes. With the passing of Sheriff Kennedy on February 6,
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William Hugh
Robarts, "Mexican War veterans : a complete roster of the regular and volunteer troops in the war between the United States and Mexico, from 1846 to 1848 ; the volunteers are arranged by states, alphabetically", Brentano's, (A.S. Witherbee & Co, Proprietors; Washington,
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in search of the gang after receiving a reliable tip that they were planning a raid on the ranches there. However a system of spies set up by the secessionists had warned the band of their approach, when
Sheriff Adams arrived at Panoche, Mason and Henry were already retreating towards
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in 1838. John Jr., was appointed deputy sheriff; his duties included collecting taxes and taking care of court business. In
December 1841, John Hicks married Mathilda Pomeroy. Their first child, May Hanna, was born one year later on December 21, 1842.
318:. Adams put up a fight despite being shot and appeared to have been beaten to death with clubs and rocks. The murderers were caught in Mexico, but Mexican officials refused to extradite them to the United States for the prosecution of the murders.
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and tried to escape. A shoot-out ensued, like one in a western movie. All of the
Confederates were either captured or killed in the volley of shots. Sheriff Adams was wounded when a bullet struck his pocket watch and glanced into his ribs.
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in August 1849. John stayed in the gold country mining, until
September 1851, when he returned home. A year later in the spring of 1852, he again started for California, but this time he was accompanied by his family. They settled in
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and Santa Clara County preying on stagecoaches, ranchers and others especially if they were known Union men in the vicinity. Adams pursued the gang with the help of two companies of Native
California Volunteer Cavalry from
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302:, Vasquez was hung before a large crowd of men, women and children in the yard of the Santa Clara County Jail. In 1875 Adams lost an election and finished his last term in March 1876.
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404:, Part 3: The Mason-Henry Gang, by Phil Reader. Condensed from: It is not my Intention to be Captured! Copyright 1991 Phil Reader. Reproduced by permission of Phil Reader"
278:. Despite some encounters they were not caught but Adams pursuit made it so hot for them they soon left for Southern California. There Henry was killed by the sheriff in
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M. David DeSoucy, Sheriff Gary Penrod, San
Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. p. 16. account of Henry shootout.
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On
January 24, 1878, Adams left San Jose to mine gold in Arizona. In late August, he was appointed Deputy United States Marshal for the
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1864, the board of supervisors appointed Adams (who would have been sworn in as sheriff in March) to finish out Kennedy's term.
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A portrait of Santa Clara County Sheriff John Hicks Adams, who investigated the murder of Joseph Pelligrini on June 4, 1864.
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Copperheads, Secesh Men, and Confederate Guerillas: Pro-Confederate Activities in Santa Cruz County during the Civil War
455:, published by Historic Record Co., 1922. p. 1055. John Hicks Adams, Pioneer of Gilroy, Sheriff of Santa Clara County.
375:, published by Historic Record Co., 1922. p. 1055. John Hicks Adams, Pioneer of Gilroy, Sheriff of Santa Clara County.
314:. Ten days later, he and a fellow officer were ambushed by five Mexican bandits between the Washington Mine and
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265:. In June 1865, a posse of nine soldiers and five citizens led by Sheriff Adams searched the area around the
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When word spread East that gold had been discovered in California, John went across country, arriving in
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486:. Vol. 2. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. p. 1055 – via Google Books (free ebook).
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Santa Clara County Website: The Sheriffs of Santa Clara County: Sheriff John Hicks Adams
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Later that year and the next Adams pursued another gang of "partisan rangers", the
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Copperheads, Secesh Men, and Confederate Guerillas", Part 3: The Mason-Henry Gang
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between 1864 and 1870, and again between 1871 and 1875. He was also Deputy
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during the summer of 1865. But no one could locate their hideout at
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both terms. Although he didn't personally capture the highwayman
519:"John Hicks Adams – California Sheriff and U.S. Deputy Marshal"
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John Hicks Adams was born in the then newly-founded town of
244:, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the southern
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Transcribed by Carolyn Feroben, from Eugene T. Sawyers',
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Hicks J.H. Adams (18??–1878) photo of John Hicks Adams
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from the San Jose area robbed two stage coaches in the
240:who had rapidly degenerated into a vicious gang of
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505:Badge and Buckshot: Lawlessness in Old California
228:. During the pursuit Deputy Sheriff Staples of
511:Bandido: The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez
686:People of California in the American Civil War
550:"Santa Clara County Sheriff John Hicks Adams"
389:, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1988. pp. 138–139
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691:People from Santa Clara County, California
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483:History of Santa Clara County, California
453:History of Santa Clara County, California
373:History of Santa Clara County, California
517:Weiser-Alexander, Kathy (August 2017).
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212:Soon afterward, a band of Confederate
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711:People from Edwardsville, Illinois
666:People of the California Gold Rush
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218:Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers
661:County supervisors in California
601:February 11, 1864–March 7, 1870
494:, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
331: This article incorporates
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63:February 6, 1864 – 1870
671:Lawmen of the American Old West
282:in September 1865 and Mason by
16:American politician (1820–1878)
628:Santa Clara County, California
597:Santa Clara County, California
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676:People from Arizona Territory
556:. Santa Cruz Public Libraries
632:March 4, 1872–March 6, 1876
513:(2010) by John Boessenecker
507:(1988) by John Boessenecker
132:(1820–1878) was an American
100:1878 (aged 57–58)
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480:Sawyer, Eugene T. (1922).
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656:American deputy sheriffs
339:Sheriff John Hicks Adams
269:in what is now southern
204:Career as county sheriff
180:In May 1847, during the
110:Cause of death
706:United States Marshals
344:Santa Clara County, CA
333:public domain material
170:Edwardsville, Illinois
90:Edwardsville, Illinois
280:San Bernardino County
150:United States Marshal
578:Police appointments
490:Boessenecker, John,
410:on February 19, 2012
385:Boessenecker, John,
222:Bullion Bend Robbery
182:Mexican–American War
138:California Gold Rush
681:California sheriffs
586:James Faris Kennedy
638:Nicholas R. Harris
617:Nicholas R. Harris
607:Nicholas R. Harris
523:Legends of America
492:Badge and Buckshot
474:General references
387:Badge and Buckshot
246:San Joaquin Valley
156:1878, and a noted
146:Santa Clara County
118:Blunt force trauma
40:Santa Clara County
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635:Succeeded by
604:Succeeded by
360:D.C., 1887. p. 44
312:Arizona Territory
284:Benjamin Mayfield
271:San Benito County
250:Santa Cruz County
154:Arizona Territory
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103:Arizona Territory
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238:Mason Henry Gang
230:El Dorado County
214:partisan rangers
130:John Hicks Adams
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72:Personal details
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414:January 26,
300:Los Angeles
263:Loma Prieta
226:Placerville
216:, known as
650:Categories
560:January 3,
528:January 3,
322:References
288:Fort Tejon
276:Corralitos
194:Georgetown
164:Early life
158:gunslinger
451:Sawyers'
290:in 1866.
59:In office
52:1871–1875
48:In office
439:Reader,
259:Camp Low
189:Hangtown
152:for the
114:Homicide
624:Sheriff
593:Sheriff
242:outlaws
142:sheriff
136:of the
82: (
36:Sheriff
316:Tucson
198:Gilroy
105:, U.S.
92:, U.S.
335:from
306:Death
224:near
116:from
562:2020
530:2020
416:2010
140:and
134:49er
97:Died
84:1820
80:1820
77:Born
626:of
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144:of
38:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.