Joaquin, the Claude Duval of California; or, The Marauder of the Mines: a Romance Founded on Truth

Henry L. Williams (1842 - )

Joaquin Murrieta was a famous Californio bandit, known as the "Robin Hood of El Dorado".

Joaquin Murrieta was the son of worthy parents, and nothing in his early youth betokened any traits of the monster which he afterwards became. . . . In the following pages every trace of his blood-stained footsteps is closely followed. Some of the facts are furnished by contemporary witnesses; most of them by official documents. He proceeded from step to step, wading deeper and deeper into crime, until quiet citizens were almost afraid to breathe his name aloud.

In addition to this being a faithful narration of the fearful deeds of Joaquin, incidentally the work gives a faithful delineation of "life in the diggings" in the early days of California, when almost every nugget of gold was blood-spotted ere rude Justice bared her death-dealing arm.


Murrieta is believed to have inspired the fictional character of Zorro by Johnston McCulley. You may judge for yourself how much of the account here is truthful and how much is sensationalized. - Summary by TriciaG & from the Synopsis

Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography, True Crime

Language: English

Keyword(s): biography (338), zorro (4), sensationalist (1)

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Synopsis Availle
00:05:12
Play 01 Chapter 1 StephenC
00:25:46
Play 02 Chapter 2 Katharina21
00:20:06
Play 03 Chapter 3 Steven Seitel
00:22:45
Play 04 Chapter 4 Steven Seitel
00:13:41
Play 05 Chapter 5 Steven Seitel
00:14:22
Play 06 Chapter 6 snash
00:39:33
Play 07 Chapter 7 Tatiana Chichilla
00:14:28
Play 08 Chapter 8 SampsonSpeaks
00:23:52
Play 09 Chapter 9 SampsonSpeaks
00:14:51
Play 10 Chapter 10 SampsonSpeaks
00:14:36
Play 11 Chapter 11 ToddHW
00:22:50
Play 12 Chapter 12 Tatiana Chichilla
00:11:20
Play 13 Chapter 13 Tatiana Chichilla
00:09:58
Play 14 Chapter 14 Tatiana Chichilla
00:09:10
Play 15 Chapter 15 snash
00:32:32
Play 16 Chapter 16 snash
00:37:26
Play 17 Chapter 17 Rita Boutros
00:10:38
Play 18 Chapter 18 Rita Boutros
00:16:04
Play 19 Chapter 19 Rita Boutros
00:12:00
Play 20 Chapter 20 Tatiana Chichilla
00:09:08
Play 21 Chapter 21 Tatiana Chichilla
00:09:09
Play 22 Chapter 22 Derek Trial
00:17:07
Play 23 Chapter 23 Tatiana Chichilla
00:09:04
Play 24 Chapter 24 Part 1 William Allan Jones
00:51:40
Play 25 Chapter 24 Part 2 William Allan Jones
00:24:42
Play 26 Chapter 25 snash
00:18:15
Play 27 Chapter 26 Tatiana Chichilla
00:11:27
Play 28 Chapter 27 Kerry Adams
00:12:14
Play 29 Chapter 28 TriciaG
00:49:44
Play 30 Chapter 29 TriciaG
00:44:09
Play 31 Chapter 30 ToddHW
00:09:13