'ROSITA AND DORINA' Five Senseless Murders --------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike the other women in this historical collection, Rosita Felix de Murietta and Dorina Brennan were neither single nor celebrated. They were the wives of ambitious men who came to California seeking their fortunes in the gold fields. Rosita was childless and Spanish, while Dorina was Irish and the mother of three small children. Both endured the many hardships of the mining camps, and in the end died violently and without purpose. Their short lives were but a few of the tragedies of the Gold Rush. Born into a well-to-do Castilian family which had settled a few years before in Hermosillo, Mexico Rosita had been reared to a life of ease. Her days were spent at the grey Felix rancho, situated near the sienna foothills of Sonora. Here was the little church where she daily said her prayers, and the outdoor ovens where servants prepared tortillas and special delights. Like other young women, she enjoyed taking part in the holiday fiestas, riding horseback, and embroidering colorful designs on her garments. At 17 she fell in love for the first and only time with a handsome young man name Joaquin Murietta. Of Spanish Basque heritage, the Murietta family had come from the Pyrenees, receiving a grant of land in Hermosillo. Late in the eighteenth century they were driven from this land by Yaquis and Apaches, who had swept in from the north. But Joaquin was eager to restore his family's wealth and position. He also wanted Rosita by his side. "Rosita," he said, his dark eyes attentive to her every move, "won't you please marry me?" The young girl's creamy cheeks flushed, her long black eyelashes dipped softly. "But what would Father say?" And then before Joaquin could reply, she broke into a whimsical imitation of her parent. "A nobody," she said, stamping her foot. "That's what he is. Did I bring you up to marry a vaquero? I want something much more for my beautiful daughter. A husband who can give you a big hacienda and lots of servants to care for you." Young Joaquin shook his head fiercely. "No, Rosita. He wants you to be happy. And with me you will be the happiest girl in this whole world." "Perhaps I shouldn't see you anymore, Joaquin," she said teasingly. Perhaps you should go away." "But I am going away, Rosita. I'm going to California to seek gold. My brother, Jesus, writes that the rivers of California are just begging for me to scoop the dazzling nuggets from their rocky beds. That's why you must marry me and come with me to California." Rosita wrinkled her wide brow, frightened at the thought of leaving her lovely home and traveling so far by ship to a strange land inhabited by foreigners. The war with the United States had just ended, and Mexico had been forced to give up California, Utah, Nevada, parts of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Rosita had seen those white-faced soldiers who rode with fury, ate pickles and pie, and drank English tea. They had scared her then, and the dark moments still clung in her mind. Yet her love for the passionate Joaquin was more than she could bear, and the thought of losing him, no matter where, with or without her parents' consent. Senor Felix, however, was wise to the ways of his daughter, and her love for the adventurous cowboy soon won out. He consented to their union, and shortly thereafter they were married in the little white church of Hermosillo. Rosita wore a simple cloth dress with a gold embroidered shawl, and an exquisite lace mantilla fell over her shoulders. Heaven shone in her lustrous eyes as she thought of Joaquin, kneeling beside her. To Be Continued . . .toward the Gulf of California. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert April 18, 2005 iggy29@rnetinc.net