1899 Bakersfield City Directory

Here's a link the 1899 Bakersfield Directory in excel format!

Disclaimer - There may be some mistakes. I suggest going to the original source to verify all information. The Beale Library has the directory as does the Kern County Museum.

The Midnight Battle at Midway

                Kern County’s petroleum history isn’t all gushers and boom towns. There is also a much darker side to the history that includes claim jumpers, vigilantes, attempted murder, and suicide. One of the darker incidents occurred in 1901 when two rival oil companies clashed over land in the Midway oilfield near Taft. Many of Bakersfield’s respected and upstanding men were involved in what became known as the Midnight Battle at Midway that left two men were critically wounded.

Oil was discovered to be profitable in the late 1890s in Kern County. By the turn of the century, legions of potential oil men flocked to Kern County to speculate, stake claims, and try to make a dollar. Oil companies sprang up overnight and many ceased to exist the next day. The initial focus in the area was on the Kern River field due to its close proximity to Bakersfield and the rail line, but with improved transportation and as want for oil increased, focus was turned to the west side of Kern County including the Midway field. The Midway field is a tract of land about half-way between the Sunset and McKittrick oilfields. On January 31, 1901, The Los Angeles Herald noted the emerging importance of the field: “Midway between the McKittrick and the Sunset districts is a field to which little attention has been given by oil men owing to the distance from transportation and because other larger things seemed easier to grasp; but some day oil men may be fighting for land here and paying fancy prices for it. That some one has faith in the land lying between the two points named as an oil proposition is shown by the fact that there is now hardly a quarter section of land on the line that does not have a derrick on it or a claim notice posted. There are no less than sixty derricks along the line which have been built to show somebody’s good intentions.”

Oil was a new business venture at the turn of the century, and the laws governing the oil lands were lacking and confusing. As a public land state, most of California’s land was held in public trust. To obtain public land – whether to own or just to use – one had to either apply either under the laws providing for mining use or the laws providing for the disposal of agricultural lands. Until the fall of 1908 when the lands thought to be valuable for petroleum were withdrawn from agricultural entry, it was possible for two people to claim drilling rights to the same section of land – one under mining law and one under agricultural law. Understandably, this led to numerous conflicts. Additionally, applying mining law to oil lands caused its own problems. The mining law required that there be an actual discovery of the intended mineral before the patent could be granted. This requirement made it necessary for oil speculators to drill upon the land to which they had no legal title, and, in many places, rival claimants were drilling upon the same tract of land to see who could first obtain oil and thus get the title to the land. Naturally, this too led to numerous conflicts. One such conflict started in April 1901 and didn’t end until many years later.

                In the early spring of 1901, the Mount Diablo Mining & Development Company obtained land from locators for $15 an acre on section 26 in the Midway field. They then filed an agricultural claim and completed about $1200 worth of assessment work. The Mount Diablo Company was owned by Joseph Anderson Chanslor, one of the most prominent oil speculators and real estate brokers of the time in California.  He had dealings with Edward Doheny, and also worked with Charles Canfield in developing the Coalinga oil fields. Chanslor was known as “the boy millionaire of the oil fields” due to his boyish appearance and his success in the oilfields.

Finding the land empty, on April 14, the newly formed Superior Sunset Oil Company moved onto the northwest corner of section 26 with the intent of filing a mining claim once oil was discovered. They built a bunkhouse and cookhouse as well as started constructing a derrick.  Associated with the company were: president Jesse W. Crosland, owner of Bakersfield Hardware Company; director Will S. Kimball, a Bakersfield drug clerk; director George Haberfelde, a sewing machine agent; stockholder Charles L. Claflin, a Kern County lawyer and former Superior Court judge of Modoc county; investor J. T. Walker, a former sheriff and county supervisor in Nevada. Employed by the company were: George P. Cornell Jr., twenty-five-year-old son of a prominent Plumas County gold miner; Tom Briggs, a carpenter; F. M. Barling; and a Chinese cook.

The Mt. Diablo company later claimed that they had a man stationed on the property when the Superior Sunset people “jumped” it. Superior Sunset conceded that Samuel J. Dunlop, the original founder of the Mt. Diablo company, had told them that the land belonged to Mt. Diablo but argued that there was no one on the land when they took possession.  Disregarding the information provided by Dunlop or perhaps just acting on the belief that the land was available and the Mt. Diablo people were simply trying to intimidate, the Superior Sunset company continued to occupy the land.

The Mt. Diablo and Superior Sunset people could have tried to work out the dispute in court, but legal action probably would have taken months if not years. At least one member of the Mt. Diablo company – Bakersfield physician Augustus F. Schafer - had much of his savings tied up in the Mt. Diablo company and couldn’t afford to lose his investment. Speaking to Mrs. Crosland, Dr. Schafer threatened to “kill every body on the place and destroy the property to get the land back.” Wanting the matter resolved as soon as possible, the Mt. Diablo people decided to take matters into their own hands. On April 18, The Los Angeles Herald reported: “The Mt. Diablo people claim that their land has been jumped without cause. While doing but little talking, the promoters of the Mt. Diablo company intimate that a force of men might be useful in regaining possession of the land.”

On April 19, 1901, approximately 20 officers, directors, and stockholders of the Mt. Diablo company formed a vigilante group and set out towards the contested land. The men later identified as being involved were: Joseph A. Chanslor; Dr. A. F. Schafer; Ellsworth John Boust, a former deputy US Marshal; J. W. Jameson, a Bakersfield attorney; Dunlop, first president of the Mount Diablo Oil Company before selling to Chanslor; H. C. Fertig, manager of the Union Hardware & Metal Company in Bakersfield; Horace P. Anderson, an associate of Chanslor’s father in the grocery business; Milt Donley and his brother John Donley; Wilburn A. Hendryx,; George L. Berger; Charles Todd; C. A. Neal (or Neil); J. T. Chick; Charles Hall; John F. Wootan of Selma; Fred Price; and Frederick E. Mannel.

Armed with repeating rifles, shotguns, and pistols, the vigilantes snuck up on the sleeping Superior Sunset camp at about 12:30am. That night’s new moon rendered the desolate area nearly pitch black, and those who witnessed the party’s travel through the area noted that the men wore their hats low and their collar brims up, thus making it even more difficult to identify them. Dr. Schafer later claimed that the only reason they arrived so late was that they got lost on their way to camp.  The vigilantes approached in a semi-circular line and stopped upon reaching a small rise overlooking the camp – about 60 yards from the bunkhouse and 150 yards from the derrick.  

Sleeping outside, Cornell was the first of the Superior Sunset company the vigilantes encountered. Crosland, Haberfelde, the Chinese cook, and blacksmith and horseshoer “Doc” Starns (who conducted a teaming business in the oil districts and happened to bunk at the camp that night) were sleeping in the bunkhouse.  Walker was sleeping at the derrick. Barling slept in a tent, and it is unclear where Briggs was sleeping.   

Hearing the approach of the party, Cornell hollered for them to stop. One of the vigilantes informed Cornell that they were vigilantes come to take back the land and then instructed Cornell to surrender and put his hands up. When Cornell defiantly refused and told them to put their own hands up, one of the vigilantes said, “kill him, boys,” and the vigilantes opened fire. Cornell attempted  to take cover behind the water tank as the vigilantes fired two volleys. Woken by the first volley and perhaps acting on the instinct of a former sheriff, Walker rushed toward the bunkhouse. The other Superior Sunset men either hid near where they had been sleeping or took cover in the darkness of the desert.

When the vigilantes eventually stopped shooting, they yelled a warning to the hiding Superior Sunset men that they would be back if Superior Sunset did not vacate the land. As the vigilantes retreated, Starns stepped out of the bunkhouse where he had been taking cover and found one vigilante still in the camp. The man threatened Starns, but Starns claimed to have no interest in the result of the contest. Perhaps recognizing Starns, the vigilante left without doing further harm.

Fifty-three shots were fired during the ambush - the water tank and bunkhouse were littered with bullets - but only two men were hit: Cornell and Walker. Cornell was found lying near the corner of the bunkhouse and Walker close to the cook wagon. Cornell had been shot twice - one of the shots shattered the bones in his left leg and the other entered his right chest and emerged near his spine. Walker was shot in the right side, above the waistband with the ball passing through the body and tearing out part of the spine. None of the vigilantes sustained any wounds and it is unclear if any of the Superior Sunset men even fired a shot although two bullet casings were later found near where Cornell had taken cover behind the water tank. Starns and Briggs carried the injured men into the bunkhouse to try to staunch their wounds.

At some point during the melee, Crosland had taken cover somewhere in the desert, and at about 2:00am, he came in out of the darkness and started for McKittrick to get a physician for the two injured men. It is unclear where Haberfelde was during or after the ambush. Crosland returned with Dr. W. P. Scott at about 10:00am, but in the meantime a Dr. Bentley had arrived from Sunset and dressed the wounds. Later that day, Walker and Cornell were moved to McKittrick to be attended by Dr. Scott. Both were expected to die, but, miraculously, both survived. They remained in McKittrick under a physician’s care for two months.  Cornell had to have his leg amputated and his right arm was permanently paralyzed.

The Superior Sunset Company did not immediately vacate the land, but on April 25, Mount Diablo and the Superior Sunset companies reached an agreement which resulted in the Superior Sunset company selling out to Mt. Diablo and going out of business.

At first none of the vigilantes admitted involvement in the ambush and a few outright denied having participated. Unfortunately, the Superior Sunset men could not identify most of the vigilantes, but Cornell was able to identify Boust based on Boust’s peculiar way of speaking. Boust denied being involved: A few days after the shooting, Boust visited Cornell on his presumed deathbed and was quoted in the San Francisco Call newspaper as saying, “I don’t like to call a dying man a liar, but you are very much mistaken.”  Dr. Schafer also denied being involved: “I have nothing to say concerning this shooting. I will deny, however, that I had a hand in it. Provided however, that I had been there, even alone I would tell openly in court that the man who was wounded was a hired assassin and I was sorry that the bullet didn’t kill him. However, as I was not there it is useless to talk of the matter.” In 1905 (after the statute of limitations had expired), both Boust and Schafer admitted that they were members of the vigilante party, a fact in which they seemed to have not a small amount of pride.

By June, warrants were issued for the arrest of the vigilantes on the charge of criminal conspiracy. The prosecution led by District Attorney Ahern and assisted by Attorney E. J. Emmons argued that a conspiracy was formed in the city to drive the alleged claim jumpers from the disputed land by force and with the intent to cause harm. The trial started in February 1902 before Justice of the Peace Millard. The case lingered for over a year and ended when Judge Millard dismissed the charges due to insufficient evidence. 

In March 1903, the Kern County Grand Jury took up the matter of the shooting. Feeling that the case had stalled, the Grand Jury requested Judge Millard to fix a date for the preliminary trial. In April 1903, the case was reopened and new charges were filed. This time the charge against the vigilantes was assault with deadly weapons.  The case once again lingered for a year. Fifteen of the accused were never arrested because they no longer lived in Kern County and little effort was made to find them. Warrants were sent to the Los Angeles sheriff for the arrests of Chanslor, Anderson, Hall, Berger, and Neil, but the Los Angeles sheriff reported back that their whereabouts were unknown.  Only Schafer, Boust and Price were arrested, but by April 1904, charges against the three men were dismissed once again due to insufficient evidence. Criminal proceedings came to an end on April 17, 1904 when the statute of limitations ran out and even the men who were never arrested could now walk free.

Not finding justice in criminal court, both Cornell and Walker attempted to sue the Mt. Diablo Company for damages received during the ambush. In June 1902, Walker sought $75,000 in damages - $50,000 for his injuries and $25,000 as punitive damages - from the Mt. Diablo Company. The trial finally started in February 1905, and on June 15, 1905, the court found that Walker,

“is, and was damaged by these defendants, Samuel J. Dunlap [sic], Milt Donley, A. F. Schaffer [sic], G. M. Donley, Geo. L. Berger, Chas. Todd, J. W. Jameson, C. A. Neil and Chas. Hall, in the sum of $5000, for the actual damages sustained, by reason of the pain and suffering and permanent injuries, wrongfully inflicted by the said defendants, and that the said plaintiff is entitled to, and does have, judgment against each and every one of said defendants, jointly and severally in the sum of $5000, together with interest thereon at the rate of 7 per cent from the date of same.”

An additional $3,500 was awarded as punitive damages. Unfortunately, Walker never saw any of the money. The defendants appealed the verdict, and in 1908, the California Supreme Court overturned the decision and ordered a new trial. Walker decided to not continue to pursue the case, and he faded from public record. In July 1903, Cornell also brought civil charges against the Mt. Diablo men, but presumably he was even unluckier than Walker for no mention was made in the newspapers about the result of the action.

Not finding recourse in either the criminal or civil courts, Cornell decided to seek revenge against two of his attackers. On the morning of April 16, 1904, as Schafer and Boust walked down Nineteenth Street in front of the Arlington Hotel, Cornell, with the assistance of his brother Lloyd, shot at Schafer and Boust. Both shots went wild and George Cornell was arrested. Crosland, Haberfelde, and Lloyd Cornell paid his bond. In June 1905, Cornell was tried for assault with a deadly weapon but was acquitted.

In 1910, the Mt. Diablo Company sold their property in the Midway field for $1,500,000, making the stockholders extremely wealthy. None of the vigilantes were found guilty of any crime associated with the battle at Midway, and most went on to be very successful. Chanslor continued to make a lot more money in the oil fields as an organizer in the Associated Oil Company, member of the firm of Chanslor-Canfield-Midway Oil Company, and a director of the Tidewater Associated Oil Company. He eventually retired to San Francisco and died in 1946 at the age of 78. Dr. Schafer became somewhat famous for creating a serum that he claimed could cure such diseases as typhoid, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and blood poisoning. He died of stomach cancer in 1926. Boust founded Boust City, a small hamlet near Taft known for its saloons, gambling dens, and brothels. Jameson continued investing in oil and helped found the city of Taft. Dunlop founded Dunlop Oil Company and became a Taft City Trustee. Anderson became the secretary for the Chanslor-Canfield-Midway Oil Company. Mannel later organized the Mannel-Minor Petroleum Company, which leased two hundred acres in the Belridge oilfield.

A few of the members of the Superior Sunset Company also found some amount of success: Crosland later entered into real estate and insurance in Bakersfield and died in 1935 at the age of 77; Haberfelde became a successful Ford automobile dealer in Bakersfield and died in 1962 at the age of 90. Kimball entered into a partnership with a Dr. Morrow to form Morrow-Kimball Drug Company, which later became Kimball-Stone Drug Company. He died in San Francisco at the age of 72. Claflin continued practicing law in Bakersfield with various law firms. Unfortunately, the two gunshot victims weren’t as lucky. Never recovering from the ordeal, George Cornell Jr. committed suicide in 1911 by shooting himself through the heart, and J. T. Walker’s fate is unknown.

 Much of Kern County’s oil history has been romanticized and celebrated, but no less important are the less than flattering stories of greed, intimidation, and attempted murder. The Midnight Battle at Midway shows that oilmen could be ruthless in their quest for black gold.