CALIFORNIA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 168, 1 April 1864, Page 3

CALIFORNIA.

The Doom of a Muhdekee. —Our Los Angelos correspondent, under the 17th December, writes: —Yesterday, Charles Wilkins was indicted for the murder of John Stamford, by a special Grand Jury. This morning the prisoner was brought into the District Court for arraignment and plea. He pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, and sentence was to be pronounced against him tomorrow morning, at 9 o’clock, when the Vigilantes in large numbers entered the court-room and took the prisoner from the custody of the sheriff and hung him. Wilkins seems, from his own confession, to have been a very ffiend in human shape. He avowed that he killed Samford, who was an entire stranger Jto him, to see if he had any money ; he did not know that he had any ; took the chances, he said, and killed him to find out. He began to make confession of his crimes soon after he was taken prisoner in Santa Barbara by Mr. Bartlett, his confessions to whom the later said, if taken down would fill a volume. He said that he was English born; that his parents were living at Salt Lake City and were Mormons ; that he had a sister living at Goshen, about sixty miles from Salt Lake; that he had committed nine murders; that he killed his first man when 17 years old, coming to this country ; that he was in the “ Mountain Meadows massacre” where he got 5000 or 6000 dollars, went to the States and had a spree on it; that he killed Blackburn on the Mohave, when he got 300 dollars in money and a lot of mules. &c. Wilkins said also that Wilburn was not killed by the Indians as reported but by the Mormons. Two years ago a party from here and from San Bcrnanino went out through the Cajon Pass after horse thieves. Near Eock Creek they recovered over 40 horses, and caught two of the thieves, who were sent to the State Prison ; but the third man escaped to the mountains. We nowjearn, by his own confession, that this Wilkins was that third man of that band. From there he afterwards made his way to Salt Lake. He said that he was one of the prisoners, having been sentenced to San Louis Obispo for stealing, who made the break from the State Prison a year or so ago, and that he was the one who helped to hold Lieut. Governor Chellis before the cannon to save themselves from beingj fired upon. He says about a year ago he killed a drover named Carr, near Eureka—doubtless many will remember the murder. He says that he and a Mexican who escaped from the State Prison' at the same time that he did, agreed to kill the|'drover and another man ; that ho killed Carr ; that ho generally made sure of his man, he said ; but the Mexican though he fired 4 or 5 shots at the'other man, did not get him, and he got away. Wilkins said he got, I think, about DCO dollars this time. From Stamford he only got his pistol and knife, and about 20 dollars in money. When asked if conscience did not trouble him' for having killed Stamford and others, Wilkins replied “ No, that he he thought no more of killing a man than ho would a dog.”