July 16, 1864
            THE GASSAWAYS --
	    The "Gassaway family" were arraigned
	    before His Honor, Judge Safford, on
	    Monday, on the indictment of the Grand
	    Jury for the robbery of Whiting's Express.
	    They asked and were granted until Friday
	    to answer.  They appeared before the Court
	    yesterday, and put in a demurrer to the
	    indictment on the ground of its
	    insufficiency in certain particulars.
	    The Court took the matter under advisement
	    until two o'clock, when the demurrer was
	    sustained, and the prisoners recommitted
	    until the next term of the Grand Jury.
 

Note:
The robbery of Whiting's Express is described in an article published on July 2, 1864.

Note: The "Gassaway family" was an outlaw group that was active in the area during this time, and had apparently been involved in several stagecoach robberies. They were originally from the Southern states -- the parents, Upton and Malinda Gassaway, had been born in Kentucky, and most of their children in Missouri.
There is a website with a photo of a lookout rock that they supposedly used to watch for stagecoaches coming along the road.

During the spring and summer of 1864, the Civil War was turning especially bad for the Confederacy. General Sherman began his invasion of Georgia in May, and burned his way through the northwestern part of the state until he captured Atlanta on September 2. During the campaign, the armies came right through the area where James Shuler's parents had their farm in Bartow County.

The newspapers in California were full of the news of the war, and were exulting because of the Union victories. Southern sympathizers were secretly recruited to do all that they could to help the Confederate cause.

       September 10, 1864
            THE GRAND JURY has been in session
	    during the past week.
	    U.S., U.T., and Charles Gassaway,
	    J.F. Shuler and James A. Stores
	    were indicted for highway robbery.
	    Court allowed them till Thursday,
	    fifteenth to plead.
	     ...
 

Note:
At the time of their arrest, the suspects gave fictitious names.
It appears that the Sheridans were really the Gassaways; Jas Stairs was actually James A. Stores, and J. F. Sims was really James F. Shuler.

        October 22, 1864
            ALL THE GASSAWAYS CONVICTED --
	    On Thursday last, the jury
	    after remaining in session all
	    night, brought in a verdict of
	    of guilty against Charles Gassaway.
	    This is the last of the Gassaways on
	    trial -- U.S., U.T. and C. Gassaway
	    -- all found guility [sic] of highway
	    robbery.
	      Two other parties connected
	    with the same affair, James A. Stores
	    and J.F. Shuler, are to be tried.
	    Shuler's trial is set for Monday next.
 

       October 29, 1864
            CONVICTED --
	    U.S. Gassaway, convicted of highway
	    robbery, was sentenced on Wednesday
	    last, for six years; U.T. Gassaway, ten;
	    Charles Gassaway, three.  James Shuler
	    receives his sentence today.
 

       November 5, 1864
            FOR SAN QUENTIN --
	      Sheriff Day started Monday last,
	    for San Quentin, having in custody
	    the three Gassaways and J.F. Shuler,
	    convicted for highway robbery.
	      District Attorney Rosenbaum is
	    entitled to great credit for the
	    energetic and successful manner in
	    which he prosecuted the cases of
	    these highwaymen, thereby freeing
	    the public from their outlawry
	    for some years, at least.
 

Note:
The Prison Register at San Quentin lists the three Gassaways immediately following the entry for James F. Shuler, as follows:
U.T. Gassaway (No Age given)
U.S. Gassaway (Age 61)
Chas Gassaway (Age 19)

District Attorney Rosenbaum later wrote a letter to the governor of California, petitioning for the pardon of James F. Shuler.
See Rosenbaum Letter

       November 19, 1864
            FAILED TO APPEAR --
	    On Monday, the 14th inst., the case
	    of James Storrs, indicted for robbery,
	    was called for trial, but the defendant,
	    who is under bail in the sum of $2000,
	    failed to appear, and his bond was
	    declared forfeited by the Court.
	    This was the last one of a party of
	    five who robbed the stage near Bidwell
	    Bar in June last.  The other four --
	    namely, the three Gassaways and Shuler
	    -- are now paying the penalty of their
	    crime in State's Prison.  A suit on
	    the bond has been commenced by the
	    District Attorney.
 

Newspaper articles from
The Weekly Union Record
Butte County, California

Transcribed from MicroFilm
(OCLC #14508537)
and INTERNET Adaptation
by Sandra Shuler Bray