This is the original jail in Salinas built in 1878. It housed six prisoners!
I've been researching a family named Whitcher for a historical novel. Just the other day I located this jail in which the patriarch of the family, Thomas, spent six months! Not only that, but his son, who attempted to shoot him, would have been housed here too. One side is about 10 by 10 feet. The other is about 10 by 5 feet. The only separation between the cells is a piece of wood!
In our modern world it is unimaginable, even inhumane, to imagine holding people in such a place for an extended period of time.
If you look super close, you will see a horseshoe over the left cell pointed down. The normal way to put up horse shoes for luck is to put the shoe facing up, like the letter "U." This is to keep the luck in, but in this case, with the horse shoe upside down, it must mean that the person's luck had run out!
2 comments:
Hello
We wrote a few years ago about the Whitcher mystery.
Since then I have been to see the grave of TR Whitcher in Los Alamos, which greatly impressed me.
I will be in the area in 2 weeks and was wondering if you could help me find the location of the Whitcher cemetary near East Garrison that you have been researching.
Kind regards
Douglas Whitcher
There's a new road that has gone up the hill. I don't think it's open yet, but you could walk up the hill and see the small cemetery.
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