Cattle Thieves in Contra Costa-Three Men Hung by the People-Confession of Salvador Valdez.
Information was received in this city yesterday, to the effect that three notorious cattle thieves were last week pursued from Livermore‘s Ranch, a distance of nearly fifty miles, captured and taken to Turner‘s Ferry, where they were speedily tried by a people‘s jury, found guilty of cattle stealing, and hung. A detailed account of the affair is given, as follows:

On Friday of last week, J.A. Neal, a resident of Livermore‘s Ranch, received information that three men were seen upon the mountains, driving off a number of cattle. He immediately started in pursuit, along with eight or ten men, and overtook the fugitives. This was at Turner‘s Ferry, on the San Joaquin. The fugitives, who had with them twenty-five head of cattle belonging to Livermore & Bernal, were found to be Salvador Valdez, a Californian-a most desperate character-and Jose Strode and Juan P. Gonzalez, Chilenos. Upon being summoned to surrender, on of the Chilenos handed his pistol to Mr. Neal, at the same time that the other tried to shoot that gentleman. Fortunately the Vaquero was sufficiently quick to fire at the treacherous Chileno, wounding him severely enough to divert his aim. All the three were then arrested.

Mr. Neal and his vaquero then took their prisoners to Turner‘s Ferry, where twenty-seven men were called as a Jury, who proceeded to try the parties. The prisoners were found guilty of cattle stealing, and twenty-four of the Jury voted for their death by hanging. That sentence was carried into execution on Monday afternoon, at one o‘clock. It was on the previous day, Sunday, that they had been arrested and tried.

Before his execution, Valdez made a confession of numerous crimes that had been committed by him. He was a well known villain. He acknowledged to have murdered in his time seven persons, and to have stolen an immense number of horses and cattle, more indeed than he could remember. Valdez was the individual who stole seven or eight head of cattle from W.H. Davis of San Leandro, and murdered the Indian who had been in charge of them. For that offence, Valdez was arrested, but made his escape from the Sheriff. A reward of $1500 was offered for his capture. At the time when he was taken prisoner by Mr. Neal, he had in his possession two gold watches; one, a gentleman‘s, and the other, a lady‘s watch.

Valdez died as he lived, a hardened villain, confessing that he had deserved death long ago. He also stated that he was in connection with a band of thieves who had lain a plan to scour the country below San Jose and rob every ranch between that town and Monterey. The two Chilenos begged hard for life, but in vain.

-New York Semi-Weekly Times Tuesday, Feb. 27, 1855