Bassett Family Association Database

Josiah Clark Bassett, Jr

Male 1878 - 1959  (81 years)


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  • Name Josiah Clark Bassett 
    Suffix Jr 
    Born 7 Jun 1878  Gibson City, , Illinois Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    _UID 91DEEE5F2F155F4EA45D298D33BD90987C95 
    Died Aug 1959  Redding, , California Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • 3B32331233. Josiah Clark Bassett Jr. - born 7 Jun 1878 in Gibson City, Illinois, died Aug 1959 in Redding, California. He married 3 times.

      Weekly Journal-Miner, Arizona, Wednesday Morning, December 30, 1914
      Bassett Bound Over: Goes To Jail
      (From Thursday’s Daily)
      Joe Bassett was bound over for trial to the superior court yesterday by Judge McLane and his bonds fixed at one thousand dollars, in default of which he is in the county jail.
      Bassett was accused of having killed a calf belonging to the Chino Valley Land and Cattle Company, and arrested at Hackberry as he was evidently leaving the country. The crime was alleged to have been committed about Nov. 4th, and Mrs. Bassett, the second wife of the accused, filed the complaint, after having left her husband.
      Ed Stephens, cattle inspector, testified to finding the hide buried on the Bassett place in the Walnut creek country, and said that it bore the brand “K.M.”, which is that of the Chino Valley Land and Cattle company. Himself and Deputy Sheriff Burgett went to that place with Mrs. Bassett after the complaint was filed and found the pelt buried under about two feet of soil. Mr. Stephens also testified that Bassett had admitted the killing to him since he was incarcerated in the county jail. His testimony was corroborated by that of Deputy Burgett and Under Sheriff Raible. County Attorney O’Sulivan also placed J.D. Brown, of Ash Fork, manager of the Chino Valley Land and Cattle Company, on the stand to
      prove the brand was that of his company, after which the State rested.

      Bassett Acknowledges Crime.

      Bassett was the only witness for the defense, and he made what seemed to be a clean breast of
      the whole affair. He had subpoenaed E. J. Brown, of Ash Fork, to prove that Brown had given him
      permission to kill a beef belonging to the B.P. Company, but Mr. Brown was not sworn, the defense
      resting after Bassett had given his testimony. The story he told was to the effect that he killed the calf at a time when he was out of meat and practically destitute of food. Himself and wife whom he had
      married a few weeks previous to the killing were at home at the time, and she held the lantern while he skinned the animal and afterward helped eat the meat. When he killed the animal he said he thought it belonged to “Buster” (E.J.) Brown, whom he swore told him about a year previous that if he wanted to kill one from his herd any time to do so and hang the hide on his fence and he would get it. After he had shot the calf, however, he found that it was not one of the “B.P.” cattle, and knew he was in bad, so buried the hide and said nothing about it. He said his wife told him it was wrong. His wife, according to his story, was disappointed with the place he took her to after the marriage, and complained that she could not stay there. Soon after the killing of the calf she said, according to the evidence of Bassett, “I will squeal on you and that is the way I will get a divorce.” After this trouble with his wife, on Dec. 4th he brought her to town and returned home, packed up many of his belongs and started for Kingman, where he said he expected to stop and trap during the winter provided he did not hear of his wife making him trouble, admitting that he expected to go to Nevada if he suspected arrest. I was in bad,” he said, “and but if not I expected to spend the winter trapping in the Kirkland country and return here in the spring and pay up some of the debts of my brother.” He said he wanted to tell the whole truth and let the matter rest on a square basis. Asked if he was drunk when he married his present wife, he replied that he was not, adding, “but I must have been crazy.” He said his first wife was dead; that his present wife had three or four children in California whom she had given away. He also said that he had been following the business of trapping wild animals for a living most of the time for the past fifteen years since he came west from Illinois, and had filed on a homestead the place where he lived at the time of the trouble.

      His evidence was a complete confession, tinctured with regrets and long explanations, and left
      nothing else for the judge to do but hold the case for further investigation by a higher court.
      Bassett left his team and wagon at Hackberry, where he was arrested.

      Weekly Journal Miner, Arizona, Wednesday Morning, February 3, 1915
      Bassett Gets Liberty
      Joe Bassett, convicted of grand larceny, was given a sentence of two years in the penitentiary
      yesterday, which was suspended, with the understanding that he was to report regularly to the sheriff
      during the period named.

      Bassett killed and consumed a calf belonging to the Big Chino Land & Cattle Company. He made a complete confession in which were many mitigating circumstances which gained for him the leniency
      extended. His wife, who has left him, filed the information was a parting shot, after a few weeks of
      wedded life with Bassett in his cabin home in the Chino valley. Bassett is a trapper.
    Person ID I8127  3B Thomas Bassett of Connecticut
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2015 

    Father Josiah Clark Bassett,   b. 7 Jun 1841, Jamestown, , Kentucky Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 4 Aug 1893, Huron, , South Dakota Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 52 years) 
    Mother Pernella Eklund,   b. 27 Oct 1847, Goteburg, Sweden Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 4 Aug 1886, Silbey, , Illinois Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 38 years) 
    Family ID F2832  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart