Yellow Bird and the Bandit: Minority Authorship, Class, and Audience in John Rollin Ridge’s The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta

Y e l l o w B ir d a n d t h e B a n d it : M in o r it y A u t h o r s h ip , C l a s s , a n d A u d ie n c e in J o h n R o l l in R id g e ’s T h e L ife a n d A d v e n tu r e s o f J o a q u in M u r ie ta J o e G o e k e In Se p t e m b e r 1 8 5 4 , F r a n k lin Bu c k , a t w e n t y - e ig h t - y e ar - o ld ge n e r a l st o r e o w n e r in W e a v e r v ille , C a lifo r n ia , m a ile d a p a c k a g e h o ld in g a b r ie f le t t e r a n d a y e llo w - c o v e r e d p a m p h le t t o h is sist e r in Bu c k sp o r t , M a in e . “I se n d y o u b y t h is m a il,” B u c k e x p la in e d , “a sp e c im e n o f o u r C a lifo r n ia lit e r at u r e . T h e a u t h o r o f t h e b o o k is a g o o d le t t e r w r ite r a n d q u it e a p o e t . A gr e a t m a n y o f t h e in c id e n t s in t h e b o o k , I su sp e c t , ar e r o m a n c e b u t t h e gr e a t e r p a r t is fa c t ” (1 4 2 ). T h e “sp e c im e n ” B u c k h a d e n c lo se d w as t h e r e c e n t ly p u b lish e d c r im e p a m p h le t T he Life and A dventures o f Joaquin M urie ta b y Jo h n R o llin R id g e , a m ix e d b lo o d C h e r o k e e w h o w r o te u n d e r h is I n d ia n n a m e , Ye llo w Bir d . A lt h o u g h Jo aquin M urie ta r e se m b le d o t h e r p r o d u c t s o f t h e se n sa t io n a l p r e ss in its d r a m a t iz a t io n o f a tim e ly st o r y fr o m r e gio n a l n ew sp ap er s, gr a p h ic v io ­ le n c e , a n d a p p e a ls t o A m e r ic a n n a t io n a lism , R id g e fr a m e d th e n a r r a t iv e w it h m o r a l w a r n in gs a b o u t t h e c o n se q u e n c e s o f r...