I do not know at what date Long Tom was discovered, but in 1868, it was a well-established mine, and was worked extensively until the eighties.

The Long Tom mail had to be brought by some neighbor volunteering to do the job from some community stage station.

I knew people who worked in Long Tom in the later time, and the Hurschfield family owned it in later years. It was said about $300,000 was taken out, but some people thought $350,000 had been put in. That was the general history of so many of the mines of this western slope of the Sierras.

In 1878, when the tragedy happened which the old timers think of when Long Tom is mentioned, the pockets had not been worked out, and the ledge of Long Tom itself, was still rich, and holding.

In 1868, the owners of the Long Tom mine were the two Yoakums brothers. The older, I think, was named Bill, and the younger, Jim. Many miners were working their claims nearby. Prominent among these were the Tuckers and the Johnsons. Ambrose Tucker lived to be an old man, lived out his life at Long Tom. I knew him over a period of many years. I think he is buried near the mine.

The Yoakum brothers, while many people lived there, had about thirty miners employed. They owned a store, a mill, and a blacksmith shop.

The Tuckers and Johnsons had been successful in getting a miner sent to prison for stealing gold from one of their mines. He swore to return and even the score when he had served his sentence, which was not a very long one. He had only stolen gold - not a horse! If the latter, the aroused populace would have probably lynched him.

This miner was known to have been seen across the mountains, in Kernville, just prior to the murders of Tug Tucker and one of the Johnson men. They were returning in two spring wagons, each with his wife seated beside him. They were hauling a load of provisions and mining necessities to Long Tom, which had been purchased in Bakersfield.

They were driving along a comparatively level stretch of road, just a short distance southwest of the Long Tom settlement. There was a rock at this spot, with a convenient hole entirely through it, just right to shoot through, if one wanted to do so. The rock was over six feet high, four feet wide, and about fourteen inches thick. Nearly fifty years ago, I stepped the distance from this rock to the road. It was about one-hundred steps to the spot behind the rock, from which the victims were shot.

Both the women told that their husbands were shot from their sides by murderers whose voices they recognized. They said it was the Yoakum brothers' voices. Also, that they saw one of the men wore brass-toes boots. Did he wave a foot out from behind the rock at them? The Yoakums, the Rucker and the Johnson men were having a bitter dispute over some mining claims. Looking back from 86 years later, it is very easy to understand how the ex-convict could have kept his threat to get even with Tucker Johnson. Also that the remaining families of the dead men could have, in all innocence, seen their arch enemies, the Yoakums, as the people guilty of this cold blooded ambush. The thoughts of the citizenry was divided at the time, and still remains so, amongst the second and third generations, as to those guilty of this outrage.

The Yoakums were arrested, bound over for trail in the Justice Court, and remanded to the sheriff's custody until a trail could be held. The Yoakums immediately commenced action to get a change of venue. This gave time for much lynch talk before they were tried by the enemies of the Yoakums.

One lynch mob, which showed the people weren't sure that the Yoakums were even to be suspected too strongly, was stopped rather abruptly: -- Two of the Higgins brothers, great uncles of late Senator Clair Engle, were sinking a shaft quite a distance down the Long Tom Gulch from the camp. Other miners were working at intervals between the two places. I don't know which of the Higgins brothers was down in the shaft, but I do know that Bill Higgins, whom I knew all my live until his death, was running the windlass on this particular day. Fortunately, they had a friend working quite a distance north of there in the same gulch. This man was surprised one day to see quite a number of men approaching him down the gulch from the north, armed with Winchesters and six-shooters. He knew them, and of course made inquiry as to the cause of their war-like appearance.

This was their conversation as the story has come down through the years:

"Well, boys, what are you up to?"

"The Tucker and Johnson women said one of the men who killed their husbands wore brass-toed boots. Bill Higgins wears brass-toed boots. They are sinking a shaft just down the gulch. We are going down to get him, and settle this thing right now."

"Wait a minute, boys, until I can get my rifle, and I will go with you."

They waited. He got his gun, and then saw to it that the lynch minded mob walked down the trail ahead of him. When they could see Bill Higgins, a sixteen-year old boy, standing by the windlass, the man who had joined the job, and had walked down behind them with his rifle in hand, suddenly called out, "Drop your guns, boys, your party is over. Just turn around and go home." That mob was stopped still but the next one was not.

It began to appear that the Yoakums might get their change of venue. Many people began to express doubt that women whose husbands had just been shot from ambush and toppled down from their sides, could really hear any man's voice unless shouted, a hundred steps' distance. Or that they could distinguish a brass toe on a boot, and even if they could see this brass toe, the people began to notice that a large number of their neighbors wore replicas of the oft-mentioned brass-toed footwear.

All this brought to a head the gathering of a mob that wasn't stopped until it completed its deed. No friend to stop it this time. The mob had no trouble in entering the jail and enforcing its will upon the sheriff. He kindly turned over the jail keys to a crazy bunch of enraged citizens. I knew many, of whom it was rumored were the mob.

Bill Yoakum tried to save his younger brother, told them that this boy had nothing to do with his mining deals. Bill felt sure they were the cause of most of the animosity against them. Finally, he begged them, "I promised my mother I would not die with my boots on. Please let me take them off."

The mob agreed. Bill sat down, took his boots off and came up fighting. He about had the lynch crowd whipped, when both brothers were shot, and then hanged.

Ambrose Tucker carried a deep scar on his skull all his life. Was he one of that brave crew?

Bill Yoakum left a widow, who after a few years, married a prominent man of our mountain community. The man is said to have very foolishly admitted to her that he had been a member of that gang who killed her former husband. She left him "right now." I knew people who claimed this was a fact. I also knew the children of this women by both husbands. My mother knew the man who supposedly made the ill-considered confession. They were all most excellent people.

Another aftermath - three of this guilty mob committed suicide not too long after Bill Yoakum almost fought his way to freedom with that brass-toed boot, which caused his death.

Lynn's Valley Tales and Others, Guy Hughes, Author, pg. # 58 - 61.

Submitted by Earl Quintrell -- Winchester, Tennessee

In an era of business at Internet speed and airy dot-coms that come and go in a year,
Van Bebber Bros. might seem ancient.

Its owners like it that way.

Last week, the Petaluma steel distribution and fabrication company celebrated its 100^th birthday as a family business. Van Bebber – joining a handful of local businesses still operating after 100 years – has survived two world wars, the Great Depression and enough economic cycles to view today’s downturn as just a dip in the landscape.

Five generations of Van Bebbers have put the family business on a very elite list of Sonoma County’s centenarians, including such local companies as ER Sawyer Jeweler, founded in 1879; Pedersen’s Furniture Co., 1892; and, next year, Grohe Florist of Santa Rosa, started in 1902. Two Sonoma County mortuaries, Parent-Sorensen and Daniels Chapel of the Roses, have both been around since 1856 and 1865, respectively.

"What sets us apart is that we are a father-to-son business," said 70 year old Van Bebber Chairman Royce Van Bebber, the eldest of the family members still active in the company.

Van Bebber Bros., which actually will be 100 years old in November but wanted to start the celebration early, traces its roots from village blacksmiths to steel distributors today.

In 1901, when the population of Sonoma County was 38,500, founding brothers George and Fred Van Bebber, tired of hammering on anvils for bosses, decided to open their own shop.

They made $26 in their first month in business.

Van Bebber Bros. today is a 35-employee steel distribution company that does projects as small as fashioning a few dozen steel hoops for wine barrels to providing steel that went into the giant Coca-Cola bottle at the San Francisco Giants’ Pac Bell Park.

To what do they attribute their longevity as Sonoma County has mushroomed to nearly a half-million people?

"We’ve never been afraid to say, ‘This isn’t working. Let’s drop this business and do something else.’ That’s a big part of why we’re still standing," said Royce Van Bebber.

The early years of Van Bebber Bros. are well documented because George Washington Van Bebber – born on Washington’s birthday – kept diaries that recorded much of his personal and business life spanning the years 1890 to 1958.

The diaries document the shop’s move from its original location on East Washington Street to Main Street in 1918 and its challenges following the 1906 earthquake.

By the mid-1920s George’s son, Alvin, had joined the business, having just graduated from Stanford with a degree in engineering. He was followed by his younger brother, George E., thus keeping the tradition of brothers working at Van Bebber Bros.

Van Bebber survived the Great Depression because the company specialized in mending farm equipment, a service crucial to those farmers who couldn’t always afford to replace tillers, hoes or tractor blades.

As World War II approached, many farms converted to more modern farming methods. Stainless steel receptacles were replacing wooden bins and Van Bebber’s fabricated many pest-proof storage containers for customers like Western Condensing, Golden State Dairy Products and Campbell’s Soup.

Van Bebber Bros. spent most of the war years training arc welders, many of whom worked in Bay Area shipyards building Liberty ships.

Following the war, the shop added modern machinery, including lathes, a power hacksaw, plate shears that cut steel and press equipment, forcing them to expand the shop’s fabrication area.

Today, Van Bebber has adapted to more modern needs, such as selling steel for outdoor sculptures. Their clients are loyal in part because of the comfortable shop atmosphere.

"My company makes fake rocks and fabricates large outdoor installations, like 30 foot long insects. Van Bebbers never flinch," said John Lamos, owner of Replica Art Formations of Petaluma.

Today at Van Bebber, machines fold metal, crimping edges and bending beams into useful parts. The noise of manipulating steel is deafening and operators have developed a sort of sign language because they must wear ear plugs.

"The ironic thing about this business is half the time you don’t know what the heck you’re making," said President Rick Van Bebber.

Rick’s dad, company Chairman Royce, joined the family business when he graduated from Petaluma High School in 1949. Today, he presides over an office that is a jumble of memorabilia with vintage photos covering most of one wood-paneled wall. One photo of three generations of Van Bebbers was taken in the 1950s, when the company was busy building bulk delivery trucks for customers such as G.P. McNear Co., Golden Eagle Milling, Hunt & Behrens and Pini Feed.

By 1956, the company had outgrown the Main Street shop and decided to build on its current site in South Petaluma, which they had owned for several years and used as a private boat launch.

The late 1960s found Van Bebber Bros. selling off small business units, like the machine shop that Donald Bergstedt turned into Donal Machine, which still operates across town.

What was left continues as the core of today’s business: steel supply and fabrication.

The company has always been private and declines to release its revenues, although they are certainly making much more than $26 a month by now.

At the century mark in the history of Van Bebber Bros., at lease one thing has remained a constant: an ancient steel cutter used by each generation of Van Bebbers.

The "Aligator" may have been relegated to a storage shed, but will not be cast aside.

Bolted to a redwood timber so ancient it has taken on the look of metal, it springs to life with the flip of a switch and will take a bite out of anything that will fit into its mouth.

"It’s a relic, but we keep what works," said Rick Van Bebber.

* * * * * * * * * *

VAN BEBBER BROS.

1901: Founded by blacksmiths George W. and Fred E. Van Bebber

1925: George’s eldest son, Alvin W., joins firm, followed by second son, George E. Van Bebber

1942: Young George operates welding school during World War II

1949: Young George’s own son, Royce joins firm and remains as the eldest of three generations working at the four-acre South Petaluma business.

1956: Shop moves from 246 Main Street to present location, 729 Petaluma Boulevard South.

1958: Shop starts operations as a steel products in addition to machine shop and other services.

1969: Machine shop sold to employee, Donald Bergstedt, who continues to operate Donal Machine on McDowell Blvd.

1973: Royce’s son, Rick, joins firm.

1999: George E. Van Bebber dies at age 91

2001: With Royce, age 70 as chairman and Rick, age 46 as President, Van Bebber Brothers celebrates centennial.

* * * * * * * *

The Press Democrat

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Section E Page 1

[Reprinted with permission of the author]

Marion and Loo were parents of nine children, all born in Black Cat Thicket. Their first child, John Henry Fulfer II was born Aug. 13, 1873. He was first married to a Miss Powell. On Feb. 17, 1919, he married Aquilla B. Morgan. John died July 7, 1939 and is buried in South Sulphur Cemetery.

The Fulfers second child was Greenberry Fulfer, born in 1875. He married Zora Parrish Warren on Aug. 11, 1895 in Hunt County.

Daisy Alberta Fulfer was born July 2, 1881 and married Jess Porter Gregory Sept. 2, 1900.

The fourth Fulfer child was James Bunyan, born in Feb. 1886. He and Cone Boyd were married May 17, 1907.

Like his older siblings, Peter Grover Cleveland "Pete" Fulfer was born and reared in Black Cat Thicket. Born Oct. 10, 1888, he and Laura Jane Jackson were married Nov. 29, 1910. Pete died Feb. 6, 1951 and is buried in Forrest Park Cemetery in Greenville.

William Thomas "Tom" Fulfer was born Aug. 23, 1891. He and Bertie Clayton were married Sept. 28, 1919 in Hunt County. Tom served in the U.S. Army during World War I, fighting in several European battles. He died Sept. 28, 1972 in Commerce and is buried in Rosemound Cemetery.

Francis Marion Tate Fulfer was born Dec 12, 1893 and was married to Mattie Allen. Tate was in the U.S. Army during World War I and fought in major battles in Europe. He died Sept. 29, 1972 in Commerce and is buried in South Sulphur Cemetery.

The youngest child of the Fulfer couple was Edith Marcella Fulfer, born in Jan. 1897. Her first marriage was to Mike Holt. She later married Floyd Henry Fambro. The couple lived in Dallas for many years where Floyd had his own barber shop.

Loo Fulfer died in 1912 and is buried in South Sulphur Cemetery.

On Jan. 28, 1916, Francis Marion Fulfer was married a second time, to Birdie Lee Story Ledbetter Hedges. Birdie was born Jan. 4, 1881 in New Madrid Co., Mo. Birdie and Marion had two children. Their first child was Sherman Fulfer, born Nov. 8, 1916 in Hunt County. Loveta Fulfer was born Mar. 19, 1920 in Hayti, Pemiscot Co., Mo. Marion died Jun 14, 1933 and is buried in South Sulphur Cemetery. Birdie died Jan. 16, 1940 in Hugo, Oklahoma and is buried there.

From Tall Grass to High Cotton, Published by the Wolfe City Chamber of Commerce, 1999. Pages 265 & 266.

Submitted by Dorothy Wood Moore

"There isn't a better citizen in Ray County than Jim," said a gentleman to the writer recently in speaking of Mr. James Yoakum of two miles north of Knoxville.

He is a real progressive farmer who knows how to coax the black soil of Ray County into yielding abundant crops of corn, wheat, oats, etc.---and Jim Yoakum knows how to give the proper attention to live stock of nearly every kind to obtain the best results.

The writer found Mr. Yoakum, during a conversation in "The Missourian office, to be a very pleasant gentleman. He keeps abreast with the times and is really progressive in every truly practical way. A gentleman who has known Mr. Yoakum since boyhood days says:

"James Yoakum (Jim) as every friend calls him is an old time Missourian of the best sort ---although not an old man, being, however, in the prime of life and of importance to his home and country!

"He was born without inherited land, and he began by working by the month---low wages and long hours. He was very soon marked as being different from other fellows in that he was found working and taking care of things like they were his own, saving the master's stuff---in many cases preventing loss exceeding the cost of his wages, thus twice and thrice earning his pay! Needless to say, his services were soon in demand, and he did not have to hunt a job---he worked 12 months without deducting time when others worked 7 and 8 months with wet days off.

"Uncle Reuben Green, a large farmer, soon got hold of Jim---and here his fortunes were assured for as Jim worked year by year for Uncle Reuben (one of the noblest men that ever lived) he studied and learned Uncle Reuben's methods of successful farming and stock raising.

Mr. Yoakum has a young stallion that weighed 1350 pounds when 16 months old and a pair of yearling mules that tipped the beam at 2200---that's the way he produces them.

As we always like to put in a few lines of a biographical nature will state that Mr. James Yoakum married Rosa McCubbin on February 26, 1888, and the names of their children are Pryor, Charley, Pearley, Jesse, Gertie, Dollie, Claude, Bessie and Albert.

Mr. and Mrs. Yoakum and their family reside at the Yoakum farm two miles north of Knoxville on what formerly was known as the Uncle Dan Taylor place. Mr. Yoakum now owns 180 acres of land in Knoxville Township, and his success in building up the soil and adding to the estate is an example worth the while of every Ray Countian. His use of willow trees and his methods of plowing have resulted in filling many a gully and drain. His hauling of all available barn manure to the fields has shown its worth in every case.

Mr. Yoakum has also had charge of the Jewell Mayes farm of 240 acres for several years, the son, Pryor Yoakum, residing there and handling the place with his father to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Mr. Yoakum is a good citizen from every point of view. He believes in good schools and good churches, good lodges and good homes. Comfort and industry go hand in hand with him. The community made up of Jim Yoakums would be a model in progress and prosperity, and such a community would widely attract the attention of the people of our great commonwealth!

The Missourian, Richmond, Ray County, Missouri -- Thursday -- March 30, 1916, pg. 2.

Submitted by Earl Quintrell -- Winchester, Tennessee