One hundred and thirty-two years ago this month, on the site of present day Fillmore, there was a hideous crime committed that shocked the entire state and received significant national media attention. In the early morning hours of March 24, 1877, under the cover of darkness, masked men shot and killed Thomas Wallace More the owner of Rancho Sespe. More and his three brothers owned substantial holdings in California. Most of the property was obtained by purchasing Mexican land grants that had been awarded to prominent Mexican families prior to California becoming part of the United States. Included in these holdings were Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy, Rancho Lompoc, Rancho del Purisima, La Patera and Santa Rosa Island.

In the early 1850's Rancho Sespe was purchased in a administrator's sale from the family of Don Carlos Antonio Carrillo who had obtained it in a 1829 grant in return for his military service to Mexico. The terms of the purchase, and the resulting payment made by the Mores, was for all the property on both sides of the Santa Clara River from Mupu (Santa Paula) Creek to Piru Creek, and from mountain to mountain on each side. The area encompassed six square leagues which is approximately eighteen square miles. The Mores raised sheep and cattle on the ranch. After the end of the Civil War and the winding down of the California Gold Rush, many of the participants in those events, looking for a new start, opted to settle on and claim land in accordance with the Homestead Act of 1862. A number of those individuals ended up near the junction of Sespe Creek and the Santa Clara River quite near Thomas More's ranch house. A dispute soon arose between More and the settlers concerning ownership of the land. More claimed all six square leagues for which he had paid the Carrillos. The settlers argued that the grant deed was fraudulent and was actually only for two leagues. The fledgling legal system that was accessed in attempt to resolve the issue proved to be too slow and ineffective. The drought years of 1876 and 1877 increased the rising tensions. More started building a canal that would divert the scarce water from the Santa Clara River and Sespe Creek to his operations. The settlers were certain that they would be deprived of the water vital to their crops. A group of them apparently decided to resolve the situation by the method utilized previously as soldiers and miners in the Wild West - business end of a gun. What happed on the night of March 24, 1877 will forever remain a cold case in regard to the actual circumstances and the satisfying of justice. The subsequent investigation by local law enforcement was neither timely nor adequate.

The testimonies of witnesses did not coincide one with another and a number of those testimonies were later recanted. The only facts that are certain is that Thomas Wallace More was murdered by a number of masked men in the early morning hours of March 24, 1877. The following scenario is probably as close to accurate as is possible: On the night of March 23, 1877, five men met at a predetermined location near the juncture of the Santa Clara River and Sespe Creek. They were armed with rifles and shotguns. Under the cover of darkness they traveled on foot to the location where Thomas More had a ranch house, barn, stable and corral. At that hour Mr. More, his Chinese cook, Jim Tot, his foreman, George Ferguson, and two employees, Juan Olivas and Santiago Reveal, were asleep. Two of the masked men positioned themselves at the gate of the corral while the other three went to More's barn and set it afire. The three then took positions that gave them a clear view of the area between the bard and the ranch house. The sleeping men were awakened by either the fire or the horses panicking from the fire or, perhaps both. They rushed out to attempt to save the animals and equipment kept in the barn. In their haste they did not stop to get fully dressed. They had no idea what lay in waiting for them and therefore had no thought of arming themselves.

They quickly evacuated the horses. More then returned to the burning structure and attempted to retrieve some harnesses. When he came out into an open area carrying the harnesses he was clearly visible due to the light
given off by the raging fire. A shot rang out and More fell to the ground with a wound to the groin area. He had been an easy target for those who had been laying in wait concealed by darkness.

As he tried to struggle to his feet three of the masked gunmen walked up to him, and as he pleaded for his life, they pumped numerous rounds of rifle and shotgun lead into his head. The masked men then fled the scene. More was dead but none of his ranch employees were injured. The act was a deliberate assassination of an unarmed man. The eye witnesses could not agree on the actual number of assassins. Jim Tot the Chinese cook reported counting five masked men leaving the scene, others reported as many as seven. None could be identified as they were wearing gunny sacks over their heads. The only ones who knew for sure were the perpetrators themselves and they weren't talking. The crime scene was not investigated in a timely or effective manner. The body of More had been removed to the ranch house prior to the arrival of law enforcement and the scene itself had been severally compromised. The tracks left by the killers had been followed by others prior to the investigation. The killer's tracks became intermingled with those of the followers which significantly decreased their value as evidence. And, probably most important, More was disliked by most of the settlers in the area which resulted a lackadaisical and ineffective investigation and prosecution of the crime. Many did not see it as a crime at all but, instead, that More just got what he deserved.

Three individuals came forth at three different times and gave testimony as to their knowledge of the crime at which time they provided names of the participants. The first was Austin Brown who claimed to have heard Frank Sprague plan the murder three weeks prior to it occurring. The second was Nimrod Hickerson who made a deathbed statement. The third was Jessie Jones, the grandson of J.W. Guiberson, who claimed to be part of the assassination party and who gave his testimony in return for immunity. All three testimonies named seven suspects, however, they were not the same seven in each case. Only five were named in common in all three of the testimonies. Eventually seven individuals were indicted: J.S. Churchill, John Curlee, W.H. Hunt, Jesse Jones, J.D. Lord, Charles McCart, and Frank Sprague. Only two were ever convicted. Curlee was found guilty and later won a new trial where he was acquitted. Frank Sprague was found guilty and sentenced to death. His sentence was then commuted to life imprisonment. He was sent to San Quentin where he spent a minimal number of years and was eventually pardoned and released.