Josefa Segovia

Josefa Segovia, also known as Juanita or Josefa Loaiza, was a Mexican-American woman who was lynched by hanging in Downieville, California, on July 5, 1851. She is known as the first recorded Mexican woman to be lynched in California.Gutierrez, Margo, and Matt S. Meier. ''Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement''. Greenwood, 2000. Print. p. 135-136. Josefa is also an important figure in Chicana feminist theory as her case highlights the violence Mexican woman were facing at the time and the resistance against it.

Historical background

Beginning in 1835, a dispute between Mexican and Anglo migrants was growing over western territories such as California created high racial and gendered tensions which led to the lynching of Josefa. While it was Mexican territory, the Great Migration created a sentiment in the Anglo migrant populations to annex the territory into the USA leading to the Mexican-American War.

In 1848, right before the Mexican-American war ended, gold was found in California. This started the Gold Rush (1848-1852) and resulted in as many as 25,000 Mexicans, 30,000 Anglo-Americans, and migrants from countries in Asia and Latino America migrating to California to mine. By 1849, the population of non-native Californians grew to over 100,000. Two-thirds of this non-native population were Americans. Despite the fact that the work of mining was the hardest kind of labor, the promise of gold drew miners west every year. But the war had resulted in lasting tensions between Mexicans and the Anglos resulting in discriminatory policies such as the miner's tax.

The way women were seen in the West during the Gold Rush was also very much based on their wealth and their race. A majority of Anglo women who migrated West stayed in San Francisco, as it held more social and financial stability for them. The women who stayed in mining towns were more likely to be Mexican, Asian, or Chilean. These women were also a visible minority in mining town’s population, which exposed them to greater forms of sexual harassment. Rojas, a modern-day scholar, cites these as contributing factors that made Josefa more vulnerable to attack.

Known facts about her case

On July 4, 1851 an Anglo-American miner Frederick Cannon broke into the home of Josefa. Accounts of the time reported that she was not assaulted. Other accounts from historians however say that he broke down her door and harassed her.

The next day, on July 5, 1851, her partner Jose Segovia confronted the Anglo-American man who then followed Jose home and yelled profanities at both Josefa and Jose. This altercation ended with Josefa stabbing Cannon. A mob of the Anglo-American miners in Downieville, CA then gathered and held an extrajudicial trial where they decided Josefa was guilty. On that night, Josefa was hung on the Jersey Bridge on the Yuba River.

Speculation and uncertainty

Josefa Segovia is widely claimed to be the only woman in California to have been lynched, as she was forcefully held during an extrajudicial trial then killed by the mob of Anglo Americans. However, the historical record of lynchings is incomplete. The original records for lynchings were categorized solely as having Black or White victims, erasing a history of violence against Mexicans. Additionally, violence against Mexican women was not reported as commonly as violence against white women. So while Josefa is the only recorded woman lynched in California, there could be more.

There is much speculation about why Josefa stabbed Cannon. Writing in 1887, Hubert Howe Bancroft, a historian of the time, reported that Cannon kicked down Josefa’s door while he was drunk, but left without assaulting her. However, modern day scholars, including William D. Carrigan and Maythee Rojas, generally agree that when Cannon knocked down Josefa’s door, he was actively attempting to assault or harass her.

Similarly, the details of the following day, July 5, are unclear. Some accounts of the story claim Cannon returned to Josefa’s house to apologize for his behavior. Other scholars say he returned to fight with her husband, Jose Segovia (Loaiza), who confronted him for breaking into Josefa and his home. All accounts conclude that the altercation ultimately led to Cannon calling Josefa a “whore.” Josefa then stabbed him.

Historical and Popular Accounts

A lot of the speculation about her name comes from older dramatized versions of her story being told. Newspaper accounts at the time villainized her. But by the 19th and 20th century, her story was retold by historians or important men of the era. This led to a lot of the speculation modern day historians are reading through.

Trial

Gordon Young, an American novelist, rewrote Josefa Segovia’s case in his book ''Days of ‘49'', which dramatized the original details.Young, Gordon. "Days of 49'." Popular Tribunals ownieville, California1851, Volume 1 Pg.
417-557. Web. 4 November 2013. The novel portrays the extrajudicial trial held in Downieville. In the novel, Young claims there was a jury of Cannon’s peers, and painted a picture of a trial. He also wrote of a physician testifying against the hanging of Josefa. Protests immediately followed the doctor's testimony and he was forced from the stand and from the town. He also wrote about how a lawyer, Mr. Thayer from Nevada attempted to testify against the execution of Josefa but was beaten off the stand. Reportedly, he asked for a fair trial for Josefa to see if a murder had really been committed. The novel, because of its popularity, was later confused as a true account of the case."Woman up in the west". Fairbanks Weekly News – Miner laska January 21, 1921, p. 15.

Execution

Another book ''Popular Tribunals, Vol 1''. was also influential in spreading dramatized information about her case. The tribunals described how town came to stand on the banks of the river and watch her execution. Hubert Howe Bancroft claims that her lynching was an important event to lessen the anger of the townspeople over Cannon's death. Josefa was hanged immediately following the trial, and some newspaper accounts of the time, along with Bancroft say that her last words before she was executed were "Adiós Señores". Some witnesses recalled Josefa saying before she died: "'I would do the same again if I was so provoked,” then placing the noose on her own neck.Rubio, J'Aime. "First Recorded Hanging of a Woman in California History." Dreaming Casually, 07 08 2013. Web. 12 December 2013. Due to conflicting witness statements and vague details some modern commentators believe that Juanita did not murder Frederick Cannon.

Legacy

Josefa's case has been a focus for the Chicana Feminist scholar and historian. Maythee Rojas in her article “Re-Membering Josefa: Reading the Mexican Female Body in California Gold Rush Chronicles.” She retells Josefa’s story to include how she was framed either as a violent woman until she was dead, then the newspaper accounts changed to depict her as an innocent woman. Josefa Segovia’s case is a major plot point in '' Girls of the Golden West'', a 2017 opera by John Adams based on the letters of Dame Shirley. She is also the main protagonist in the short film ''Siren'' (2019) by Jared Armijo-Wardle. The short film portrays Josefa during her final moments, before her hanging.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Segovia, Josefa
People of Alta California
People of the California Gold Rush
Lynching deaths in California
1820s births
1851 deaths
People from Downieville, California
History of Sierra County, California
1850s in California
Racially motivated violence against Hispanic and Latino Americans in California
Deaths by hanging
Women lynching victims in the United States
Lynching victims in the United States
Anti-Hispanic and Latino sentiment in California
People convicted of murder by California
People murdered in California