A Brutal Slaying Remembered

While strolling along the perimeter of Stockton Rural Cemetery, you might notice the elaborate crypts and monuments placed amidst the meager and modest graves. Like everyone rich or poor, famous or not, we all have a story to tell and we all deserve to be remembered. Some stories are more tragic and far more disturbing than others, but again, they didn't choose the way in which they passed no more than we will when our time comes. And just because a death is more shocking or uncomfortable to read or hear about than others, does not mean their story is any less important or shouldn't be shared for fear of upsetting someone's sensibilities.

In this case, we have the story of Geraldine Ortega who was born on August 25, 1946 in San Joaquin County. She was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Copeland, and she more than likely attended high school in Stockton. At the age of 20, Geraldine married a slightly older man named Daniel Ortega, Jr. on August 31, 1966.  Very shortly after exchanging their nuptials, Geraldine became pregnant with their second child, Teresa. The marriage would prove to be one filled with domestic violence and after 15 months, Geraldine fled from her husband to live with her grandmother, Elva Copeland at 1734 Rhode Island Avenue in Stockton, California.  She had only been living with her for about two weeks before the tragedy struck.

It seems Daniel was not about to let his family leave so easily. Geraldine had been receiving the worst threats from her estranged husband just one week before Halloween, but she had no idea how real the threat was. Just a week later, On November 1, Daniel showed up at Elva Copeland's house and started a physical assault on Geraldine. At some point her grandmother, Elva attempted to intercede to stop him, but that was when the brutal crime began.

During the struggle Daniel took a meat cleaver and physically attacked both Elva and Geraldine, fatally wounding both women. The details of the crime were too gruesome (and in bad taste) for me to describe, so I will just leave you with the fact that he butchered these poor ladies, all the while Geraldine's two infant daughters were in the home, possibly witnessing the act. After Daniel had committed the murders, he threw the murder weapons (meat cleaver and hunting knife) on the rooftop of a nearby building and many hours later, he eventually called the authorities the morning of November 2 and turned himself in.

"Dual Suspect Cries 'I Am Guilty!'

Daniel R. Ortega, 25, of Stockton, who was arraigned in Municipal Court yesterday for the murder of his wife and her grandmother, admitted the slayings during his court appearance. Ortega was booked at the county jail early Friday morning for the murder of Mrs. Geraldine Ortega, 21, and her grandmother, Mrs. Elva Copeland, 80, of 1734 Rhode Island Street in East Stockton.

The suspect reported the murders to Sheriff's deputies Thursday afternoon and subsequent investigation led to his arrest. Officers said the murders occurred several hours earlier. The two women had been hacked to death with a meat clever. Officers said the slaying apparently climaxed a domestic quarrel.

Ortega cried out in court yesterday, "I did it, I am guilty."  His arraignment was continued to Tuesday, November 7 at 2 p.m." -- Lodi News Sentinel  (November 4, 1967) ---

Such a sad and terrible end to two precious souls, who lost their lives far too soon and in such a horrific way.

Elva was laid to rest at Burwood Cemetery in Escalon, California, while Geraldine was buried at Stockton Rural Cemetery in Block 19. Her simple concrete marker lays neatly in a row with others who have passed before or after her, and just like them, she had her own unique story to tell.

I visited Geraldine today and took photos of her grave for her granddaughter, and she was kind enough to give me permission to share the photos and her story with all of you. Since Geraldine's story has been forgotten for so long, I felt the need to share it with you, so she will be forgotten no more.--

Thank you Heather Benfield for reaching out to me! May your grandmother and great-great grandmother rest in peace, always.

(Copyright 2018 - J'aime Rubio, All Rights Reserved)

The Murder of Judge Belt

Newsclipping of the time- Sac Daily Union, June 4, 1869

The Stockton Independent, dated June 4, 1869, relayed the story as follows:

“The Late Homicide In Stockton”

“Shortly after twelve o’clock yesterday, Judge George Belt, of Merced county, was shot and killed by William Dennis, of this city, on Center Street, in front of J.A. Jackson & Co.’s office. The tidings of the tragedy soon spread extensively throughout the city, and but a short time elapsed after the sad affair transpired before a large crowd had assembled at the scene of the homicide, every one manifesting eagerness to see the body and ascertain, if possible the cause of the shooting. Various rumors prevailed in regards to the matter, all showing that an old and bitter enmity had existed between the parties for years. As the case will undergo a rigid legal investigation, and not desiring in any manner whatever to bias public sentiment in regard to it, we refrain from giving any of the vague and unauthenticated rumors prevailing, but await the testimony of those cognizant of the facts in the matter.

Coroner Bond soon arrived at the scene and took charge of the remains of Judge Belt. The Coroner, in removing the hand of the deceased from his coat pocket, found firmly held in its grasp a loaded derringer pistol. On the body was a bowie-knife, apparently new, and a new scabbard (dagger). Dennis, it is stated, fired the fatal ball from a revolving pistol. The ball entered about two inches under the deceased’s left ear, severed the spinal column, ranged up-ward, and is supposed to have lodged in the brain. The remains were removed to the office of the Coroner, on Weber Avenue, and the following jury of inquest summoned and sworn: C.G. Hubner, E.R. Dagget, J.B. Sears, Patrick Tye, Benjamin Chadsey, and M. Stoll. After examining the body, further investigation was postponed until this morning at ten o’clock, when witnesses will be examined.

Deceased was an old pioneer. He was the first merchant that settled and established a store in Stockton, having arrived in 1848, and located his store on the corner of El Dorado and Levee Streets, there occupying two lots given to him by Captain Weber. Dennis has been a resident of this city for many years, and is an extensive property holder. Dennis was arrested by Chief of Police Fletcher, and placed in jail.”—-

The following news article gives a little bit more information about the incident, although it appears some of the statements contradict the first article:

“About twenty minutes past twelve o’clock this afternoon Stockton was the scene of one of the most horrible homicides (murders would perhaps be a better name) that ever occurred in any civilized community. At the time specified above, George Belt, an old, wellknown and highly respected citizen of Merced County, was shot dead by William Dennis, of this city, in front of the office of J.A. Jackson & Co., on Centery Street.

Without any warning, but in deliberate cold blood, the deceased was sent into the presence of his Maker. For a number of years—dating back at least as far as 1863—- the parties to this tragedy have been engaged in a legal feud involving the right of certain property. A bitter enmity had consequently sprung up between them, and for years no kind word, if any at all, had passed, and for the last three or four years we doubt if they had exchanged a word of any kind. Thus matters have stood.

Last evening, Judge Belt arrived in Stockton, for the purpose of attending to some business. Today, until the moment of his murder, he was about the streets attending to that business and conversing with friends, of whom he had many. About twenty minutes past twelve, he left the office of Jackson in company with that gentleman and McFarlane of Merced, and when just reaching the edge of the sidewalk, preparatory to crossing the street, Dennis approached him from behind, drew a revolver and deliberately shot him.

The unfortunate man did not know that the assassin was near him, and had no opportunity to defend himself. He fell immediately and expired without a struggle. The ball entered about an inch below the left ear, passed through the spinal column and come out on the other side. Dennis immediately gave himself up to the authorities and was taken to jail.”—- Sacramento Daily Union, June 5, 1869

So just who were Judge Belt and William Dennis? 

Hon. George Gordon Belt
Born: September 25, 1825
Died: June 3, 1869

Born in Beltsville, Maryland, George came to California with the Stevenson Regiment at Monterey, later arriving in Stockton around 1849, where he opened up a tent store. At just 24 years of age he was appointed as the first Alcalde (Chief Officer and Judge) of Stockton under the former rule of Mexico. He also was appointed as a licensed trader at the Merced Indian Reservation. He was the one who established the city government in Stockton in 1850. Later on, he was affiliated with the Mason Henry Gang.

William Dennis
Born: April 18, 1809
Died: January 22, 1874

Native of New Jersey, William Dennis was infamously known as the man who shot Judge George Belt and killed him in June of 1869. His infamy seemed to overshadow any sort of reputation he had in Stockton, prior to this incident. It was known that Dennis owned a lot of property within the city, but little else is mentioned. After Belt’s murder, Dennis was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by Judge Cavis of the Fifth District Court.

In Conclusion

The strangest thing I found while researching this story was documentation that claimed Dennis was sentenced to prison for the murder, but died before his term was up. I didn’t think to question it at first, given the fact he did die in 1874; However, according to the Sacramento Daily Union dated November 27, 1869, Judge Crockett released Dennis on a $15,000 bail AFTER he had already been sentenced to 10 years by Judge Cavis.

So apparently, Dennis literally got away with murder. Did he have some friends in high places? It really makes you wonder. When he died in 1874, he was buried in Block 12 of Stockton Rural Cemetery, not too far from his victim, Hon. George Belt, who is buried in Block 11. Now these two enemies are stuck with each other, for eternity. Funny how that worked out, huh?

(Copyright 2018 -J'aime Rubio - www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

A Ghastly Murder Remembered - Part 2

In my last story, "A Ghastly Murder Remembered," I explained the murder of Mary Arrivey.  As far as the story goes, Gus Arrivey, crazed and in a drunken state,  murdered his mother in the most brutal way on December 4th, 1911. My last blog post went into the details of the murder as well as the background of both Mary and her son, Gus. This blog however, will be about Gus' mental state and the things he told the physicians who observed him after the murder, including newly found information in regards to his past mental state. His case was so odd that it made its way into the California State Journal of Medicine in 1912.

By his own admission, Gus told the physicians that at the age of  five he had been given his first taste of liquor, and had been fully drunk by the age of twelve. He claimed that his father died when he was just a child, and that he did not know much about his relatives. By September 30th, 1910, Gus was committed to Dr. Asa Clark's Sanitarium for his debauchery and "delirium tremens" attacks. He was released nearly six weeks later, on October 8th.

By the springtime, Gus was at it again with his drunken behavior and hallucinations. This time he was arrested for climbing to the top of a tree, claiming that he was rescuing his mother. He was arrested nearly eight times for drunkenness between the spring of 1911 and the date of the murder in December, 1911.

The night before he killed his mother, he claimed to have looked into a "doctor-book" for a sleeping remedy, to which his mother told him he should see a doctor for his insomnia. He alleges that he went to get medicine which was a mixture of choral and bromide, and he went to sleep. He claimed he woke up again at 4 p.m., saw that dinner was cold and that his mother had went to asleep, so he took another dose and went back to bed again. The events that occurred after these moments will remain the most gruesome, brutal and bizarre story I have ever investigated.

Inmate # 25446

What The Officer On The Scene Saw

According to the California State Journal of Medicine, it stated that the officer on the scene found a woman's body lying in a room of the house.

 "The body was covered up with rags, the woman's throat had been cut from ear to ear, her skull fractured and the abdomen opened, loops of intestines protruding from the wound."--

Gus was found about a block from the home, in the tules, knee high in water. He was carrying around a portrait of his mother, one of her shirts and her hat. He was barefoot and was not wearing a coat or hat, and had beaten a serpentine path in the overgrown grass, claiming that a group of black men were chasing him for killing his mother.

So What Was Gus' Side Of The Story?

The story that Gus gives the physicians is one that is not only bizarre, but perplexing. It is obvious this guy had some serious mental issues and the alcohol only exacerbated the situation. Still, the idea of this "space ship" and other odd things he states left me feeling very uneasy, mainly because he speaks of the events with such ease and no sense of emotion.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Q: What's the matter Arrivey, what  trouble have you been into?

Arrivey: "I haven't been into any."

Q: Where is your mother now?

Arrivey: "She is up in this business going around in the jail- in that new flying machine. She went up in the spirit."

Q: Where is her body?

Arrivey: "Her body lies over in the morgue, I guess."

Q: How did she get killed?

Arrivey: "I killed her. There was a gentleman, somekind of religious man. I think I met him on Sutter and Market Streets. I forget how long ago. He showed me how to talk a signed language- sort of whisper just by moving the lips. It took him no time to teach me that lingo. I talked through the ceiling a while ago. I talked to him at a distance when he directed me."

Q: To do what?

Arrivey: "Kill my mother. I don't exactly remember when- sometime late at night. He was in Mars when he told me."

Q: How did you kill your mother?

Arrivey: "First I think I took something on the table there,  and hit her on the head with it. I don't remember where I had been or when I came to the room where she was. I don't remember what I had been doing that day. I hit her over the head with the glass, and he (the aviator) directed me to split open the womb with a knife. He wanted me to kill the baby. I beat her on the head with a hatchet, and she screamed and hollered 'don't Gussie', and all that."


Gus goes into further detail that the man from the space ship kept telling him that his mother had a baby in there that he wanted to take out. The alleged "man from Mars" didn't want Mary's spirit to go out but the baby's spirit. Obviously, the woman was well past child bearing age, and there was no mention in any records I found of her having been pregnant. This was obviously another one of his delusions. What is so disturbing is how easily he speaks of basically gutting his mother like a fish, on the bed.  I felt sick to my stomach when he finally says that he took her to the porch and slit her throat, eventually admitting he almost cut her head off!  He then washed up and changed his clothes, barricaded the front door with a washstand, piled rags on top of his mother and moved furniture to surround her body and then he ran out the back door into the tules. He stayed there all night.

When interviewed he spoke of the evening outside as if he wasn't cold, although it was recorded to have been very cold that night before. It appeared as if the cold weather and rain did little to affect his mental state. In fact, he had no recollection of it, despite being barefoot and coatless.

He kept saying that a group of black men, and two "white fellows" were chasing him and that they were going to kill him for killing his mother. He also said he brought the matches from his home out to the tules so he could be burned alive as a sacrifice. When asked about the "sacrifice". Gus said,  "He (the man from Mars) claimed it was a kind of offering."

Gus stated that he and his mother got along fine, and never had any "words " although she didn't like it when he "went on a jag." When asked again why he killed her, later he claimed that he didn't know. His story continues to go back and forth, since later he states that he wanted to kill her, he knew what he was doing and he didn't "pay attention" because he didn't think he was committing a crime.

When asked if he knew what he did was wrong, Gus answered:

"Sure, I do, and I expect to be punished...

Q: What do you think they will do with you?

Arrivey: "Well, they will either give me life or death. I prefer death."

Q: You are ready to take your death sentence now?

Arrivey: I guess so. I don't like to stay in jail.

Soon after these questions he adds that after his mother's death and he was running around the field, he claimed that his mother was in the ship above him.

"She was in the machine. She was crying and talking and calling her husband down."-

As the doctors noted, during the entire interview, Gus showed no emotion and relayed the entire story as if he was telling it from another person's perspective. Over the course of a few days, the doctors watched him carefully and questioned him more. As time went on, his story changed a bit and he seemed to have forgotten a lot of things he had said previously. According to the doctors he was still speaking of the man from mars, and describing some more odd experiences.

"I saw something like a star in the heavens and as if there was a searchlight extending from Mars to the Earth- and I thought I saw a flying machine with a man in it, going up towards the star and coming down again. The only other person I remember seeing in the house besides my mother was a man of dark complexion, standing in the back room, but he didn't say anything. He was a middle-sized man, wore a chauffeur cap and leggings. I saw no moving pictures, animals or men of extraordinary size. After I had done this to my mother, I think I remember feeling numb and stupid-like. I had no fear at all."

He continues with his odd explanations of the men chasing him in the tules, as well as a morbid dream he had on the way to jail. Doctors claimed that by the 5th day of his incarceration he was actually acting somewhat normal and having no more hallucinations or speaking of oddities. By January 15th, 1911, the courts deemed him sane, (why I will never understand that), and he was sent to San Quentin for a life sentence. They did add that they knew he committed the murder in a "dream like state" caused by delirium tremens and that he could very well do this again, if given the chance, thus the reason he was given a life sentence.

With all the strange circumstances and the complete brutality of the crime, it is insane that the State of California released this man into society nine years after he butchered his own mother. I haven't been able to figure out what he did to violate the terms of his parole, however it is on record that he did return to San Quentin in 1927 and remained there for the duration of his life.

Conclusion

When I first posted the article about Mary Arrivey's death, I stated facts: her background, what happened, and where Gus ended up. I briefly touched on the actual details of the murder. After digging deeper and uncovering this heinous crime, I am left forever scarred at what I read. We sometimes come across articles in the newspapers, online or even segments we hear on the radio or television, speaking of gruesome murders, but in all the years I have researched and wrote about stories such as this, I have never come across one so disturbing.

My heart goes out to Mary Arrivey, and the pain and suffering she must have went through in her final moments. One can only hope she didn't suffer, although the evidence shows she did. I will never look at this case the same again. I wonder now if maybe the reason this story isn't as well known in Stockton as say the "Trunk Murder of 1906," maybe it was because of the sheer brutality of the case. Maybe it was forgotten for a reason...we can only wonder.

Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio, originally published 3/21/2015)

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission by the author/publisher, J’aime Rubio. 

 Sources:

California Prison Records

California State Journal of Medicine, 1912

A Ghastly Murder Remembered - Part 1

Mary Arrivey's headstone sits quietly among the thousands of markers, graves and monuments at the Stockton Catholic Cemetery in Stockton, California. If you look closely, you will notice an odd pattern of scratches on the marker itself. It is safe to say that more than likely we will never know exactly why those scratches were engraved in Mary's headstone, or who did it. The story of how she ended up in the cemetery proved to be one of the most heinous and almost incomprehensible murders I had ever researched.

Mary Arrivey, was born Mary Byrne in 1862. A native of Ireland, she immigrated to the United States at some point in her life, later marrying Augustino Arrivey on December 13, 1881 in Stockton. Augustino was a blacksmith from Louisiana, and was born around 1851. Prior to his marriage to Mary, he was also listed in military records in 1876, as a 7th Corporal in the 2nd Brigade. Although I couldn't find his death record, the city directories later list Mary as a widow. At this point her adult son, Augustin Francis Arrivey is living with her.

The Murder

Mary worked at Stockton Laundry, located at 728 E. Washington, while her son, Augustin worked as a printer at a small newspaper called, "The Mail," an earlier version of the Stockton Evening Mail. According to directories, Mary and her son moved around a lot. During my initial investigation I believed that the incident I am about to discuss took place at 847 LaFayette in Stockton, as her Findagrave memorial suggests.

After further digging, I have found that just less than a block or so away from that location, the home in which Mary was actually living in during 1911, was at 219 S. Locust Street in Stockton. The newspaper claimed that she had lived on Harrison, however the directory speaks of Locust Street as being her home address. I could find no listing of Mary living on Harrison at any point in time. I have to assume, given the address on the directory, that the event actually took place at the original home that stood at 219 S. Locust Street in Stockton and perhaps that was just a clerical error on the part of the newspaper. If I find other evidence later, I will update this blog.

According to the San Francisco Call, dated December 5, 1911, it says:

"Crazed by liquor, Gus Arrivey, a printer of this city, murdered his mother, Mary Arrivey last night in her home...."--

The account goes on to detail that Gus claimed that an airship was circling around his head, when a man in the airship allegedly told him to murder his mother. The heinous and most gruesome crime was committed with a hatchet, while he hacked his mother to death.


He then dragged her body around the home leaving a bloody mess all over the floors. The police found the mutilated body of Mary, along with "disarranged bedding and furniture" that showed signs of a serious struggle.  The police located Gus, two blocks from his home in a nearby swampy, grass area where it appeared he had been there all night. He was found barefoot, hunched down and babbling incoherently.

After such a horrendous act, the investigators were not sure whether Gus was insane, drunk or just pure evil. His sanity was called into question, so Dr. A.W. Holshot examined Gus, and found that he was suffering from "delerium tremens" which is a most severe form of ethanol withdrawal, and was deemed sane to stand trial for the murder of his mother.

According to the book, "King Alcohol Dethroned" by Ferdinand Cowle Iglehart, D.D. (1919) he mentions Gus in his reports: 

 

"August Arrivey, thirty years old, a printer by trade, is

under arrest here, the confessed murderer of his mother, 

Mrs. Mary Arrivey, fifty-eight years old. 'The man in 

the airship told me to do it.' Arrivey continually mutters 

as the only reason for his crime. Because of his actions 

the police believe him insane. Liquor is believed, however, 

to be at the root of the man's crime, as he had for the 

last few years obtained one position after another, only to 

lose them in rapid succession on account of sprees. Mrs. 

Arrivey was found lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, 

with her skull crushed and her face gashed as if from 

blows from a hatchet. Search of the premises disclosed the 

son, muttering like a child, hiding behind some bushes in 

the yard. Confronted with the dead body of his mother, 

he confessed his crime." This paragraph, which appeared 

in a Stockton, California, paper, a few days ago, is one 

which shocks us for a moment as we read it, and is then 

forgotten as a commonplace incident of life. "--

Gus was found guilty in the 1st degree of the murder of his mother, Mary Arrivey and sentenced to life in prison. He was received at San Quentin State Prison on February 6, 1912, where he served 9 1/2 years. He was then paroled on July 13, 1921, but at some point he violated the terms of his parole, because by 1927, he was back in the system again. He stayed for the remainder of his life behind bars, eventually dying on July 1, 1941. He was buried at the cemetery behind San Quentin Prison.

Conclusion

When I was shown a newspaper clipping of this story by Roland Boulware, the man who entered Mary's information and photograph in Findagrave, I was taken aback by the brutality of the crime. I could not fathom that a son would do such a horrendous thing like that to his own mother. What a sick and demented person this man was to do such a horrible thing.

It also saddened me that we had never heard anything of this story before. With all the infamous stories in our history in the United States, such as the "Lizzie Borden" murders and other heinous crimes, why was this crime virtually erased and forgotten in Stockton's history?

It also made me wonder who may have scratched those lines in Mary's grave? Could it have been a relative? Could it have been Gus? Was it possible that he came to the cemetery at some point before he violated his parole in 1927, and in a drunken stupor he scratched those lines in his mother's headstone?

According to Roland Boulware, he believes the scratches were relatively new when he took the photo several years back. Still, there is no way to know for sure when those marks were left on her grave. In the end, I wrote this blog to honor the memory of Mary Arrivey and tell her story. As morbid as her murder was, this was still a piece of Stockton's history and should never be forgotten or erased again.


TO READ PART 2 OF THIS STORY-- A GHASTLY MURDER REMEMBERED CLICK HERE--

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio, originally published 3/20/2015)

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission by the author/publisher, J’aime Rubio. 

Sources:
Ancestry.com
California Prison Records
San Francisco Call (12/5/1911)
San Francisco Call (1/17/1912)
"King Alcohol Dethroned,"- Ferdinand Cowle Iglehart (1919)
Stockton Directories (various)
Census Records, Marriage Records
Military Records
Findagrave.com
Photos: San Quentin Prison Photos,
Roland Boulware, grave of Mary Arrivey.
Photos of 847 E. Lafayette- by J'aime Rubio
219 S. Locust, google maps