Today in Labor History July 25, 1853: Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californio bandit known as the "Robin Hood of El Dorado", was supposedly killed. However, many disputed the news of his death and people continued to claim to have seen him long after his death. According to legend, Murrieta was a 49er gold miner and a vaquero from Sonora, Mexico. White men falsely accused him and his brother of stealing a mule. They horse-whipped him, stole his mining claim, hanged his brother and raped his young wife. Swearing revenge, he hunted the men who had violated her. The state of California offered a reward of $5,000 for him, "dead or alive."
John Rollin Ridge published the novel “The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murrieta: The Celebrated California Bandit” in 1854. In the early 20th-century, Johnston McCulley based his character Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro) on Ridge's 1854 novel about Murrieta. Pablo Neruda wrote a play about Murrietta, “The Splendor and Death of Joaquin Murrieta.” And Isabel Allende’s “Daughter of Fortune” (1999), includes a portrayal of Murrieta.
The original version of Robin Hood did not give to charity. He was a folk hero not because he helped the poor but just because he harassed the rich -- robbing corrupt bishops and abbots, humiliating sheriffs, and poaching the king's deer on the royal reserves. #LegendaryWednesday#folklore#legend#RobinHood#England
For #ThickTrunkTuesday this week, I'd like to present the Major Oak. With a circumference of 11 metres, this tree really does have a 'thick trunk'. It also has a canopy with a 28 metre spread, and is estimated to weigh about 23 tonnes.
The Major lives in Sherwood Forest and is somewhere around 1,000 years old, so if Robin Hood ever existed, this tree is almost sure to have met him.
Today in Labor History May 26, 1755: The French authorities caught and executed Louis Mandrin, the French Robin Hood. He had led an army of 300 smugglers in a rebellion against the Fermiers, or tax collectors. This made him incredibly popular with the masses because the Fermiers would tax them far more than the king required and pocket the extra. Furthermore, he would buy products in Switzerland and sell them in France without paying any taxes, making them much less expensive. However, when he was caught, the authorities publicly tortured him and left his body on display to teach the masses a lesson. The people left sympathetic notes beside his body and a legend was born.
Mandrin was referenced in Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables.” Books and films were made about his life, including the 1924 silent film, “Mandrin” and the book, “Captain Mandrin.”
A slightly drizzly Peak District visit for today's #StandingStoneSunday - Nine Stones Close stone circle, between Youlgreave and Stanton in the White Peak.
Only four stones remain of this circle. They are the biggest stones of any Peak District ring. There appears to be a relationship between the circle and the rocky tor of Robin Hood's Stride (sometimes called Mock Beggar's Hall) nearby.