Community Corner

Soquel News, 153 Years Ago Today: Sober Stabbing

On this date in 1858, the Sacramento Daily Union reported a fight in Soquel.

On this date (Oct. 18) in 1858, the Sacramento Daily Union ran a story on a fight that broke out in Soquel. Remarkably (to the paper) both parties involved in the fight were sober.

The story, pasted below, was originally printed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel on Oct. 9, 1858.

Affray at Soquel

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A serious and perhaps fatal fight occurred at Soquel, recently, between George Boyle and Martin Graves. The former received some half a dozen severe gashes on the top of the head. The other had a piece of his ear cropped out, his jugular vein grazed by the knife and laid open, and his face somewhat marked. Both parties bled very profusely, and are in a critical condition. Their dispute arose out of some little pecuniary matter. What is rather unusual in sach cases, it is said that both parties were quite sober at the time of the combat.

Imagine that: a . For reference, "pecuniary" means relating to money. 

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It's hard to believe news of a fight would make its way to a paper 150 miles away.


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