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Day two: A cross-country killing spree comes to an end in Fullerton
November 3rd, 2009, 3:00 am · 32 Comments · posted by Larry Welborn
Convicted killer Mose Gibson, center, was hanged at San Quentin Prison. Courtesy: Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Roy Trapp
1920: The Santa Ana Register reported in 1920 that the execution of convicted killer Mose Gibson “brought to an end one of the most horrible criminal careers in the history of America.”
Gibson was hanged at San Quentin prison for killing wealthy Fullerton rancher Roy Trapp with a pick ax during a robbery. He was the first Orange County murderer to be executed by the state.
Gibson, by his own confession, left a trail of blood extending from Florida to California, admitting to the eight brutal murders and more than 1,000 burglaries.
He never used a gun during his murder spree, he confessed, because guns made too much noise. Instead, he beat his victims – including three women – to death with a hammer or other blunt instrument.
His downfall was the July 14, 1920, slaying of Trapp and the serious wounding of Trapp’s wife. Within three days of the attack, Gibson, a vagrant, was tracked down in Topoc, Arizona.
His “trial,” perhaps influenced by the racially-charged tone of the times, was conducted with incredible swiftness.
An account in the Register reveals that he was brought to Santa Ana under extreme security one week after Trapp was killed. With the threat of a lynch mob in the air, Gibson was arraigned, given his preliminary hearing, held to answer and sentenced to death in less than three hours.
He was then rushed out of Orange County and taken to San Quentin. About two months later, on Sept. 24, 1920, he was dead, dangling from an executioner’s rope. A front-page headline in the Register read: “NOOSE SNUFFS OUT LIFE OF ARCH FIEND, DOOMED MAN MAKES NO STRUGGLE.” And the first paragraph of the story, again reflecting the racism of 1920s America, reads: “SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Sept. 24 – Mose Gibson, negro, murderer of Roy Trapp, paid for his crimes with his life today.”
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32 Comments
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Wow, found, tried, convicted and excuted within months of the crimes… Why isnt this done now? Why do inmates sit on death row for decades? Doesnt make any sense. I understand due process, and the appeal process, however there are some people that are just evil and are totally guilty, why allow them to live? They are coldblooded. Like Susan Atkins, why didnt they just excute her, the way she did Sharon Tate? We are far too nice to criminals.
Larry!
Thank you for writing this ’series’!
I am looking forward to the next 48!
Cheers!
Because now a days criminals have more rights than the poor victims. It’s B.S.
I miss the good old days
Does it really reflect the racism of the time to name Mose Gibson as a negro? That was the accepted terminology at the time. I think the more racist depiction of the time is that they sentenced him mere hours after finding him! Where’s the due process there, right? I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!
It does have a racist tone because it’s unacceptable to label someone by their ethnicity or skin color for their achievements or their disparities.
Where were Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? Oh! I forgot, no TV cameras. Great series, looking forewared to future stories.
You are so correct Martha. This was the terminology used at the time. I am interested in seeing the rest of the series though and compare the details of all cases. Hopefully, they are consistant. I like the swift justice when there is no question of guilt, but with all the liars today, you can’t be sure. Look at how many people we are releasing from jail based on DNA evidence. HuH?
Love this series so far! Keep ‘em coming!
Intresting, facts that I didn’t know about but enjoyed reading.
this is the way i should be. The man confessed to the crimes. the only due process he needed was to be taken care of quickly before the lynch mod did it for them like in the previous post. I think all the admittedly guilty people on death row should have a swift sentence. Think of the millions of dollars the states would save.
Too much political correctness. The miserable cretan, irrespective of his race, was a brutal murderer of women as well as men. Race is often used today in identity politics to make a point (e.g., “minorities under-represented in television sitcoms”), but God forbid a person’s race is mentioned when the person is a heinous killer. Due process? Without knowing more, if the Fullerton wife survived, she was a percipient witness. Case closed. Perhaps a little swifter justice today would be a deterrent (Richard Ramirez, the “Night Stalker”) will probably die of old age before he is executed for crimes he committed in the early-to-mid 80’s.
not to mention taxpayers paid to have his teeth fixed, cant have a poor serial killer with a toothache, that would be too mean.
I agree with Marley, why spend all the taxpayers money to keep criminals alive for years. If found guilty and they deserve it, let them pay for their crimes with their life. If they were swift to comit the crime, justice should be just as swift.
Exactly.
This guy brutally murders all those people and you have to bring race into it! You can’t apply 21st century morals and ideals to 1920’s reporting. Identifying the race of the MURDERER as ‘negro’ doesn’t make it racist. That was the term used then. I’m always amazed by the modern politically correct who feel the mention of race - if they’re black - warrants even a mention next to his vile crimes! HE WAS A MURDERER!
very well said. octruthteller.
He only waited two months to be hanged. Why can’t we go back to those days. We pay for these criminals to wait for executions for years. Let’s go back to the way it was done before.
America protects its murders rapist and childmolesters.They should all be hanged they are worthless.They cost taxpayers 50,000 a year per inmate on death row to be housed here in cali…..
California
California Spends Millions More on Capital Cases
California spends $90 Million dollars annually above and beyond the ordinary costs of the justice system on capital cases. $78 million of that total is incurred at the trial level (Sacramento Bee, March 18, 1988). In January 2003, despite a budge deficit, California Governor Gray Davis proposed building a new $220 million state of the art death row. (”San Quentin Debate: Death Row vs. Bay Views, New York Times, December 18, 2004).
The California Death Penalty System Costs Taxpayers More than $114 Million a Year
According to state and federal records obtained by The Los Angeles Times, maintaining the California death penalty system costs taxpayers more than $114 million a year beyond the cost of simply keeping the convicts locked up for life. This figure does not count the millions more spent on court costs to prosecute capital cases. The Times concluded that Californians and federal taxpayers have paid more than a quarter of a billion dollars for each of the state’s 11 executions, and that it costs $90,000 more a year to house one inmate on death row, where each person has a private cell and extra guards, than in general prison population. This additional cost per prisoner adds up to $57.5 million in annual spending. (”Death Row Often Means a Long Life,” Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2005).
–
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty
Incredible!
‘And the first paragraph of the story, again reflecting the racism of 1920s America, reads: “SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Sept. 24 – Mose Gibson, negro, murderer of Roy Trapp, paid for his crimes with his life today.”
Racism? Really? This is biased, liberial agenda disguised as journalism. Every day, the nightly news reports stories of individuals wanted or involved in crimes and their ‘ethnicity’ is often included. There is nothing inherently wrong with the word negro either then or now. It’s even in most dictionaries. If there is a racial bias, it’s in the eye of the author of this article.
He killed somebody, he admitted it. They hung him. Justice was served regardless of color. Enough said. There would be a lot less crime today if we had the justice of yesterday. Loving this series
This misunderstood person killed 8 people…1000 robberies…where did society fail him that he should do such things?? I think it is all lies and Mose Gibson is a victim because of his race. This series should be reprimanded because it is not politically correct.
Signed,
Marcellus Watts
You are right, Randal…they should have let the ones that caught him in L.A. finish him off like they were going to….I think the entire nation would have thanked them…I’m still thanking them for catching him!!!
Best series this paper has ever had.
The point about racism, for those who missed it, is that articles back then did not read “octruthteller, caucasian, executed for ignorance.”
Race was only pointed out when it was not a white person, so the parents and grandparents of the people who post on these blogs could shake their heads at the natural criminal tendencies of the inferior races and say things like “leave it to a negro to kill a bunch of people.”
bummer he had to die by pick ax, i wonder where Roy Trapp’s ranch was here in fullerton.
Johnny Cochran should of defended him =)
Justice was served swiftly in most of these cases. The DC Sniper was just put to death, so why then is Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker) still breathing? I’ve been paying this guys way since the early eighties. He even got married while on death row! When will he pay for the murders he committed? Why has it taken so very, very long for him to pay for his crimes? It just isn’t right…
The above noted respondent, Marcellus, says, “Where did society fail him (Josh) that he should do such things,” and, “I think its all lies about Josh.” Marcellus, by his own addmission, Josh stated that he committed 1000 robberies and that he murdered those poor people. If your stance on this story is really how you feel, then maybe you can tell us where our society failed Adolf Hitler, Mao ze dong and Stalin. Could it be that you are black too and that you are simply blinded by your own racist views? Oh yeah, OJ Simpson was also railroaded by our society too… What could I have been thinking?
amen Randall
Nigga please.