ANNUAL GHOST & LEGENDS TOURS

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1 San Juan Capistrano HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Journal FALL 2018 WHAT S INSIDE Message from El Presidente Upcoming Events: Día de Los Muertos Ghost & Legends Tours Pirate Raid and Public Trial of Captain Bouchard DIA DE LOS MUERTOS The Society s first Day of the Dead exhibit will continue through November. Tribute altars for Jose Maria Silvas and Tony Forster can be seen through the windows of the Silvas Adobe. The Day of the Dead is an important holiday in Latin America and is becoming a very popular holiday in the United States. The completion of the Silvas Adobe gives the Society room to expand its exhibit space, and we are proud to highlight our town s Mexican culture. ANNUAL GHOST & LEGENDS TOURS Learn about another side of our quaint town... Dare to join us October 26 and 27 for our annual Ghost & Legends Tours! Walk through Los Rios Historic District and hear creepy tales of a big black dog with red eyes, the elusive lady in white, and other restless spirits. This year we have some new, exciting and spooky changes that you won't want to miss! Ghost Tours will be conducted each night at 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 pm. Visitors can also enjoy great food, music and fun for all! PIRATE RE-ENACTMENT & TRIAL Mark the dates November 3 and 4 on your calendars for the culmination of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Raid on San Juan Capistrano by pirate Hipólito Bouchard. Please see details inside this issue. O Neill Museum Home of the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society Hours: Wed-Sun 9 am - noon 1 4 pm (949) DON T MISS OUR PIRATE EXHIBIT! The Society s latest exhibit is co-sponsored with the Dana Point Historical Society in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Raid on San Juan Capistrano by the alleged pirate Hipolito Bouchard in Items on display are from the collection of Bob Minty, San Juan Historical Society and Dana Point Historical Society member and a portrayer with the Living History group.

2 Message from El Presidente Autumn has arrived, and I love the change in the seasons with cooler nights and lots of clouds during the day. The Society ended the summer with the Annual Heritage BBQ at the O Neill Museum. We had about 120 attendees who enjoyed the BBQ prepared by Bad to the Bone, visiting with friends and ending the day with a fantastic raffle. The weather was perfect, and we all had a great time. The Arley Leck House Pirate exhibit is continuing through the month of October. Bob Minty s lifetime collection of all things Pirate is a must-see! We are honoring the Mexican roots of San Juan Capistrano with a Día de Los Muertos exhibit in the Jose Maria Silvas Adobe. The exhibit honors the memory of Jose Maria Silvas, Tony El Palo Forster and Uncle Richard O Neill. Photographs, personal artifacts and festive decorations adorn the altars honoring these beloved ones Director Harrison Taylor and his large group of volunteers are hosting the Annual Ghost and Legends Tour on October 26 and 27 at the O Neill Museum. The tour times are 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm and the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. New Ghosts will appear on the tour this year and offer some scary stories of San Juan Capistrano. The Society is honored to host members of the Dana Point Pirate group for an overnight camp out on the lawn of the O Neill Museum. The Pirates are reenacting the December 1818 march of pirate Hipolito Bouchard s raid on San Juan Capistrano with a march from Dana Point Harbor. The group will raid the sleepy village of San Juan Capistrano and recover from their drunkenness on Los Rios Street. The public is welcome to drop by the O Neill Museum and visit the pirate camp. On Sunday, November 4, at 2:30 pm the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society and the Dana Point Historical Society are presenting the Trial of Hipolito Bouchard which will include a live trial and participation of the audience. Hipolito Bouchard was a French Argentine pirate who, among other notable pirate adventures, raided San Juan Capistrano on December 16, 1818, and sacked and pillaged the community burning many buildings at the Mission and in town. The event will be in the Community Center and is free to the members and public. The City s Annual Tree Lighting is December 1 starting at 4 pm in the HTC Park. The Historical Society is hosting Stories with Ms. Claus at 6:15 pm and 6:45 pm in the parlor of the O Neill Museum. The event is free to the public and cookies, hot chocolate and coffee will be served on the patio. The volunteer labor crew of the Society will be installing Christmas lights shortly after Thanksgiving and starting the repairs to the rear stairs at the O Neill Museum. Repainting of the trim on the Leck House will commence in November and continue through the winter. New volunteers are always welcome, and you can sign up by contacting the office at and speaking with Ariel. The directors are excited about the autumn events and the upcoming holiday season. November 6 is the statewide general election as well as the district elections for three important seats on the city council. It is important to have a voice in the democratic process by voting for a candidate of your choice. Hug those close to you every day, tell them you love them and always remember those less fortunate. 2

3 Who Was Bouchard? From articles by Jan Seigel Andre Paul Bouchard was born in France in 1780 and grew up during the French Revolution. By the time he was 19, his father had died, and Bouchard became provider for his mother and two younger brothers. Bouchard s life at sea began when he decided to join the French Navy and served in a number of campaigns against the British. However, he soon became discontented. His mother remarried a very cruel man, and Bouchard saw no future for himself in France. Not sure where he would go, he spent some time in the United States and eventually found his way to Argentina. Once he arrived in Buenos Aires in 1809, Bouchard reinvented himself. Andre Paul disappeared, and he chose to be called by his younger brother's name Hippolyte (using the Spanish spelling Hipólito) thus keeping emotional ties to his homeland. The European flavor in Buenos Aires, the multitude of cultures made Bouchard feel welcome, and he quickly picked up the Spanish language. By this time, Napoleon had invaded Spain. French rule in Spain was not well received in Buenos Aires, and the locals wanted independence from European rule. Since the Spanish king had been deposed by the French, the Viceroy in Buenos Aries, having been appointed by the Spanish king, was considered to lack any political authority. It was the perfect climate for a new political order. Without a shot being fired, on May 25, 1810, the local assembly deposed the Spanish and set up Primera Junta, the first assembly independent government of Argentina. The new government lacked any military authority, and all of the naval leaders were Spanish loyalists. So, a call was made by the Assembly for any able-bodied men with naval experience to come forward. This is what Bouchard had been waiting for all his life. As a non-commissioned sailor in the French navy, he now positioned himself as captain and commanded his first ship, "25 del Mayo" named for the new government. Hipólito Bouchard was 30 years old. His first outing as captain did not fare well. He was attacked by a Spanish ship, lost control over his crew, abandoned the ship, and was subsequently put on trial as a coward. Fortunately, he was found not guilty as it was determined that the Spanish fleet was too strong for this new navy. In 1812, Bouchard joined the crew, not as captain, and took part in the Battle of San Lorenzo in which he secured a Spanish flag and was, therefore, granted Argentine citizenship. On March 8, 1812, Bouchard married Norberta Merlo, daughter of a well-connected merchant family. In 1815, he was given a corsair license to fight the Spanish. (Corsair is the Spanish word for pirate. According to the Oxford English Dictionary a corsair is "a person who sails in a ship and attacks other ships in order to steal from them especially one given permission by a government to attack an enemy ship".) The first outing as a corsair was a successful raid on the Peruvian coast which resulted in the capturing of Spanish ships and booty. This time Bouchard returned to Buenos Aires a hero. On July 9, 1816, the government proclaimed the independence of Argentina. One of the Spanish boats that Bouchard had captured was refitted and renamed La Argentina. This would be Bouchard's flag ship as he began his two-year round-the-world voyage on July 9,

4 Bouchard (continued from page 3) International slave trade had been outlawed by Britain, the United States and Argentina. Slave ships could now be attacked for supplies and their slave cargo could be freed. Bouchard was not concerned about the fate of the crew. He was known to have sunk ships with the entire crew still on board, and also executed "pirates" from captured ships. He was not alone in these practices. His voyage would take him from Madagascar to Java, Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands and eventually California. Some freed slaves stayed on as crew, and Bouchard also hired new men at the various ports at which they made stops. While some of the plunder was kept as booty, much of it was used for supplies and repairs to La Argentina because of constant battles with enemy ships. By 1818, the Pacific Ocean was crowded with sailing ships, so it came as no surprise that a watchman at the tip of the Monterey Bay sighted two Argentine ships heading for the coast of California. Monterey had enough time to prepare for the "raid". However, the fort was not able to hold back Bouchard and his men. After a short battle, the Argentine flag flew over Monterey for six days. During that time, Bouchard s men stole cattle and weapons and burned much of the fort and surrounding town. The residents remained unharmed. Bouchard then proceeded to Santa Barbara, but the fort appeared more heavily defended and was not attacked. The story goes, however, that the local unit was in reality not that well fortified but rather a small group of soldiers that repeatedly showed themselves in different uniforms to trick Bouchard into believing there were more men. Word was sent down the coast to San Juan Capistrano that Bouchard was on his way. The missionaries quickly took valuable church artifacts away from the Mission to hide. According to Pam Gibson, in Two Hundred Years in San Juan Capistrano, on December 16, 1818, Bouchard s men marched in with a flag of truce and a message that the town would be spared if supplies would be provided. Santiago Arguello, a soldier charged with defending the town, replied with a message saying not to expect a warm welcome. Bouchard s ships needed the supplies and, angered by the note, ordered a raid on the town the next day. Arguello fled the town, and in an account by one of the ship s commanders: we found the town well stocked with everything but money and destroyed much wine and spirits, and all the public property, set fire to the kings stores, barracks and governor's house and about two o'clock we marched back although not in order as many men were intoxicated." Bouchard finally arrived in Valparaiso, Chile, after a successful raid in Mexico. He arrived with four ships, but the Chilean government put him on trial for piracy. The trial ended with Bouchard getting back his ships, but the Chilean government confiscated all artillery from the ships and all booty. Bouchard returned to Buenos Aires with four worthless boats. In 1820, bankrupt and with no ships, Bouchard went to Peru to fight for their war of Independence. Strangely, it was in Peru that his naval career was most successful, and he rose in rank to Vice Admiral. He was paid in property. Upon retirement, he opted to stay on his plantations in Peru. He forgot about his family in Argentina. He started corresponding with his family in France. He changed his name back to Andre Paul. He became the owner of slaves who complained about his behavior towards them. On July 4, 1837, five slaves murdered him on his own property. He was 57 years old. Andre Paul Bouchard became a patriot in both Argentina and Peru. The rest of the world regard him as a pirate or privateer. 4

5 El Día de Los Muertos by Jan Seigel For the first time the Historical Society is recognizing a Day of the Dead exhibit at the Silvas Adobe. The Historical Society is celebrating the life and times of the Jose Maria Silvas family and Tony Forster, great-great grandson of Don Juan Forster who purchased the Mission San Juan Capistrano in Tony was president of the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society for 17 years. The Day of the Dead has been a popular holiday in Mexico and Latin America for centuries and is becoming a popular celebration in North America. Dating back to the Aztec culture in Mexico, Day of the Dead, known as El Día de los Muertos, is a joyous celebration not a sad event. In the Aztec culture there was a strong connection to departed family members. It was not uncommon to bury family members directly underneath their homes to keep their memories close. In Europe, the Celtic culture celebrated Samhein, the ancient holiday which honored the transition of the departed into the spirit world. The early Christians in Europe understood the importance of honoring the dead and to welcome people into the Church and therefore incorporated many of their traditions into Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The dates for these rituals took place on October 31, November 1 and November 2. When Christianity arrived in Mexico, El Día de los Muertos was a vibrant, and important celebration. Again, the Church, recognizing the importance of the customs of the local people, incorporated the festivities into the All Saints and All Souls Days. While Halloween, the night leading up to All Saints Day, is a scary time of ghosts and goblins, El Día de los Muertos is a time for happy reflections of departed loved ones. In Mexican culture little angel spirits, angelitos, arrive on October 31st at midnight and stay for 24 hours. Adults come the next day and stay through November 2. Home altars, called calledofrenda's, are arranged to welcome the spirit of the departed back into their home for a short stay and letting the deceased know that they have not been forgotten. Favorite foods are placed at the altars. Family photos, and favorite mementos are also displayed. Sugar skulls, with the departed ones name on them are a special reminder. After the spirit of the departed leaves, the family can enjoy the food of their loved ones. Marigolds are the flowers most associated with the Day of the Dead. Orange is the color most used because it is the closest to the color of the sun. Often orange marigolds line a pathway to the home of the loved one so their spirit can find the house. The flower also has a strong, pleasant scent that is easy for the departed spirits to follow. Visiting cemeteries, decorating family graves, and having picnics are all part of this family celebration on El Día de los Muertos. The events at the cemeteries are festive, lively and happy. The Historical Society is hoping this is the beginning of many festivals of El Día de los Muertos. 5

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7 Schedule of Events at the Historical Society EXHIBITS August 5 through November 18 Pirate Exhibit Leck House. Open free to the public 10 am 2 pm Wednesday through Sunday. October through the end of November Day of the Dead Exhibit Silvas Adobe. Free and viewable through the windows during museum hours. TBD Brad Gates Exhibit Silvas Adobe EVENTS October 26 and 27 Los Rios Ghost & Legends Tours Tours are scheduled at 6:30, 7 and 7:30 pm each night and start at the O Neill Museum. Tickets available at search for ghost and legends. November 4 Semi-Annual General Meeting 2:30 pm This will be a joint meeting of the San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point Historical Societies at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center. The public is invited to attend the trial of Bouchard. A jury will render a verdict deciding if Bouchard is a patriot, privateer or pirate. December 1 City Tree Lighting and O Neill Museum Open House Please join us between 5 and 8 pm for some delicious cookies and hot cocoa. SAVE THE DATES! Mark November 3 and 4 on your calendars for the culmination of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Raid on San Juan Capistrano by pirate Hipólito Bouchard. About Our Pirate Events Hipolito Bouchard raided the coast of California in Was he a patriot, privateer or pirate? The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society and the Dana Point Historical Society are pondering that question. An exhibit at the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society features a pirate collection and focuses on the Bouchard raid. On Sunday, November 4, both Historical Societies will hold a trial with Bouchard as the defendant to answer the question. Save the date for this event which is free to the public and will be held at the Community Center in San Juan Capistrano. On Saturday, November 3, the "Bouchard pirates" will be camped on the grounds of the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society for the night after coming up from Dana Point and "sacking" the town! NOTE: According to Webster Dictionary a patriot is "a person who loves and loyally or zealously supports his own country". The definition of a privateer is, "a person in command of a ship owned and equipped by one or more persons and licensed by a government to seize or plunder the ships of an enemy in war." The definition of a pirate is, " a robber of ships on the high seas". The dictionary referenced is from 1904 so that the definitions would be more suitable for an 1818 person and event. 7

8 Historical Society Walking Tours After years of leading the Walking Tour Guides, Lorie Porter is stepping down. As a result, we are going to move in a different direction with our Guides. Starting in October we are offering weekend tours of our facility including the O'Neill museum, the Leck House, the Silvas Adobe, the Jail and the grounds. Weekday tours are available by appointment. If you would like to participate as a docent, the shifts are 10 am to 12 pm and 1 to 3 pm Saturday and Sunday. These tours can only happen if you help. For further information, please contact Jan at the Society. Contact Us San Juan Capistrano Historical Society Los Rios Street San Juan Capistrano, CA (949) Our Best Wishes Please keep the following members and their families among those in your thoughts and prayers: Anita Forster Don and Penny Tryon Johnnie Diaz Martin Oedekerk Jim Behmerwohld Gina Oliveras 8