tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002994756656882526.post5921972286169640184..comments2022-03-22T13:25:34.165-05:00Comments on The Secret History: This Week in the Secret History: The Avenging Angel of CaliforniaChristopher Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974384170959815496noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002994756656882526.post-13145359770635745282009-07-29T12:55:41.452-05:002009-07-29T12:55:41.452-05:00Iwould say there's two things to remember. Fir...Iwould say there's two things to remember. First, the mining areas of California are probably largely populated by the scum of the United States, and the law enforcement that sprang up in the wake of the miners was probably of a similar bent. Second, this was before the general forensic use of photography and fingerprints. Carrying a head around was a relatively easy way of getting positive i.d.'s, especially important since a $6000 reward depended on it. Finally, there's the racial thing, which as late as WWII had American serviceman eagerly harvesting Japanese heads for skulls to use for paperweights, ashtrays, memento's for the folks at home, etc.Christopher Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974384170959815496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002994756656882526.post-71708319704407918312009-07-29T11:12:34.905-05:002009-07-29T11:12:34.905-05:00I gotta say that the most interesting and most gri...I gotta say that the most interesting and most grizzly part of this post is the bit about the head. When did preserving heads in jars of brandy and charging admission to view the remains go out of fashion? Not that I'm morbidly curious or that I have spare change, but I'm just wondering when we, as a nation, got a conscience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com