by Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk
December, 2023
story from the book Secrets of California Deserts
The year was 1909. Willie Boy, a 27-year-old Chemehuevi Indian, arrived at the Oasis of Mara, which we know today as the city of Twentynine Palms. There, Willie met 16-year-old Carlota, daughter of shaman William Mike, chief and spiritual leader of Chemehuevi. The girl and the boy fell in love. However, it turned out that they had been related for the past six generations and, according to tribal law, could not be married. In addition, Willie did not have the social status to marry the daughter of a tribal chief. He was also much older than Carlota. According to the Chemehuevi tradition, to prevent incest, it is the parents who arrange the marriages of their children.
Love, however, has its own rules. And so, one night, the girl slipped out of the house and fled into the desert with Willie. The idyll did not last long. They were quickly found by their families and then separated.
A few months later, on the evening of September 26, 1909, Willie Boy came to Mike to ask for Carlota's hand in marriage. No one knows exactly what happened that night. However, it is known that after this meeting, William Mike was found dead. He was killed by a bullet in his left eye.
Events gained momentum. Local sheriffs found Willie guilty of manslaughter and organized a chase. Meanwhile, Willie Boy and Carlota were fleeing southeast along the Morongo Hills, avoiding the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. Willie knew the desert very well and could move quickly through it.
During the two-week pursuit, the chasers and fugitives traveled about 600 miles on horseback and on foot through the San Bernardino Mountains into the Mojave Desert. Meanwhile, someone in the group shot Carlota. It was a shot in the back. Perhaps accidental. Willie Boy was charged with the murder, but this version did not hold. After that, the chase group lost their enthusiasm and returned to the Oasis with the girl's body.
What happened to Willie Boy? There are several stories. According to the sheriff's men, the boy committed suicide at Ruby Mountain, near Landers, CA. However, many historians, as well as the Chemehuevi Indians themselves, dispute this version. According to them, Willie escaped the manhunt and returned to his people. First, however, he traveled north through the Mojave Desert to Pah-Rimpi (Water Rock), commonly called Pahrump, to the sacred place of his people, to cleanse himself of the heinous deed.
The events of this story have shaken the Chemehuevi tribe deeply. Soon, the Indians left the Mara Oasis and moved to Cabazon, where they had previously lived. However, they did not stay there for long and the families scattered all over the area. They merged many, many years later, in 1975, when the Chemehuevi were given formal tribal status.
The story of Carlota and Willie's tragic desert love became famous throughout the region. The press wrote extensively about it, calling it 'The Last Great Chase in the West.' There were and still are many versions of those events. However, although both journalists and historians have been involved in uncovering the truth, no one can say with certainty what really happened then.
CatherineNK
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Willie Boy and The Last Western Manhunt
desert stories from the book
Secrets of California Deserts
Mojave, Colorado, Great Basin with the cultural expert’s eye
author: Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk
translation: Elizabeth Kanski
photos: Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk
👉 The book is available on Amazon in hardcover and paperback;
in a version with color or black-and-white photos;
in Polish, English, and Spanish
Wild West story
sad story