Category Archives: Uncategorized

By June Morrall Life in the Northern California coastal farming village of Pescadero would never be the same after Wednesday, June 4, 1919. [And decades later some folks squirmed or refused to answer my questions about the events leading up … Continue reading →

By June Morrall The year is 1919 Suddenly Sarah had seconds thoughts about her attorney John McNab’s advice. With Wally’s future welfare on her mind, she walked across the road to Carl Littlefield’s home. He had worked for her millionaire … Continue reading →

By June Morrall After enjoying a home-delivered roast chicken dinner on the evening June 3, 1919, Sarah Coburn wasn’t feeling so well. She was feeling downright sick. She was old, feeble, losing her health and aware that death was ready … Continue reading →

By June Morrall [The year is 1919] Andy Stirling, a personable fellow in his late 30s, was supposedly a trusted friend of Sarah Coburn. While holding court at the Elkhorn Saloon on San Gregorio St., Andy told his buddies that … Continue reading →

And some notes: The year is 1919. Jobs were hard to come by. If you were in with the right clique in the old days you had your own way. Nobody had money to buy land here [Pescadero] until after … Continue reading →

By June Morrall When Sarah’s husband, Loren, was alive, he confided that his personal life was a “living hell.” Not only was Sarah bossy but sadly his son, Wally, whom he dearly loved, was not like most other children. Wally … Continue reading →

By June Morrall (1988) The teenagers in the village of Pescadero thought that Mrs. Sarah Coburn–who told everybody she was 68 when she was actually 82– the kids thought she was a very rich, polite and proper lady. But sometimes … Continue reading →

By June Morrall The Body is Discovered June 3, 1919 Frank “Kid” Zug, a mediocre pugilist, former sailor and sometime house painter, couldn’t sleep. The hands of the clock in his hotel room read past midnight. He’d downed a few … Continue reading →

By June Morrall The San Francisco newspapers splashed the murder story across the front page; there were photos of Sarah and the house where she had lived in Pescadero. Sarah Coburn’s murder came at an inopportune time for Franklin Swart, … Continue reading →

By June Morrall Wednesday, June 4, 1919 San Mateo County District Attorney Franklin Swart had his hands full with the sensational Inez Reed murder case. Jury selection was to begin in a few days. Now, when the eyes of voters … Continue reading →