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By Bill Coate - The Madera Tribune

One can hardly turn around in Madera County without picking up an interesting piece of our past. Take the Ripperdans for instance, While covering the public hearing at Ripperdan School for the Tribune the other night, I was chatting with Jerry Desmond who told me that someone in his family had married a Ripperdan. This piqued my curiosity, so I went looking, and sure enough, he is correct. His grandfather's brother, Joseph Desmond, married Theresa Ripperdan back in 1917.

By all accounts, it was a joyous occasion until the honeymoon. The wedding took place on a Sunday afternoon, November 11, and the father of the groom had a special reason to celebrate. Aside from the fact that two prominent Madera County families were being united, Thomas Desmond was excited because plans called for Joseph and Theresa to move onto the homeplace (just off Madera Avenue between present day Avenues 11 and 12) upon their return from their honeymoon. This would allow the elder Desmond to move into Madera.

Thomas Desmond's retirement was well deserved. After all, he was 82 years old and still one of Madera's most active citizens. His long life had been filled with adventure, and now he and his wife were ready to settle in among their friends in town and live out their days in peace. Fate, however, had one more adventure for Thomas Desmond-one which would rob Madera County of one of its most respected residents and put Joseph and Theresa on the ranch more quickly than they ever imagined.

Born in Cork County, Ireland, Thomas Desmond ran away from home at the age of 16 years and went to sea. After having visited such far away places as Chile, Brazil, and China, he settled in Australia and remained there until 1871.

At the age of 36, Desmond left his home in Australia and immigrated to California, where he first settled in Mariposa and later moved to what is now Madera County. For awhile it looked as if Dame Fortune was out to make life miserable for him. The profitability of his sheep business fluctuated so frequently that he gave it up to operate a hotel in Berenda. Just when it looked as if his luck had changed, the hotel burned to the ground. At about the same time, Desmond lost his shirt in land investments in Merced. He must have wished many times that he had remained in Australia.

Desmond did; however, experience considerable success in grain farming, and when he met Mary Griffin he was justified in feeling that the heavens had finally begun to shine upon him. The couple was married in 1879 and soon settled in to make their mark upon Madera County. By 1907, the Desmonds had purchased the place on Madera Avenue and were engaged in the dairy business until that terrible day ten years later.

After their wedding in November of 1917, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Desmond were bid farewell by their friends and family and then headed for San Francisco. The newly weds arrived at that place on Sunday evening, never suspecting that within 36 hours they would be back in Madera under the most distressing circumstances. On Monday evening, November 12, they received a telegram informing them that they were needed at home. Thomas Desmond was dead!

Upon their return to Madera, Joseph and Theresa were met by John, Henry, Frank, and Ed Desmond, all brothers of the groom. It was then that they learned of the details of the tragedy that had befallen the family.

On Monday afternoon, the day after the Desmond-Ripperdan wedding, Thomas had gone to the field, as was his custom, to drive in the cows. He drove his buggy to the gate and walked out into the pasture. Carrying a large stick with him, Desmond attempted to ease by a bull that was also occupying the field. The bull had caused him some trouble before, and the Madera County pioneer knew to be careful. Some things, however, just cannot be avoided.

With the suddenness of a lightning bolt, the bull charged and caught Desmond on the side. The man was tossed so high into the air that when he came down, he landed on his neck, which was broken by the fall. The bull then stomped the body and finally tossed it into a small irrigation ditch.

Now it just so happened that Desmond's neighbor, Mrs. William Sanderson, witnessed the goring from start to finish. When the bull began to stomp Desmond, Sanderson started to scream, which in turn alerted another neighbor, M. Michaelson, who ran to the pasture and drove the bull off with a gun.

At that point, Desmond was still alive, but barely breathing. He was put into a "machine" and taken to the residence of Dr. Dow H. Ransom, but to no avail. The old pioneer died en route.

Maderans were shocked, and on Wednesday, November 14, they gathered at the Catholic Church to pay their last respects to one of the county's oldest and most respected citizens. Such was Desmond's standing in the community that Madera High School closed its doors to allow students and faculty to attend the funeral service.

While Thomas Desmond never realized his goal of retirement in town, this was one of the very few things denied him in life. He had seen more of this world before he was 20 than most men see in a lifetime. He had come to California and made his mark. He had raised a wonderful family-one that would never forget him even after the passage of almost 90 years.

Bill Coate William "Bill" Coate is a San Joaquin Valley historian, author, television personality and retired public school teacher with 36 years of classroom experience. He is the award-winning founder of the Madera Method, a research-based educational program that uses primary source materials to help students explore history. He writes about the past of our nation and valley with a weekly column and story. He also writes articles pertaining to local schools. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.