William Carder, Gunfighter of Aurora

    William Carder was born in 1832 in Tennessee and was a law student while still living with his parents. Carder moved out to California for the Gold Rush as a young man. He was in law enforcement and worked in several different locations in the West. While he was living in Columbia, CA he was second in command of a posse that tracked down and captured the murderer of John Leary, the town Marshall. During this time, he became known as one of the fastest guns in the West.

     Carder was also working as an editor for a newspaper called the Columbia Gazette. A man named Cardinelli was upset about something Carder printed in the paper. Cardinelli shot at him but Carder only received a flesh wound. Carder returned the shot but missed and it turned into a shootout. Both were arrested and released. Another time he was working in Sonora as a newspaper editor and had an on-going feud with another editor named Bennet. After a series of insults, Carder showed up at Bennet’s office and shot him, only wounding Bennet in the shoulder. Bennet returned fire hitting Carder in the shoulder. They were both taken before a judge and were let go. 

     Later in time, three celebrating Chinese men were returning to Aurora from Dog Town when they were held up and beaten by three masked men. $300 in gold dust and several guns were taken. Carder and two other men were accused but let go because of lack of evidence. Carder eventually moved to Aurora and was running for Marshal of the community. While in Aurora he was attempting to arrest a man named Greely and he accidently shot and killed an innocent printer. At some point, Carder had married a woman named Anne. It was her second marriage and she brought a young son with her. During that time, he was drinking and gambling pretty heavy.

    Carder was associates with John Daly of the Daly Gang of Aurora. He was not  considered part of the gang, but they were friends. Less than a year later he left town with Moses Brockman on business. Carder returned first and Brockman was supposed to return later with a specific horse. When Brockman didn’t return with the horse, Carder was so angry that he scared Brockman and Brockman feared for his life. Brockman hid and waited in a doorway while Carder was in a saloon drinking. When Carder came out Brockman shot him in the neck and killed him,

    Brockman was questioned, let go and not charged. Carder’s wife Anne believed he was murdered, and nothing was done about it, so she had inscribed on his tombstone that he “was assassinated in Aurora on the night of December 10^th, 1864. I will avenge saith the Lord.” His gravestone was the first in Aurora and was outside of the cemetery. Three years later Anne remarried to P.H. Motley. She is buried in Modesto, California.