J. W. Kottinger’s Barn

John W. Kottinger (1819 – 1892) was Murray Township Justice of the Peace from 1853 to 1870. His home was the Seat of Justice for the township; The northwest corner of this adobe barn was used to jail prisoners. A frequent visitor was Joaquin Murrieta. On one occasion he was distracted by Mrs. Kottinger’s bountiful table, thus allowing Kottinger to make a hasty trip to a San Francisco bank. The bandit was deprived of the pleasure of relieving Kottinger of a large gold deposit.