There Ben and his older brother John helped his father build a cabin, put in crops and began mining.
[2] In April 1866, the outlaw John Mason intercepted and joined Benjamin Mayfield on the ride to Fort Tejon from his mine in Lytle Creek.
However Mason was also protected by the large number of pro secessionists in that part of the state, that made collecting the bounty dangerous.
[8] Fearing reprisal from the gang or his secessionist friends, Mayfield and Overton carried Mason out on his bed and buried them in an unmarked grave, but his body was later found.
The Sacramento Daily Union, June 23, 1866, quotes The Wilmington Journal on the verdict: Mayfield's appeal resulted in a second trial on September 15, 1866.
The jury again found the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree and the counsel for the defense asked for a new trial, which was refused by Judge de la Guerra.