Tom McCauley

Tom McCauley
Born	Unknown
Died	September 14, 1865 San Jacinto Canyon, Riverside County, California
Cause of death	multiple gunshots
Nationality	American
Other names	James Henry or Jim Henry also McHenry
Occupation	Outlaw
Known for	Leader of Mason Henry Gang
Criminal charge	robbery, theft, murder

Tom McCauley (? - 1865), better known by his alias James Henry or Jim Henry, was one of the many California Gold Rush criminals later a leader of the Mason Henry Gang.

Tom McCauley, his origins unknown, was one of the criminals in Tuolumne County convicted of murder with his brother in 1857 and imprisoned for ten years. He was pardoned in 1861, and as "James Henry" was known to have been in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties in 1861-1862. Later he joined an outlaw gang in the San Joaquin Valley until it was broken up by the law.

In 1864, now known as "Jim Henry", he was one of the leaders of the Mason Henry Gang organized by secessionist Judge George Gordon Belt, that posed as Confederate partisan rangers but acted as outlaws, committing robberies, thefts and murders in the San Joaquin Valley, Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County and later in the counties of Southern California.

McCauley was described by The Visalia 'Delta' of Nov. 30th 1864 as one of two secession guerrillas and murderers "who killed Robinson and 2 other men the day after the late Presidential election:"

When the Civil War ended in April with Lee's surrender at Appomattox the gang came under pressure in Central California. They moved into Southern California and split up. Henry with part of the gang moved into the eastern San Gabriel Mountains at San Sevaine Flats from which they began rustling, committing robbery and murder as they did.

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