Actual I feel the opposite. I think the hanging of Yankee Jim Robinson on the grounds where Whaley House now stands is part of the folklore and was used a very long time ago to explain the activity and perhaps to bring in more visitors. Most likely during the 60's with the "Certified Haunted" stuff. Think about it, what criteria would the government use? The story goes that is was the Dept of Commerce that put out a list by reputation, not fact, that was used for this so called certification. The fact is that the department of commerce is about generating business, they are not in the haunted house certification business and no certification ever took place. It is a good sounding story until you take about 2 seconds to think about how silly it is.
I do however feel that Yankee Jim haunts Thomas Whaley both in life and in death. Thomas Whaley when alive made several comments about Yankee Jim haunting his house. Thomas Whaley (in spirit) informed me that he could have prevented Yankee Jim's death and he regrets not taking action. When you look at the history you will find that Thomas Whaley's business partner Crosswaite (sp) was the person who arrested Yankee Jim. Thomas Whaley could have had an influence based on the history. It is very odd that Yankee Jim was put to death when his 2 partners in crime received a one year sentence at San Quentin. According to the San Diego Historical Society Yankee Jim Robinson was hung in the Plaza,close by, but not Whaley House grounds.
All of Old Town has seen a lot of death and tragedy. It is not just Whaley House and grounds that have activity. I have a sense that at least one person is buried over by the Derby Pendleton house but I have no solid proof.
Historically people where hung in a town square or plaza. This is where the jails and courthouses were located. It would seem in this case that they performed the sentences right next to (hangings) and in the graveyard (firing squad). Not very civilized but I guess more convenient.
Once again if you have different information please post it here and state your source. Just having read something somewhere is not evidence, it needs to come from a reliable source. There is a lot of bad information out on the internet. Don't assume the person did any fact checking before posting it.
The people who currently operate the house do have a "control the message policy". If you want the truth you must look for it yourself. Try asking them where Thomas Whaley's personal journals are located as well as the rest of the "Whaley Family Papers". They were at the house before the current caretakers took over, but now they are supposedly missing. You would think that they and the County would be trying to locate them, but they are not. This make me question whether they are missing or part of the control the message policy. There is more truth in those personal papers than you will ever get from a history book.
Thx for the post, Bonnie Vent San Diego Paranormal Research Project www.sdparanormal.com
