William W. Twist (182?-1861) was possibly a Canadian native, a volunteer soldier in the Mexican American War in California, Sheriff of Santa Barbara County and captain of California Militia in Los Angeles. He was killed in action as a captain of artillery in the Mexican Army.
Early years in California
William W. Twist, described variously as a native of Nova Scotia or an American by birth, came to California from New York with Stevenson's Regiment during the Mexican American War. Part of the garrison of Santa Barbara at the end of that war, he remained there afterward and married a Mexican woman.
Sheriff of Santa Barbara County
In 1852 William W. Twist was appointed Sheriff of Santa Barbara County but was later replaced by Valentine W. Hearne. Sheriff Hearne's part of the lynching of two Santa Barbara Californios accused of murder in Los Angeles, in the later San Gabriel Affair was not pleasing to Dr. Nicolas A. Den (owner of the Dos Pueblos Rancho) and the de la Guerras (an influential Californio ranchero family in the county), who were his principal sureties, they withdrew from his bonds, thus forcing him to resign. On August 10 Charles Fernald was appointed in his place. In the November 1852, election W. W. Twist, was elected to the office.
Arroyo Burro Incident
John Vidal, a Justice of the Peace and former Associate Justice with Joaquin Carrillo, and like Twist a former member the Stevenson Regiment garrison at Santa Barbara, had rented a tract of land on the Arroyo Burro, a small creek which runs into the ocean, west of Santa Barbara. When the lease expired he claimed the land under the preemption laws as Government land. This was a common tactic among those in the American population who were opposed to the large land holdings being held by the Californios and the Americans who had intermarried among them. Unlike Northern California, the Californios were in the majority in Southern California and especially in Santa Barbara County, and controlled the local courts. Suit was brought and the title judged to belong to Dr. Den, from whom Vidal had rented the land. Sheriff Twist was ordered by the courts to remove Vidal and put Den in possession.
However Vidal had friends among the many gamblers in Santa Barbara including Jack Powers, which made dispossessing Vidal hazardous. People took sides depending on whether they favored the cause of the squatter and his gambler friends or the law-and-order party of la Guerra and the other Californio rancheros. Vidal's friends were gathered determined to hold the ground at all hazards. Vidal's partisans claimed that the presence of his friends at the Arroyo Burro was merely friendly and that no resistance to the law was contemplated.
Twist no doubt disbelieved that claim and raised a posse to execute the writ of ejectment. About 200 men were enlisted in the posse and set to gather at the Egerea House (used as the County court house) and 9 o'clock the next morning before departure. A small cannon kept on the plaza, was to be taken and used if necessary to knock down any fortifications. A surgeon, was employed to accompany the force.
Before the party had fully assembled that morning, Vidal and some of his companions came riding up. Two of his companions, one called "Little Mickey," and the other a short, swarthy man almost covered with a serape, lassoed the cannon and attempted to drag it away. Believing it was an attack, Twist fired at them, and firing immediately became general. Vidal was shot, and fell from his horse. The swarthy man in the serape rushed at Twist drawing a long knife from his belt and plunged it into him. Fortunately the knife was turned by a rib and the wound was not dangerous. Twist shot his assailant dead. A running fight then ensued, without any more casualties. The posse arrived at Arroyo Burro Canyon, to be met with a hail of bullets, and stopped short. After a brief negotiation, Powers informed the leader of the posse (Twist, injured, had stayed behind) that his gang would kill any man that passed a huge sycamore tree. Seeing that the bandits were dug in, well-armed, and determined, the posse backed away in defeat.