Yale University Library 39002007171847 ^5l|f The Ltjfe and Timers IflfewS &en*J°hn <*; Sutter *WmB iff far .' 'Sp £¦*¦•$« '.\V ...BY... 7*. X Schoono^er - Y^LH«¥JMHYIE]J^2irYo • iLiiiBii&amir ¦ Bought with the income of the James L, Kingsley Fund 1901 EERATA On page 63, line 12 should read, In the spring of 1845, instead of fall of 1845. On page 63, line 21 should read, Governor Pio Pico. instead of Micheltorena. On page 100, Hue 12 should read, Fortunately for the Americans Vallejo ranked, instead of thanked. On page 222, line 1 should read, worth can have no better meed, instead of need. On page 228, line 2 should read, to the belief that the association of vigilantes has been. GENERAL JOHN A. SUTTER. THE LIFE AND TIMES -OF- Gen. John A. Sutter {ILLUSTRATED) Revised and Enlarged Edition — BY — T. J. SCH0ON0VER SACRAMENTO, CAL. : Press of Bullocfc-Carpenter Printing Co., 1019 Ninth Street igor To the memory of the California Pioneers this ivork is dedicated by The Author. T. J. SCHOONOVER Entered according to Act of Congress, in the office of the Librarian, At Washington, D. C, in the year 1895, By T. J. Schoonover. PREFACE. In preparing this narrative my aim has been to pre serve fidelity to truth. That it contains errors there can be no doubt. I hope, however, to be found fairly correct. Some of the episodes introduced may appear, at first, extraneous and irrelevant. A faithful en deavor to acquaint the reader with the environments of Mr. Sutter and with the political prejudices prominent in our country during his time, suggested them. I believe every episode used herein will aid the reader in his conclusions. The men whose biographies are briefly sketched, were significant figures in building an empire in the far west. Their names will be associated forever with the land their genius, enterprise and courage honored and adorned. Eulogy will wreathe them with laurels till gifted pens are laid aside and eloquent lips are mute. Imperfect, indeed, must be the biography of Sutter that makes no allusion to the exploits of Benja min Halliday. His enterprises made it not only pos sible, but pleasurable to travel over the western world, even where the solitude of sleeping centuries was un broken save by the warwhoop of the savage, the scream ii Preface. of the panther, or other tuneless and startling echoes of the wild. John Butterfield, Esq., another interesting pioneer and builder of the west, is entitled to recognition here. As well omit the keystone of an arch. His Overland Stage facilitated mail transportation across the continent and helped to people the west with some of the brainiest men that ever lived. And then the "Pony Express", — how can that be omitted ? Caravan freighting from the Missouri River to the Sacramento is and always will be an interesting subject. To induce young people to familiarize themselves with the early history of their own loved country, I have sought to weave into my narrative a few threads of those facts which are somewhat tinged with ro mance. I ventured upon this course, however, with much reserve. Many great names and enterprises I should be solicitous to remember but forego the pleas ure for want of space. For the continued courtesies of Honorable Winfield J. Davis of Sacramento, and of Miss Eudora Garoutte and Miss Annie Lowry of the historical department of the California State Library, and of Miss Retta Par rott of the Free Library of Sacramento City, Twish to express my grateful acknowledgment. ' THE AUTHOR. SUTTER'S FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE. A Swiss family by the name of Sooter moved into Kandern in the Grand Duchy of Baden in the autumn of 1800.- To this family the subject of this narrative was born. As. the event occurred at midnight, the last day of February and the first day of March 1803, share alike the .honor of ushering into active life him whose name, like Tell's, will live .through centuries to come. The name Sooter passed through several changes but finally graduated into its present orthogra phy and pronunciation. Young John Augustus spent his early boyhood in Kandern where he received the rudiments of education. But to Switzerland, whose mountains bathe in skies of unsurpassed loveliness, our hero was indebted for his love of romance and his wealth of imagination. After having passed through the common school, he was placed in a military college at Berne, where he was graduated in the year 1823. About this time he mar ried Miss Anna Dubelt. After having taken his de gree, he entered the French service as an officer of the Swiss Guard, and was in the Spanish campaign of 1823-4, where he distinguished himself by his bravery, his generous, frank and confiding nature, and by his faithful and conscientious discharge of duties as 8 The Life and Times of a soldier and responsibilities as an officer. He con tinued in the French service till 1834. His parents were classed with families of respecta bility; possessing ample means to introduce them into circles of social and intellectual refinement. Captain Sutter, as he was then called, possessing an enterprising spirit and a keen relish for romance and pioneer adventures, conceived the idea of found ing a Swiss colony somewhere in North America. To this end he made available his effects, bade adieu to friends and fatherland and sailed for New York, where he arrived about the middle of July, in the year 1834. Thence he pushed on to what at that time was called "The far west," his objective point being Saint Charles, Missouri, where he proceeded to ex plore the vast region lying west of the Mississippi, hoping to acquire possession of a large tract of land and pave the way for a settlement of his own coun trymen. This scheme he was soon forced to abandon. The vessel containing his means being wrecked in the Mississippi River he sustained a total loss of hi:- belongings. He then made an exploring trip to Santa Fe where he ventured in some speculation with trappers, whites and Indians, with whom he carried on a profitable fur trade. While there he received a glowing description of California. Its hills, he was told, were as green in January as the vales of Switzerland were in May. General John A. Sutter. 9 Leaving Missouri he traveled with the American Fur Company under command of Captain Tripp to their rendezvous on the Wind River in the Rocky Mountains. Thence in company with six men he set out on horseback across the mountains and over the long stretch of unbroken solitude lying between Tripp's rendezvous and the interior of the Oregon territory. He visited The Dalles, a trading post established by the Hudson Bay Company on the left bank of the Columbia River, whence he went to Fort Vancouver. It being late in autumn when he arrived at this place he was unable to procure an escort to California. He was told that Indians were numerous and hostile, that the cold on the mountains would be bitter and the storms overpowering. He was invited by the commander of the fort to remain with him over winter. Declining this offer, he embarked on a trading vessel bound for the Sandwich Islands, whose king received him very kindly, making him a present of eight young husky Kanakas for a body guard. After five months of wearisome stay he shipped as supercargo without pay on the Clemantme, an English brig chartered by Americans and bound for Sitka. Here he made the acquaintance of the Governor of Alaska by whom he was treated as an honored guest. The governor entered into a contract with him in which he agreed to furnish him with such things as 10 The Life and Times of he would need in his colony. Itemized in this agree ment were good iron, steel and files to be used in his shops, beads for the Indians, coarse cannon powder and fine rifle powder, etc, etc. Attaching, great impor tance to these supplies, Sutter guarded them with pru dent watchfulness. Especially did he look upon his ammunition as Abraham Lincoln said Stephen A. Douglas looked upon the famous "Dred Scott" deci sion, as his "Thus sayeth the Lord." After a month's delay in discharging the cargo of the Clemantine, he sailed down the coast encountering heavy gales, when, after having lived many days on reduced rations, he sailed into San Francisco bay on the 2nd day of July, 1839. An officer and fifteen sol diers boarding his brig informed him that Yerba Buena was not a port of entry and ordered him to leave it without delay. With a good deal of reluctance they consented to let Sutter remain in port long enough to repair the brig and procure necessary supplies. This being accomplished, he sailed down to Monterey where he obtained of Alvarado,* the provincial gov ernor, a pass with full permission to travel through California with his men and a promise that if he would return within a year and naturalize to the Mexican government, he, Alvarado, would grant him ten square leagues of any unoccupied land he might choose to locate. * Juan Bautista Alvarado was appointed provincial governor of California in 138, and subsequently regular governor, by the Republic of Mexico. General John A. Sutter. 1 1 e Returning to Yerba Buena he discharged the Clem antine, chartered of Messrs. Leese, Speare and Hinckly a schooner and purchased several launches for the pur pose of exploring the Sacramento and other inland rivers. This village contained about forty inhabitants, most of whom were employed by the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1847, by an ordinance of the Alcalde the name of this place was changed to San Francisco. No man in the place had any knowledge whatever of the Sacramento River. Opposed by prevailing fog and misled by small inlets and recesses that indent the shore Sutter was eight days in finding the mouth of the river. On its banks ten miles below where the City of Sacramento now stands, 500 painted warriors assembled to dispute his passage. A chief and several of his tribe understanding Spanish, Sutter informed them that his mission was peaceful and that his party would endeavor to maintain friendly relations with them. To soothe their ruffled passions he gave them beads, ribbons and other trinkets and smoked the calu met with them. Two of them who spoke Spanish volunteered to pilot him up the Sacramento which he explored as far as the mouth of the Rio de las Plumas, where he dropped anchor and proceeded some distance up that stream in a row boat. On returning he found the crew in incipient mutiny, protesting against penetrat ing farther into' a country where indications created 12 The Life and Times of only dark forebodings. Painted aborigines were seen skulking here and there along the river banks, now sheltered from observation beneath the dense brush that fringed the streams, now presenting a bolder and more formidable appearance. The most of them were armed, some with guns, some with bows and arrows and others with tomahawks. They were poorly clad, many being entirely naked. Their number, like their design, was a puzzle. The crew asked Sutter if he were intending to ex plore the stream farther. He said he would give them an answer in the morning. He wanted to explore the Sacramento farther but being opposed by a mutin ous crew he weighed anchor on the following morn ing and dropped down to the mouth of the Rio de Ios Americanos on the left bank of which he discharged his goods on the 12th day of August, 1839, settled with all who desired to leave him and gave them pas sage on the Isabella to Yerba Buena. Remote from the music of enterprises, in a solitude seldom broken ex cept by the notes of the wild-fowl and the guttural tones of the Red-man, our adventurer with but fifteen men to assist him pitched his tent, mounted his guns, established sentinels and laid the foundation of an empire which, for the beneficial consequences it en tailed, is peerless in the republic of colonies. Sutter now found himself legally established in a country unsurpassed in natural resources, extending General John A. Sutter. 1 3 its boundaries over every variety of soil and climate, watered by the tranquil Sacramento and its tributaries and everywhere canopied by the softest tints of azure. The aborigines at this time and place were numerous, hostile and treacherous; to guard against a "surprise party" of them a trusty sentinel was kept on duty at night. Any neglect of this careful vigilance would have imperiled the life of every one in the colony. In after years when Sutter's dominion was established and the Indian had learned to respect his prowess and his generous nature, a friendly chief told him, that had it not been for the "big guns" (can non) his tribe would long since have scalped every man in the settlement and carried away all of its treasures. A large mastiff, owned by Sutter, saved his master's life on two occasions. On a dark night when balmy sleep was holding the great adventurer in its gentle embrace, a stalwart Indian, with tomahawk in hand softly entered the tent where the hero was sleeping. "Brave," having a couch near his master's feet and being true to canine instinct, "snuffed the game." See ing his master's situation, he displayed his fidelity by springing upon his murderous assailant with courage that knew no bounds. The Indian losing his toma hawk in the encounter, the contest became even hand ed. "Brave," whose eyes were aglow with ferocity, seizing his antagonist by the throat, soon reduced 14 The Life end Times of him to abject submission. Other similar attacks were averted by the faithful dog. In October, 1839, Sutter brought to his ranch about five hundred head of cattle, fifty horses and a manada of twenty-five mares which he had previously pur chased of Senor Martinez. In the autumn of 1840 he purchased of Don Antonio Sunol one thousand head of cattle, and as many horses of Don Joaquin Gomez and others. In the same autumn he built an adobe house where the fort now stands, covering it with tules (bulrushes), a covering that was found to serve best in dry weather. In the same year the Kanakas, assisted by the friendly Indians in Sutter's employ, built three grass houses fashioned after those in the Sandwich Islands. The neighboring Indians were inclined to be trouble some a greater portion of the time. In 1840 they be came very annoying, killing cattle and- stealing horses. Sutter sought to inculcate in them a higher conception of right and wrong by an occasional display of whole some discipline, sanctioned by well-timed authority. By pursuing this course he soon reduced them to an improved system of behavior. In the summer of 1840 several hundred painted war riors, armed with guns, bows and spears, collected on the banks of the Cosumnes river, twenty miles away, for the avowed purpose of reducing the settlement. Sutter left a small garrison at home with cannon and General John A. Sutter. 15 small arms loaded, and with eight brave men (brave they must have been), two of Whom were expert vaqueros, went to attack them. The. unsuspecting warriors imprudently retired the night before the bat tle without setting sentinels and were surprised at daybreak in their camp. Being thrown into disorder and confusion they fought at a disadvantage, and after a severe engagement, in which they lost heavily, a set tlement was adjusted by virtue. of which these warriors became his friends and allies, enabling him to conquer nearly all of the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. Prominent among the Indians who> formed this treaty, was a young chief by the name of "Abraham." This illustrious title was conferred upon him by a white man of the Hudson's Bay Co. on account of his dignified and patriarchal appearance. His hair was long and black as a raven's wing and had a slight tendency to curl. The whites were addicted to con ferring fanciful names on the Indians. His head dress, which was a gorgeous one, was well ornamented with the largest quills from swan and eagle. He wore the affectionate remembrance of a black satin vest, a gar ment worn about that time in elegant and fashionable society. Of this vest Abraham was very proud. It was so worn that nothing remained of it but the col lar and armholes. Add to this the frill invented long ago by the mother of Abel and you complete his habili ments. 1 6 The Life and Times of The colony obtained its supplies chiefly from San Francisco, the trip to that place being made by In dians and Kanakas, and in an open boat. Sometimes a strong adverse wind and at other times a dead calm prevailed many consecutive days, when they sought to make headway by turning to the god of muscle and invoking a "white-ash breeze" (the use of oars). In his journal Sutter says : "It is a wonder we got no swamped a many time, all time with an Indian crew and a Kanaka at the helm." A self-explaining letter to Alvarado reads as fol lows : "A su excellencia Senior Don Juan Bautista Alvarado, Governor de constitutionalde las das Cali- fornias, en Monterey — Excellent Sir : Allow me to write you in English, because I like not to make mis takes in an expression. I have the honor to send you with this an act of a committed crime on this place; please give me your Orders" what I have to do with the Delinquent which is kept as a Prisoner here. Delin quent Henry Bee was put in Irons, but his friends bound themselves for iooo Dollars Security, when I would take the irons from him, in which their wishes I consented. "John Wilson, Black Jack, is well known, as at life he was a bad character, which may be something in Bee's favour. Waiting for your Orders, I shall keep the Delinquent in Prison. "The Trapping party from the Columbia River will General John A. Sutter. ly be here in about 8 Days under command of Mr. Ermat- inger. I am also waiting for one of my friends, a German Gentleman, with the same party. I believe he travels for his pleasure. "A strong body of American farmers are coming here, a young Man of the party got lost since 10 Days, nearly starved to death and on foot; he don't know which Direction the party took. I believed they will come about the Direction of the Pueblo. I was also informed that another company is coming stronger than this under Mr. Fanum (Farnum). "Some very curious Rapports come to me, which made me first a little afraid but after two hours I get over the fit. "I remain, excellent Sir ! Very Respectfully, J. A. Sutter. "Nueva Helvetia, November 4 de 1841. "P. S. — in a short time I shall have a secretary who is able to write Spanish." as w H General John A. Sutter. 19 THE FORT. In the summer of 1841, Sutter began to build his fort. It was an adobe structure, the brick being made by Kanakas and Indians ; the latter having become friendly and serviceable to the colony, some of them were kept constantly in Sutter's employ. Sutter him self worked very hard at building the fort, not only superintending the entire plant, but directing all of the operations, and with his own hands making and laying , brick. This fort, so justly famed as a landmark of pioneer adventure, industry and enterprise, was built ostensibly for the purpose of protecting the settlement from the incursions of wild, warlike and treacherous Indians; but to protect the settlement from the violence and encroachments of the more jealous, cowardly and not less treacherous Spaniards, was an incentive paramount to all others. Great as the undertaking must have been, in the absence of energetic and skilled laborers and mechani cal appliances suited to advance a work of such magni tude, the outer wall was completed in the autumn after it was commenced. The fort was sufficiently large to accommodate the entire settlement for cooking and 20 The Life and Times of sleeping purposes and the workshops were built and the tools and stores kept within its walls. The fort was completed in 1844. In 1846 General Castro offered Sutter, in the interests of Mexico, one hundred thou sand dollars for it. It was promptly declined. Sutter, naturally enough, reposed greater confidence in the virtue of the massive battlements and the in trepid and iron-throated debaters on whose fidelity he could safely rely, and which were ready, on a moment's warning, to thunder through the embrasure an ava lanche of convincing argument, than he did in the good faith and sincerity of those upon whom he had been taught by experience to look with distrust, and whose real aim was a problem which defied solution. In imagination, we can enjoy with the little colony the pleasure a feeling of safety was calculated to in spire. It was a luxury that helped to extract the bitter ness from toil and the sting from human existence. The following is an extract from the official report of Captain Fremont who visited the fort in 1844 in command of the United States exploring expedi tion : "The fort is a quadrangular adobe structure, mount ing twelve pieces of artillery (two of them brass), and capable of admitting a garrison of a thousand men ; the present garrison consists of forty Indians, in uniform — one of whom is always found on duty at the gate. General John A. Sutter. 21 "As might naturally be expected, the pieces are not in very good order. ' ,; "The whites in the employ of Captain Sutter, Ameri cans, French and German, amount, perhaps, to thirty men. The inner wall is formed into buildings com prising the common quarters, with blacksmith and other work-shops;; the dwelling house, with a large distillery house and other buildings occupying more the center of the area. "It is built upon a pond-like stream at times a run ning creek communicating with the Rio de Ios Ameri canos, which enters the Sacramento about two miles below. "The latter is here a noble river, about three hundred yards broad, deep and tranquil, with several fathoms of water in the channel and its banks continuously tim bered. There were two vessels belonging to Captain Sutter at anchor near the landing — one a large two masted lighter, and the other a schooner, which was shortly to proceed on a voyage to Fort Vancouver for a cargo of goods." John Charles Fremont, explorer, was born in Savan nah, Ga., June 21, 1813. His father, who was a Frenchman, taught his native language. John Charles became teacher of mathematics on the sloop-of-war "Natchez" in 1833, afterwards took his degree in Charleston College, was appointed to a professorship on the frigate "Independence" of the U. S. Navy, but 22 The Life and Times of declined, was commissioned by President Van Buren as second lieutenant of topographical engineers, married Jessie Benton in 1841, and in 1842 was in structed by the war department to take charge JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. of an expedition for the exploration of the Rocky Mountains in search of a south pass. Subsequently he made two more expeditions across the continent. An account of his investigations had great influence in promoting Utah and the Pacific States. The Mormons learned of him respecting the General John A. Sutter. 23 Great Salt Lake and its environs. He was U. S. Sena tor from California. Being at dinner in Paris when news of the Civil War reached him, he immediately left the table, saying : "Friends, excuse me, my country calls me home." Gen. Fremont was nominated for President of the United States by the first Republican national convention and was Governor of Arizona in 1878-81. 24 The Life and Times of EARLY VISITORS. Individual trappers and hunters in the employ 01 the Hudson's Bay Co. occasionally reached the set tlement and now, the latter part of the year 1841, small parties began to cross the Sierras from the United States. Many of these emigrants were good enterprising men who were recognized by Sutter as important acquisitions to his moral, social and intellec tual forces. I will instance John Bidwell, who was twenty-two years old, of noble bearing and fine ad dress. He was scholarly, energetic and methodical. Being metaphysical, he was mentally well calculated to supply the discriminating qualities of mind which ap peared at times to need supporting in Sutter. As 1 shall have occasion to mention his name many times, I will notice, in this place, some of the notoriety he at tained in after years. John Bidwell was born in Chautauqua County, New York, August 15, 1819; was educated in Kingsville Academy, served in the war with Mexico, rising from second lieutenant to major; was a member of the California State Constitutional Convention at Monte rey; was one of the committee appointed to convey a block of gold-bearing quartz to Washington in 1850, and was a delegate to the National Democratic Conven- General John A. Sutter. 25 tion held in Charleston in i860. He was representative in congress in 1865-7; regent of State University, 1880; trustee of State Normal school at Chico 1889-96; GENERAL JOHN BIDWELL. nominee for Governor 1875-1890; was nominated for President in 1892. He died at Chico, April 4, 1900. In 1 84 1, Sutter received from Alvarado a grant of 26 The Life and Times of eleven square leagues of land, which he called New Helvetia after the ancient name of Switzerland. He received also an appointment to the military command of the Northern District of California, and was at the same time created Alcalde (judge) of the same dis trict. He was visited the same year by Major Ring gold and seven officers and fifty men of Commodore Wilkes' exploring squadron, then lying in San Fran cisco bay. Professor J. D. Dana wasalso a member of the visiting party. Sutter, with his accustomed cour tesy, dispatched a servant with saddled horses for the officers and a secretary to invite the company to the fort. The courtesy of Sutter will be more fully realized when it is recollected that bands of Spanish cattle were grazing on the commons where they were liable to be met at any time by the visitors on their way from the embarcadero to the fort. Unprotected footmen imperiled their lives by encountering one of these bands. On the prairie where shelter from an attack was not obtainable, one of these cattle was little less formidable than a Bengal tiger. Subsequently Wilkes became famous through the Trent affair, which resulted in the arrest of Messrs. Mason and Slidell of the Confederate States, during the Civil War. This expedition was in the service of the United States, and its mission here was to acquire a knowl edge of the geography and geology of the Pacific Coast. In consequence of the loss of the Peacock, General John A. Sutter. 27 a vessel of the squadron, on the Columbia bar, Prof. J. D. Dana and others were compelled to travel overland to New Helvetia where they arrived worn, weary and in distress. In 181 2 the government of California, under Spanish rule, granted the Russians the privilege of erecting buildings and establishing settlements at Bodega and ¦ Ross, for the purpose of salting beef and caring for the hides and tallow and for raising grain and vege tables for other Russian settlements too far north for success in such branches of husbandry. Bodega is about fifty miles north of San Francisco, and Ross lies about twenty-five miles farther up the coast. The permission to settle at these places was never reduced to the virtue and dignity of a written instrument. The settlements, however, were made and flourished. Ranchos were improved'; corn, turnips, cabbage and potatoes were grown in abundance. Wheat and bar ley were also raised, orchards were planted and com fortable habitations were erected. The sawed lumber used in these settlements came from Norway, being shipped around Cape Horn. Not a saw-mill was known to exist at that time anywhere on the Pacific shore. The settlement at Ross grew to a population of three hundred souls, embracing Russians, Muscovites, Kodi- acs and half-breeds of every tribe, squaws generally beings the half-breeds' mothers. 28 The Life and Times of To California and Mexico the growth and prosperity of these colonies were fruitful sources of jealousy and unrest. Spanish and Mexican authorities were illy satisfied with prosperity anywhere in their dominion that did not directly replenish their own coffers. Spain strenuously objected to what she saw was a .menace to her public tranquillity. Her objection was set forth in a formal remonstrance, but to no avail. The Mexican government also served a written notice on the Russians to quit the country, which request was also wholly disregarded. General Vallejo in the mean time advanced upon Fort Ross with an armed force, but, deeming his strength insufficient to reduce the place, retired without further demonstrations of hos tility. All efforts to remove the Russians were futile. They defied the authorities and continued to "hold the fort," carrying on a profitable trade with New York and Boston in hides, beef and tallow until 1 84 1, when, having stripped the shore of sea otter and other fur-bearing animals, and being annoyed by Indians, Cahfornians and Mexicans they concluded to sell out and withdraw from the country. General John A. Sutter. 29 THE RUSSIAN PURCHASE. In the autumn of 1841 Alexander Rotchoff, the gov ernor of Bodega and Fort Ross, visited Sutter and offered to sell him the possessions under consideration. In the purchase of this property, there were but two competitors : Jacob P. Leese, who offered $25,000 in the interest of the Hudson Bay Company, and Captain Sutter who made the purchase for $30,000 and was dined and wined by the Russian governor on the brig Helena on the 12th day of December, 1841. The purchase price of this property Sutter agreed to pay in annual installments. The first and second years $5000; the third and fourth years $10,000; the last installment, it was agreed, should be paid in cash and all others were to be paid in barter, including wheat, peas, barley, soap, hides and tallow, all of which were to be delivered in good condition at Yerba Buena on the first day of September in each year until paid. It was agreed on the part of Rotchoff that a vessel should be in readiness in San Francisco bay to receive the cargo, Sutter agreeing to pay custom house charges and harbor dues, and in case of delay on his part, to pay the expense of the voyage in cash. The con tract, by which the parties to this transaction were bound, provided that, in case war prevented the Rus- 30: The Life and Times of. sian Company entering San Francisco bay, payment should be made later. Sutter pledged New Helvetia for the faithful performance' of : his'! contract. This purchase embraced 2,000 cattle, 1,000 horses, 50 mules, 250 sheep, a herd of swine, several pieces of ordnance, one four-pound brass field piece and some smaller arms, some farming and mechanical implements, a schooner of 180 tons burden, a barrel of flints which were thrown away by Napoleon Bonaparte on his mem orable retreat from Moscow, and the lumber, windows and doors used in the buildings and about the premises.. On the 28th day of December Captain Sutter dis patched some men with a clerk to receive the property included in the purchase -and bring the live stock to Helvetia. Some of this stock was lost in transit; one hundred head of cattle alone were drowned in cross ing the Sacramento river. Fortunately the most, of the hides were saved. Sutter afterwards quaintly ob served: "Those hides were our bank notes." In the beginning of January, 1-842, John Bidwell took charge of the late purchase, or that part of it not removed to Helvetia, staying at the Russian settlement till March 1843. 'While there he had a man to cook for him and other men to look after . the stock and other properties belonging to Sutter and remaining on the, land where it was purchased. The lumber, windows and doors were taken to the settlement and used in finishing up the fort and its, buildings. • General John A. Sutter. 31 THE BRASS CANNON. One of the pieces of artillery embraced in the Sutter purchase has quite a histor)'- which has been carefully written up by Judge J. H. McKune, and was published in Themis, ..of October -5, 1889, which, as it is quite in teresting, I will quote in full : "It was cast at a foundry of the Russian govern ment at St. Petersburg in 1804. It is 40 inches long, 3 1-2 inch bore; cast with two handles that two men can handle or carry it. "This gun was presented by the Czar to the Rus sian American Company, and by that company to Captain Sutter, in December, 1841. "It was one of the first guns mounted in the south east bastion of Sutter's fort, and was used by Captain Sutter in firing a salute to the American flag hoisted over his fort at sunrise, July 4, 1846. "It was taken from the fort, placed in the hands of Commodore Stockton, used by him as a field piece by his command in his advance from San Pedro to Los Angeles ; did good service in the battle of San Pasqual, December 8, 1846, and again at Los Angeles, January 8 and 9, 1847. "The gun was then transferred to Colonel Mason's command, First United States Dragoons, and was by 32 The Life and Times of him returned to Captain Sutter after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Captain Sutter presented it to the California Pioneers, at San Francisco, in the archives of which society it stills remains. "The gun has a chamber running to a point at the vent, and takes for a charge, eight ounces of powder." CALIFORNIA CATTLE AND HORSES. Up to- the time the United States acquired California from Mexico, cattle of the bovine genus were greatly- inferior in symmetrical beauty to the Durham and Devonshire and many other improved breeds that adorn the fertile vales and hillsides of California at the present time. The inferiority so significant in native California cattle can hardly be attributed to the quality of nourishment on which they subsisted. The wild burr-clover and the bunch-grass that grow so luxuriantly in California, rank with the most nutri tious grasses to be found on the American continent. The native cattle were less heavy in the barrel than the domesticated cattle of Ohio, Indiana or any of the states that had flourished under American indus tries; they were lighter in the hindquarters and heav ier in the shoulders in proportion to the entire weight. The choicest roast these cattle afforded was less juicy and delicious than that of a finer grade of cattle. General John A. Slitter. 3'3 Early in the 50's, a distinction was made in beef ; that from the -States was -called- Eastern, beef and sold at a higher price than native beef. Enterprise and energy soon changed the condition. Finer breeds were introduced to develop better proportions and salt was freely used to hasten a tamer and more domesticated appearance. These wild cattle were vicious; and they still are when met. They recognized the superior prowess of the horse, ever extending to him the courtesy of a wide latitude. This fact insured a man's safety when on horseback. Seldom seeing a man except when a broncho was under him, they learned to regard him as a part of a horse, a sort of protuberance or hump. They learned also to regard the horse with six legs and a prodigious hump on his back, as the most formidable of equine foes. Some of these native horses after having been rid den and otherwise handled for years, will, at a mo ment when least expected, and without giving any warning, give his rider a free and unique entertain ment such as few men ever witnessed anywhere east of the Mississippi or is liable to> see west of it until he sees a broncho. I have one good word to say for the wild horse: he is never known to strike with his fore feet the man who keeps beyond his reach. 34 The Life and Times of THE COMING OF FREMONT. Captain Fremont, in command of an exploring ex pedition sent out by the United States government, reached Sutter's Fort on the 6th day of March, 1843, in a distressed condition. Some time in November he left Fort Vancouver on his return trip to the United States. In passing over the mountains lying between Oregon and Sutter's Fort, he was overtaken and nearly overpowered by drifting snows. He and his men suffered untold hardships. The headway made by the party being so slow, the rations gave out long before they reached New Helvetia; the pack animals perished and the starving men wandered on with the prospect of death confronting them till reason, in some instances, wandered from her empire. Fremont, being a strong, active and resolute man and possessing great powers of endurance, leaving his command, pressed on with dispatch to Sutter's Fort for relief. On being apprised of the distressed condition of the party Sutter packed a mule and sent some trusty Indians under orders to hasten to the rescue with the supplies. Fremont, whose gratification must have been as great as his surprise at finding. Sutter surrounded with so many comforts, remained with his generous host till his men were recruited and his animals newlv General John A. Sutter. 35 shod. Sutter sold him a number of mules and horses. On the 24th of March the expedition took leave of the generous Sutter and set out for' the United States. The coming of Fremont to California when he did and as he did, has been a topic of some speculation. It is not my province to defend him on these pages ; nor does he need defence. He was a military officer commissioned by the authorities of the United States and ordered beyond the Sierra mountains to perform certain duties. The orders under which he acted and the satisfaction his actions gave the Government. form the foundation on which a logical conclusion in regard to his mission in California must rest. He was the hero of heroes ; loyal and faithful to the coun try he loved so well. That he acted in harmony with the prearranged plans of the Administration, is evi denced m the fact that his reports were endorsed by the President and his Cabinet. George Bancroft, the historian and statesman, manifested much interest in the exploring expeditions of Fremont. Especially was he pleased with whatever tended to hasten the honor able conquest of California. Being Secretary of War he ordered Fremont through Gillespie to keep in posi tion to co-operate with the American fleet and help conquer California at the first intimation of war be tween the United States and Mexico. Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, desiring to talk with Fremont about the West invited him to dine 36 The Life and Times of at his house in Washington. Webster said San Fran cisco bay was worth more to the United States than all of Mexico. He said, however, he believed England would oppose Mexico in granting California to the United States after the Mexican War. THE MILL. Within the walls of the fort was a primitive mill for grinding barley and wheat. It was rather rudely constructed and, but for its being worked by mules instead of women, it would have been in line with the milling clone by our very remote ancestors. It was made by placing a large granite rock upon the ground, the top of which was dressed to a level surface; a similar rock was placed on top of this. To the upper stone was attached an arm or sweep bv which means it was made to spin. Perhaps the word spin is not well chosen when applied to revolutions but three of which are made per minute. The motion being communicated by mules, and no gearing made available by the use of cogwheels or belts, a high rate of speed could hardly be expected. The mill-stones were quarried in the foothills of the Sierra mountains, under the direction of an Indian, and dressed and kept in repair by the same man who also made all of the flour. The mill had no bolt, the flour, middlings and bran being separated by means of a sieve. General John A. Sutter. 37 The meal and flour made at this mill, although coarse, supplied a necessity and supplied it well, as those who have used flour from the "Digger Mill" affirm. No complaint was lodged against the bread, unless a lump larger than a bird's egg was encountered. There was graham bread galore ! However it is hardly probable that the mill-men of Minneapolis will ever search for the remains of the "Digger Mill" with a view to throwing light on the milling possibilities of Minnesota. THE DISTILLERY AND OTHER ENTERPRISES. .Sutter also erected a distillery in the fort, for the purpose of converting into an exhilarating beverage the wild grapes that grew abundantly along the Sacra mento river and its tributaries. He made vinegar also from these grapes. He had a worm for running high wines. This enterprise he found it prudent to aban don. It was not very remunerative. Besides he ex perienced much difficulty in keeping the liquor from the Indians ; or rather in keeping the Indians from the liquor. They appeared to be natural stills possessed of an automatic worm. They liked usquebaugh as Sat?n does sin. They declared they drank it first at the mis sion at San Jose, it having been given them by the holy friars. Squaws, I believe, are fonder of, strong drink 38 The Life and Times of than the warriors are; but they exercise better judg ment about using it. The aborigines having an innate fondness for intoxicants, their appetite for it is easy to excite and hard to- resist. Other evidences of enterprise began to declare them selves by infusing tone and character into the settle ment. A large tannery was built, where an extensive business was carried on with good financial results. In due time a ferry was established on the Sacramento river, and was attended by Indians, who, Sutter said, did good work and made faithful returns of the money :eceived until they had mingled too long with the whites. EXPLORATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. Solicitous to extend his knowledge of that part of California over which he had legal jurisdiction, Sutter dispatched an exploring party under command of Rudolph Van Alstine with instructions to report on soil, timber, and the general appearance and magni tude of the streams, and also on the frequency of fur- bearing animals. Van Alstine was a native of Holland and a man of excellent judgment, ever cool and resolute in an hour of danger. He explored the Eel and Pit rivers. Near to Sutter's heart was the ever cherished hope of col- General John A. Sutter. 39 onizing some of his own countrymen on the western continent. This determination inspired his exploring proclivities. Hunting and trapping parties were also organized as auxiliary enterprises. Furs were in good demand, carrying a significant cash value but little af fected by the expense of storage or transportation. From this branch of industry an income was realized. In this employment the "Tarheads" were at their best ; but even in these pursuits they were excelled by those whites who possessed a fondness for the business. In New Helvetia improvements rapidly advanced. The shops began to turn out American plows. Other agricultural implements, touched by the hands of genius, began to present a modern appearance ; but still this branch of husbandry, like most all others in Cali fornia, was greatly behind the times. There being but little available rail timber in New Helvetia, and as shipping fencing lumber from Norway, by way of Cape Horn, was slow, uncertain and expensive, the nelas were enclosed with ditches. The ditches were due and plowing, sowing and harrowing were done by In dians. Before American plows were made in the shops those used were but a trifle better than the one used by the prophet Elisha. They were specimens of rude workmanship, too awkward for description. One might fancy they were an insult to the virgin soil. The season for seeding, like that for harvesting, ex tended over a long lapse of time. This condition was 40 The Life and Times of highly favorable to pioneer life, especially where the actions of men were characterized by habitual inert ness. It afforded a wide latitude for discretion, and for convenience as well. Wheat, oats and barley were grown successfully, and are yet, with a seed time ranging from the middle of August to the first ot March. This grain (and the world grows no better) may stand a month or more, after having ripened, and deteriorate but little. This distinctive feature attend ing the growth and preservation of cereals in Califor nia is happily adjusted to the wants and conditions of man in pioneer life. Beneath a cloudless blue, of more than Italian loveliness, the farmer can leisurely plant and harvest. The sight of a harvest field, on the Helvetia grant, with the laborers at work as they were in 1842-3, would be a treat to an up-to-date farmer of to-day. True, but few decades have rolled away since then, but they were decades of progress. Then, too, Captain Sutter was himself far behind the times in which he lived. In view of his environments what more could have been expected? Geographically he was remote from his fatherland and from all other civilized nations ex cept Mexico and her province of California; both of which were fifty years in the rear of civilization. That Sutter was not well advised in the sciences of agricul tural husbandry can be a surprise to no one. The fault does not lie at his door. General John A. Sutter. 41 HARVESTING SIXTY YEARS AGO. Let us in imagination saunter back to and take a look over a field embracing a thousand acres of golden grain all in readiness to dance to the music of a harvester as large as a Kansas cyclone, with four ex pert laborers riding it, cutting, thrashing and sacking one hundred acres of grain in a day. We shall see 250 Indians, some of whom are as wild as fancy, enter the grainfield. They are poorly clad, many of them being entirely naked and all illy equipped for the task at hand. There is brought into requisition a poor imi tation of nearly ever kind of "armstrong" imple ments that have been used in the harvest field since Joseph stored the granaries of Egypt. Let us take in the exhibition. Here are scythes ; look at them ! The)r are heavy enough for the colter of a breaking-up plow. There are sickles; the "big Indian" can barely raise one from the ground with one hand. Here we come to a group of natives working with butcher- knives; over there are several who have each some thing resembling a sickle; they have been wrought by the Indians themselves from iron barrel hoops. Some pull the roots out of the ground and others break the dry and brittle straw with their hands. One old Indian, whom some wit enriched with the 42 The Life and Times of euphonious title "Laban," has been a regular harvest hand on the Helvetia grant for years. Look at him; in size and strength he reminds one of Big Foot, the famous Wyandotte chief of long ago. He is six and a half feet tall and quite well proportioned and has a grave and impressive aspect. He has procured, by hook or crook, (presumably the former) from some stranded bark or antiquated ruins, an old scythe of Teutonic invention and colossal magnitude. To this he has attached a snath that is in close harmony with the scythe but of different origin, he having cut it from the underwood that clothed the banks of the Sacramen to. When this tall, brawny and grim-looking patriarch enters the field with his harvester of Digger and Teu tonic combination he reminds one of "Father Time." By far the wildest and most novel scene was thrash ing the grain. A harvest of wheat, sometimes the work of two or three weeks, was piled, from four to six feet high, on a hard smooth piece of ground pro tected by a high, strong fence inclosing a circular area. Into this inclosure, three or four hundred bronchos (wild horses) were turned to do the thrashing. This was a picnic for the Indians who drove them around the circle over the grain. When they had succeeded in getting them into a lively whirl, they dashed in front of them and, yelling as only wild Indians can, caused the frightened leaders to snort "down brakes," a signal well understood by the band, when every horse, in an General John A. Sutter. 43 effort to halt, skated along with stiffened legs, turn ing the straw bottom side up. The bronchos were then made to circle as before. In this manner 2,000 bushels of grain were sometimes thrashed in an hour, leaving the straw broken almost into chaff. Next came the winnowing, which was more tedi ous. A fanning mill was never seen in California till after that time. It took a month to winnow an hour's thrashing. It could be done only when the wind was blowing; and then by tossing shovelfuls of the mix ture in the air, the wind blowing the chaff away, while the grain fell more vertically to the ground. Fortu nately, in the locality of New Helvetia, there is a re versible breeze that blows, in the summer, with much regularity. Captain Sutter also had a very good garden, including lettuce, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, peas and beans. The squaws irrigated the plants by dipping water from the bayou near the fort. 44 The Life and Times of FLOGGING ADAM. Sutter was informed, by some of his most reliable Indians, that Adam, an Indian of a neighboring tribe, had been stealing and driving off some of his horses. A squad of mounted men, all well armed, were sent after the offender, whom they captured at great risk and brought to the fort for trial. Sutter, who was ex-officio judge, jury and counsel, presided over the deliberations (chiefly his own) with as much dignity as the presiding officer displayed at the trial of Warren Hastings. The trial of Adam, if trial it were, was conducted in Spanish, it being the language commonly used in the settlement and throughout California at that time, and a competent interpreter was always in attendance at court proceedings. George McKinstry, who acted as clerk, swore the witnesses and examined them. The Indian, who conducted his own case, was per mitted to produce and examine witnesses in his own defense. But he had no witnesses to examine. The evidence against the prisoner was so clear and over whelming that Sutter would have been justified, under the criminal code of the province, had he given him a death sentence. But he seldom went to the extreme of his authority, believing it better to do otherwise. Un- General John A. Sutter. 45" derstanding the presence of formality to be sustaining to benevolence and virtue, he made the trial of Adam as formal as the environments would allow. The judge, jury and counsel (Sutter) sentenced the out law to thirty lashes of a lariat well laid on. There being no appeal from this court he was accordingly taken by the San Jose Mission Indians, lashed to a cannon and punished, as the sentence directed, by a stalwart Indian, who1 seemed to relish the recreation more than he who was receiving the castigation. The punished thief was then washed, fed and cared for until he was able to steal another horse and then dis missed. Before pronouncing sentence on Adam, Sutter made a lengthy, informal speech in which he admonished the culprit to refrain thereafter from taking property that did not belong to him, with a solemn and unmistakable promise that if he were again caught stealing horses he would have the benefit of summary justice. This well-timed speech was delivered for a twofold purpose : It was' a fitting lesson to the offending party and to the Indian spectators, of whom there were many. Some of these Indians, to whom probity was a stran ger, had been instructed by the holy fathers, at the missions, that it was wrong to steal, and that they would offend the Great Spirit if they did so, and ac cordingly be condemned for the offense in the court of shades and receive punishment in another world. 46 The Life and Times of The fathers, apprehensive that some of the long stand ing cases might not appear on the calendar for trial in the court referred to, delivered the punishment themselves, leaving the official sentence to be pro nounced in the hereafter. There can be but little doubt that the miscreant, who knew but little about the "shady court," would rather have submitted his case to its chances in that "shady" court than to him whose displeasure was a certainty and whose lashes were cer tain to be well laid on. INDIAN LABOR AND WAGES. The wages the Indian received from Sutter were nominal, which was, as a rule, all their services were worth. In exchange for their labor he gave them bar ter consisting mostly of coarse blanketing for clothes; and brown cotton cloth and bandanas. The blanket ing was made at the fort by squaws who learned to spin and weave at the Mission San Jose. The brown cotton cloth was valued at one dollar a yard and the bandanas were sold for twenty-five cents apiece. The Indians also purchased a great many beads. Sutter circulated among them also a tin currency on which was stamped the number of days they had worked, it being a sort of receipt or due bill. This coin was circular in shape and about as large as a "Bung- town copper." General John A. Sutter. 47 Indians in Sutter's employ fed on the offal of slaughtered animals and other corresponding delica- ;ies. The cereal part of their viands was prepared from bran that was separated from the flour made at the "Digger Mill." This bran was eaten, I suppose, to avert indigestion and was boiled in large kettles, then placed in immense wooden trenchers arranged within the court. The Indians being seated on the ground around them scooped the delicious repast from the trenchers with their hands. Unbolted flour, as late as 1847, even before the gold excitement advanced the price, was worth $8.00 per hundred pounds and wheat was $2.00. per bushel. Mills being scarce, the price of flour remained high. The Indians about New Helvetia were, as a rule, lazy and indolent, as they still are, with some excep tions, wherever met. They have about as much inter est in their employer as a drunken man has in a town pump. The reputation of an American Indian is so well established, proof of my position were pleonastic. He, like everything else, is useful somewhere. He fills a niche in the world and perhaps fills it well. The dingy novices will not, can not, fill the place of a well- paid and well-fed laborer who has been nurtured in fields of industry. And yet the evidences of thrift in the colony were traceable to Indian agencies. When much labor was to be performed, a force commensurate was detailed to perform it. The absence of skill ade- 48 The Life and Times of quate to construct and operate mechanical appliances, had to be supplied by an increase of native forces. Captain Sutter often had three hundred Indians in his employ and sometimes many more. An average Green-Mountain boy, with a thin aquiline nose and a sharp projecting chin, if well paid, will perform more labor in one day than a "Tarhead" will in five, and do it better; especially if the performance require any tact. THE CASTRO REBELLION. In 1842 the Mexican authorities sent California a new governor in the person of Manuel Micheltorena. with 5,000 troops to- subdue and disposses Sutter, who, it had been reported in Mexico, defied their authority. On learning this, Sutter dispatched a courier with a well-timed letter written in French and sparkling with courtesy, to meet the governor before he reached the Capital City. In this letter he conveyed greeting, promised cheerful obedience to the law and entire sub mission to his authority. This brilliant diplomacy secured the good will of the new governor, with whom the Americans also, through Sutter, found favor. In August, Micheltorena arrived at San Diego and assumed both civil and military command in Califor nia. Strong opposition to this appointee was early manifested by the Cahfornians under the leadership General John A. Sutter. 49 of General Jose Castro, and the disturbance growing out of the disaffection is, or at least should be, recog nized in this story as the "Castro Rebellion." Captain Sutter and Mr. Bidwell visited Micheltorena at Monterey, on which occasion the governor asked Sutter to aid him in putting down the rebellion, which he agreed to do. He made a bargain for his friends, however, before he set out on the campaign. He asked that every petition for land, on which he (Sutter), as justice, had favorably reported, should be no less binding than a formal grant. With this request the governor readily complied. This rebellion was so far successful as to oust Micheltorena, and establish Pio Pico in his place, and Castro was appointed general. The deposed ruler was the best governor California ever had up to that time. Sutter has been unjustly censured for the action he took in support of him. Those who maligned him must have been prompted by the absence of magnanimity or they lacked a knowledge of his environments. He was a Mexican citizen, having been naturalized by that government. He was also a civil and military officer. Had he joined the enemy he would have been treated as a rebel and his property would have been confiscable if the rebellion had been a failure. Assured that the reader will enjoy General Sutter's own account of this affair, I will quote a few para graphs from his journals. He says : 50 The Life and Times of "In the fall of 1844 I went to Monterey with Major Bidwell and a few armed men (canallada & servants), as it was customary to travel at these times, to pay a visit to Gen'l Micheltorena. I had been received with the greatest civil and military honors. One day he gave a great Dinner. After Dinner all the Troupes were parading, and in the evening a baloon was sent to the higher regions, etc., et;. "At the time it looked gloomy. -The people of the Country was arming and preparing to make a Revolu tion, and I got some sure and certain information of the British consul and other gentlemen of my acquaint ance, which I visited on my Monterey trip. They did not know that the General and myself were friends, and told and discovered me the whole plan, that in a short time the people of the Country will be ready to blockade the General and his troupes in Monterey, and then take him prisoner and send him and his sol diers back to Mexico, and make a Govr. of their own people, etc. "I was well aware what we could expect, should they succeed to do this, they would drive us foreigners all very soon out of the Country, how they have done it once, in the winter 1839. Capt. Vioget has already been engaged by Castro & Alvarado to be ready with his vessel to take the General and his soldiers to Mexico. "I had a confidential Conversation with Gen'l Mich- General John A. Sutter. 51 eltorena, who received me with great honors and Dis tinction in Monterey, after having him informed of all what is going on in the Country, he took his measures in a Counsel of war in which I had been present. I received my Orders to raise such a large auxiliary as I possibly could and to be ready at his Order. At the same time I received some cartridges and some small arms, which I had shipped on board the Alert, and took a passage myself for San Francisco (or then Yerba Buena). If I had travelled by land, ' Castro would have taken me prisoner in San Juan, where he was lieing in Ambush for me. In Yerba Buena I re mained only a few hours, as my Schooner was ready to receive me on board, having waited Ya. Ba. I vis ited the Officers of the Custom house and Castro's officers, which immediately after I left received an Order to arrest me, but I was under fair Way to Sacramento. "After my Arrival at the fort, I began to organize a force for the regular General, Drill of the Indian Infanterie took place. "The mounted Rifle company, about one hundred Men of all Nations, was raised, of which Capt. Gartt was the commander. As all was under fair way and well organized and joint with a Detachment of Califor nia Cavalry (which deserted from Vallejo), with music and flying Colors, on the nth January, 1845, to join the General and comply with his Orders. Major 3- The Life and Times of Reading was left with a small garrison of French men, Canadians and Indians as commander of the upper country. "Castro had his headquarters in the Mission of San Jose; he did not expect us so soon, as he was just commencing to fortify himself, he ran away with his garrison; was collecting a stronger force, and wanted to March, but as he saw that I was on a good que vive for him, he left for Monterey to unite with the forces that was blockading the General and his troops in Mon terey, and advanced or runed to the lower Country to call or force the people there to take arms against the government. On the Salinas, near Monterey, the General was encamped, and with our united force, about 600 Men (he left a garrison in Monterey), we pursued the enemy, and had to pursue him down to Los Angeles, the first encounter we had with the enemy was at Buena Ventura, where we attacked him and drove them out of their comfortable quarters. While at and near Santa Barbara, a great many of soldiers of my division deserted; over 50 men of the Mounted Rifles, the detachment of California Cavalry deserted and joined their Countrymen, the ribells, likewise a good number of the Mexican Dragoons. "Near San Fernando (Mission) the enemy occupied a fine position and appeared in full strength, joined by a company of American Traders coming from Sonora, and another company of the same consisting of trad- General John A. Sutter. 53 ers and trappers ; and the whole force of the enemy was over 1,000 Men, well provided with everything, and our force has been no more as about 350 or 375 men, and during the battle of Cavenga, near San Fernando, the balance of the Mounted Riflemen in the artillery deserted, and myself fell in the hands of the enemy, and was taken prisoner, and transported to Los An geles. "A few days after this the General, surrounded by the enemy, so that he could nothing more get to eat and capitulated; and after the necessary documents were signed by both parties, the General was allowed to march, with Music and flying colors, to San Pedro, where some vessels were ready to take him and troops aboard; and after having delivered their guns, etc., proceeded up to Monterey to take the remaining gar rison, the family of the General, and his private prop erty, likewise the family of some of the officers. This was the End of the, reign of General-Governor Manuel Micheltorena. "The new government, under Governor Pio Pico and General Castro, etc., had the intention to shoot me; they were of the opinion that I had joined General Micheltorena voluntarily, but so soon as I could get my baggage and my papers, I could prove and show by the orders of my general that I have obeyed his orders, and done my duty to the legal gov ernment. And so I was acquitted with all honors, 54 The Life and Times of and confirmed in my former offices as military com mander of the northern frontier, with the ex pressed wish that I might be so faithful to the new government as I had to General Micheltorena." Pio Pico, who had thus, through the agency of the Castro Rebellion in 1845, seized the reins of govern ment and overthrown Mexico's regularly appointed governor, Micheltorena, on September 3, of the same year, was himself appointed constitutional governor by the President ad interim of Mexico. The foregoing extract may direct the reader to the conclusion that the fame of our hero did not rest ex clusively on his ability as a linguist. It shows the ac tion of a great mind struggling with a language he could not master. His associations here aided him but little in acquiring a knowledge of good English. Having passed the thirtieth milestone on the thorough fare of life when he left Switzerland, his attention had ceased to be allured by the charms of foreign lan guages. General John A. Sutter. 55 THE FORT COMPLETED. Captain Sutter finished his fort in 1844, during which year emigrants from the United States came over the mountains in parties increasing in strength and frequency. Some of them came direct to Sutter's Fort and some went first to Oregon, thence to Cali fornia. Whoever visited California from any spot on earth, made the fort his objective point, its owner being renowned for his hospitality and pleasing ad dress. CARRIAGES. At the time of the gold discovery wagons were a convenience wholly unknown in California, carts being used for freighting and for pleasure riding and were made in the following manner : From a large white oak log wheels were made by cutting blocks about ten inches long and so shaped that the rim was six or eight inches thick and so tapering as to have the wheel at the center (the hub) ten inches or a foot. A hole four or five inches in diameter was bored and gouged to receive the axle to which the deltoid end of a huge pole was attached. The bottom of the box was made of raw bullock hides. These carts were very rD The Life and Times of useful and by being kept under shelter lasted very well. The granite mill-stones in Sutter's mill were hauled on one of them from the Sierra mountains. Strong soapsuds were used for lubricating. The groan ing- of one of those carts, when the spindles were dry, o could be heard a great distance. This being about the time the Millerites were at the zenith of their glory, the unique music of those carts might have been mis taken for the final trump. The first wagon ever seen in California was pre sented by a Boston merchant to Alvarado, the provin cial governor. It was built for a pleasure carriage and after the most approved model of the times. No har ness was sent with it. The presentee and his asso ciates, never having seen a span of horses hitched to a carriage, were thrown upon their inventive genius. The governor, being possessed of the carriage, was in clined to utilize it. Two mounted vaqueros, one on each side of the pole, each with a lariat, one end of which was made fast to the pommel of the saddle and the other end secured to- the pole, sought through their spirited steeds, to communicate the desired motion to the carriage, but with no< means of checking the speed to which it might attain, the braking being left to the genius of fate, the resistance of air and the power of gravitation. During this memorable drive, perhaps I should say ramble, up hill and down, here and there, dashing General John A. Sutter. 57 and fetching up like a patent snaffle, the carriage, as if to explore as much of the country as possible, inspected every rut and every other obstruction along the thoroughfare, even veering five or six feet, at times, to procure a set-to with a feldspar or granite boulder that reared its aged head by the wayside. Sometimes the governor was on his seat and sometimes on his head. His personal agility would have dissipated the osten tatious show of a professional acrobat. The dash board, which was of wood and of liberal proportions, looked like a Norman guideboard of centuries ago, standing by a frontier highway and directing crusad ers to the "Holy Land." The spirited equines, mistak ing its use and supposing it to be a cavalry target, entertained themselves, if not the governor, by taking random shots at it with their heels. The carriage, having been made in New England where Holmes made the famous "One Hoss Shay," endured the ramble remarkably well. Out of respect for the giver, the governor ordered it placed under cover, where its remains may be seen to this day. 58 The Life and Times of ECHOES OF CIVILIZATION. Unwieldy as those pioneer utilities were, New Hel vetia awoke to the echoes of civilization and enterprise blossomed like the rose. In monarch pride Chanticleer piped his five-noted clarion as he led his speckled harem from the tule- covered shed ; the mellow chimes of the bell floated on the vaporless air of morning; the Indian plow-boy divided his anathemas between the sullen bovine that lugged but indifferently at the distant relative of a plow, and the handles that beat a tattoo on his sensi tive ribs. The Indian, in his primeval state, could harbor malediction all right, but his language was barren of profanity until elegant expressions were grafted into it by Christianized races. EXECUTION OF RAPHERO. In the summer of 1845 a courier brought word to Sutter that Castro and some jealous Spaniards at San Jose had incited the Indians to attack the settlement at New Helvetia, burn the grain which was then ready for the harvester, and, if possible, take the life of Sutter. Some of the more selfish and nai row-minded General John A. Sutter. 59 Cahfornians of whom Castro was a reputed member, had looked upon him (Sutter) as a foreign invader RAPHERO. whose growing strength might some day enable him to defy their authority. 60 The Life and Times of Evidences of dissatisfaction had appeared on several occasions and the prevailing discontent had finall) ripened into hostility. Raphero, a well-known Mokel- umne chief, was in command of the mercenary In dians who were ordered to destroy life and property and who were marching three hundred strong upon the settlement. The celebrated chief in command was an anomaly. Few men as brave as he, are so treacherous and unworthy of confidence. Usually men of great courag-e have a warm, tender and kind place in their hearts. Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon and our own General Thomas were, at times, as tender as a flower. In bravery this chief ranked with King Philip and Te- cumseh. But they displayed an associated beauty of oratory, bravery and statesmanship that command the admiration of the world, while his only virtue was physical courage. Sutter had given Raphero, on a former occasion, a token of friendship and good will by presenting him with a fine horse and saddle. But the Spaniards in the interest of Castro, for ready pay or rich promises, undoubtedly the latter, these being their principal stock in trade, induced him to undertake a task they had not the courag-e to perform. Knowing the energy and cunning of the enemy, Sut ter resolved upon prompt action. A few brave men, .whites and Indians under command of Kit Carson, General John A. Sutter. 61 camped in a stronghold in the thick brush that skirted the bank of Mokelumne river. After a spirited en gagement in which the enemy lost severely, the whites, having exhausted their ammunition and being unable to dislodge the enemy, withdrew from the field, leav ing them free to skulk amid the ragged chaparral. Sutter said his men left the field very leisurely that the Indians might think his retreat was not a necessity. There was a Son of Erin in Carson's command and a fine, jolly fellow he was, too. His hat was quite high in the crown, through which a ball passed just above his head while in the engagement. After hav ing returned to the Fort he related the circumstances, declaring that, had his hat been low-crowned, the ball would have entered his brain. The chief who commanded the warriors in the cam paign against New Helvetia, it was alleged a few months later, had killed his brother-in-law. On this charge he was arrested, brought to the fort, and was tried for murder. Sutter had learned, through lessons clearly demonstrated, to look upon Raphero with dis trust and to regard him as a dangerous man. Now. since his flagrant violation of law, he (Sutter) re solved to give him a fair and impartial trial and to punish or acquit him according to the evidence. The trial was conducted in Spanish, an interpreter being- employed when necessary. Sutter had been duly ap pointed Alcalde (justice) in and for the northern dis- 62 The Life and Times of trict of California by the Mexican .government, which clothed him with authority in his district to arrest at will all criminals, to try and to condemn or acquit them, and to try and to determine all civil cases. Raphero, who spoke Spanish with some fluency, con ducted his own case. The situation would have been painfully embarrassing to almost any one but him. Far from his tribe, he must be tried for homicide before a judge whose grain he had sought to- destroy and against whose life he had conspired. He denied the allegation, arguing in support of his innocence that he held a lieutenant's commission under the Mexican gov ernment, and that by virtue of his commission he was clothed with authority to punish for stealing in his district, that the penalty fixed by law for stealing a horse was death, and that his brother-in-law was a horse thief. This position, was well taken and ably argued; but unfortunately the chief was unable to prove the slain man to have been a horse thief, and he was unable also to produce his commission; in fact it was doubtful whether he ever possessed one. He met his fate with the coolness and bravery that characterized his behavior all through life, walking to the place of execution with a haughty and dignified bearing. When the men who were detailed to perform the last act in this unpleasant affair, were ready to pro ceed, a mule appeared in range with their guns, causing a momentary delay. Noticing this, but not knowing General John A. Sutter. 63 the cause, the chief turned towards the gunners and exclaimed : "Why don't you shoot — are you afraid?" Thus closed the career of a chief and warrior whose influence for evil at home and disturbance abroad, and whose insidious artifice, daring and treachery, com bined in making him an object much to be dreaded, and whose freedom imperiled the life and property of every white settler within the plane of his orbit. His scalp was nailed over the main gateway of the Fort, where his long black hair became the sport of the breezes. FREMONT AT HAWK'S PEAK. £?RtN do so was a pleasure, and that alone prompted me in everything that I did. If in promoting my own pleasure, I have been so fortu nate as to secure the esteem of my fellow-citizens, I am doubly paid. "For the expression of your personal consideration, and the sword which you present as a token of that consideration, you will please accept my thanks, and you may rest assured that I shall ever cherish a lively remembrance of your kindness. With, dear sir, the as- General John A. Sutter. 223 surance of my personal esteem, I am most respectfully, your obedient servant, "J. A. Sutter." FIRST GRAND BALL IN SACRAMENTO. For a pleasing account of the first grand ball given in Sacramento, we are indebted to Dr. Morse, who, as his style is inimitable, I will quote vebatim. "About the 4th of July (1849), a grand ball was given at the City Hotel, which building was not yet completed. An immense and vigorous effort was made tc get up a ball on a magnificent scale. To do this it was essentially important that every Caucasian de scendant of Eve in this section of the State should be present. Accordingly a respectable number of gal lant young gentlemen were commissioned to explore the country, with specific instructions to visit every ranch, tent or wagon bed where there was any indica tion of feminine divinity and irrespective of age, cul tivation or grace, to bring one and all to this aristo cratic festal occasion. These orders were admirably attended to, and at the opening of the dance the hun gry, rather voracious optics of about 200 plain-look ing gentlemen were greeted with the absolute pres ence of some eighteen ladies, not amazons all, but re plete yvith all the adornments that belong to bold and 224 The Life and Times of enterprising pioneers of a new country. Such a sight in California, at that time, was almost a miraculous exhibition and filled men with s'uch an ebullition of sentiment as to make it impossible to> breathe without inhaling the dying cadences of the most devoted and tenderly expressed politeness. Tickets of admission to this ball were $35. The supper was most sumptuous ly prepared, and champagne circulated so freely that identity became jeopardized, and the very illumina tion of the room converted into a grand magnifying medium for the revels of fancy and delights." THE "HOUNDS" OF 1849. This society was the union of unhung scoundrels, self-licensed robbers, plunderers and thieves; not one of whom would have been admitted into the organiza tion of thieves famous in the entertainment of the Arabian Nights. Their operations were chiefly con fined to San Francisco and their place of business was called Tammany Hall. They claimed to be banded in the interest of self-protection. They finally dropped their original name "Hounds" and chose the more pleasing and euphonious title "Regulators." They be came so formidable as to encourage great boldness in the execution of schemes not planned in justice or equity nor sanctioned by men of honor or respectability. They pursued their outrages during witches' holiday General John A. Sutter. 225 (dead of night), entering shops, stores and business places generally and demanding and taking whatever they wanted. He who had the hardihood to oppose them was knocked down with a bludgeon, sandbag or such missile as the villain possessed. Many of these being convicts from various state prisons and having little to live for, and therefore little fear of death, they became assailants that respectable men had no desire to encounter. Especially did their outrages fall upon foreigners whose tents they entered, plundering, rav ishing and killing outright. The police force, such as it was, was illy organized. In the rush for gold and the general greed for gain, government received but little attention. In short, it was severely let alone. Each and every man resolved himself into a committee of one to attend to his own affairs and to look after and report to, himseir only. The lawless conduct of the Regulators reached its crisis on Sunday the 15th day of July, 1850. The fol lowing- clay a mass meeting was called, judges ap pointed, juries impaneled and some of the rioters were tried and sentenced to imprisonment. Some of the most desperate characters in San Francisco at this time were from Van Dieman's Land and New South Wales, to which countries they had been sent from the social cesspools of England and were an accumulation of filth, rascality and baseness. America, herself, was not barren of similar elements. The scoundrels from 226 The Life and Times of other countries managed to work their way here, some as stowaways and some before the mast. It is hardly necessary to conjecture by what means they all reached San Francisco. They got there, and (policemen not a few) early began, secretly, to aid in carrying on their diabolical work. Straw bail was at par. More than one hundred murders had been committed in the city and not one of the perpetrators had been brought to justice. Emboldened by their success they paraded the streets in military order, with arms as diversified as the scoundrels were that bore them. THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. In June, 1851, a vigilance committee was formed with the following constitution; "Whereas, it has be come apparent to the citizens of San Francisco, that there is no security for life and property, either under the regulations of society as it at present exists, or under the laws as administered; Therefore, the citi zens, whose names are hereunto attached, do unite themselves into an association for the maintenance of the peace and good order of society, and the preserva tion of the lives and property of the citizens of San Francisco; and do bind ourselves, each unto the others, to do and perforin every lawful act for the maintenance of law and order, and to sustain the laws, when faith- General John A. Sutter. 227 fully and properly administered ; but we are determined- that no thief, burglar, incendiary or assassin shall es cape punishment; either by quibbles of the laws, th'£ insecurity of prisons, the carelessness or corruptness of the police, or a laxity of those who pretend to ad minister justice. And to secure the objects of this association we do hereby agree, ist, that the name and style of the association shall be the Committee of Vig ilance, for the protection of the lives and property of the citizens and residents of the City of San Fran cisco." Other rules and regulations too long to be given here were made. This committee had about seven hundred and fifty members and Sam Brannan, the Mormon, was their president. On the evening of the 10th of June, John Jenkins, a man of notoriously bad character, was arrested, tried and hung by the com mittee. On the nth of July, James Stuart was ar rested, regularly tried and after making a startling confession of crimes, was hung. The following is quoted from the report of the grand jury impaneled in 185 1 for the special July term by the Court of Sessions : "When we recall the delays,. the insufficient, and, we believe that with truth it may be said, the corrupt administration of justice, the in capacity and indifference of those who are its sworn guardians and ministers, the frequent disregard of duty and impatience while attending to the performance of duty manifested by some of our judges, the many- 228 The Life and Times of notorious villains who have gone unpunished, lead us as stowaways and some before the mast. It is hardly governed by a feeling of opposition to the manner in which the law has been administered rather than a disregard to the law itself, ****** To the members of the Vigilance Committee we are in debted for much valuable information and many im portant witnesses." On the 24th day of the following August Samuel W nittaker and Robert McKenzie, after having a fair trial and having confessed their guilt, were hung side by side in public view, by the committee. When the city authorities offered $25,000 for the apprehension of an incendiary the committee offered double the amount. The outlaws, of whom some were police men and some judges, becoming satisfied that the Vigilantes had organized for a purpose and believing it would enhance their interests to observe a little better decorum, began to dispense with their midnight rob beries and a tone of security began to declare itself. The Vigilantes, deeming further demonstration un necessary, ceased to convene. In 1855 a new Vigilance Committee was formed similar in its purposes, but greatly sui passing in num bers that of which I have just given some account. The principal committee was located in the city of San Francisco, being organized for the avowed purpose of correcting the evils in society and for the security of General John A. Sutter. 229 life and property in that city. Other cities followed the example set by San Francisco and formed asso ciations for the protection of individual rights. Hang- town, Sacramento and Marysville each had an organ ization and a vigilance committee. While these several committees were formed especially to reform the abuses of the city in which the organizations yvere located, each committee regarded itself as auxiliary to the great force at San Francisco', to which place they were ready to repair when solicited to do so. San Francisco alone had eight thousand members. They put up such a formidable front, that the sheriff of San Francisco with all the aid he could command was unable to con trol them. Even the governor was not equal to the task. The Vigilantes of San Francisco comprised some of the ablest and most respectable men in the city — men of standing — men of property — men who had in terests to protect. No man could become a member of this committee who did not pass a satisfactory exami nation before a board duly created to examine candi dates. On the evening of November 17th, 1855, General William H. Richardson was assassinated in the streets of San Francisco by one Charles Cora, an Italian by birth but for some time a resident of California. From the reports in the Alta, for many years the leading and ablest edited paper of San Francisco, and other San Francisco papers and from public demonstration, Rich- 230 The Life and Times of ardson appears to have been a gentleman of parts and of many virtues. At all events a feeling of deep in dignation prevailed throughout the city. He was born in Washington, D. C, and was about 33 years old. Cora's reputation appears to have been less enviable. He was arrested and lodged in jail. In due time the case went to trial; with Alexander Campbell as judge, Col. Inge and Mr. Byrne counsel for the State and Gen. McDougal and Col. Baker* for the defense. The jury disagreeing, Cora was re-committed to jail on the 17th day of January. On the 14th day of May, 1856, James P. Casey, edi tor of the Sunday Times, shot and killed James King, editor of the Evening Bulletin. Casey was a graduate of a renowned institution for criminals located at Sing- Sing, New York. When arrested for killing King he refused to give up his arms and showed fight. On the approach of several officers he said he would go but they must not take his arms, he was not going to be hung. Fie was hurried to the station house followed by an excited populace. The heavy doors being quick ly locked behind him, the officers were able to repulse his pursuers. People continued to gather about the * Colonel E. D. Baker, the orator, jurist and statesman, was born in I.ondan, England, 24 Feb., 1811; killed at the battle of Ball's Bluff, 21 Oct., 1861. He came- to the United States at the age of five. He went to Springfield, 111., with his brother, where he studied and commenced the practice ol law. Having a genius for oratory he rapidly gained distinction and popularity. As a Whig he- was elected a member of the legislature in 1837. of the State Senate in 1840, and; representative in Congress in 1844 He raised a regiment in Illinois for the Mexican war. He was. perhaps, the greatest orator California had up to, or in his time. He has been censured by some for defending Cora. General John A. Sutter. 231 station, expressing their indignation by cries of "Hang him, Hang him ! Take him out ! He will get clear 1 the officers keep him." The excitement was contagious, spreading like an epidemic on yvings of air; it was caught by citizens of Marysville, Hangtown (Placerville), Folsom and Sacramento. The list of enrolled members in San Francisco increased rapidly. Many of the Vigilantes of the cities referred to went to San Francisco to wit ness the scenes and to aid in enforcing justice. The Sheriff of San Francisco, with all the force at his command was powerless in an attempt to> execute his functions. He, however, was treated with civility. Having applied to Mrs. Hutchins, who kept a lodging- house near the jail, for lodging for some of the offi cers and soldiers who were watching the jail, he was promptly informed by the lady that "None of her prem ises could be used for that purpose." Mayor Van Ness applied to the commander of a revenue cutter in the harbor to receive Casey on board for greater pro tection. This the commander refused to do, saying he wanted no man of his character thrust upon him. One hundred men, more or less, procured a cannon from each of the two steamers, Sea Bird and Goliath, lying at the Pacific wharf. These cannon were to be used if necessary in defending the jail. But the military failed to respond when called to aid the Sheriff in its defense. 232 The Life and Times of At a mass meeting held at Marysville the following resolutions were passed : "Resolved, That we recognized in James King, as editor of the Bulletin, the sincere and earnest friend of the poor ; the bold and fearless exposer of vice, crime and corruption; the independent and uncompromising- opponent of official villains and swindlers, and the best and most faithful exponent our State has af forded of that correct sentiment which everywhere prevails among the masses of the people. "Resolved, That the late attempted assassination of Mr. King, a useful, respectable and peaceful citizen of San Francisco, by James P. Casey, who is a grad uated convict of (Sing-Sing) the New York State Prison and a notorious ruffian and fraud, is an offense against the peace, the order, and the good of the State; so heinous an offense as to demand an ex pression of condemnation from every good citizen in the land. — Marysville Herald, by Smith. (Mr. King died on the 20th of May and Casey and Cora were hung on the 22cl.) . On the 1 8th of May twenty-six hundred armed men marched in military order in front of the jail, and placing the two cannon in position to command the door of the jail proceeded to load them with powder and ball. Mr. M. F. Truett rapped on the jail door and the Sheriff, David Scannel, came cut. Truett, on be half of the committee, asked him to handcuff Casev General John A. Sutter. 233 and deliver him at the door. After some parleying Mr. North handcuffed the prisoner and delivered him tc the committee, who conducted him to a coach in waiting and, at his request, Mr. North took a seat by his side. The committee requested the person of Charles Cora to be given into their hands. This the Sheriff refused to do. After the lapse of an hour, which was granted the Sheriff in which to consider the matter, Cora also was delivered to the committee, who conveyed the prisoners to their rooms where they were guarded by several hundred men. Consonant to' the request of Cora's spiritual adviser, Belle Cora, by appellation, appeared on the scene. This woman was Cora's paramour. The Holy Father refused to give Cora absolution except he marry the woman with whom he had cohabited. This done and the hemp he was about to stretch would land him in Paradise. Fearing it might leave a damaging stain upon her character to marry Cora, she at first refused. But believing the nuptial ceremony to be Cora's pass port into realms of felicity, she consented. It was not the purpose of this committee to hang a criminal except the penalty attached to his crime by the laws of the land was capital. They assumed the right, however, to imprison and to expel from the country any one who might be convicted of crimes less than murder. The first resolution passed by the com mittee after executing the two "Cs" is copied from a quotation by Smith : 234 The Life and Times of "Resolved, That we forbid the discussion of any po litical, sectional, sectarian or any partisan character whatever, in or about the rooms. "We allow persons of all nations and tongues of eood moral character to become members. These are the' fundamental principles of the body and will be ad hered to. "All creeds, religions and political opinions must be thrown aside. We enter the great battle of virtu: against vice, of right against wrong, of liberty against oppression; and we are determined at all hazards to crush out the monster vice of election frauds as the greatest cause of all our troubles." At the time Cora and Casey were hung, there were others held in confinement by the committee, among whom was Yankee Sullivan, the noted pugilist, who once defeated John Morrissey, who afterwards became congressman from New York. Sullivan suicided in jail by cutting the large artery in his arm with a case- knife which he had managed to conceal. The com mittee had never intended to hang him and so assured him, but had determined to deport him. He had made many startling and incriminating revelations in hi? confession with reference to his associates in crime, naming the persons who had bribed him in handling the ballot boxes and other frauds. This confession the papers printed in full ; and for this he was afraid they would kill him if he were turned loose. A fright- General John A. Sutter. 235 ful dream he had the night before may have influenced his actions. On June 22, 1856, Gov. J. Neely Johnson sent a communication to Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding him to call upon such members of the enrolled militia, or those subject to military duty, as he deemed necessary, also upon the volunteer independ ent companies of the military division under his com mand, to report, organize, and act with him in enforc ing the law. The Governor declared San Francisco to be in a state of insurrection, and ordered all the militia to report to General Sherman. This call for recruits was illy responded to, and they came in very slowly. A day or two after the Governor's proclamation, the evidence in the case of some of the notorious characters confined in the committee rooms having been heard, six were deported on the Hercules. 236 The Life and Times of ADDRESS OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA. June 9th, 1856. The Committee of Vigilance placed in the position they now occupy by the voice and countenance of the vast majority of their fellow-citizens, as executors of their will, desire to define the necessity which has forced their present organization. Great public emergencies demand prompt and vigor ous remedies. The people, long suffering under an organized des potism, which has invaded their liberties, squandered their property, usurped their offices of trust and emol ument, prevented the expression of their will through the ballot box, and have corrupted the channels of justice, have not arisen in virtue of their inherent right and power. All political, religious and sectional dif ferences and issues have given way to the paramount necessity of a thorough and fundamental reform and purification of the social and political body. The voice of the whole people have demanded union and organization, as the only way of making our laws effective, and regaining the right of free speach, free vote, and public safety. For years they have patiently waited and striven in a peaceful manner, and in ac- General John A. Sutter. 237 cordance with the forms of law, to reform the abuses which have made our city a by-word. Fraud and vio lence have foiled every effort; and the laws to. which the people looked for protection, were distorted and rendered effete in practice, so as to shield the vile ; they have been used as a powerful engine to fasten upon us tyranny and misrule. We looked to the ballot box as our safe-guard and sure remedy. But so effectually, and so long was its voice smothered, the votes deposited in it by freemen so entirely outnumbered by ballots thrust in by fraud at midnight, or multiplied by false counts of judges and inspectors of election, that many doubted whether the majority of the people were not utterly corrupt. Organized gangs of bad men, of all political parties, or who assumed any particular creed from mercenary and corrupt motives, have parceled out our offices among themselves, or sold them to the highest bidders ; have provided themselves with convenient tools to obey their nod, as clerks, inspectors, and judges of election ; have employed bullies and professional fight ers to destroy tally lists by force, and to prevent peace able citizens from ascertaining, in a lawful manner, the true number of votes polled at our elections; and have used cunningly contrived ballot boxes, with false sides and bottoms, so prepared that by means of a spring or slide, spurious tickets (placed there previous to the election) could be mingled with genuine votes! 238 The Life and Times of Of all this, we have the most irrefragable proofs. Fel ons from other lands and states, and unconvicted crim inals, equally as bad, have thus controlled public funds and property, and have often amassed sudden fortunes, without having done an honest day's work with head or hands. Thus the fair inheritance of our city has been embezzled and squandered; our streets and wharves are in ruins; and the miserable entailment of an enormous debt will bequeath sorrow and poverty to another generation. The jury box has been tampered with, and our jury trials have been made to shield the hundreds of mur derers, whose red hands have cemented this tyranny, and silenced with the bowie-knife and the pistol, not only the free voice of an indignant press, but the shud dering rebuke of the outraged citizen. To our shame, be it said, that the inhabitants of distant lands already know that corrupt men in office, as well as gamblers, shoulder strikers, and other vile tools of unscrupulous leaders, beat, maim, and shoot down with impunity, good, peaceable, and unoffending citizens. Such as those earnest reformers, who, at the known hazard of cheir lives, and with singleness of heart, have sought, in a lawful manner, to- thwart schemes of public plun der, or to awaken investigation. Embodied in the principles of republican govern ment are the truths that the majority should rule; and when corrupt officials, who have fraudulently seized General John A. Sutter. 239 the reins of authority, designedly thwart the execution of the laws of punishment upon the notoriously guilty, then the power they usurped reverts back to the people from whom it was wrested. Realizing these truths, and confident that they were carrying out the will of the vast majority of the citizens of this country, the Committee of Vigilance, under a solemn sense of responsibility that rested upon them, have calmly and dispassionately weighed the evidences before them, and decreed the death of some, who, by their crimes and villainies, had stained our fair land. With those that were banished, this comparatively moderate punishment was chosen, not because ignomin ious death was not deserved, but that the error, if any, might surely be on the side of mercy to the criminal. There are others scarcely less guilty, against whom the same punishment has been decreed, but they have been allowed further time to arrange for their final de parture, and with the hope that permission to depart voluntarily, might induce repentance and repentance amendment, they have been suffered to choose within limits their own time and method of going. Thus far, and throughout their arduous duties they have been and will be guided by the most conscientious convic tions of imperative duty, and they earnestly hope that in endeavoring to mete out merciful justice to the guilty their counsels may be so guided, by that power before whose tribunal we all shall stand, that in the 240 The Life and Times of vicissitudes of after life, amid the calm reflection of old age, and in clear view of dying conscience, there may be found nothing we would regret or wish to change. We have no friends to reward, no enemies to punish, no private ends to- accomplish. Our single, heartfelt aim is the public good; the purging from our community of those abandoned char acters whose actions have been evil continually, and have finally forced upon us the efforts we are now making. We have no favoritism as a body, nor shall there be evinced, in any of our acts, either partiality for, or prejudice against any race, sect or party. While thus far we have not discovered on the part of our con stituents any indication of lack of confidence, and have no reason to doubt that the great majority of the in habitants of the county indorse our acts, and desire us to continue the work of weeding out the irreclaimable characters from the community; we have, with deep regret, seen that some of the State authorities have felt it their duty to organize a force to resist us. It is not impossible for us to realize that not only those gentle men who, accepting offices to which they were hon estly elected, have sworn to support the laws of the State of California, find it difficult to reconcile their supposed duties with acquiescence in the acts of the Committee of Vigilance, when they reflect that more than three-fourths of the people of the entire State svmpathize with, and endorse our efforts; and as all General John A. Sutter. 241 law emanates from the people, so, also, when the laws thus enacted are not executed, the power returns to the people and is theirs whenever they may choose to make their present movement a complete revolution, recalling all the power they had delegated, and re-is suing it to new agents under new forms. Now, be cause the people have not seen fit to resume all the powers they have confided to executive or state officers, it certainly does not follow they cannot, in the exer cise of their inherent, sovereign power, withdraw from corrupt and unfaithful servants the authority they have used to thwart the ends of justice. Those officials whose mistaken sense of duty leads them to array themselves against the determined ac tion of the people, whose servants they have become, may be respected, while their errors may be regretted ; but none can envy the future reflections of that man who, whether in the heat of malignant passion or with the vain hope of preserving by violence a position ob tained through fraud and bribery, seeks, under the color of law, to enlist the outcasts of society, as a hire ling soldiery in the service of the State ; or urges crim inals, by hopes of plunder, to continue at the cost of civil war, the reign of ballot-box stuf fers and tamper- ers with the jury box. The Committee of Vigilance believe that the people have entrusted to them the duty of gathering evidence, and after due trial, expelling from the community 242 The Life and Times of those ruffians and assassins who have so long outraged the peace and good order of society; violated the ballot box, overridden law, and thwarted justice. Be yond the duties incident to this, we do not desire to interfere with the details of government. We have spared and shall spare no effort to avoid bloodshed or civil war; but undeterred by threats of opposing or ganization, shall continue, peaceably if we can, forci bly if we must, this .work of reform, to which we have pledged our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. Our labors have been arduous, our deliberations have been cautious, our determinations firm, our counsels prudent, our motives pure; and while regretting the imperious necessity which called us into action, we are anxious that this necessity should exist no longer; and when our labors shall have been accomplished, when the community shall be freed from the evils it has so long endured, when we have insured to our citizens an honest and vigorous protection of their rights; then the Committee of Vigilance will find great pleasure in resigning their power into the hands of the people, from whom it was received. Published by order of the "Committee, No. 33. Sec retary." General John A. Sutter. 243 THE NATIONAL GUARD. At a meeting of the National Guard on the 10th of June the following preamble and resolutions were -adopted: "Whereas, Recent events, well known to all, having placed this corps in a wrong position before the public, therefore, it is hereby "Resolved, That in consequence of our arms having been taken from us by the Adjutant-General of the State, this corps do now disband ; preferring this course to that of becoming the slaughterers of our fellow-citi zens. "Resolved, That this corps do now reorganize under the name of the Independent National Guard. Hold ing ourselves subject only to such rules and regulations, in sustaining the cardinal interests of the community, as our best judgment may dictate, we hereby repudiate all connection with the present State authorities." Wm. H. Jones, Secretary. On the same day Hampton North, City Marshal of the City of San Francisco, and the Common Council, handed to Mayor Van Ness the following communi cation : "Gentlemen — I beg herewith to tender to you and through you, to my constituents, my resignation of the 244 The Life and Times of office of City Marshal of the City of San Francisco to which I was duly elected on the 28th day of May, i855- "Hoping that this act may tend to restore harmony in the present distracted affairs of this community, "I remain respectfully, "Hampton North." On the 7th day of June, General Sherman resigned his commission of Major-General, and, it is said, gave as his reason for doing so, that in counseling modera tion with the Governor they could not agree on the course to be pursued. On the 22nd day of June, sev eral members of the Vigilance Committee, in arrest ing Rube Maloney for some misdemeanor, encountered D. S. Terry, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, who it appears was defending Maloney. Stirling A. Hopkins, one of the committee, was especially antag onized by Terry, who, it was shown, was seen to draw a knife and stab him (Hopkins) in the neck. It was stated also that Terry, before the stabbing, was seen to stagger as if from being struck with a revolver which it was sought to show had been in the hand of Hopkins. Excitement followed. Hopkins ran down the street and exclaimed, "I am shot." He was taken to a room where he received proper care. Judge Terry and Maloney fled to the Armory and some of the "law and order" men (a term of derision) rushed in to pro tect them. The building was soon surrounded bv Vig- General John A. Sutter. 245 ilant boys who sought to prevent the escape of Terry and Maloney. Members of the committee who were engaged, each in his respective business, at the first sound of the great alarm bell dropped their implements of toil and hurried to the council rooms. Draymen with half- loaded wagons stripped the harness from their horses, mounted them and took their position in the battalion. The business was so systematized that within fifteen minutes from the first sound of the alarm, five hun dred armed men whose heart and soul were in the work could be convened. The prisoners, Terry and Ma loney, were lodged in the committee rooms. On the evening of July 24, 1856, Joseph Hethering- ton shot and killed Dr. Randall. In 1853 he had killed Dr. Baldwin, but was acquitted by a jury and be fore a judge upon whom comment were redundant. He was arrested for killing Randall by city officials, but they turned him over to the Vigilantes. He and one Philander Brace, the murderer of Captain West in 1854, and who, it was believed, killed Marion two or three days afterward, were executed by the committee, on the 29th day of July. Hetherington was born in Cumberland County, England, but came to the United States when a boy and lived until 1850, a part of the time in New Orleans and a part in St. Louis. He was 35 years old and possessed a respectable fortune. Brace was about 21 years of age, good looking and 246 The Life and Times of well dressed. Few men possessed more vice and wick edness than he. While in his cell he was visited by sev eral clergymen, all of whom he treated with contempt ; cursing, swearing and using vulgar expressions and obscene language in their presence and even threaten ing to kick them out of his cell. He was born in Canan- daigua County, New York, and was a young man of fine abilities both native and acquired. Both of these prisoners displayed remarkable cool ness on the scaffold; assisting the officers in adjust ing the rope about their necks. They removed their neckties and unbuttoned their collars without help. The criminals shook hands with each other and ex changed a few words. Omitting some of Hether'ing- ton's remarks I will copy from Smith's account: "The Rev. Bishop Kipp has been with me all day — not all day, but nearly all." Brace here interrupted him, "Go on, go on with what you have to say." (The executioner checked Brace, who replied to him, "Away, you • •") Hetherington — "I am not any more penitent to day than I have been any day of my life." Brace — "Go- on, old hoss." Hetherington — "In a conversation which I had with Mr. O'Brien, two weeks ago, our conversation turned upon religion, and I assured him that there never was a day in my life " Brace — "Hurry up and not stop so long. D'ye think General John A. Sutter. 247 I want to stand here and be stared at by these igno ramuses? I wish to meet my doom immediately." Fletherington — "They tell me to stop." (Several voices, "Go on, go on, Hetherington.") Hetherington — "I have not disobeyed any of the rules of that house, (pointing to the committee rooms) . I should be very sorry to do it; if you will say go, I will go on." Brace — "Go on, and brave it out; don't talk about Dr. Kipp. They don't want to know anything about him." Hetherington — "About my conversation with Dr.. O'Brien, it turned upon religion " Brace (interrupting) — "Ah! oh, I'm drunk; so I'm all right." Hetherington — "I told the Doctor I was prepared to meet my God at any moment; and furthermore, that I never lived one day in my life that I yvas not pre pared to meet my God at night. Dr. P. O'Brien will make affidavit to that, I think, if called upon." Brace — "You have your vengeance, gentlemen, to your heart's content; I don't care a I want yon to understand that fully, clearly and distinctly, gents." Hetherington — "The gentlemen have given orders to go ahead. I will change my note; and will merely say, as orders have been given to stop, that in the first difficulty I had with Dr. Baldwin, I had to shoot him in defense of my own life." 248 The Life and Times of Brace — "I shall die murdered by the Vigilance Com mittee, July 29th, 1856. I wish that clearly and dis tinctly understood on the house-top, there." Hetherington — "I was acquitted of that, but still it hangs upon me. I must stop; but I will first add, that so far as killing Dr. Randall is concerned, I merely asked for a conversation with Mr. Calde when he turned around and drew his pistol. I had to kill him to save my own life. I have lived a gentleman all my life, and I will die a gentleman, though on the gallows. I defy any man in the whole world to prove that I have done one dishonorable act in my life. I have been abused by the public press of this city, where I have resided for five or six years, for some cause unknown tc me. I am in a few minutes to be launched into eternity. You may please yourselves, notwithstanding I have no bad feelings towards any person living. I forgive every man freely, as I expect my Redeemer to forgive me. Lord have mercy on my soul!" Brace — " it, dry up ! What's the use talking to them?" Hetherington — "I was going to make a remark that very few people " Brace— "Go it, old hoss !" Etc. Etc. General John A. Sutter. 249 CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF VIGILANCE OF SAN FRANCISCO. Whereas, It has become apparent to the citizens of San Francisco that there is no security for life and property, either under the regulations of society, as it at present exists, or under the laws as now administered, and that by the association together of bad charac ters, our ballot boxes have been stolen and others sub stituted, or stuffed with votes that were not polled, and thereby our elections nullified, our dearest rights vio lated, and no other method left by which the will of the people can be manifested; therefore, the citizens whose names are hereunto attached, do unite them selves into an association for maintenance of peace and good order of society — the preservation of our lives and property, and to insure that our ballot boxes shall hereafter express the actual and unforged will of the majority of our citizens; and we do bind ourselyes, each unto the other, by a solemn oath, to do and per form every just and lawful act for the maintenance of law and order, and to sustain the laws when faithfully and properly administered; but we are determined that no thief, burglar, incendiary, assassin, ballot-box stuffer, or other disturbers of the peace, shall escape punishment, either by the quibbles of the law, the in- 250 The Life and Times of security of prisons, the carelessness or corruption of police, or a laxity of those who pretend to administer justice; and to secure the objects of this association, we do hereby agree : ist. That the name and style of this association shall be the Committee of Vigilance, for the protec tion of the ballot box, the lives, liberty and property of the citizens and residents of the City of San Fran cisco. 2d. That there shall be rooms for the deliberations of the Committee, at which there shall be some one or more members of the Committee, appointed for that purpose, in constant attendance at all hours of the day and night, to receive the report of any member of the association, or of any other person or persons, of any act of violence done to the person or property of any citizen of San Francisco; and if, in the judg ment of the member or members of the Committee, either in aiding in the execution of the laws, or the prompt and summary punishment of the offender, the Committee shall be at once assembled for the purpose of taking such action as the majority of them, when assembled, shall determine upon. 3d. That it shall be the duty of any member or mem bers of the Committee on duty at the committee rooms, whenever a general assemblage of the Committee be deemed necessary, to cause a call to be made, in such a manner as shall be found advisable. General John A. Sutter. 251 4th. That whereas, an Executive Committee has been chosen by the General Committee, it shall be the duty of said Executive Committee to deliberate and act upon all important questions, and decide upon the measures necessary to carry out the objects for which the association was formed. 5th. That whereas, this Committee has been organ ized into subdivisions, the Executive Committee shall have the power tO' call, when they shall so determine, upon a board of delegates, to consist of three repre sentatives from each division, to confer with them upon matters of vital importance. 6th. That all matters of detail and government shall be embraced in a code of by-laws. 7th. That the action of this body shall be entirely and vigorously free from all consideration of, or par ticipation in the merits or demerits, or opinions or acts, of any and all sects, political parties, or sectional divi sion in the community; and every class of orderly citi zens, of whatever sect, party, or nativity, may become members of this body. No discussion of political, sec tional, or sectarian subjects shall be allowed in the rooms of the association. 9th, That whenever the General Committee have assembled for deliberation, the decision of the major ity, upon any question that may be submitted to them by the Executive Committee, shall be binding upon the whole; provided nevertheless, that when the delegates 252 The Life and Times of are deliberating upon the punishment to be awarded to any criminal, no vote inflicting the death penalty shall be binding, unless passed by two-thirds of those pres ent and entitled to vote. 10th. That all good citizens shall be eligible for ad mission to this body, under such regulations as may be prescribed by a committee on qualifications, and if any unworthy persons gain admission, they shall on due proof be expelled; and believing ourselves to be executors of the will of the majority of our citizens, we do pledge our sacred honor, to this committee, at the hazard of our lives and our fortunes. FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION. Things can be great or small only by comparison. Hence I may be pardoned if I wander over some of the ages that have gone to sleep, in my search for methods of transportation to contrast with that which was in troduced into this country by the discovery of gold in California in 1848. The association of the "days of old" with the "days of gold" may lend a finer tint to the picture. Three thousand years ago the merchants of Persia and Palmyra loaded their camels, the "ships of the des ert," with the choicest articles of commerce, and jour neyed to the famous marts of the world. The Arabs. General John A. Sutter. 253 too, participated in these commercial ventures. The frequency of Thracian robbers made those journeys exciting and perilous. The traders traveled in large caravans for mutual protection against outlaws. Trans portation in a period less remote reached an era when the city of Nijni Novgorod, on the Volga River, was at the zenith of its splendor. Hundreds of years before man appropriated the power of steam to his own use. merchants journeyed to this famous "City of Fairs" to barter in articles of merchandise. One hundred and thirty thousand people met there annually to partici pate in the business there done. Some went "for the purpose of bartering- their wares ; some for the purpose of making cash sales, and some chiefly for pleasure. Many others, who had nothing to sell, nothing to bar ter, attended them for the purpose of acquainting themselves with the traffic of different countries, and to lay in a year's supply of dry goods and groceries. Ideas, as well as commodities, were there exchanged and lessons were there learned. Much of the goods taken to and from Nijni Nov gorod was carried, in carts and on beasts of burden, distances varying from a few miles to a thousand. Com modities borne the greater distances were the finer and more expensive. The finest rugs in the world were brought to this market. Only families of af fluence could afford the luxury of using them. Queen Zenobia carried the purple silks of Palmyra to this 254 The Life and Times of famous mart. The cutlery of Damascus and Toledo was among the articles that glittered in the Nijni Novgorod expositions. Diamonds and pearls that had been collected by the dealers of Persia and Arabia, gave a peculiar charm to this enterprise. The Persian attar of roses perfumed the city. When the traffic was at high tide this city contained four hundred thousand souls. Much of the freight that was taken there was carried a part of the way on the barques that furrowed the lower Volga. The fairs at Nijni Novgorod opened the first of August and closed about the last of September. Now let us, by way of contrast, leave the "City of Fairs" and the bustle of caravans traveling to andi from Nijni Novgorod and other commercial centers and turn to some of the commercial relations and trans portation enterprises of America. The freighting from Independence, on the Missouri River, to the city of Chihuahua in Mexico, was carried on on a great scale. Huge wagons, laden at the former place, moved slowly but grandly over the vast expanse lying between the; "Big Muddy" and the city in Mexico. These cara-. vans sometimes loaded at St. Louis; their route lay- along what was known as the Santa Fe Trail. This-, journey of a thousand miles or more was no small' undertaking; there were streams to ford, mountains to, scale and savages to encounter. Then, too, the sands were so deep and yielding, in places, as to bar advance. General John A. Sutter. 255 ment until they were covered with brush, poles or hay to prevent the sinking of the wheels. These mate rials, being seldom at hand, had to be brought from a distance at much inconvenience and expense. In climb ing some of the hills, the animals usually attached to a wagon had to- be reinforced. Many unfavorable and unexpected conditions little appreciated by people who are inexperienced in freighting under difficulties, camps had to be sought where good water was plen tiful and feed abundant, scouts had to be employed and kept constantly on the alert, blacksmiths were in .attendance to shoe the animals and to mend the broken chains, and other necessary mechanics were employed to repair the places about the wagons that no longer ¦offered sufficient resistance. When this freighting was at its meridian the busi ness might have been summed up thus : An average train consisted of twenty wagons, and from six to twelve oxen or mules to haul each wagon. In addition to the teams on duty, there were often from twenty to fifty animals in attendance for relay service. Wagon- masters, teamsters, scouts and herders were always concomitants. This brings us to the caravan transportation from the Missouri River across the plains to California. This great enterprise was awakened and promoted by the discovery of gold in California in 1848. The "days of old and the days of gold" were at once associated 256 The Life and Times of in the various enterprises of transportation. All the energies man has ever put forth in caravan freighting have been displays of great enterprise and heroism. The transportation of every country in every age was of great importance in its time and still interests us through the element of adventure that belongs to it. OVERLAND FREIGHT TEAM. From the viewpoint of greatness the caravan trans portation across the American continent knows no equal in the history of the world. Compared with it the transportation undertakings, of which Nijni Nov gorod was the center, appear Liliputian. The great investment in transportation facilities from Indepen- General John A. Sutter. 257 dence to Chihuahua fades into insignificance. In deed, all enterprises of this class that belonged to pre ceding ages, lose prestige in comparison with the period now under consideration. True, the silks of Palmyra, the cutlery of Damascus, the rugs of Persia, or the diamonds and pearls of the world's marts had no part in the commerce of the plains. Yet this enterprise was far more important, for it was a traffic in goods most vital in supplying the common necessities of man. The average cost of the huge "Conestoga," "Pitts burg," or Pennsylvania wagons used in this freighting was about $1150. First-class mules .(for no other would do) averaged $750 a pair. Five thousand dol lars for a wagon and ten-mule team, therefore, is a fair estimate. Add to this the amount of expense of the wagonmasters, drivers and herders and the splendid wages paid to the blacksmiths and carpenters, and the expenses of a twenty-wagon train amount to a respectable fortune. When this freighting was at the height of its glory, five hundred heavily laden wagons, drawn by three thousand oxen, passed Fort Kearney, Nebraska, every day of the freighting season. These moving caravans extended, in close proximity to- one another, along the highway a distance of forty miles. The average distance covered was twenty miles per day. Not until the marvelous enterprise and intelligence of the present day are far in decline will the story of 258 The Life and Times of caravan transportation across the American continent be forgotten. The greatness of the enterprise and the energy, daring and perseverance of the men who par ticipated in it are a credit to any nation in any age. Every man was an intellectual giant in his sphere, every man was a hero. They were men of ready re sources, decision and prompt action. Many of the very men who had charge of those gigantic trains, were fit to command in battle or to govern a state ; they were Americans. THE CAMEL TRAIN. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War in the cabinet under President Pierce, recommended as a war meas ure the construction of a road across the deserts to San Diego. He urged, also, that camels be used in trans porting supplies needed in building it. This, he ar gued, would aid in military reconnoissances while better facilities were maturing. One hundred of these animals were accordingly imported into this country and a competent Turk was employed to manage them. The animals were turned over to Lieut. Edward F. Beale, or at least as many of them as he needed in building the road, which enterprise had been intrusted to him. The trial trip was made with twenty camels and three dromedaries. This camel train, so novel to General John A. Sutter. 259 this country, was found to be very useful. The beasts were courteous enough to kneel to be loaded and un loaded,, while the mule is too mulish to> be so accommo dating. The mule, moreover, carries but half the bur den, is but little more than half as speedy, and requires as much forage and more water. The camels not in immediate use were taken to Tejon, east of the moun tains, where they were retained for relay and breeding purposes, there being two males in the herd. This caravan passed near Socorro, Albuquerque, Yuma, Mohave and San Bernardino, exciting great curiosity and scaring horses, mules and children. News of its coming preceded it in every hamlet along the journey. In every place of moment the natives gathered in large numbers, some coming from great distances to see the wonderful animals and to witness the oriental pageantry. To increase a sensation already bordering on the extreme, Higallu, the Turk ish driver, dressed one of the largest dromedaries in its native attire, attaching a large number of small bells in strings from the top of his saddle to its fore legs and around its neck. One of these camels went ten days without drinking, others eight days and some five days, refusing water in the interim. These animals carried seven hundred pounds with apparent ease and freedom of motion. Only two of them were taken as far as Los Angeles, where they ar rived at three P. M., November 10, 1857, having 260 The Life and Times of left San Bernardino, sixty-five miles away, at seven A. M. the same day. The enterprise, however, was not a success. Freight teams, especially mule teams, were so scared by them as to be unmanageable, so that transportation by means of camel caravans was soon discontinued. The ani mals were given the freedom of the plains, where some of them were seen thirty years afterwards. Some of the proprietors of menageries, I am told, procured some of -their desert ships from this band. THE FIDELITY OF A HORSE. Kind reader, let us take a brief respite from the monotonous trend of historical researches and regale on the pleasing relish of anecdote. Having ever ad mired the horse for his beauty of form, his glossy coat and full, expressive eyes without alluding to his grand and noble bearing, the praise bestowed upon him is ever grateful to me. In the pioneer days of Arizona and New Mexico, when but few Caucasians were there and those were of Stirling "stuff," a few mail routes were established, chiefly for the convenience of government officials that were stationed at various posts along the "wild and woolly" frontier. The mail was carried on horse back. The Indians, especially the Apaches, being General John A. Sutter. 261 numerous, hostile and treacherous, the rider took his life in his own hands. On one occasion when going from Prescott to Fort Wingate he was attacked by the Apaches when within four or five miles of the latter place. Being severely wounded the rider fell from his horse. Two Bits, (this being the name of the •TWO BITS.' horse,) who was also wounded in several places, halt ing, waited a moment, in a shower of bullets, for his brave rider to rally and mount, which he failed to do. The noble animal after smelling at his master's head galloped away to Fort Wingate, where the boys, see- 262 The Life and Times, of ing him bloody and riderless, tried in their anxiety to catch him. Two Bits would not be caught. Looking first, with his dark, soft eyes, on those who were try ing to catch him, he then pointed with his nose up the road to Prescott. The poor animal's signs were his only language. With the least possible delay a dozen well-armed and well-mounted men galloped on the road toward Prescott, Two Bits leading the way. The Apaches made good their escape. Two Bits guid ed the rescuing party to the scene in time to save his fallen rider, by whose side he fell and immediately expired. A rude monument of huge boulders was erected on the spot to keep green in the memory of travelers the fidelity of Two Bits. This story is well authenticated. OVERLAND MAIL. For seven or eight years after the discovery of gold, the mail was received in California not oftener than once in two weeks and then by steamer by the way of Panama, heavy gales sometimes deterring it for sev eral days. Looking toward the removal of this in convenience the availability of an overland mail began to be considered by men of enterprise. The first mail route extending any considerable distance over the country west of the Missouri River, was estab lished in the interest of the Mormons after their colony General John' A. Sutter. 263 at Salt Lake had reached a flourishing and prosper ous condition. This route was called "The Great Salt Lake Mail," embracing a distance of 1200 miles, most of which was the undisputed dominion of the buffalo, the antelope and the savage. The next step taken to bring the interior in touch with the Pacific colonies was by establishing a mail route, early in the '50's, between Sacramento and Salt Lake City. At a time a little less remote, three men were seen attired in buck skin suits packing the mail on mules from Independ ence to Salt Lake City. Each man was provided with two mules, one for his own convenience and one for the mail. They were between four and five weeks making the trip. In 1857-58 a mail route was so established as to accommodate Forts Kearney, Laramie and Bridger, covering a distance of 1200 miles. The mail was hauled by mule teams over the entire distance with but three relay stations. This mail, too, like most of the early mails, was characterized by grave and numerous irregularities, and yet irregular as it was the convenience it brought was of great moment. Following this was the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, which ought to receive more notice than can be afforded in this volume. The company entered into a contract with the United States Government to carry the mail from St. Louis to San Francisco, the contract being signed on the 15th day of September, 1857- HOI.D-UP OF THE OVERLAND MAIL. General John A. Sutter. 265 This enterprise was gigantic in its inception, colos sal in its development. Vast expenditures only could promise success. The route did not lie in a direct line across the Plains, but veering far to the south marked out an area somewhat crescent in shape. At Van Buren, on the Arkansas River opposite Fort Smith, .500 miles from St. Louis, this and the Memphis mail met and proceeded along one common route to San Francisco, passing through the Choctaw Nation's re serve in the Indian Territory, crossing the Red River at Colvert's Ferry; "thence across the prairies of northern Texas via Sherman, thence to Fort Chad- born on the Little Colorado in Texas." After leaving Sherman not a settlement was met for a distance of 490 miles. On the 23rd of September the stage reached "Fort Belknap," in Texas, 820 miles out from St. Louis. Thence the route took in the Staked Plains, Pecos River, and Guadalupe Pass, thence to the Rio Grande River. The route led across Doubtful Pass, Tucson, Parima Indians' village on the Gila River, thence to Maricopa Wells, thence across the forty- mile desert, crossing the Colorado at "Arizona City" (a few mud huts), passing Los Angeles and Mojave desert and on to San Francisco, covering a distance of two thousand seven hundred and thirty miles. The schedule time was twenty-five days, three clays ahead of the ocean steamer. Just one year after the signing of the contract, a mail coach left St. Louis and 266 The Life and Times of the Golden Gate simultaneously. Both coaches reached the objective point ahead of schedule time. Great demonstrations were made at each terminus of the line. In St. Louis guns were fired, flags were raised, and bunting was displayed. The principal business streets were thronged with people eager to manifest their satisfaction and pleasure. In San Francisco the crowd was not less wide awake and active; there were bon fires and illuminations in various business centers in California. For carrying this semiweekly mail the Government paid six hundred thousand dollars per annum. This Mail Company had one hundred Concord coaches which were among the very best that ever adorned a public thoroughfare or bore a burden of human be ings. The company was also provided with one thousand horses,' five hundred mules and seven hundred and fifty men, of whom more than one hundred and fifty were employed as drivers. The stage fare from St. Louis to San Francisco was one hundred dollars in gold. Four years after the Butterfield overland mail con tract was entered into, a daily overland mail from At chison to Hangtown, California, was established. These coaches, like those on the Butterfield route, were models of strength, convenience and beauty ; the horses were fine American stock, the best that could be found, and the mules were carefully selected. Skilled and General John A. Sutter. 267 faithful drivers whose mettle had been tested and who were known tO' be eighteen carat, were employed. The meals along this line were from fifty cents to two dollars each. To make the schedule time the drivers must perform the unprecedented task of covering one hundred miles every day, which performance stands out as preeminent skill, hardihood and "pluck" when it is realized that there were mountains to conquer, streams to cross, and savages to be met. This was called the central route. As on the Butterfield route, two coaches left simultaneously on the trial trip — one from St. Joseph, on the Missouri River, and one from the Sunset Sea. The time fixed upon for starting was July 1, 1 86 1. Great were the demonstrations at each point. THE PONY EXPRESS. The "Pony Express" was organized early in i860 for the purpose of carrying letters across the country from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in eight days. About sunset on the third day of April, i860, Johnnie Frey, a light, nervy rider, mounted on a black charger, left St. Joseph on the trial trip, gazed upon by the largest crowd of spectators that had ever assembled on the banks of the "Big Muddy." Not so much interest was shown in Macedonia when Alexander the Great vaulted into the saddle of the 268 The Life and Times tf spirited Bucephalus. At the moment tins rider left St. Joseph for the West, Harry Roff, another rider, left an excited crowd at Sacramento and flew like the wind toward the Rising Sun. Frey's horse was jet black, and Roff's was milk white. The day on which the trial trip was to commence having been announced, the people of St, Joseph and the surrounding country made arrangements to wit ness the spectacle. Interest in the enterprise awoke and rapidly increased as the appointed day drew near, when it ripened into enthusiasm. On April third St. Joseph and Sacramento, the terminal cities, were suit ably decorated. Flags waved to the breeze, bunting hung out along the business streets, and the children of toil were ablaze with excitement and pleasure. Men, women and children came from the rural dis tricts to- enjoy the gala clay. Many who were present on that memorable day are yet among the living. A few minutes before the time to start a brass band put in an appearance at the levee, in St. Joseph, where the ferry was in waiting to carry the rider across the stream. Elegantly dressed women, of graceful man ners, were seen crossing the streets here and there and promenading the sidewalks. Boys were munching ¦candy and amusing themselves with firecrackers, and the girls were chewing gum. Everybody was happy. Some men, I am told, were intoxicated, — with delight undoubtedly. The time was now up. The loud-voiced General John A. Sutter. 269 cannon made the announcement. The band played "Hail to the Chief," as the jet black horse, bearing his lithe rider stepped . onto the ferry. Handkerchiefs waved and shouts of "Hurrah for Johnnie Frey" re verberated on the evening air, as horse and rider flew like the wind toward the Sunset Sea. THE PONY EXPRESS. W. H. Russell, of Leavenworth, Kansas, was the promoter of this pony express and furnished most of the means with which to place the enterprise on a working basis. Instead of using ponies, as would be indicated by the name of the organization, the animals were well-bred American horses of remarkable speed. 270 The Life and Times of strength and endurance. Some of them, however, were bronchos, and the best of that kind obtainable. There were at this time only four military posts be tween St. Joseph and the Pacific Ocean. Two hun dred miles must be covered every twenty-four hours by the riders, forty of whom were going east, while as many more were going west. The weight of their letters was limited to fifteen pounds and five dollars was the price of carrying each half ounce. The post office department soon, how ever, reduced the price to one dollar per half ounce. Two minutes were allowed to change horses, but not more than fifteen or twenty seconds were occupied. Many of the letters were written on tissue paper. The first "Pony" west carried only eight letters. Jack Keetley rode at one time three hundred and forty miles without rest or sleep, covering the entire distance in thirty-one hours. He fell asleep at Ash Point and slept in the saddle all the way to Seneca, a distance of five miles. Melville Baugn rode a pony from Fort Kearney to Thirty-two-Mile Creek, where it was stolen and taken to Loup Fork. The rider having struck the thief's trail, recovered his pony and took him back to Fort Kearney where the letter pouch was in waiting. A few years afterwards he was hung for murder, somewhere in Kansas. Jim Moore, another rider, made two hundred and eighty miles in fourteen hours and forty-six minutes. General John A. Sutter. 271 From a very able work by Messrs. Root and Connel- ley I quote the following story about William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill : "He has probably seen as many wild Indians as any one; and he has undoubtedly made more 'good Indians' than any other living man. He covered at one time one of the longest 'runs' ever made on the 'Pony Route' between the 'Big Muddy' and the great ocean. After riding his seventy-five miles and about to hand over bis mail pouch to the next rider, he found the latter dead, having been killed in a fight; so Cody volunteered to continue the 'run' eighty-five miles in addition to the seventy-five miles he had already ridden. The entire distance — remark able as it may appear — was accomplished inside of schedule time. He then turned back and made the distance in to Red Buttes in due time, a continuous ride of over three hundred and twenty miles without rest, at an average gait of fifteen miles an hour." William James, a lad of seventeen, rode California mustangs. His station embraced sixty miles, and he made the round trip, one hundred and twenty miles, in twelve hours. Another rider, Charles Cliff, a few years later, in a fight with the Indians, received three balls in his body and twenty-seven in his clothes. He was employed at the time by a freighter who had nine wagons in his train and was besieged by one hundred Sioux warriors. 272 The Life and Times of The pay of the riders was fifty dollars and up per month, and board. Some who rode through perilous and risky regions received one hundred and fifty dollars. They all rode day and night and through all kinds of weather. The average weight of the rid ers, of whom there were not less than one hundred, was one hundred and thirty-five pounds. There were about five hundred saddle horses, some of which cost two hundred dollars a head. One hundred and ninety stations were kept up and as many men employed to tend them. Over this two thousand mile trail the ponies were distributed from nine to fifteen miles apart, the distance being regulated by the nature and condition of the road. The combined weight of sad dle, bridle and empty leathern pouches was thirteen pounds. The transit of some of the heavy letters cost more than twenty-five dollars. In all this wild work but one pouch was ever lost, and fortunately that con tained but little mail and that of comparatively little importance. The letters were wrapped in oiled silk. Some of the Indians between Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevada mountains went on the warpath, driv ing away stock and burning stations; the Piutes and Shoshones taking an active part. Several station keepers were killed in these forays. Volunteers soon settled the outbreak. Stations were rebuilt and after some delay the business went bravely on ; but not until a vast sum of money had been expended. General. John A. Sutter. 273 President Lincoln's first inaugural address was car ried from St. Joseph to Sacramento in seven days and seventeen hours. Antelope, deer and buffalo gazed upon the rider as he flew like the wind across the plains. The monotony of the long, dreary trail was unbroken for hundreds of miles save by the primitive stations which had been constructed in the interests of the Pony Express. Hitherto communication across the plains had been slow, — too slow to satisfy the needs of the people who' were widely separated from friends and from business points. The Pony Express, inspir ing- new hopes, was hailed with acclaim. From a financial point of view it was not a success, so that this business enterprise ran its course within eighteen months. BEN HOLLIDAY. Benjamin Holliday was born in the State of Ken tucky, near the Blue • Licks, so often mentioned in the biography of Daniel Boone. He was a very re markable man and an excellent one in a new country. Most of his life was spent in Missouri and on the plains, where he was engaged in either merchandising or teaming. Mr. Holliday was the Napoleon of stage enterprises, for which work he was preeminently fitted, being fearless, energetic and intellectual. He amassed a large fortune while spending money freely if not 274 The Life and. Times of wildly. Through love of adventure and with mar velous business tact, he put himself at the head of the greatest stage lines in the world. Besides operating a network of stage lines, he was the sole owner of fif teen ocean steamers. It may be truly said that Mr. Holliday made his fortune fairly. The time for trusts, for graft, for enslaving the poor, for legal theft and for robbing childhood of its youth, was yet to come. On one occasion when Mr. Holliday was on the Pacific Coast he received notice that his presence was highly important in New York City. Notifying his agents to have things ready along the line he set out on his Concord stage, covering two thousand miles in twelve days and two hours. His great wealth rapidly faded as the Union Pacific extended its rails toward the sea. , In the beginning of the winter of 1856 he sold his interest in the over land stage business to Wells, Fargo and Company and retired from that locality. Mr. Holliday' s history in its entirety is little less than a romance. He had thrilling adventures in his encounters with savages, and at other times when riding in his own stage was commanded to throw up his hands. He died in Port land, Oregon, 1877. General John A. Sutter. 275 FREIGHTING IN CALIFORNIA. Freighting to California during the great carnival of gold was not confined to the caravan enterprise. The canvases of freighters dotted the seas; barks from the South American states beat their way up to the Golden Gate and up the Sacramento River. Merchant men from New York, Boston, and Liverpool doubled Cape Florn with San Francisco or Sacramento as their objective point. Picks, shovels and other mining ap pliances were embraced in their traffic. The growing demand for farming implements had to be met. Houses were framed in Boston and raised in San Fran cisco or Sacramento. On the first day of September, 1849, only one Year and six months after the dis covery of gold, the following vessels were lying at the Sacramento wharf : barks, Praxitales, Joven, Harriet Newell, Whiton, Eliza Elvira, William Jay, Isabel and Croton; brigs, John Ender, Salito, Jackim, Viola, Sterling, North Star, Charlotte, Emily, Bourne, Al- mina, Cordelia and George Emery; schooners, Odd Fellow, Lola, Gazelle, General Lane, Pomona, An them and Catherine. When Marshall, in 1848, picked the first gold nug get from the tail-race at Sutter's Mill, northern Cali fornia was almost an unbroken solitude. There were 276 The Life and Times of few settlements within its boundaries and they were widely scattered. A man could ride all day on horse back over a country of unsurpassed beauty and not see a civilized man or dwelling. The population was chiefly in or near the Spanish missions and pre sidios. Before the memorable year of '49 yvas past, the territory was ready to take its place as a sister state in the federal union. Hamlets clotted the great valleys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers ; grain fields, waving in golden splendor, acknowledged the genius of husbandry. Freighting- in California had grown to colossal proportions, and as Sacramento was the great commercial center, it was usually one of the terminal points. In December of '49, teamsters com manded fifty dollars per ton for hauling freight from Sacramento to Mormon Island, a distance of less than thirty miles. Soon after the discovery of the Comstock lode in Nevada, and before the transcontinental railroad was intersected by the railroad built through Carson Val ley, the freighting from Sacramento to the foothills and over the Sierras to Virginia City was immense. Five hundred heavy-laden wagons left the former place daily. These wagons and trains yvere similar to those that freighted across the plains, which have been de scribed on former pages. I will, however, note one or two differences. The freight teams in California usually drew two wagons in a train, wagon number General John A. Sutter. two being attached to the rear of wagon number one, and denominated the "back-action." The lead ers carried a collection of bells, tastily arranged in chimes. These bells were secured to an arch whose ends were attached to the names of the harness. These "merry chimes" were used less for adornment than for utility. The jingling being heard quite a distance tended to avert any difficulties that might arise A MINING TOWN. through the unexpected meeting of a team where passing would be difficult. A pack animal was called a "miner's brig" and was very useful in those pioneer days. One man told me that when he was mining in the foothills in the Sier ras in '49, he hired a "miner's brig" and went to Sac ramento for "grub." He said he had never stowed a cargo on a miner's brig, and so to make his venture a success, he gave an expert a dollar and seventy-five 278 The Life and Times of cents to superintend the loading. Not being able to reach home the first day out he was forced to camp at night on the trail, and fearing he might be unable to reload in the morning, he left the load on the horse all night and until he reached home the next day. In those days goods boxes were taken to pieces, stacked up and labeled "choice lumber for sale." The dealer found ready sale for his ware at twelve and a half cents per foot, board measure, with no extra charge for nails and knot holes. BILL OF FARE. The following is taken from the Overland Stage to California, showing the price of a meal at a Hang- town, now Placerville, eating house in 1850: Soup. Bean $1 00 Ox tail (short) 1 50 Roast. Beef, Mexican (prime cut) 1 50 Beef, up along I 00 Beef, plain I 00 Beef, with one potato (fair size) 1 25 Beef, tame, from the States I 50 Vegetables. Baked beans, plain yc General John A. Sutter. 279 Baked beans, greased $1 00 Tyvo potatoes (medium size) 50 Two potatoes, peeled 75 Entrees. Sauerkraut 1 00 Bacon, fried 1 00 Bacon, stuffed 1 50 Hash, low grade 75 Hash, 18 carats 1 00 Game. Codfish balls, per pair 75 Grizzly, roast I 00 Grizzly, fried 75 Jackass rabbit (whole) 1 00 Pastry. Rice pudding, plain 75 Rice pudding, with molasses 1 00 Rice pudding, with brandy peaches 2 00 Square meal, with dessert 3 00 Payable in advance. N. B. — Gold scales at the end of the bar. Be it remembered that when a meal was served by a fair-looking Caucasian girl, twenty-five cents was added. 280 The Life and Times of BULL FIGHTS. In 1850 an amphitheater, with an arena one hundred feet in diameter, was built in Sacramento City for the purpose of entertaining spectators with gladiatorial contests. A man sometimes entered the arena to con tend with a Spanish bull; but the principal contests, like those of Wall Street, were between the "bulls" and the "bears." A donkey, too, sometimes entered the prize ring to test the mettle of an adversary. This brute, stupid as he seemingly is, fights a desperate battle, not being outclassed in prowess by the bear. One of these long-eared personifications of stupidity fought several battles with a different bear each time and in every instance but one killed his antagonist. The manager of those entertainments employed sev eral mounted vaqueros yvho were in attendance to save the life of a vanquished foe or to avert any calam ity to which an accident or unexpected occurrence might tend. A Spanish bull and a bear once entered the arena to contend for the championship, when a portion of the wall between the pit and the arena gave way, ex posing the audience to the rage of the infuriated ani mals. Within the short interval of ten seconds from this occurrence three vaquer,. s, entering the arena, General John A. Sutter. 281 established themselves each on the corner of a triangle and with their lariats had the bull pinioned in the ¦center. These barbarous exhibitions, like cockfights, flour ished under Spanish rule and Spanish customs, but were too barren of sentiment to please people of more civilized habits, and the amusement early waned under the influx of Americans. There was a rough-and-ready air about the immigrants in California and society did not, at that time, savor of refined elegance com mon to the coteries of Madam Recamier; but there was at all times a strong undercurrent of grand good sense and noble manhood, and a golden chord perme ated the breast, from which tones of sympathy were easily swept. An ugly man after surveying him self awhile in the glass remarked, "Not handsome. but d — d genteel." SUTTER'S PORTRAIT. In 1855, the Legislature of California enacted a law appropriating $2,500 to purchase of William S. Jenett, Esq., the full length portrait of Major-General John Augustus Sutter. 282 The Life and Times of BRYANT DINES WITH SUTTER. When Edwin Bryant first came to California, he and a friend accepted an invitation to dine with Gen eral Sutter. Bryant, being eminent authority, the reader may be pleased to read what he says of it. I will quote from him. He says : "Captain Sutter's dining room and his table furni ture do not present a very luxurious appearance. The room is unfurnished, with the exceptions of a com mon deal table standing in the center, and some benches which are substituted for chairs. The table when spread presented a correspondingly primitive aspect of viands. The first course consisted of good soup served to each guest in a china bowl with silver spoons. The bowls, after they had been used for this purpose, were taken away and cleansed by the Indian servant, and were afterwards used as tumblers from which we drank our water. The next course consisted of two dishes of meat, one roasted and one fried, and both highly seasoned with onions. I am thus particular, because I wish to convey as accurately as I can the style and mode of living, in California, of intelligent gentlemen of foreign birth who have been accustomed to all the luxuries of the most refined civilization." General John A. Sutter. 2S3 FIRST PAPER AND FIRST JUDICIARY IN SACRAMENTO. On the 28th of April, 1849, the "Placer Times" was commenced at the Fort ; a weekly, printed on foolscap, and E. C. Kemble was the editor, compositor, printer and publisher. In the same year, after the necessary preliminaries, H. A. Schoolcraft was elected Alcalde, and A. M. Turner, Sheriff. For awhile this consti tuted the Judiciary of Northern California. GAMBLING. Gambling was soon introduced into Sacramento City where it was practiced on a colossal scale. Many men from the United States had earned a few hundred dol lars which they brought to Sacramento to send to those who were dependent upon them ; but while still possessed of this treasure and the noble intention of sending it to those to whom they were bound by the fondest memories and by the strongest ties of kindred, they stepped into these gaming places and there remained until fortune, hopes and happiness 284 The Life and Times of A JOYOUS REUNION. General Sutter paid a man ten dollars a day and ex penses to go to Switzerland and bring his family to California. The distinguished pioneer welcomed to his adopted home his family and numerous forms and faces familiar to his early years and made sacred by tender recollections. After an absence of eighteen years from Fatherland, the most of which time was spent afar from scenes of civilization, what must have been the happiness with which he greeted those who were endeared to him by the sacred ties of consanguin ity, in the country he had learned to love so well. The mansion on his princely Hock estate will echo to the sound of happy voices. "Hock" was the name of an Indian tribe that lived near by and for whom the estate was named. NOTICE OF SUTTER. The Placerville Times of July 31, 1850, has the following: "We regret extremely to learn through our friend Dr. Lawrence, who has been some time in attendance upon the family of Captain Sutter, that they continue afflicted with severe illness. The Cap tain himself, his wife and servants are suffering from General John A. Sutter. 285 attacks of fever. It is very desirable that, under the present circumstances, they should be undisturbed by the visits of friends and acquaintances. His generous and hospitable disposition makes all welcome to his mansion, but it is impossible for him to entertain at present, and he earnestly desires a respite. The doctor has been authorized to communicate this to the public. All those persons having business transactions with him, are desired to call on his agent and attorney, John S. Fowler, Esq." SUTTER'S SAW. Mrs. Jane Cooper, the widow of Mr. John H. Coop er, has recently presented to the Sacramento^ Pioneer Society a saw used in the construction of Sutter's Fort and also the historic mill at Coloma. It is seven feet in length. Captain Sutter presented it to Mark Stuart in 1848 and it has been in possession of the family ever since. On the Stuart premises, Twenty- ninth and B streets, still lie the stones used in grinding bark for Sutter's tannery, April, 1849. 286 The Life and Times of MARRIAGE OF SUTTER'S DAUGHTER. The marriage of Mr. Engler to Miss Sutter took place at the Hock Farm and was largely attended, more than two hundred guests being present to' wit ness the ceremony, which is said to have been very imposing and of unusual interest. The papers of Sacramento and Marysville speak of it as having been a magnificent affair. The press of other cities made pleasing allusions to it. Miss Sutter was said to be a lady of elegant man ners and rare beauty ; presenting much of the fascinat ing personality for which her 'noble father was dis tinguished. The beautiful sentiment that adorns the Switzer's character is displayed in the following occurrence: A Swiss army in a foreign service, on hearing the enemy sing a patriotic song, became so moved by its simplicity and pathos, that they dis banded, notwithstanding the rigor of martial law, and retired to their homes among the Alpine crags and vine-clad vales of their native land. General John A. Sutter. 287 PETER LASSEN Who was born on the 7th day of August, 1800, in Copenhagen, Denmark, merits a notice in this volume. In 1824 he came to Boston and after working several months in New England towns at blacksmithing, a trade he learned in his native country, he moved to Katesville, Missouri, where he renewed his association with Vulcan. The slow growth and tame appearance of that great and good state, not being in harmony with his venturesome and progressive spirit, he left Missouri in 1839 in company with twenty-seven men and two women who crossed the plains, reaching Ore gon in autumn, where he remained till spring. The two women mentioned were the wives of two of the party. In May a vessel left Oregon with some English missionaries who designed touching California on their return. On this vessel Lassen and several of his comrades shipped, putting into Bodega. California be ing a Mexican province the commandant sent a squad of soldiers to prevent a landing. The Russians, being in possession of the place and having a strong military force, the governor ordered the Mexican soldiers to leave the place without delay. They left. 288 The Life and Times of When Lassen and the other adventurers left Mis souri, they expected to reach a settlement somewhere in the Sacramento Valley where there were Americans and other English-speaking people. When they dis embarked at Bodega they found themselves, with depleted coffers, in an inhospitable country without passports or the means of procuring them. Being men with hearts for any fate, in this dilemma they ad dressed in substance the following communication to Thomas O. Larkin, the American consul at Monterey. William Wiggins, one of the party, acted as aman uensis . Dear Sir : — We, the undersigned citizens of the United States, through a desire to settle in this coun try and naturalize to its government, landed several days ago in Bodega. Being unable for want of funds to remain long here and for want of passports to leave, we appeal to you. Sir, for advice and such protection as gentlemen of respectable pursuits are entitled to. We are under protection of the Russians until we hear from you. We are assured it will please you to give this mat ter as early attention as conditions will permit. If we cannot settle in this country we ask permission to go to our own. Passports have been refused us bv those who are in position to grant them. If you, Sir, are power less to bestow the relief sought we shall be forced to General John A. Sutter. 289 consider ourselves in an enemy's country and to use such defense as our arms may furnish. With great respect, we are, David Dutton James Benson Peter Lassen William Wiggins Levi Wilder Tosiah Wright. After remaining two months at Bodega they went to Yerba Buena, whence Lassen went to San Jose, where he spent the winter at smithing. In the ensu ing spring he invested in some land near Santa Cruz, on which he built a sawmill. After running this mill awhile, with varying results, he sold out his Santa Cruz possessions for one hundred mules and a few horses which he drove to' New Helvetia and grazed near Sutter's Fort. He worked at his trade for Sut ter, receiving stock in payrnent for his services. In 1843 ^e and James Burheim accompanied John Bidwell in pursuit of a party who were bound for Oregon and who had stolen some animals from New Helvetia. Finding the stock in charge of the party that stole it, Bidwell asked one of the men where they got it. The thief estimating the prowess of Bidwell and his sturdy comrades replied, "That stock, Sir, does not belong to us and we will be glad if you will take it away, for it has annoyed us greatly." On this trip 290 The Life and Times of Bidwell mapped the Sacramento Valley and named. the streams. He afterwards regretted that he gave the name "Stony Creek" to a stream so grand. Mr. Las sen being enamored of the country he saw in the upper Sacramento Valley, applied to Governor Michel torena for a grant of land which he afterwards ob tained. This grant was watered by Deer Creek and is in Tehama County. He settled upon the grant in 1845 and laid out a town which he called "Benton City." Although now settled quite a distance from Sutter's Fort, he was in frequent communication with New Helvetia, keeping himself as much in touch with the great adventurer as possible. This beautiful grant, this princely possession soon passed out of Lassen's control. The largest vineyard in the world now adorns that empire. When Gillespie was trying to overtake Col. Fremont who was on his way to Oregon in 1846, he yvas fur nished by Sutter with horses and a guide to enable him to reach this place. Here Gillespie bougfit some ani mals of Lassen and hired Neal to guide him over Fre mont's trail. "Peter Lassen's Place," like Sutter's Fort, became known to the country as a landmark. Sutter in his diary says : "When they (alluding to the Lassen party) told the Russian governor that they wanted to join me he received them very kindly and hospitably, furnishing them with fine horses, new saddles, etc., at a very low rate and gave them direc- General John A. Sutter. 291 tions where about they would have to travel without being seen by some Spaniards." In 1849 Lassen, with some stock and other supplies, went into Nevada as far as the Humboldt River to meet the emigrants who had crossed the plains en route to California and were, some of them, in want. These supplies he sold to those who' were able to- buy and gave to those who were not. One party who had quite a large train desiring to settle not far from the "Peter Lassen Place" of which they had heard, Lassen told them they could get there by a route that would shorten their journey by two hundred miles; whereupon he was solicited to lead the way, which he undertook to do. They veered to the right of the old trail and went by Black Rock Springs. The party undertook to go to the Buttes which afterwards took Lassen's name. Had they done this, the undertaking would have been a success. These Buttes could be plainly seen from Black Rock Springs. However, intervening timber that embowered the foothills gradually hid their snowy brows till the view was entirely lost. The party mistaken in their course journeyed as far north of their objective point as they would have been south of it had they taken the old emigrant road to Sutter's Fort. Lassenr sighting the Buttes, saw the mistake he had made and sought to correct it by going directly toward them. The party feeling sore over the mistake. 292 The Life and Times of the vast amount of unnecessary hardship they had endured, the time lost and the toil they were then un able to avert, were irritable and impatient. However, Lassen led them on toward the "Promised Land." Before they reached the Buttes, which happily were almost continuously in sight, storms began to gather and snow sometimes whitened the ground. Ere reach ing the summit of the range they found the snow so deep as to be cumbersome, retarding their headway and hastening to a crisis the half-famished condition of their animals. Trees were felled by the ax-men that the cattle might browse. Here the party in their dark forebodings and consequent rashness neared a condi tion of incipient mutiny. They hurled their impreca tions at Lassen. A few hot-headed ones even threatened to hang him. In this emergency his conscientious ness and honesty of purpose imbued him with cour age for which he was justly renowned. After delivering to the party an informal address in which he reviewed with much feeling the toil they had nobly endured, and the obstacles they had grandly overcome, he advised them that the same heroism prop erly directed would in a few clays lead them to the goal of their honorable ambition. "I have to admit," he said, "that the difficulty and disappointment you have met and the tasks you have performed would dishearten the average man. But, gentlemen, you are not of that class. You are heroes. Assured I am that not one General John A. Sutter. 293 of you can be persuaded to relinquish his loyally to your earnest pursuits when you are about to enjoy the fruition of your early hopes. Go with me," he continued, "to the top of that hill and if 1 do not show you Sacramento Valley, you may hang me, if that is your determination." Two or three men were dele gated by the party to go with him. Long before they reached the top of the hill they signaled back that the valley was in sight. From this on, Lassen was a champion. How changeable is man. Lassen rendered the United States good service in the conquest of California and was appointed Indian agent by the government. He spent the closing years of his life in Honey Lake Valley. Late in the fifties he, Mr. Glasscock and another man went to Black Rock Springs in Nevada to' prospect for silver. He was murdered in his cabin in 1859. He was buried about five miles from Susanville in Lassen county. His grave is in the shade of the largest pine trees m that section of the country. In honor of this pioneer, ad venturer, patriot and honest man's friend, Lassen county and one of the majestic peaks of the Sierras were fittingly named. A monument bearing his in scription marks his last resting place. Peter Lassen's name like that of Fremont, Sutter, General Bidwell and a score of others is so linked with the pioneer days of the great and beautiful State of California that it will live on, gathering splendor through passing cycles of time. 294 The Life and Times of JAMES LICK. In recording the names of men whose benefactions make them remembered and loved, one is conscious of acting a noble part. If we, ourselves, cannot be bene factors, be it ours to appreciate and commend benefi cence in others. All good men have a kind remem brance of him who gives generously of his time and means to improve the condition of man. In compiling this work I esteem it not only a great pleasure but a duty to pen a kindly remark in regard to one of the world's greatest benefactors, James Lick. Conscious I am that gifted pens have, long since, traced the outline of his virtues in abler productions than mine, and that the historian whose talents will unfold in an age more remote from his time than the present, will record his fame in characters of living light. Tu say that Mr. Lick was a Californian is too narrow to be just. James Lick was an American. The world, it is certain, will fix his home on the planet. James Lick was born in Fredericksburg, Pennsyl vania, August 25, 1796, where he received a common school education. Early in life he obtained employ ment as an organ and piano maker in Hanover, Pa., and then in Baltimore, Md. In 1820 he went into business in Philadelphia, but a year later he emigrated General John A. Sutler. 295 to Buenos Ayres, South America, where for some time he engaged in the manufacture and sale of mus ical instruments. Subsequently he went to Valparaiso and other places in South America, whence, in 1847, he went to Cahfornia, where he invested heavily in real estate, and built a flouring mill at San Jose at an expense of $200,000. This mill, I am told, was fin ished with fine tropical woods embracing rosewood and mahogany and was called Lick's Mill. He spent the last years of his life in San Francisco, where for a long time he was President of the Society of Califor nia Pioneers. He died October 1, 1876, leaving by will some $5,000,000 for various -philanthropic pur poses. He left $60,000 for the erection of a bronze monument in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, in scribed, in letters of gold, to the memory of the im mortal bard, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the "Star- Spangled Banner." On this monument the entire poem, SO' clear to every American heart, is engraved also in letters of gold. In building this monument the great philanthropist not only endeared himself to every American who^ loves his country, but he built to his own name a monument that is impervious to the shafts of forgetfulness. In 1884 the trustees made a cash distribution as follows : For the Protestant Orphan Asylum in San Fran cisco, $25,000. 296 The Life and Times of To the trustees of the Ladies' Protective and Relief Society of San Francisco, $25,000. To the Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco, for the purchase of scientific and mechanical works, $10,000. The Pioneer Hall in San Francisco and the Acad emy of Sciences were also founded by Mr. Lick. To the trustees of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, of San Francisco, $10,000. For the young and helpless, he gave to three orphan asylums $25,000 each. For the aged and needy ladies who are unable to support themselves and who have no resources of their own, he founded an institution called the Old Ladies' Home, with $100,000. For the health and comfort of the people he caused tc be expended $150,000 for the erection and mainte nance of free baths in the city of San Francisco, the same to be forever maintained for the free use of the public. To educate boys and girls in the practical arts of life, he founded and endowed the School of Mechani cal Arts, in San Francisco, with $450,000. The school is to be open to the youths born in California. To the people of the world he built and equipped, at a cost of $700,000, an observatory having an ob jective glass of 36 inches diameter clear of aperture, the largest lens in the world. As may be imagined, a General John A. Sutter. 297 vast amount of money was expended in an effort to produce this objective before the work was accom plished. Clark and Son, who had just constructed the Russian Pulkowa objective, which had a diameter of 30 inches, doubted very much whether an objective 36 inches in diameter could be obtained and whether the same would not yield by flexure when placed in the tube. Fiel and Sons, of Paris, undertook the task. After nineteen trials and a lapse of some two years, they again undertook it and succeeded. Some time in October, 1887, they reported that the glasses were made ; immediately thereafter a Pullman passenger car was especially prepared and placed in readiness to re ceive them, and in this car, with greatest care, they were transported across the continent to Mount Ham ilton. Warner and Swazey of Cleveland, Ohio, made the mounting machinery and the Union Iron Works made the steel floor and great dome. The great observatory was erected on Mount Ham ilton, at an elevation of four thousand two hundred and nine feet above the sea, a site selected by Mr. Lick. The grounds, embracing two thousand five hundred and thirty-nine acres on the top and slopes of Mount Hamilton, were acquired as follows : Mr. Lick purchased one hundred and forty-nine acres; the United States donated two thousand and thirty acres; the State of California three hundred and twenty acres, and R. F. Morrow forty acres. 298 The Life and Times of The roadway to the top of the mountain was con structed by Santa Clara County in the year 1876, at a cost of $78,000. In June, 1888, the building with all the instruments and equipments, was turned over to the regents of the University of California. Mr. Lick appropriated $20,000 for the erection of a Home Memorial at Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania. To erect the Paine Memorial Hall in Boston, Mas sachusetts, Mr. Lick gave $60,000. This hall, which is dedicated to the memory of Thomas Paine, is to be open for the discussion of all political, religious and scientific topics. And finally, all of his means, not otherwise appro priated, was to be equally divided between the Pioneers of California and the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for the purposes stated in the bequest. I have endeavored very briefly to state in this sketch some facts that every one of my readers will be glad to know ; and, knowing them, will cherish a sense of gladness inspired by the recollection that they lived in the age, in the century, in the country, of him who added splendor to grandeur by crowning Mount Ham ilton with glory that will never dim. General John A. Sutter. 299 DEATH OF E. V. SUTTER. On February 22, 1883, Mayor Bartlett of San Fran cisco, afterwards Governor of California, received from the Secretary of State at Washington, D. C, a communication relating to the death of Emil V. Sut ter, at Ostend, Belgium, July 3, 1881. The de ceased was the son of General John A. Sutter. The Secretary of State enclosed a photograph of the de ceased, and letters showing that he had arrived at Ostend from Havre, July 1, 1881. He intended to go to London in a few days, thence to the United States, but was taken suddenly ill and died on the night of the third of July. He had taken a room at Hotel Bellevue, where he registered his name, and where he died. The deceased was for many years engaged in business in San Francisco as notary public, and was a member of the Pioneer Society. He visited Europe for the purpose of disposing of some mines. Just twenty-seven years prior to the death of this son at Ostend the celebrated "Ostend Manifesto." al ready referred to, was issued at the same place. 300 The Life and Times of LAST DAYS OF GENERAL J. A. SUTTER. Unwilling to live longer amid the scenes of his mis fortunes, General Sutter in 1868 took an affectionate leave of the country he loved so well and found a new home with the Moravians in the quiet town of Lititz in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His son, J. A. Sutter, Jr., had been for many years a United States Consul at Acapulco, Mexico, and had married a Mexican lady. The General feeling a deep interest in his grandchildren removed the two grand-daughters to Lititz where they would be favored with better edu cational advantages. This circumstance, it is thought, was among the considerations that induced him to adopt that place as a future home. The simplicity, too, of the Moravian society and the quiet of the town were grateful and soothing to the distinguished adventurer in the evening of his days. His life, in his new home, was peaceful; and, had he been still possessed of his estates so beautiful and princely, it would have been tranquil and serene. The water of the Lititz Springs was healing to his physi cal ills, rheumatic in character, from which he had been a great sufferer. In 1871, he built, for himself and wife, a house where they continued ta. live, until the close of his life. General John A. Sutter. 301 While at Washington, D. C, in 1880 vainly endeav oring to secure the passage of a bill, in Congress, pro viding for a partial compensation for the services he had rendered the United States and for the property of which he had been despoiled by the American peo ple and by the United States authorities, he died. He had for years entertained the vain hope of some day receiving some part of what he justly claimed as his due. The adjourning of Congress without recogniz ing his claim was an act of ingratitude that broke his heart. The funeral services were conducted in the Moravian church at Lititz, Rev. Charles Nagle of Philadelphia, officiating. Among the General's friends, in his palm ier days in the West, who were present were Gen eral. Fremont and General H. F. Gibson, who re counted with much feeling and force the eminent services the deceased had rendered his country and the ingratitude that froze the genial current of his soul. His demise was informally announced by the play ing of trombones in the streets, as is the custom of the Moravian society. Workmen, ceasing a moment from toil, listened quietly and respectfully to the music, gently remarking, "The horns are blowing. Some one has gone home." ' 302 The Life and Times of INSCRIPTION. GENERAL JOHN A. SUTTER, BORN FEBRUARY a8TH, 1803, AT KANDERN, BADEN. DIED, JUNE 17TH, 1880, AT WASHINGTON, D. C REQUIESCAT IN PACE. ANNA SUTTER, NEE DUBELT BORN SEPTEMBER I5TH, 1805, IN SWITZERLAND. DIED, JANUARY I9TH, l88l, AT LITITZ. Extract from a private letter written by Mrs. S. O. Houghton, nee Eliza P. Donner, daughter of Donner, one of the Donner Party, whose sad fate has been so often told. "I have been sad, oh ! so sad since tidings flashed across the continent telling the friends of General Sut ter to mourn his loss. In tender and loving thought I have followed the remains to his home, have stood by his bier, touched his icy brow, brushed back his snowy locks, and still it is hard for me to realize that he is dead; that he who in my childhood became my ideal of all that is generous, noble and good; he who has ever awakened the warmest gratitude of my nature, is to' be laid away in a distant land; but I must not yield to this mood longer. God has only harvested the ripe and golden grain. Nor has he left us com fortless, for recollection, memory's faithful messen ger, will bring from her treasury, records of deeds so noble, that the name of General Sutter will be General John A. Sutter. 303 stamped in the hearts of all people, so long as Califor nia has a history. Yes, his name will be written in letters of sunlight on Sierra's snowy mountain sides, will be traced on the clasps of gold which rivet the rocks of our State, and will be arched in transparent characters over the gate thiat gulards our western tides. All who see this land of the sunset will read, and know, and love the name of John A. Sutter, who fed the hungry, clothed the naked and comforted the sorrowing children of California's pioneer days." GOVERNOR LOWE TO CONGRESS. State of California, Executive Department, Sacramento, October 6, 1866. To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States : The bearer of this, Major-Gen. Sutter, was one of the early pioneers of this coast, and by his industry, bravery and indomitable energy, did more to subdue the savage tribes and encourage settlement than any other man. His name and fame are world wide, not only in connection with his early adventures, but also as being the cause of the discovery of gold in this State; gold having first been discovered in a mill-race which he was having constructed. His kindness and generosity to the early emigrants who arrived here 304 The Life and Times of are proverbial. Although possessed of large grants of land ceded to him by the Mexican Government at the date of the acquisition of this territory by the United States, the delays and expenses incident to the legal adjudication of these titles have stripped him of all his property, leaving him in his old age comparatively penniless. In view of these considerations, this State at the last session of the legislature granted him an annuity of $3,000 per annum for five years. He now has it in contemplation to ask Congress for some recognition with compensation and I earnestly commend his claims to the favorable consideration of Congress. Very respectfully your obt. servt. Frederick F. Lowe, Governor, California. AN ALTA EDITORIAL. The following article, so full of sentiment and so ably written, is taken from the Daily Alta, San "Fran cisco, May 12, 1879: "No one of the large number of men and women who came to California during the days of Forty-nine, whether their route was by Cape Horn, via the Isth mus, through Mexico or over the Plains, need be re minded of the privations they endured, the fatigue, General John A. Sutter. 305 danger, weariness and hunger they too often experi enced. And many can but remember, gratefully, the reception they received from certain persons already residing in this country. Weary, worn, ragged, some on foot, having traveled in that manner after losing their teams ; hungry, desolate, adrift in a strange land, among strangers; they cannot have forgotten the kindly face and generous heart, the pleasant welcome and open hand they met when they met General Sutter, at Sutter's Fort, or other places. They well remember, they cannot forget, how the honest old Swiss Captain figuratively poured oil upon their bruises, bound up their wounds and literally fed and clothed them. He had proceeded them by years. He had crossed the con tinent seeking a new home, a new Switzerland, a new Versailles, on the Pacific Coast, not induced by the enticements of placers or gold-loaded quartz, for the outside world was ignorant of their existence here. "He had come here for a new home, and had made one. When the incoming gold-hunters struck the val ley of the Sacramento, they were as ragged as beg gars, as hungry as wolves, as poor as Lazarus — many of them. But they found in General Sutter a kind friend, a most hospitable host, a free, open-handed, benevolent philanthropist, who shared freely his goods with the needy immigrants, and scores and hundreds were made hopeful if not happy, through the kindly treatment of this old soldier, this grand old simple- 306 The Life and Times of hearted Pioneer. But how was he rewarded? His grants of land from the Mexican Government became the object of legal corsairs; he was lawed to death; one by one his estates were taken from him, his prop erty confiscated, his exchequer made bankrupt by con tinuous strain of resisting the piratical forays made upon his possessions; until after years of useless con tention, the lawyer, the land pirates, the courts, suc ceeded in robbing him of every bit of the grand do main once his ; and, finally, in turning him, in his old age, adrift on the tide of time, an outcast from his own home, his own lands, his own house, from the property he had bought, the house he had built, the fortune he had made, a poor old man; like Lear, his gray hair thrust out into the tempest, a sport for the pitiless winds of poverty — poverty in his old age. "In obedience to the dictates of humanity, the legis lature of this state has appropriated a certain sum for the benefit and support of this grand old Pioneer, as a slight recompense for the splendid property and fortune of which he was robbed, with as little refer ence to justice as if his lands and goods had been seized by pirates, professionally such. No amount of argument or reasoning, citation of cases and prece dents, can make it otherwise. He was rich ; he com mitted no crime; he offended no law; but the land- grabber, the land-lawyer went for him and his pos sessions, and they left him a beggar. And now, in General John A. Sutter. 307 his old age, driven by poverty, and some faint hopes growing fainter as the days grow few and fewer, he has left the state of his long love, his high hopes, his own grand ambition, laying his humble petition be fore Congress, asking only a moderate allowance from the country's treasury, which through him has been enriched hundreds of millions of dollars in gold that, but for his enterprise, had still remained hidden in the beds and banks of the rivers of California, in her quartz ledges, in the hidden recesses of gold and sil ver in this Pacific Coast, as well as in Australia, New Zealand and other auriferous lands. Now a gentle man in Congress has offered a bill granting the good old Pioneer, the pleasant gentleman, the robbed and impoverished man, a grant of fifty thousand dollars. That would not be one-twentieth, nay one-hundredth part of the fortune of which he has been despoiled. Now let us see whether our Government has any soul and sense of gratitude left in it." 308 The Life and Times of THE FORT IN RUINS. Of the great throng of adventurers who rushed into California in '49 headed for the gold fields, many appeared to know but little, and care less, about the property rights of individual owners. As heretofore shown they appropriated to their own use, things which did not belong to them, without even inquiring after the owner or thanking him if known to them. They seemed to think Providence had provided the good things for the special purpose of relieving their wants and necessities. For awhile the increase of lawlessness kept pace with the increase of immigra tion. Those people left home and the charms of civil ized and refined life, and braved the perils incident to a wearisome journey, over streams, mountains and plains, determined to correct, if possible, the deranged condition of their finance. Their eagerness in the pursuit of gain froze the better elements of their na ture and avarice captured their souls. Many, how ever, are the exceptions to this rule. The adobe brick, (brick made of adobe soil and dried in the sun,) lumber and other materials used in constructing and finishing the fort, were removed piecemeal therefrom to be used illicitly elsewhere un der the sanction of greed. Smaller quantities were General John A. Sutter. 309 borne away by others through a calm and innocent desire to possess some relic of the distinguished land mark, and to adorn a cabinet of curios. Sometimes it was a piece of wood, a scrap of iron which had served some purpose there, or a nail on which one could fancy Sutter, Fremont or Carson may possibly have hung a coat or a hat, a piece of a stool, not on which "Dante sat," but Ringgold, Dana or Rotchoff, in the palmy days of long ago. When the fugitive, pale and pant ing, followed by his murderous pursuers, entered the Fort, he felt as I suppose a saint will feel when he con cludes the gauntlet of life and enters the new Jerusalem in the "sweet by and by." s^--: At the fort the hungry were fed, the houseless were sheltered and the traveler found rest. At a meeting of delegates from various Pioneer So cieties of California, held in Sacramento City on Jan uary 12, 1 88 1, San Francisco, Marysville, Oroville, Vallejo, Sacramento, Amador and Stockton were rep resented. David Meeker, Esq., was called to the chair. The object of this convention, he said, was to consider the subject of erecting a monument to the memory of General John A. Sutter. At this convention the sub ject of restoring Sutter's Fort to its original condition and appearance was taken up and discussed. In the course of this interesting debate it was claimed by some of the speakers that but for the liberty-loving 310 The Life and Times of spirit and firmness of Sutter, General Castro would have driven the Americans out of California; that his generous and far-reaching influence sustained by his fort was the sole protection of the early American adventurers in California. To honor and perpetuate the memory of this explorer and philanthropist by erect ing a suitable monument and restoring the fort is the duty of California — the duty of America — the duty of the world. How shall we, how can we who have wit nessed, yea experienced, the hospitality of this grand man, refuse to give this measure our hearty support? The Pioneers, realizing the service the old fort had been to them, continued to agitate the subject of re storing it to its original condition. It is now in good repair. General John A. Sutter. 311 SUTTER RELIEF FUND. At the convening of the California legislature in 1864, Hon. J. P. Buckley introduced a bill in the Sen ate providing for the relief of General John A. Sutter. The bill became a law, having immediate effect, and provided for the appropriation of $15,000 out of any money in the treasury of the State not otherwise ap propriated, and to be drawn in monthly installments of $250 each for five years, for the benefit of Sutter and his heirs; and in the event of his death his heirs were to receive the same monthly installment until such appropriation be exhausted. In the winter of 1869-70 Hon. W. E. Eichelroth in troduced a bill in the Assembly providing further relief for Sutter. This bill, providing an appropriation of $250 per month for two- years, also passed and be came a law. In the winter of 1872 a similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Hon. J. A. Duffy ; and another in the Assembly by Hon. B. C. Northup, in 1874, both of which were passed and approved and went into im mediate effect. It is with peculiar pleasure that the names of the honorable gentlemen who distinguished themselves by 312 Life and Times of John A. Sutter. coming to the relief of this kind and good man are recorded here. He had been despoiled of possessions that would have classed him at that time with Astor and Vander- bilt. He had founded on the Pacific shore an exten sive settlement of brave, good and useful men, and had aided materially in bringing California under American rule. He had extended to American immi grants the protection of a sovereign, the blessings of his wealth, and the treasure of his fidelity. Forever honored be the legislatures that so far recip rocated his princely benefactions. Nor should the great State of California cease her demonstrations of gratitude till the statue of him whose name will be associated long with her history adorns the rotunda of her capitol and his ashes are laid to rest in the shade of the New Helvetia he loved, where the unmeasured strains of the beautiful river, as it flows on, may min gle with his benedictions forever. ^!r~_J^— INDEX. PAGE. Sutter's Family and Early Life 7 The Port 19 Early Visitors 24 Eussian Purchase 29 The Brass Cannon 31 California Horses and Cattle 32 The Coming of Fremont 34 The Digger Mill 36 The Distillery and Other Enterprises 37 Explorations and Improvements 38 Harvesting Sixty Years Ago 41 Flogging Adam 44 Indian Labor and Wages 46 The Castro Rebellion 48 The Fort Completed 55 Carriages 55 Echoes of Civilization 58 Execution of Raphero 58 Fremont at Hawk 's Peak 63 Black Eagle 66 The Web-foot Story 70 Extracts from Sutter Diary 71 The Bear Flag Revolution 79 The Status of Mexico 80 "The Broncho Buster" 82 The Junta 85 The Immigrants and Mexico 's Promises 92 Castro 's Plans 93 The Capture of Sonoma 96 Ide 's Proclamation 102 The Bear Flag 105 The Rescue of Tod 107 Cowey and Fowler 108 Frem ont in Command 110 11 INDEX. PAGE. Another Extract from Sutter's Diary Ill Conquest of California 117 Historical Bearings 117 The Ostend Manifesto 120 Acquisition of California 123 San Pedro and Los Angeles 127 The Capture of Larkin 128 Battle of San Gabriel 131 Investment of San Luis Obispo 132 Battle of Salinas 134 Fall of San Juan 135 Defeat of Francisco Sanches 136 The Macnamara Scheme 137 The Walla Walla Alarm 140 The Reed-Donner Party 148 White Horse and Picket 155 Massacre of Marcus Whitman 157 The Mormons and the Flag 158 Early California Society 162 James W. Marshall 167 The Gold Find 173 The Secret Out 178 Sutter After the Gold Find 179 The Great Carnival .181 Conveyance of Sutter's Estate 189 The First Constitutional Convention 190 Notice to Squatters 191 The Squatter Riots 192 Squatter Proclamation -. . . 194 The Squatter Mutiny on the Levee 197 From the Daily Times of August 15, 1850 200 From the Daily Times of August 16, 1850 203 Dispatch to General Winn 205 Strong's Proclamation 208 Restoring of Quiet 208 General Sutter's Losses 211 The City of Sacramento 218 Sale of Concert Tickets 219 Ellen Buzzell 221 index. iii PAGE. Andrews to Sutter 221 General Sutter 's Reply 222 First Grand Ball in Sacramento 223 The "Hounds" of 1849 224 The Vigilance Committee 226 Committee Addresses the People of California. 236 The National Guard 243 Constitution of the Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco 249 Freight Transportation 252 The Camel Train 258 The Fidelity of a Horse 260 Overland Mail 262 The Pony Express 267 Ben Holliday 273 Bill of Fare , 278 Bull Fights 280 Sutter's Portrait 281 Bryant Dines with Sutter 282 First Paper and First Judiciary in Sacramento .... 283 Gambling 283 A Joyous Reunion 284 Notice of Sutter 284 Sutter's Saw 285 Marriage of Sutter 's Daughter 286 Peter Lassen 287 James Lick 294 Death of E. V. Sutter 299 The Last Days of General John A. Sutter 300 Governor Lowe to Congress 303 An Alta Editorial 304 The Fort in Ruins 308 Sutter Relief Fund 311 3 9002