Slike strani
PDF
ePub

wingdam in the river for the purpose of turning its waters, hoping to strike it rich in the natural channel The fact that only a small volume of water was flowing at that season of the year made the operation easy. Our anticipations were not realized, however, only a small amount of gold being obtained. We continued prospecting down the stream until "Mormon island” and "Nigger hill" were reached, near where the town of Folsom now is.

Returning to Placerville, I decided to go to Sacramento to learn if any letters had reached there from home. Accordingly, leaving my mining tools, I shouldered my blankets, starting on foot for the "city," reaching it the following day I found it a busy "burg" of two or three thousand inhabitants. The buildings were mainly of canvas or other light material and very much scattered. As it was not steamer day when I arrived, I had but little difficulty in obtaining my mail. and was rejoiced to learn that all were well and anxious for my return.

Previous to the acquisition of California by the United States in 1848, there was not a postoffice in the territory. The official documents to and from Mexico, as well as the correspondence of the missionaries, were taken by special carriers, and as there were no newspapers published or circulated in the country, there was but little need of postal facilities. The few foreigners in the country would send or receive an occasional letter by some trader or whaleship touching on the coast. As soon as the United States asserted authority over the territory the newspaper press commenced operations and postoffices were established in the country; but at this early day and for many years subsequent all

mail matter to the Pacific Coast had to cross the Isthmus of Panama, thence by steamer to San Francisco, from 24 to 30 days being occupied in the voyage mom New York to San Francisco.

It generally required from sixty to ninety days from the date of writing a letter to the receipt or an answer by the Isthmus route. Postage on the half ounce in those days was 10 cents when the distance was over three hundred miles. The arrival of the semi-monthly steamer at San Francisco was an event celebrated by the firing of guns and the ringing of bells, and was the signal for a general rush of the inhabitants to the postofnce, where long lines of anxious letter seekers would take their position, "first come first served" being the rule, and woe betide the unfortunate wretch whose temerity caused him to attempt to break the restless, anxious, swaying line of the gray and blue shirt brigade, extending from the postoffice windows.

As the lengthening columns swayed and wriggled sometimes a half-mile in length, great anxiety and impatience were often manifested by persons wishing to get to the all-important window of the postoffice. Rugged miners who had not perhaps for a year heard a word from home, and anxious merchants whose fate depended upon their letters and invoices, seeing no hope of approaching the office for hours, would offer liberal sums to buy out some fortunate one in the line. From five to twenty dollars were average prices, but fifty and one hundred dollars were often paid for a good position near the window. The expression of countenance of those paying highest rates when forced to leave the window without a letter, was a study beyond description.

"Selling out" in line soon became a trade, and many an impecunious person pocketed his ten or twenty dollars three or four times a day by selling out and hitching on to the rear end of the line again. In some cases over anxious individuals would take their position at the window one or two days before the arrival of the expected steamer, and remain there, only leaving when forced to seek food and drink. Sometimes during their brief absence from their post the steamer's gun would fire and after a breakneck race of a few minutes they would be forced to attach themselves to the extreme end of a line a quarter or half a mile in length. Great relief was experienced some years later by the establishment of the "pony express," which carried letters from the Missouri river to San Francisco in twelve to fifteen days at 25 cents the half ounce.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

CHAPTER XV.

JUDGE LYNCH.

The civil law was not adequate to all the exigencies arising under the conditions existing during the early history of California. Theft and murder were of rare occurrence among the miners, but whenever they did occur it was not a very difficult matter for the culprit to escape in the wild unsettled mountainous region, and, if caught, a rescue by his pals was almost sure to

occur.

There existed no suitable safe place to hold a criminal during the pending of a trial. An old prison brig lying at the wharf in the river at Sacramento was the only place of confinement in all that portion of the state for a number of years.

Under the circumstances, Judge Lynch was appealed to in most cases, and the punishment was sure and made to fit the case. I witnessed but one instance of mob law while in the mines. A man was caught in the act of stealing a buckskin purse of gold dust from a miner's cabin. A meeting of the miners was called, a consultation was held, and by a unanimous verdict the thief was to receive fifty lashes on the bare back. The sentence was carried out by administering the punish

ment with a rawhide while the culprit was tsrapped to a fallen pine tree. He was a man of strong nerve, and bore the cruel strokes with much fortitude. He was then ordered to leave the diggings and was told that if found there again he would receive even more severe treatment.

In 1854, while I was ranching on the Cosumnes river, 20 miles from Sacramento City, two cases of mob law occurred. In one instance a notoriously bad character by the name of Bill Lomax was charged with the murder of a Prussian, who had the day previous to the murder sold a number of cattle and was supposed to have the money. Fortunately, it had been deposited in a Placerville bank. He was assaulted in his cabin during the night with an axe, and, being a large, powerful man, made a desperate fight for his lite. His body was found the following morning about twenty steps from his door. Seventeen wounds had been inflicted on him with the axe and a large knife. The weapons, besmeared with blood, were lying by his body. His hands were badly cut by having grasped the blade of the knife in the hands of his assailant. I was summoned upon the coroner's jury and careful inquiry pointed strongly to Lomax as the murderer.

Three men started in pursuit and traced him to Sacramento, where he was found in a saloon. They returned with him and word was immediately sent out to the ranchers and miners, who collected the following morning, chose judge and jury, heard the evidence, returned a verdict of guilty and gave him one hour to prepare for death by hanging. When the time expired a rope was placed around his neck and he was taken to a nearby live oak tree, and the rope was

« PrejšnjaNaprej »