USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > A history of the city of San Francisco; and incidentally of the state of California > Part 15
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ceptionally expensive in the United States. Its pro- jectors thought they had an immense fortune in their hands, but they soon found unexpected obstacles. The ignorance and indolence of the natives, and the fearful mortality of the imported laborers were beyond all calculation. Graders died by thousands. The num- ber of victims was never reported, and was studiously concealed. The line at the eastern end ran for eight miles through a swamp which smote nearly all who worked in it with pestilence. While the laborers were struck down with fever on the road, the New York capitalists who had undertaken the enterprise were borne down by the fearful expense. The millionaires, Howland and Aspinwall, were induced to take hold of the enterprise, and even they were in danger. At last, however, by the help of Senator Gwin, hav- ing obtained a mail contract which assured a large revenue, and improved credit to them, they were enabled to see the work finished, after seven and a half millions of dollars had been spent upon it. The discomfort of riding thirty miles on a mule, and trav- eling thirty-five miles in a canoe under charge of rude and nearly nude negroes, and the danger of catching the virulent Panama fever, by sleeping on the ground, were thus obviated, and the voyage between New York and San Francisco became relatively a pleasant trip, as well as cheaper than before. Travelers, espec- ially those with large trunks, not unfrequently had to pay seventy-five dollars to get from Chagres to Pan- ama by boat and mule.
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After the construction of the road, the number of lady immigrants to California rapidly increased, and so did the Californians of both sexes returning to the east for short trips, to see their relatives and visit their old homes. These travelers demanded cabin passages, with luxurious accommodations-they did not go in the steerage, as in earlier years-and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which had previ- ously built boats larger, more commodious, more ele- gant, and higher above the water than any used or that could with any reasonable degree of safety be used on the stormy Atlantic, ordered other boats still larger and more elegant - veritable ocean palaces. Though the road and the Pacific mail steamers were owned in New York, California supplied the motives and the money for building them, and they were rela- tively of more importance to San Francisco than to any other city.
SEC. 112. Gambling. Gambling was a prominent feature of San Francisco life before 1855. It had been permitted under the Mexican dominion, had not been punished under the military government that came with the conquest, and was made a source of revenue by the ayuntamiento in August, 1849. This legalization coinciding with the great influx of immi- grants by sea and land, and a large increase in the gold yield, raised gambling to be one of the most prominent branches of business in the city. The gamblers had the best buildings in the busiest streets, paid the largest rents, and had the most customers.
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Their halls on a level with the street were crowded with people from dark till late in the night. Every- thing was done to make these halls attractive. They were brilliantly lighted, fine orchestras or companies of vocalists furnished music, and elegant pictures adorned the walls. On one side was a bar where liquor could be had, but the main business was done at the green tables rented to gamblers. And there they sat with their gambling implements so long as there was business or hope for it. There was usually no lack of it, for these gambling saloons were the general resort in the evening, and there could be found officials, lawyers, merchants, mechanics and hod-carriers. The professional gamblers were chiefly Americans, French and Mexicans. The first class had the faro tables, with the last monte was the favor- ite, and the Frenchman preferred rouge-et-noir and roulette. The games were such that there was no limit to the number of participants, and that nobody but the dealers should handle the cards or other im- plements. Chairs were placed round the table, and outside of the persons occupying seats stood sev- eral lines of men, interested either in betting or in watching the bets of others. Not unfrequently the dealer had an assistant, sometimes a woman of pre- possessing appearance elegantly dressed, seated on the opposite side of the table, to collect the winnings and pay the losses. The dealer usually called out be- fore dealing "make your bets, gentlemen;" after a few minutes he added, "the game is made; all down, no
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more." Then he dealt, gathered in, paid out, and went on as before. In front of the dealer was piled up a stack of gold and silver coin. Mexican doub- loons or ounces and Mexican dollars were in 1849 the bulk of the money; later the slug or fifty dollar pieces and the American half dollars occupied a large place. Not unfrequently nuggets or purses of dust were thrown upon the table, and if the owner won he stated the weight, and the gambler examined the article for a moment, and if he thought the statement correct, or nearly so, he paid over its value in coin, sometimes sacrificing something to avoid delay or prevent complaints.
Among the notable gambling houses were the El Dorado, on the south-east corner of Kearny and Washington, the Verandah on the opposite side of Washington, the Bella Union, on the other corner, the California Exchange, on the north-eastern corner of Clay and Kearny, the Arcade, the Casino, and the Polka on Clay and Commercial streets.
At one time a dozen large houses were occupied, and each had from five to fifteen tables, with nearly a hundred tables in all, and the coin displayed was sometimes more than ten thousand dollars to a table, the attraction increasing with the amount exhibited. An adventurer would frequently pass a table with a small stock of money, saying there was not so much as he would win if the luck turned in his favor.
SEC. 113. Walker in Nicaragua. Walker's thirst for filibuster glory was not satisfied by his campaign
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in Lower California. His reputation for courage, and his ability to command the services of men worthy of such a leader, brought an invitation to him from the defeated rebels in Nicaragua. That country had been devastated by a civil war between two hostile races, the Spaniards on one side, and the Indians on the other, the former having their chief strength in the city of Grenada, the latter at Leon. The Grenadinos having triumphed, the Leoneses, willing to sacrifice their country rather than submit to enemies of their own nationality, appealed to Walker. The oppor- tunity of obtaining power in any portion of Spanish- America was welcome to him, so he collected sixty desperate followers, left San Francisco, landed in Nic- aragua, and with the help of the Leoneses soon scat- tered the Grenadino troops and reached a position in which, with prudence and patience, he could have be- come the virtual ruler of all Central America. But prudence and patience were not among his qualities. He did not know how to pacify the hostile, nor even to confirm the friendly in their favorable dispositions. He would neither regard rights nor conciliate preju- dices, if he thought he could attain his end by over- riding them, and he greatly overestimated his own capacity. Thus it was that soon after conquering the Spanish party, and while the Indians were willing to concede to him the substance, though for their own safety they could not surrender the show of power, he defied them, assumed dictatorial power, and treated disobedience to his orders as treason, to be punished
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with death. Not content with offending the people by turning upon his benefactors and excluding the natives of the country from the highest offices, he un- dertook to change its institutions, and abrogate the laws prohibiting slavery.
Vanderbilt controlled the Nicaragua steamer line connecting New York with San Francisco, and though he carried recruits and supplies to Walker gratuitously or cheaply, he did not comply with all the demands of the arch-filibuster who then ordered a sale of the transit franchise across Nicaragua; and C. K. Gar- rison, who had been Vanderbilt's agent, became the purchaser. The Leoneses and Grenadinos were now united against him, and Colonel Cauty, an English- man, another agent of Vanderbilt, managed, at the head of a Costa Rica army, to sieze the steamer on the lake, thus broke up the transit business, and deprived Walker of a large part of the revenue and of the hope of re-enforcements.
Through nearly two years of bloodshed and confu- sion Walker ruled like a stolid madman, till he was compelled by native victories to escape by surrender- ing himself to United States officers, who took him back to their country, whence he returned after six months, but was captured by an American naval ves- sel and taken again to New Orleans. He ventured to Central America once more as a filibuster, and landed in Honduras where he was shot in September, 1860.
SEC. 114. 1856. The general business depression which began two years before continued through 1856.
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The general conviction rising in the public mind, that the state had wonderful agricultural and horticultural resources, the great areas of unoccupied federal land, the final settlement of the titles of many of the large Mexican grants, and the high wages, led to a demand for immigration, and meetings were held to devise means for constructing a good wagon road over the Sierra Nevada, thus removing one of the chief obsta- cles to the journey overland. Several years later the road was completed from Placerville to Genoa in time to render great service to the development of the Com- stock lode. The merchants had, in 1854, reduced the current value of francs from twenty-five to twenty cents; in 1855 they refused to accept the octagonal fifty dollar piece or slugs, coined by Moffatt & Co., and in the year of 1856 they rejected the eagles, double eagles and half eagles of private coinage, thus restrict- ing themselves to gold and silver from the American mints. Although under ordinary circumstances the coinage of money without government authority is treated as a crime, yet the demands of business in Cal- ifornia were so imperious that millions of dollars, not in imitation of the mint stamps, however, were coined without secrecy by citizens in San Francisco, circu- lated with the favor of leading business men and ac- cepted by everybody at par. The material was gold, usually mixed with about twelve per cent. of silver, and without copper; and as each piece contained as much gold as one of an equal denomination issued by the government, and had the silver besides, it would sell for more in the European market.
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Something of the improvement in the city admin- istration observable after this year, is to be credited to the adoption of the consolidation act, or new city charter, which created the county of San Mateo out of what had previously been the southern part of the county of San Francisco, and organized the city and county of San Francisco as it now exists. There had formerly been a county government and a city gov- ernment, making much unnecessary expense, and giv- ing many opportunities for political fraud. The aver- age annual expenditure of the city government for seven years from 1849 to 1856 was two million dol- lars; and for the next seven years only six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, justifying the inference that one million three hundred and fifty thousand dollars had been wasted or stolen every year before the time of the vigilance committee.
SEC. 115. Political Corruption. The American political system had in 1855 reached a greater depth of corruption in San Francisco than in any other part of the United States. The people were new-comers, not long acquainted with their leading men, and their officials were selected at random. The profits of mer- cantile business and mechanical labor far exceeded the salaries of most of the government offices, which, be- sides, were as a class beyond the reach of men who would not bribe conventions and descend to low associations. The sudden and complete formation of the American government of California was not more wonderful than was the organization of the spoils sys-
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tem of party management in San Francisco, under the lead of men who had received the highest education in political corruption before they left New York, which city furnished about one sixth of the population of the Californian metropolis, including a majority of those who controlled the dominant faction of the dom- inant party. All the arts founded or perfected by Tammany Hall or the Albany Regency for defrauding the people out of a fair choice in the nomination of candidates or the election of officials were practised by master hands in San Francisco. Party conventions, as expressions of public opinion, became a farce. The vilest ruffians were publicly employed by prominent politicians with instructions that they must carry such and such wards. When election day approached, as- sociations were publicly formed for the purpose of selling their votes to the highest bidders. Gangs of men marched or went in wagons from one precinct to another, voting in every ward. There were several voting places where the ballot box was in charge of men ready to take out the genuine ballots, in case of need, and substitute others; and some of the boxes had false sides, in which the fraudulent tickets were hid- den in advance.
Most of the policemen were appointed to reward partisan service, and were grossly inefficient and cor- rupt. They could be trusted for untiring labor in elections, but little was to be expected from them in the matter of arresting criminals who had money or influence. Some of the judges were honest, but the
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laws were full of technicalities for the benefit of the guilty, and the executive officers whose duty it was to collect evidence against criminals neglected their duty. In fact, some of the boldest and most danger- ous criminals in California were themselves officials. A thousand homicides had been committed in the city between 1849 and 1856; and there had been only seven executions. The crimes upon the ballot-box, the corruptions of the public service, the prominence of notorious ruffians and their patrons in city offices, the forgeries of Meiggs, and the failure of the courts to administer criminal justice promptly, or to clearly fix the blame for the failure of Adams & Co., upon some individual, had tried the patience and provoked the indignation of the people, until there was a gen- eral desperation. The opinion prevailed that it was impossible to correct these political crimes in accord- ance with law; the only remedy was to be reached by a disregard of the law.
SEC. 116. Murder of King. While popular feeling was thus excited, at least among the more respectable classes of society, the " Bulletin" made its appearance and devoted its bitter energies to the denunciation of the crimes and criminals that had given most offense. Many of its attacks upon individuals were not sus- tained by any proof, or even plausible testimony, and others were unjust and even inexcusable; but these mistakes were overlooked by the people generally for the sake of the good motives attributed to Mr. King, the editor; and he was regarded, if not by the ma-
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jority, at least by a considerable portion of the com- munity, as the man who should lead to a purification in the management of public business. No editor had before or has since in California reached so exalted a position as a hero in popular estimation.
Such were the circumstances when on Tuesday, May 14, 1856, he mentioned in his journal the fact that James P. Casey (who recently, while inspector of election in the Twelfth ward, at a time when he was not known as a candidate for office, had stuffed tickets with his own name on them as a supervisor into the ballot-box and then declared himself elected,) was a graduate of the New York state prison at Sing Sing. This statement was true; but Casey, who, though he had committed many breaches of the peace at San Francisco without subjecting himself to any punish- ment, thought he could safely wash out the exposure of his convict character with blood. The " Bulletin" containing the offensive article was published about three P. M., and two hours later, King on his way home was stopped at the corner of Montgomery and Washington streets by Casey, who when about fifteen steps distant, called out to him "Draw and defend yourself;" and a second later, before King could draw his pistol, fired. The bullet struck him in the left breast, passed through his lung, and came out under his shoulder blade. He staggered into an office near by, and sank helpless. The wound was evidently dangerous, and whether it was to be fatal or not, there was no doubt of Casey's murderous intent.
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The news that the popular editor had been shot spread through the city in half an hour, and at six o'clock the sheriff was afraid that the angry multitude collected around the jail, to which Casey had been hurried for safety by his friends, would take him out by force. The mayor vainly harangued them in favor of law and order. They hooted him, and remained there till a late hour of the night waiting for a leader, but none came.
SEC. 117. Vigilance Committee of 1856. The en- emies of the prevalent political corruption, including many who had no special admiration for Mr. King, saw the opportunity in the popular excitement, to correct some of the abuses of the government. The recollec- tion of the vigilance committee of 1851 was still fresh in the minds of many who had participated in it, and its reputation was good with those who had come to the city since. Its method of procedure was a pre- cedent; its members were solicited to become the leaders in a new organization. All the men of the city were in the street that evening, and there was a general demand for a vigilance committee.
About nine o'clock notice was circulated that a meeting would be held in Cunningham's warehouse on Battery street, near Union, for the purpose of forming a committee. After several hundred persons had col- lected an attempt was made to organize, but some of the most active persons were looked upon with suspi- cion, and there was no cordial support of any proposal. Many of those present moved off into another room
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and they, too, failed to agree upon and plan of action. Other later efforts had similar abortive results, and finally they separated without doing anything.
The next morning notice was published that there would be a meeting at a house on Sacramento street, below Battery. The place had been occupied for a Know-nothing lodge, was spacious and had double doors with wickets, well fitted for holding secret meet- ings. Door-keepers excluded all who were not vouched for by the few who engaged the hall, and these few were mostly ex-members of the committee of 1851. So soon as the people learned the character of the movement there was a great rush for admission, but much caution was used and they got in slowly. Some of the prominent business men made a little gathering and discussed the method of organization. Sugges- tions that an oath should be taken, that every member should sign his name, and that he should be known by the number in the order of his signature were favorably received. A book was obtained, an oath written in it, and a clerk placed in charge of the rec- ord. There had been an executive committee five years before, and W. T. Coleman, one of its active members, a ready talker, a good worker, and a popular man, was urged to become one of the new executive committee. Finding that his excuses were not accept- ed, and that his efforts to put others before him were overruled, he yielded, and then asked a dozen or more of the merchants near him, one by one, whether they would serve with him. They said "yes," and thus
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was formed the nucleus of the executive committee. Afterwards they elected about a score of others, some of them being chosen to represent certain nationalities and occupations, so as to command the support and confidence of the people generally. The executive committee had full control, originated every order, and decided every question. The members were not chosen by the body which they governed; their names were not submitted to it for approval. The power appeared to be thrust into their hands, and after the start had been made neither they nor the multitude objected, though if the duration of the work, and the expense, which far exceeded expectation, could have been fore- seen, the organization would doubtless have been made in a different manner. Some of the executive com- mittee were indiscreet, and others inefficient, but the result proved that it had a large preponderance of pru- dence and administrative capacity. Isaac Bluxome, who had been secretary of the executive committee in the first organization, had the same position in the second. In many ways the experience of 1851 was made available in 1856.
SEC. 118. Swift Organization. So many members were received on the first day that no room in the building on Sacramento street could hold those who wanted to stay there, and the place of assemblage was transferred to the large hall of the Turn-verein building on Bush street near Powell. This place was filling up in the evening when the president of the executive committee gave notice that all the
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members numbered from one to one hundred inclusive would form a military company, and should meet in a designated corner of the hall and elect their officers, subject to approval by the executive committee; while those numbered from one hundred and one to two hundred should meet in another corner and form another company, and so on. The French, however, who were numerous, and were scattered irregularly, as to their numbers, among the others, and were ordered to organize separate companies, because few of them could speak English.
This distribution of the members into military com- panies gave occupation to all, as the arming and drilling began immediately; and partially relieved the executive committee from questions and advice. The executive committee distributed its work among sub-committees. Great zeal was shown by the offi- cials generally, and with marvelous rapidity three thousand men were armed, drilled and established in armories, while arrangements were made at the same time for covering a large expense, and meeting many contingencies of political or other character. Several of the militia companies in the city dis- banded because they were unwilling to be called into service against the committee, which they then joined, taking their muskets with them; and arms were ob- tained from various sources, so that there was soon a good supply. On the second day several companies under arms were stationed in the streets near head- quarters to prevent any interruption of the proceed-
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ings. There was a general suspension of business, so that citizens could attend to what they considered the most pressing duty. They devoted themselves to it, and in three days had got into good working order.
SEC. 119. Execution of Casey and Cora. The first meeting had been held on Wednesday, and on Satur- day the executive committee instructed a sub-commit- tee to make arrangements for taking Casey from the jail the next day. Twenty-four companies were called to assemble at nine o'clock on Sunday morning at their respective armories in different parts of the city; and then further orders were delivered to each cap- tain to march to a certain position on Broadway, near Dupont. No information had been given to the pub- lic, nor to the captains, beyond the brief note sent to each, but it was well understood that when the vig- ilance committee moved something serious was to be expected. The streets bristled with bayonets; mili- tary companies marched without music, noise or con- fusion to their designated stations; and citizens, not members of the organization, filled the streets and covered the hills near the jail to watch the proceed- ings. An artillery company with a brass cannon halted in front of the jail and turned the gun upon it. When all the military arrangements had been made, two vigilance officials went to the door and informed Sheriff Scannell that they had come to take Mr. Casey. They were told that no resistance would be made. Casey begged permission to speak ten minutes before he should be hanged, his expectation being evi-
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