An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 26

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California. Containing a history of Los Angeles County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 26

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Myron Norton, as good and generous a soul as ever sailed in search of the Golden Fleece, was a New Yorker, a graduate of Harvard. The day after his graduation he joined the army , went to Mexico, served on Scott's line, was present at the fall of the City of Mexico, pro- cured his discharge and returned to New York in time to join the Stevenson California regi- ment, and came here with it. He was chair- man of the judiciary committee of the first Constitutional Convention of this State, was judge of the Superior Court of San Francisco, and in 1855 was judge of Los Angeles County. The same year he was the Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court bench, but this being the Know-Nothing off year, Norton was de-

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feated. This ended his political career. Ile died here in 1887.

General Ezra Drown came from Iowa in 1853. In that State he had been Brigadier-General of Militia. He with his wife and two children were passengers on the ill-fated steamer Inde- pendence, which was burned off the coast of Lower California in the summer of 1853 The General was a cool, brave man, and a good swimmer. He placed his wife on a hen-coop and cantioned her to keep cool and wait his re- turn. He swam ashore with the two children. He then swam off to the reseue of his wife. When in full view, a human wreteh pushed the poor woman off her frail bark, and she sank to rise no more, when almost within reach of the saving hand of her husband. The heart-broken man came to Los Angeles with his two children, one of whom now resides here, the honored son of a noble sire. Drown was a scholarly, able and most eloquent advocate. His only fault was his too great generosity. Ile died here in the 60's.

HON. ROBERT MACLAY WIDNEY, LL. D., President of the University Bank of Los An- geles, one of the men of mark who have planned and laid the foundation of the present prosperity and future grandeur of Southern California, is an Ohioan by birth, but in all that pertains to his active life, public and private-so fruitful in great achievements -- and in patriotie loyalty, he is a Californian. He was born in Piqua, Miami County, Ohio, December 23, 1838, and there passed his childhood and early youth, eu- joying such meager educational advantages as three months' attendance a year in the district school afforded. At the age of sixteen the ex- panding spirit of the ambitions boy refused to be longer confined within the narrow environ- ments of village life; and, bidding good-bye to the native roof-tree, he started to seek for knowledge and fortune in the great wild West. Two years were spent in exploring the wonders and mysteries of the Rocky Mountains, after which, in 1857, the young wanderer came to the Pacific Coast, reaching the Sacramento Valley with $1.60 in his pocket. Stopping near Marys-

ville for a time, he replenished his exchecquer by ehopping cordwood at $1.50 per eord. Pro- ceeding thence to San José, he entered the Uni- versity of the Pacific in 1858; and, defraying the expenses of living and his college course by teaching and other labor, he graduated with the honors in the class of 1863. As an indication of his proficiency in scholarship, Mr. Widney was immediately elected to a professorship in the University, and filled the chairs of mathe- matics, geology and mineralogy for two years. Then, declaring his intention to resign, the board of trustees offered hin a life professorship and a choice of chairs in the institution, if he would remain, and as soon as practicable to re- duce his labors to half-time on full salary. The board further proposed that, if he would accept a chair of natural science, he should have a year for travel and research in Europe. But, having marked ont a course for himself outside of the traveled educational grooves, in which he could work without being hampered by the dictation of others, he preferred to carry out his own ideal and tendered his resignation. During the last year of his stay in the University Prof. Widney devoted his spare time to the study of law, and soon after resigning completed his course of reading and was admitted to the bar. The years 1866 and 1867 he spent in Nevada in geological and mineralogical investigations. Deciding to east his lot in Southern California, he arrived in Los Angeles in 1868, with about $100 in his pocket and the rest of his worldly possessions in a small trunk. The "Angel City" was then a crude country town, composed almost entirely of one-story adobe buildings, clustered about the plaza, with streets nupaved and ungraded. With the keen discernment of the born business inan Mr. Widney compre- hended the situation; the soft Italian climate, the cuehanting beauty and the marvelous fertil- ity of the surrounding country, only needing development to make this one of the most pro- dnetive, richest and most desirable countries in the world; and saw the great advantages which would accrue to the State of his adoption by ac-

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quainting the outside world with the attractions peculiar to Southern California. Opening a real-estate office in connection with his law office-the first in the city-he purchased print- ing material and started a weekly paper entitled the Los Angeles Real-Estate Advertiser, the columns of which were devoted to his own ad- vertising,and to the discussion of the climate, soil, development and resources of this part of the Golden State. It was distributed free by carrier to the guests of the hotels and elsewhere. He devoted mnchi study to a proper system of railways to center in and radiate from Los An- geles. He also made in 1869 plans and speci- fications for the improvement of San Pedro Har- bor, which were sent to Hon. P. Banning and Hon. B. D. Wilson in the State Senate. These plans were submitted by these Senators to Gen- eral Alexander, and the plans and the Harbor were examined by him and the improvement re- ported feasible. The Legislature passed a joint resolution praying the United States Govern- ment that they be carried into execution. In 1872 the Southern Pacific Railroad Company offered to construct its main terminal trunk line through Los Angeles in consideration of a sub- sidy. A San Diego Company also offered for the same subsidy to construct a line from Los Angeles to San Diego. The matter was snb- mitted to a vote of the people, and a liot cam- paign followed. The San Diego Company employed several of the ablest attorneys in Los Angeles City to stump the county for that com- pany, and so energetically was this done that the popular tide was almost unanimously in favor of that proposition. Up to this time Mr. Widney had taken no public part in the matter. His friends who knew his business foresight and logical ability urged him to present the matter to the voters of the county. This he did in a pamphlet, of which several thousand were is- sued, entitled " Which subsidy shall I vote for, or shall I vote against both?" The pamphlet was a very able business and logical presenta- tion of a question. Ile showed that the taxes of the Southern Pacific Company would be suf-

ficient to pay the interest on the county bonds, which they have more than done. The pamphlet carried conviction to the voters and produced an immediate revolution in the minds of the people. The attorneys who advocated the other subsidy, admitted its arguments were unanswerable. As a result the vote was over three-fourths in favor of the subsidy to the Southern Pacific Company. The bonds were is- sued, and that corporation has more than ful- filled its promises to the people.

Mr. Widney rapidly acquired a remunerative practice and rose to prominence in his profession. In 1871 he was appointed judge of the Seven- teenth Judicial District by Governor Booth to serve the unexpired terin of Judge Morrison, deceased. Having made a remarkably fine record on the bench during the two years of his service, Judge Widney retired to resume his law practice. From the time of his graduation at the University of the Pacific, Judge Widney took a vital interest in educational matters; and during his professorship in that school noted peculiarities and defects of its methods and management, which tend to circumscribe its power and usefulness as a great institution of learning. In subsequent years he gave much thought and study to the subject, and out of it was born the conception and plan of the Uni- versity of Southern California, of which he was the original projector, and has ever been one of . its chief master-builders, who have laid the foun- dation broad and deep, according to the dimen- sions of his comprehensive design, for one of the grandest institutions of liberal learning in the world's history. Like the measureless ex- panse of the pure, ocean-kissed air and the illimitable sunshine-heaven's perpetnal bene- faction to this favored land of the Occident -- this child and parent of education, born under these genial skies, is broader in scope and more comprehensive and far-reaching in its contem- plated possibilities than the older universities of the East. It is modeled more like the great universities of Europe, with their family of col- leges, co-operative in their work and each a unit

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in the grand sum total of scholastic achievement. In another part of this volume is given more fully the history of the University of Southern California under its appropriate heading. Suf- fice it to add in this connection that Judge Widney's first movement to put this conception into tangible form was on one afternoon in May, 1879, when he invited Rev. A. M. Hongh to spend the evening at his home to listen to and consider some important matters which he- Widney-wished to present. At this meeting Judge Widney laid before Mr. Hough the pres- ent plans fully matured in whole and in detail to see if he wished to become one of the trustees. This meeting was followed by others in which IIon. E. F. Spence, Dr. J. P. Widney, Rev. M. M. Povard, D. D., and G. P. Compton were present. These persons accepted trusteeships in the proposed plan. Quickly following conn- sel and deliberation came action; and in the fall of 1880 the doors of the first frame building were opened for students, with Rev. M. M. Bovard as President of the University. The growth of the institution has been phenomenal. Six colleges are now open and engaged in edu- cational work in different centers of population in Southern California, and more are to follow as members of the great family which constitutes the University. The value of the University property has increased by successive munificent contributions to about $2,000,000, Judge Wid- ney having given lands from which will be realized $300,000, to the support of his edu- cational child. These funds of the University are so invested as to produce a permanent in- come that shall be ever increasing. In 1887 Judge Widney organized the University Bank of Los Angeles, of which he is president. About four years ago, owing to the accumulation of numerous large interests demanding his atten- tion, the Judge abandoned his law practice and gives his entire time and remarkable executive ability to the Bank of the University, and his extensive financial investments and real-estate enterprises. Among the latter are the San Fer- nando Land and Water Company, and the Hes-

peria Syndicate, whose holdings embrace 50,000 acres of choice lands in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, valned at $3,000,000. Large sums of money have been expended by these companies to bring water on to their lands and otherwise improve them for actual settle- ment and cultivation. Judge Widney is a large owner and has been the directing spirit in these enterprises.

Being an expert geologist and topographical engineer, he prepared the plans and superin- tended the construction of large reservoirs, blasting ont waterways, laying miles of great steel water mains, and other works involving difficult feats of engineering. In 1871 oc- eurred the great Chinese riots in Los Angeles. A mob of hundreds of the lowest classes of the population collected, and completely overawing the police and the sheriff's forces, broke into the Chinese quarters and proceeded to hang the Chinese wholesale. When the subject of this memoir was returning to his office-work about 8 p. M. he was first informed of the riot. Pro- ceeding to the scene he tried to rally the police force; failing in this and seeing that a general massacre ot the Chinese was planned, some fifteen having already been hanged, he called upon the bystanders to aid him in stopping the deadly work. John Lararovich and several others replied they would follow if he would lead, which he at once did. Except himself the rescuers were unarmed. The rioters were all armed with revolvers and guns, with which they boldly threatened to shoot any one who inter- fered. In quick succession Judge Widney seized each rioter, and with one hand jerked him loose from his Chinese victim and placing his cocked revolver to the rioter's face exclaimed, "Get out or I will kill you," and sent him from the scene of action. In this way each Chinaman was rescued. The rioters collected in a group and hastily consulted, and forming in line, with cocked revolvers charged down to recapture the Chinese, swearing death to any one interfering. Alone Judge Widney stoud in Spring street between this enraged

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charging mob and the fleeing Chinamen, and as the rioters came near he swept the line from right to left with his revolver,and in determined, chilling words sang out, "I will kill the first man that passes." There was no mistaking that death was in the tones and looks; the line wavered, halted, broke and fled. The riot was ended. History furnishes few instances where the cool, deliberate courage of one man broke and dispersed a riot in its mad career after it had tasted blood, as in this case. It shows the power of the human will over others when it has made its final decision to do or die. In 1876 Judge Widney was employed to defend a large number of settlers who had title to lands under the State school land act. These titles had been thrown into litigation by a recent de- cision of the Secretary of the Interior. He (Widney) at once saw that only an act of Con- gress could quiet these titles and save a score of years of litigation. He drew a bill. subse- quently known as the Booth Bill, and had it introduced into both houses of Congress. At once the land sharks spotted the bill and organ- ized to defeat it. The acting commissioner of the General Land Office at Washington resigned his position and joined the leading firm of lawyers opposing the bill. A prize amounting to mill- ions of dollars was at stake if the bill could be defeated. Judge Widney met them in argu- inent before the Senatorial and House Commit- tees on Public Lands, before the California del- egation, before the Commissioner of the Land Office, and the Secretary of the Interior, re- ceiving the unanimous support and approval of each body. The contest became bitter; the opposition prepared elaborate arguments which they printed by thousands of copies, in pam- phlet form, and placed a copy in the hands of each member of Congress. To these Judge Widney replied by pamphlet. Several replies and counter-replies followed each other in quick succession, and then the whole case was argned before the Senate and House. The opposition tried a flank movement and went before the California Land Commissioner at Sacramento,

and by ex-parte argument and showing secured the telegraphing to Congress a vigorous pro- test from the commission. The bill was considered killed. Judge Widney hastened to Sacramento and asked Governor Irwin to call the commissioners together by telegram. The Governor complied, but expressed the opinion that it would be impossible to change their position. For five consecutive hours Judge Widney argued and analyzed the case before them, making one of the ablest legal addresses ever delivered in this State, citing from memory the substance of the different acts of Congress, of the State Legislature, the various decisions of. California Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court bearing upon this class of land titles. At the close of the argument the commissioners decided they had made a mistake in opposing the bill, and telegraphed the opposition to appear before them in San Francisco the next day and be heard before they took action in the matter. The Sacramento Record- Union devoted a full page of its next issue to publishing Judge Widney's address. After hearing the question re-argued in San Francisco, the Commissioners immediately telegraphed Congress that they withdrew all opposition to the bill, and urged the passage of a still more radical bill. Seldom has such a complete orator- ical victory been wrung from such circum- stances. Judge Widney proceeded at once to Washington, and in spite of the near approach of the close of the session of Congress, the Hayes-Tilden contest before the Electoral Com- mission, the desperate fight of the opposition, and other difficulties, any one of which would have discouraged most men, he succeeded in introducing his bill out of its regular order, seenred the unanimous vote of both House and Senate, and the approving signature of Presi- dent Grant, the bill becoming a law of the United States on March 1, 1877, under the title of " An Act Relating to Indemnity School Seetions in the State of California." Judge Widney's speeches and library work on this bill are bound in serap-book form and make a vol-

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une of about 800 octavo pages. The power of his argumentative logic, which has induced the State Supreme Court in a number of instances · to reverse its decisions, and his acknowledged ability as a land lawyer, speak more than vol- umes of eulogy for Judge Widney's legal at- taiuments and skill. Ile has been a constant and able writer for the press for over twenty years; and many of his articles on Southern California have been republished extensively in the newspapers of this country, and some of them translated and published in European journals. IIis work entitled "The Plan of Creation" has received high encomiums and is a masterly theological and scientific production. The franchises for the first two street railroads built in Los Angeles were granted to Judge Widney, and the lines were constructed and put in successful operation by him in 1874. He invented and copyrighted a system of books for abstracts of titles, the right of which for the Pacific States was purchased by A. L. Bancroft & Co. The Judge has also been active in church work. The origin and completion of the Fort Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Los An- geles is largely due to his energy; and for the first six years of its existence he was super- intendent of its Sunday-school. The Hope Street Methodist Episcopal Church is chiefly dne' to his efforts, he paying nearly half the entire cost of that elegant edifice. IIis ability as an organizer and executive has re- cently been handsomely recognized by the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church selecting and appointing him-without his knowledge-one of fourteen in the United States to act as a committee to frame a consti- tution for the government of the great Quad- rennial Council of that denomination. Not- withstanding repeated offers of nomination for Congressional and lesser political honors, Judge Widney has strenuously refused to enter poli- tics, preferring to work in lines more directly beneficial to his fellow men. Ile is zealously loyal to the interests of Southern California and never falters in pushing its interests. Judge

Widney is unswerving in his devotion to his convictions of right; and in the execution of his purposes his tremendous energy, fertility of resource, and resistless will power, brush aside all obstacles. In 1888 the degree of LL. D. was conferred on Judge Widney by his alma muter, he being the only person upon whom that honor has been bestowed by the University of the Pacific. In 1868 he united in marriage with Miss Mary Barnes, a native of Illinois, who came to California in 1856. They have had five children: Mary Helen, eighteen years of age; Robert Johnston, seventeen, teller in the University Bank; Martha Frances, fifteen ; Joseph Wilson, deceased; and Arthur Barnes Widney, five years old.

JUDGE W. P. WADE, of Los Angeles City, a native of Crawfordsville, Indiana, was born January 31, 1839, and is a son of Isaac F. and Alethea (Heaton) Wade. The father is a mar- ble dealer by occupation, but now advanced in years. The mother is deceased. Judge Wade is the fourth of a family of eight children. He received a liberal education in the excellent public schools of the Hoosier State, and learned the printer's trade at Davenport, Iowa. He was evidently not satisfied with his choice of an oc- cupation and he took up the study of law in the office of Ilon. John W. Thompson, of that city. This was about the time of the opening of the Rebellion and he promptly enlisted for the defer se of the Union April 2, 1861, in the Second Regiment Iowa Infantry. Ile served fourteen months, when having received a severe wound in the battle at Fort Donelson he was honorably discharged from the service. He had become so thoroughly imbued with the vigorous and yet exquisite logic of the law that he studi- ously devoted his leisure moments while in the army to its study, enthusiastically resumed the same upon his return home and was admitted to practice by Hon. John F. Dillon, Judge of the District Court at Davenport, in 1863. He practiced his profession in that city one year and then went South, where he was connected with the United States Civil Service until 1867.

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He practiced law in Kansas City from 1867 to 1876, and then in St. Louis, Missouri, until 1880. Judge Wade is a profound student of the law and is possessed of a quick perception of the principle of justice. He is the author of various valuable legal works, and while in St. Louis he wrote his first book, "Wade on the Law of Notice; " also " Retroactive Laws." In the spring of 1880 he went to Leadville, Colorado, and there remained until August, 1884. While there he produced a small work on " American Mining Law," after which he spent a few months in San Francisco, and there bronght ont " Wade on Attachment." In October, 1885, Judge Wade came to Los Angeles and practiced his profession until called to preside over Department Three of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. As a citizen and jurist Judge Wade has the profound respect of the community, and is honored by the profession as a man of strict judicial in- tegrity. He is a gentleman of quiet demeanor and uniform courtesy. Judge Wade married in 1869, at Lawrence, Kansas, Miss Amelia, daugh ter of Alpheus Britt, of Orleans County, New York, a merchant, now deceased.

HON. WALTER VAN DYKE, Judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, was born Octo- ber 3, 1823, in Tyre, Seneca County, New York, being the third of the seven children of Martin and Irene (Brockway) Van Dyke. As indicated by the name, he is of Dutch descent, the Van Dykes being among the early settlers of New Netherlands. His father was born in New Jersey about 1790, but the family moved into New York State before his marriage. He was a farmer and died in 1837. At seventeen Mr. Van Dyke went to Madison County, New York, locating at a little town called Earlville, with his brother-in-law, where he went to a select school, and subsequently entered an academy at Clinton, Oneida County. He tanght school at intervals in that neighborhood and afterward in Wayne County, pursuing his studies in the meantime. In 1846 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and taught school for a time in the neighborhood, but later in the year

he entered the law office of S. B. & F. J. Pren- tiss, of that city, and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Ohio, in 1848. He opened an office and practiced law for a short time, when he was struck with the gold fever and became one of a company made up in May, 1849, and started for California by way of Chicago and the overland route.

On the trip he corresponded with the Cleve- land papers, his first letter being dated Chicago, June 5, 1849. In a letter from Salt Lake of October 10, he gave a remarkably close forecast of the route afterward followed by the Union Pacific Railroad, and while fully recognizing the obstacles, among others the absence of avail- able timber and the engineering difficulties, he had faith that " withi abundant capital Yankee ingenuity would overcome all obstacles." While in Salt Lake he wrote numerous letters descrip- tive of the Mormons, and remarkable for the analysis of the characteristics of that peculiar people. The series of letters gave a full and graphic description of the route followed, and showed great powers of observation and reflec- tion. It was judged to be too late in the season to pass into California by the Sierra Nevadas, and after a stay of several weeks at Salt Lake the Cleveland party joined a large train of Mis- souri traders who were going by the Southern, or old Santa Fe and Los Angeles ronte. The company was headed by two brothers who had sold out their stock of goods in Salt Lake. Be- fore they reached California it became necessary that a party should push ahead for relief, and Mr. Van Dyke was one of the twelve volunteers. Without food even these vigorous pioneers were nearly famished when they entered Southern California by the Cajon Pass. But the hospit- able rancheros had abundance of food and their most pressing wants were soon supplied. After stopping a few weeks at Los Angeles Mr. Van Dyke and others went on to San Francisco on a Government transport from San Pedro, in Janu- ary or February, 1850.

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092