USA > California > Amador County > History of Amador County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 16
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The first officers were William Fowle Smith, County Judge; John Hanson, Sheriff; Colonel Collyer, County Clerk; A. B. Mudge, Treasurer; H. A. Carter, Prose- cuting Attorney. Pleasant Valley, better known as Double Springs, was designated as the county seat. The courts were held in a long tent, eight or ten feet wide, imported from China. The first Grand Jury held its sessions under a big tree. According to all accounts, justice was anything but a blind god- dess. Very contradictory reports are current in regard to the characters of the officers. "Fowle Smith," an Eastern man, was represented by some as a miserable concentration of all meanness that was supposed to characterize that kind of men; stinginess, cowardice, and "all that sort of thing." Others say that he was honest, and would not countenance Colonel Collyer's peceadillos, hence, their mutual dislike. He has since taken to preaching, and is said to be eausing great revivals in some of the Eastern States.
Colonel Collyer, according to the same authority, was a southern man, with southern virtues in excess; pompous, portly, genial, brave, and reckless, with a habit of calling everybody, who crossed his will, a
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d --- d son of a -, and threatening to cut his heart out; a treatment he had applied to Judge Smith, until the latter was seriously afraid the Colonel was in earnest. Among the peculiarities of Collyer, was the pocketing of all fees received in his official capac- ity, leaving Judge Smith to collect his salary, or extras, as he might. Collyer is said to have natural- ized sixty foreigners in one day, charging them onc ounce each, all of which he applied to his own benefit. Mudge may be described in a few words, as putting all the money received into his own pocket, and decamping when it became too heavy to carry around. John Hanson, Sheriff, now engaged in - business in San Francisco, was a native of Maine, and, probably by attending strictly to his business, made no extraordinary history. The same may be said of H. A. Carter, the Prosecuting Attorney, a native of New York. He now resides in Ione valley.
CHANGE OF COUNTY SEAT.
According to the laws of the sessions of the Leg- islature of 1849-50, whenever a majority of the voters of any county petitioned for an election fixing the county seat, the Judge might order an election on thirty days' notice. In accordance with this pro- vision an election was held in 1850, the two contest- ing places being Jackson and Mokelumne Hill. When the first count or estimate was made up, Mokelumne Hill was said to have been the successful town, and a team was sent to Double Springs to remove the archives ; but a subsequent count by Judge Smith made Jackson the county seat. Smith was openly charged with fraud in the second counting. The whole affair was probably as near a farce as elections ever get to be. The manner of changing the archives from Double Springs will be more fully set forth in the township history of Jackson. The seat of jus- tice remained at Jackson until 1852, when it was transferred by election to Mokelumne Hill. The general vote in 1851 was: Democratic, 1,780; Whig, 1,207.
County officers, 1852: Sam. Booker, Distriet At- torney; A. Laforge, Treasurer; Jo. Douglass, County Clerk; Ben. Marshall, Sheriff; C. Creaner, Distriet Judge.
1852-Pierce, 2,848; Scott, 2,200.
1853-The officers of Calaveras county were : Treasurer, A. Laforge; County Clerk, Jo. Douglass; Sheriff, Ben Marshall; Prosecuting Attorney, Wm. Higby; County Judge, Henry Eno.
Members of the Legislature: Senators- E. D. Sawyer, Charles Leake. Assemblymen-A. J. Houghtaling, Martin Rowen, W. C. Pratt, C. Daniels vice Carson, deceased.
The vote for Governor was: John Bigler (Demo- erat) 2,545; William Waldo (Whig) 2,212.
JOAQUIN'S CAREER IN AMADOR.
This renowned bandit commenced his career in this county. His exploits are notorious, and like all events of that kind, are multiplied and exaggerated
until the clearest sight can no longer distinguish the true from the fabulous. Whether he was induced to commence a carcer of murder and robbery on account of being flogged at Jamison's ranch, will always remain an uncertainty. His first operations were to mount himself and party with the best horses in the country. Judge Carter, in 1852, had a valuable and favorite horse which for safety and frequent use was usually kept staked a short distance from the house. One morning the horse was missing. Cochran, a partner in the farming business, started in pursuit of the horse and thief. The horse was easily tracked, as in expectation of something of this kind the toe corks on the shoes had been put on on a line with the road instead of across it. The track led Cochran across Dry creek, across the plains and thence toward the mines several miles, where the rider seemed accompanied by several other horsemen. Coming to a public house kept by one Clark, he saw the horse with several others, hitched at the door. Going in he inquired for the party who rode his horse, saying that it had been stolen. He was told he was a Mex- ican, and was then at dinner with several others. Clark, who was a powerful and daring man, offered to arrest him, and suiting the action to the word, entered the dining-room in company with Cochran, and, placing his hand on Joaquin's shoulder-for it was he-said: "You are my prisoncr." "I think not," said Joaquin; at the same time shooting Clark through the head, who fell dead. A general fusil- lade ensued, in which one of the Mexicans was shot by the cook, who took part in the affair, Cochran receiving a slight wound. The Mexicans mounted their horses and escaped, leaving Carter's horse hitched to the fence.
VISIT TO SUTHERLAND'S RANCH.
Jack Sutherland, now residing on King's river, had, in early days, a ranch on Dry creek, below Ione, and also one near Plymouth. Soon after mov- ing to the former place, Billy Sutherland, then seventeen or eighteen, who had charge of the place in the absence of his father, sold a band of cattle for several thousand dollars in gold. After the pur- chasers had gone with their property, he took a notion to count the money again, before putting it away in the safe, which, in this instance, was a hole in a log, and emptied the sack on the table. While piling it up in hundreds and thousands, a shadow darkened the door. Looking up, who should he see but Joaquin, the famous bandit. To say that he was not afraid would be incredible, for Joaquin usually traveled with a band, which, probably was not far off; but he immediately conceived a plan to save his money and life. Resistance was out of the question; for he was alone, and no houses within miles. He politely invited Joaquin to alight, and in answer to the question whether he could stay all night with his party, replied in the affirmative. Joaquin called to his party, in Spanish, that he had found some friends, telling them to unsaddle. They
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
were fierce and sullen looking fellows, but he trusted to out-maneuver them. Ile pretended not to know his guests, and set about getting their suppers After eating, the leader asked young Sutherland if he was not afraid to stay alone with so much money in the house; and inquired what he would do if Joaquin should come around? Sutherland replied that Joaquin was a gentleman, and would not harm his friends; that he and his father were acquainted, and referred to some transactions which had oc- curred, in which his father had benefited Joaquin. " Are you Jack Sutherland's son ?" says Joaquin. "I am," says Sutherland. After some further conversation, they laid down on their saddle blan- kets, and slept until morning. At parting, Joaquin paid his bill, remarking that if any persons eoming along during the day should inquire for a party answering their description, it would be as well for him to remember nothing about their having been there. Young Sutherland thought so also.
During the latter part of October, 1852, Joaquin was prowling around the northern part of Calaveras. in the vicinity of Oleta (Fiddletown). One day, one of the Mexican women told an American that Joaquin was in the town. As it was a common thing for Mexicans to ride from one camp to another, the presence of strangers caused no remark. His name, however, was sufficient to raise a storm, and in a few minutes he was being hunted. He was dressed in the usual Spanish style, with wide-brimmed hat, serape, white drawers, and pantaloons opening up the sides. When he found he was betrayed, he jumped on a table in a gambling room, flourished a pistol around his head, said he was Joaquin, and defied the town to take him. This bravado may have been necessary to ensure his retreat, for he and his party left immediately, with half the town in pursuit. As it was, he came near being sur- rounded, and had to force his way out. "Am. Parks " had hold of his bridle, but was induced to let loose by a shot in his face, which, however, only grazed the skin. The party of three or four left, amid a shower of bullets from revolvers, none of them taking effect, except, perhaps, on the horses; either this or the party were not well mounted, for in the pursuit which took place, the footmen kept well up, some Indians, who joined in the chase, being in the advance. Joaquin took the trail to- wards Slate ereek, and. thence across Dry creek towards Lower Rancheria. Fresh men joined the pursuers at every guleh. To get rid of the Indians, the Mexicans stripped themselves first of serape, spurs, and everything that could be thrown off hastily. At the crossing of Dry ereek, a half mile below Dead Man's creek, a long-legged Missourian, with a still longer rifle, came up within forty or fifty yards, but was afraid to fire on account of that terrible revolver of Joaquin's, which never missed. The Missourian never will get out of the range of ridieule, that has been heaped on him ever since.
The Mexicans left their horses, and escaped in the thick chaparral on the divide between Rancheria and Dry creeks. That night they made their way into Lower Rancheria, accounting for their demor- alization by saying they had been chased by Indians which was truc.
CHASED BY INDIANS.
In the Winter of 1850-51 a party of four or five men, of whom A Askey, now of Jackson, was one, were hunting deer in the mountains a few miles above Voleano. Venison being worth fifty cents a pound they could afford to take some risks. One day, while following a wounded deer, Askey dis- covered a party of Indians, whom, by their dress, he judged to be Washoes, who had the reputation of being much better fighters than the California Indians. They saw him about the same time, and, com- ing up, professed to be very friendly, wanting to shake hands, which he prudently declined. A con- ference, mostly by signs, ensued, in which both par- ties agreed to pursue the deer, Askey taking one side of the hill, the Indians the other. He did not follow the deer far, but made the very best time to the eamp that his short legs would admit of. In the morning, reinforced by his companions, he made a reconnaissance in foree, and, as he expected, found that the Indians had made an effort to cut him off, the tracks in the snow showing that they had fol- lowed him until they sighted the camp. The follow- ing day an old Indian came peering about, and, by signs, intimated that the bark and wood set around the hut would keep out arrows. Suspecting him of being a spy, they thought best to detain him until morning, when he was dismissed with an application of a number ten boot to his rear that accelerated his departure.
MOKELUMNE HILL IN EARLY DAYS.
In early days Mokelumne Hill was reputed one of the liveliest places in the mines. It had the misfort- une to be settled by a heterogenous population- Yankees, Westerners, and Southerners, from the United States; and French, German, and Spanish, from Europe; and Chilenos and Mexicans. Death by violence seemed to be the rule. For seventeen suc- cessive weeks, aeeording to Dr. Soher, of San Fran- cisco, a man was killed between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Five men were once killed within a week. The condition of things became so desper- ate that a vigilance committee was resolved upon, which, however, did not continue in existence long. One man, who was hung for stealing, confessed, just before his death, to having committed eight mur- ders between Mokelumne Hill and Sonora. He was a Mexican, of powerful physique and desperate character. Shooting was resorted to on the most trivial occasions. Two strangers sat quietly taking a dinner at a restaurant, and talking with each other. A gambler seated near, fancying that he heard his name mentioned, drew his revolver and shot one
EUREKA JONES' STATION
LITH BRITTON & REY, S.F.
· EUREKA · JONES STATION . RESIDENCE& BUSINESS PLACE OF W.C.JONES. IONE. JACKSON ROAD. AMADOR COUNTY. CAL.
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man dead. The conversation proved to be about mining matters which did not concern the gambler. . A year after, to a day, the surviving man, who was talking with the person slain, had occasion to pass through the town, and remembering the former shooting of his partner, concluded not to stop, but a roysterer saw him, and disliking something in his appearance, drew a bead on him and fired; the aim was spoiled by some onc throwing up the pistol at the moment of the explosion. The stranger thought it a curious country; his partner was killed a year before for some harmless talk; he was shot at while quietly passing along the streets.
THE MINES.
The gulches around the hill were very rich, and in the Winter of 1850-51 the leads were traced into the hills. The yield was enormous, even fabulous. The hill is supposed to be a continuation of the same wash that made Tunnel Hill rich.
THE FRENCH WAR.
A party of Frenchmen opened a hole in the rich- est part of the hill. Some Americans mining near them conceived the plan of driving them out, on the score of their not being citizens. The Frenchmen resisted, and the Americans raised the cry that the French had hoisted a French flag and defied the Government, and called on everybody to arm and drive them out. One Blankenship was foremost in the matter. The Frenchmen lost their claim. Dur- ing the time of the difficulty, hundreds of persons jumped into the hole, which was about fifty feet square, and carried away dirt which would pay from fifty to one hundred dollars per sack. The Frenchmen had camped in the hole, cooking, eating, and sleeping there, to prevent other parties stealing the dirt or jumping the claim. Though the people generally united to drive the original holders out, none can now be found to justify the expulsion, which is now looked upon as a downright robbery.
STAGING-GREEN AND VOGAN'S LINES.
Charles Green and John Vogan commenced the business in 1853, running from Jackson, through Drytown, to Sacramento in one day. The line prov- ing profitable, it was extended through Mokelumne Hill to Sonora, making the whole distance in one day, through fare being twenty dollars. The cost of stocking a line was enormous. None of the horses cost less than three hundred dollars each, and some of them twice that. Concord wagons cost from six hundred to one thousand dollars, and Troy coaches twenty-five hundred to three thousand dol- lars. A good driver was worth one hundred and fifty dollars per month; hostlers one hundred dol- lars. Hay and barley were also high, sometimes one hundred dollars per ton. Notwithstanding these expenses, the line was profitable, the coaches generally being loaded to their utmost capacity. Staging then and now were quite different affairs.
Then there were no roads, the coaches following the trails, or zigzaging around the dust-holes in Sum- mer, and mud-holes in Winter. There were no bridges, and sometimes driver and horses were lost. During the Summer season the trip was rather pleasant, but when the coach stuck in a raging stream of water four or five feet deep, the situation made a timid man pray and a wicked one swear. The highwaymen occasionally levied tribute on the passengers, who, though armed, would find them- selves unexpectedly confronted with a pistol in such close proximity that it was useless to resist. The line was afterwards consolidated with the California Stage Company, which proved to be a losing con- cern.
MYSTERIOUS SICKNESS.
In early days N. W. Spaulding, since Mayor of Oakland, and Judge Thompson, of Mokelumne Hill, now a resident of San Francisco, were living in the same cabin, and both had a kind of rash or breaking out on the skin, which was very annoying, causing an intolerable itching. Dr. Soher, an eminent physician, was consulted in the matter. He said it was pro- duced by a feverish condition of the blood, induced by a change from the cool air on an ocean voyage to the dry atmosphere of California, and recommended laxative medicines, which they took for several weeks without any beneficial effects. The matter became rather serious. A closer inspection revealed the cause of the sickness to be an army of grey- backs, who had taken up all the available ground on their bodies, and were doing their best to work it out, their operations being, happily, on the surface, however, tunnel mining not having been discovered. The clothing and cabin, even, were swarming with the vermin. A three days' campaign with boiling water, supplemented with little unguentim, expelled the trespassers. The matter was considered too disgraceful to speak of publicly, and they paid the doctor's bill, sixty-five dollars each, without grumbling. Thirty years' silence over so good a thing having become painful, mutual threats of exposure brought out the story at a recent meeting of the San Francisco Pioneer Society, amid shouts of laughter. They were not the first or last persons thoroughly astonished at the unexpected presence of grey-backs in overwhelming numbers.
ADVENTURE WITH A GRIZZLY NEAR VOLCANO.
A genuine grizzly was discovered in a ravine a mile or two from town, and a valiant party, armed with axes, knives, pistols, and a few guns, started after him. When the huge fellow, curious to see what all the fuss was about, raised himself up on his quarters to look around, all wisely ran but one man, who had faith in his rifle, which carried a ball about as large as a pea. He fired and hit the bear, only to enrage him however, for the ball hardly more than stung him. He soon came up with the man, caught his head in his mouth, tearing off
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
nearly the whole scalp, and otherwise lacerating the man, who surrendered at discretion, leaving the bear to make his own terms. By remaining entirely passive, the man induced his bearship, Ursa, the ter- rible. to suspend farther punishment. After the bear left, the man contrived to crawl towards his home. A short time after a party better armed pur- sued the bear and killed him. Curious to see what effect the pea rifle had on the bear, they examined his hide, and found that the ball penctrated it and lodged against the shoulder-blade, without injuring the animal at all. The bear was a monster. When loaded into an ordinary wagon-bed, eleven feet long, his legs stuck ont behind fully three feet, making his total length not far from fourteen feet. He was poor and tough, and was not considered fit for food. When discovered he was feeding on carrion.
THE JOHNSTONS' ENCOUNTER WITHI A GRIZZLY.
This occurred near the El Dorado county line. The bear had been seen several times and was known to frequent a patch of thick chaparral. A party of ten or twelve persons, among whom were the John- stons, Jim and Jaek, started out to find him. They succeeded in getting a fatal shot at his majesty the bear, which contrary to all expectation, retreated into the thick brush. From the amount of blood along his trail they judged that he was too severely wounded to be dangerous, and they imprudently fol- lowed him. The infuriated animal charged upon the Johnstons, who were foremost, and brought one of them to the ground, his gun during the eneounter being thrown out of reach. The other fired when the opportunity presented itself to do so without endan- gering his brother's life, again wounding the bear, which left the first one to pursue the other. It does not seem that they succeeded in loading again, but each endeavored to draw the bear away from the other by pounding him over the head with the gun, when the animal would get the other down and com- mence again gnawing and lacerating his arms, head and body. It was a desperate fight now to get away. The balance of the party had deserted them at the first sight of the animal, when he made his charge, leaving the two to their fate. Jack's arms were now so useless from the repeated crushings, that he could no longer raise the gun to strike the bear, but still intent to get his brother away, he pushed his shoulder against the animal, which would leave the other for a moment. The creature was a monster in size, his back being nearly on a level with Jack's shoulder. The struggle seemed hopeless, but at the last moment the bear, becoming exhausted or sub- dued by the severe wounds, gave a kind of snarl and again beat a retreat. One of the men was now utterly helpless and the other one not much better; he however, succeeded in dragging his brother out of the brush to the open ground. He was taken away in a wagon and cared for, and recovered after several months. The crippled hand and arm, and terrible
scars all over his person, attest the severity of the contest. After their recovery they revisited the place. They found the skeleton of the bear, which was of unheard-of dimensions. The stories of bears weighing fifteen hundred pounds, to those who have seen only the bears of two or three hundred pounds weight, which frequent the mountains of the Eastern States, secm utterly absurd. Making allowance for the exaggeration natural under some circumstances, there can be no doubt of their occasionally reaching to a monstrous size, perhaps weighing seventeen or eighteen hundred pounds.
KILLING A GRIZZLY.
In 1850 grizzlies were oceasionally met with, and they hardly ever gave the road, though not apt to attack man unless provoked. It was Mr. Spaulding's good fortune to have one of the most thrilling adventures with one, that is recorded. At that time he was in charge of a saw-mill and had occasion to visit Mokelumne Hill late in the day. The trail led through a deep, shadowy glen which the animals sometimes visited, trampling down the brush and leav- ing tracks twice as large as a Hoosier's, As a mat- ter of prudence he took his rifle promising himself to " fight it out on that line" if he met one. The day- light trip was well enough, no " bars " putting in an appearance, but on his return after night-fall, as he descended into the cool, shadowy part of the glen, he heard the ominous craeking of the brush, and the sound of footfalls along the trail, Nearer and nearer came the animal that was never known to give the road. To turn back was contrary to our hero's prin- ciples. Pierpont's
"Stand ! The ground's your own, my braves. Will ye give it up to slaves ? Look ye for greener graves ?"
From the old school reader, flashed through his mind, and he stood! With gun cocked and hair on end, he waited the onset. As the outline of the animal came dimly into view he took as good aim as possible and fired. An unearthly growling was succeeded by the . monster's tumbling, rolling, and tearing down the trail to the bottom of the deep ravine. It was evi- dent the animal was severely wounded, and like all grizzlies, would be then most dangerous, even if the wound was mortal. To go down into the dark and thiek woods and fight the grizzly alone, would be dangerons, perhaps fatal to him, for had not the grizzly proved a match for many men even when fatally wounded ? Life was bright before him; hopes of meeting-well, no matter whom, and renewing the tender relations; hopes of wealth, of political success, of honor-were not these worth more than the chance of killing a grizzly ? He went back on the trail, and making a wide cireuit, reached the camp at a late hour, exhausted with the excitement and his long walk. After hearing his adventures the men made up a company to visit the ravine the next
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morning and finish the monster. All the guns were heavily loaded, and plans laid for approaching the animal with the least danger. The most vulnerable parts of the grizzly were duly diseussed, some eon- tending for an eye shot, others a side shot, at the heart, ete. Cautiously they deseended into the deep ravine, avoiding elumps of trees or chaparral. At the bottom they found signs of the eonfliet-blood and broken brush. One, bolder than the rest, fol- lowed the trail, and-a great roar of laughter, with " Darned if it aint Dr. Herschner's old jaekass," changed the sentiment of the party. The poor, patient old fellow had paeked many a load of grub to the miners, and would, when relieved of his burden, return home alone, but he had made his last trip. Forty dollars paid for the animal, but many forties would not pay for the liquors and eigars at Spaulding's expense; and the end is not yet, for a mention of hunt- ing grizzlies will still bring out the best in the house.
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