USA > California > Los Angeles County > Pasadena > History of Pasadena, comprising an account of the native Indian, the early Spanish, the Mexican, the American, the colony, and the incorporated city, occupancies of the Rancho San Pasqual, and its adjacent mountains, canyons, waterfalls and other objects of interest: being a complete and comprehensive histo-cyclopedia of all matters pertaining to this region > Part 35
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* Citizens' ticket (against ordinance).
+ People's ticket (to maintain ordinance).
That night after the result was announced, a drunken mob went around yelling and howling as if pandemonium had broke loose. Old tin pans and
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
empty oil cans were pounded on, fishhorns blown, and every other device used to make a hideous racket. A mob of men and boys thus equipped, and variously estimated at 40 to 70 in numbers, went to the residence of Rev. Dr. Bresee, pastor of the M. E. church ; went into the archway between the church and parsonage, and got close up to doors and windows, yelling like savages bent on a cannibal feast ; hooting, howling, groaning; making mock prayers ; banging their pans and tooting their fishhorns. Next they went to the residence of A. F. M. Strong, president of the Young Men's Christian Association, on Herkimer street, and performed the same drunken and riotous antics there, although Mrs. Strong was lying very sick at the time. The same mob, or another just like it, went to the residence of Dr. Reid, on Mary street, with the same sort of demonstrations ; crowded into the front yard and along the walk to the back door, and added to their tin can and horn noises some banging or pounding against the house. The resi- dence of Rev. D. D. Hill, pastor of the First Congregational church, was also visited, with similar drunken mob performances.
NEWSPAPER SUSPENSION AND OTHER CHANGES.
The space of a few months along about this period was a general break- ing up time-a sort of cyclonish and earthquake tumbling of Pasadena newspaper enterprises. Some weeks before this election the Daily Union had suspended publication. A company of printers leased the material and started the Pasadena Weekly Journal -continued it nineteen weeks and then stopped. Within a day or two of this election the Daily Star printing establishment [being swamped with debts] passed into the hands of a joint stock company whose board of directors were Hon. P. M. Green, B. F. Ball, T. P. Lukens, Geo. F. Kernaghan and Prof. T. S. C. Lowe ; and Mr. Ker- naghan was put in charge as general manager. Messrs. Kernaghan, Ball and Green had each given their notes for $100 toward the Enforcement Fund,* and of course the former vicious position of the paper on this and connected matters was at once changed to fairness and decency. On May 3, three weeks after the election, the Pasadena Standard suspended publication; and a few months later the Los Angeles Tribune went down. Then on May 5, 1890, the following historic document was issued to the signers of the Enforcement Fund notes :
REASONS FOR DISBANDMENT.
By the Pasadena "Enforcement Committee, appointed August 6, 1888, at mass meeting in the Tabernacle ---
Resolved, Ist, That the objects and purposes of our appointment have been accomplished, in particulars as follows, towit :
1-In the re-enactment on September 15, 1888, of the prohibitory ordinance by the City Trustees, upon our representation that its original enact- ment had not been signed, published and certified in manner required by the State law.
* Mr. Lukens had signed a $100 note for the enactment fund, in 1887, but was away from the city when the enforcement movement was inaugarated.
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2-In the decision rendered by Judge Lucien Shaw of the Los Angeles county superior court, April 27, 1889, sustaining the validity of the ordinance, and defining its legal force and effect as to liquors sold in restaurants and other places, either with or without meals. Decision in our favor .- (Case of The People vs. John Senich).
3-In that seventeen places where illicit liquor selling was carried on have been closed by enforcement of the law since our work commenced- only four cases having ever been made previously .*
4-In that the newly elected City Trustees installed April 21, 1890, have .publicly pledged themselves to "do no official act that will permit or encourage the promiscuous sale or use of intoxicating liquors."
Resolved, 2d, That all funds at our disposal have been used in lawful manner to further the objects for which they were pledged ; and that there is now nothing remaining in our treasury.
Resolved, 3d, That in view of the foregoing facts and results, we do now disband, and cease to exist as a committee ; and that we instruct the chair- man to return all promissory notes of the "Enforcement Fund" to the makers thereof-or cancel them for signers who cannot now be found.
Pasadena, Cal., May 5, 1890.
H. A. REID, chairman, member for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
C. C. REYNOLDS, secretary, member for Friends church (proxy I. J. R.). GEO. TAYLOR, member for Baptist church.
P. G. WOOSTER, member for Universalist church.
A. F. M. STRONG, member for Y. M. C. A.
FRANK D. STEVENS, member for M. E. church.
I. B. CLAPP, member for Congregational church.
P. M. GREEN, president Ist National Bank.
G. A. SWARTWOUT (of Pasadena National Bank).
W. A. RAY, treasurer of San Gabriel Valley Bank (proxy H. A. R.). GEO. C. HUBBARD, member for Christian church.
These are all the names of the committee except the member for the Presbyterian church ; he declined to sign this paper.
During the ensuing two years no change was made in the ordinance ; yet hotels and restaurants were allowed to furnish liquors with meals, not- withstanding the adverse decision of the superior court [Judge Lucien Shaw, April 27, 1889] upon the matter ; and under cover of this lenience a semi-saloon business was done at several places, even to the extent of fur- nishing glasses of liquor to people in carriages from Los Angeles, to drink in front of a restaurant openly in the streets of Pasadena. I give this on the authority of responsible parties who saw it, and also saw other open violations of the law. Some of these parties boasted in my hearing that they had got liquor there, and could get it any time they wanted it ; " And we don't have to go behind a screen to drink it, either ! " they said. Yet others of my informants regretted the situation, but said it was useless for them to file a complaint, for they knew nothing would be done.
*Names and particulars of all the twenty-one cases here referred to were published in the Pasadena Standard of April 19, 1890. Five of the cases were against firms, thus making twenty-six persons in all ; and only two of them were still residents of Pasadena in 1894.
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
However, it seems that the city marshal tried to do a little enforcing of the law, after a five months' rest, for on September 15 and 17, 1890, he had Thos. Twaits, a colored man known as " Cheap John," in court for violating ordinance 125-but the record does not show any penalty adjudged. And there is no case again until January 3 and 5, 1891, a rest of four months, when Geo. C. Monfort is in court on a similar charge. He plead guilty, agreed to close his place or quit selling liquor there-and no penalty was imposed. Then for five months the liquor sellers had a rest again. But in June lightning struck them for the first time under the new regime; and I find in the police court records the following cases :
June 10, 1891. Charles Berry -liquor selling. Fined $100. Paid. June 9-10, 1891. Geo. B. Hogin, druggist-liquor selling. Sen- tence suspended during good behavior.
June 9-10, 1891. G. Aussen - liquor selling. Fined $100. Paid. June 9-13, 1891. Thomas Twaits-liquor selling. Fined $25. Paid.
Then a six months' rest followed, till December 8, 1891, when Frank Becker is fined $25 for liquor selling. And the next cases occur February 2, 1892, when Charles Berry is in court again for liquor selling, and depos- ited $100 bail ; but the record fails to show anything further in regard to this case. And Frank Becker is also in court again on the same charge ; he plead guilty, and sentence was suspended during good behavior.
The next step was taken by the city council on March 5, 1892, by the enactment of Ordinance No. 195, which expressly provided that prohibition "shall not apply to the sale of vinous or malt liquors at any hotel, restaurant, or boarding house, when sold with and as a part of a regular meal." From this time the records do not show any further attempt to suppress liquor selling for more than a year. The city election occurred in April, and the liquor men had it all their own way. Men were nominated who were in favor of "high license," and there was no opposition ticket put into the field. So the liquor sellers had a long rest from "persecution," and the violation of the law went on more and more boldly.
The city clerk's records of May 8, 1893, say: "Trustee Clarke called the attention of the Board to the violation of Ordinance No. 195 by the pro- prietors of most of the restaurants." Yet no action was taken upon the matter. And I find in the records again the following :
June 5, 1893. "Geo. A. Gibbs presented a petition signed by a large number of citizens, asking that Ordinance No. 195 be enforced ; also called the attention of the Board to alleged violations of said ordinance. Voted, that petition be referred back to the petitioners, with the information that the council were doing what they could to enforce the ordinance."
Then, on June 19, Ordinance No. 220 was enacted, which provided that prohibition shall not apply to sale of vinous or malt liquors "when sold with and as a part of a regular meal costing not less than twenty cents exclusive of the vinous or malt liquors, and sold and consumed between the hours of 11:30 o'clock a. m., and 1:30 p. m., or between the hours of 5:30 p. m. and 7:30 p. m."
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DIVISION THREE - BRAINS.
After the first concession was made to the liquor sellers by Ordinance No. 195, they went on disregarding and violating the law just the same as before ; and also when No. 220 was enacted they evaded or defied its restrictions. It was thus made evident that no matter whether the law was straight prohibition, or liberal concession, or restrictive regulation, this class of men would violate it, anyway. But there was a storm gathering; and lightning struck them presently from a clear sky -for I find in the police records the following cases :
July 6, 1893. George Worthen-liquor selling. Fined $250. Fine paid. August 17, 1893. Peter Steil -liquor selling. Fined $175. Fine paid. August 19, 1893. Herman Garmshausen -liquor selling. Fined $250. Fine paid. (This was the H. W. Stoll soda-water-factory case.)
In these cases some of the ablest lawyers of the city were employed to defend the outlaws. They claimed the fines were exorbitant, unprecedented, etc. But the court [J. G. Rossiter] stood firm, and the culprits had to pay or go to jail. Since that time they have not boasted so much, and have done the unlawful part of their liquor selling so secretly that probably noth- ing short of detective service could bring them to conviction again .*
One of the curious episodes in this part of Pasadena's history is the fact that Peter Steil, who had been arraigned for unlawful liquor selling oftener than any other man in the city, and had violated the law more openly and persistently than any other one, came out as an independent candidate for member of the city council at the city election in April, 1894, and received 171 votes. Peter was a democrat, and honestly believed in the theory so often put forth in his party's platforms against what they called " sumptuary legislation " ; hence he resented any law against liquor selling as an infringement on " personal liberty," and acted accordingly, in spite of the adverse rulings of the State and United States supreme courts. Apart from this error of theory and practice, he was a generous, kind-hearted, enterprising and capable man.
All city elections previous to 1894 had been what are called "non- partisan " contests, because the suppression or permission of liquor selling was the dominant issue, and upon that question both republicans and dem- ocrats were divided. However, the liquor license element within the repub- lican party were this year overborne, the " non-partisan " device was aban- doned, and a straight republican convention was held in Williams Hall on Friday evening, March 2, at which a full city ticket was nominated, and the following plank adopted in the platform :
" We are opposed to the licensing of saloons, and refuse to be a party to any act that will foster or encourage a saloon business in our midst. It is the duty of all good citizens to promote sobriety."
Of course their candidates were all elected by large majorities; but as no other feature of the election concerns this chapter, no more is given here. A table of the entire vote will be found in page 232.
*LATER .- Several cases of fiues from $100 up to $250 occurred after this search of the records was made ; but some were reheard at Los Angeles, by appeal, and were there reversed on mere technical- ities [See foot-note, page 267.]
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
DIVISION FOUR-BOOM
CHAPTER XIV.
THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATION .- Early steps and stages of Pasadena's growth as a civil jurisdiction .- Different efforts for incorporation .- Successive city hall build- ings .- Table of all city officers from date of incorporation to 1894 .- City expend- itures one year .- List of city property.
History of the City Fire Department.
CITY INCORPORATION.
The territory now comprised within the city of Pasadena was from the earliest Spanish occupation a part of the San Gabriel Mission lands. And after the church rule was broken up by the Mexican government, and the lands segregated and parceled out to individual ownership as ranchos, this land still remained within the civil jurisdiction of San Gabriel. This status also continued through the American occupation of the land as a territory and as a state, up to August, 1874, when the first civil separation from San Gabriel was made by the creation of the San Pasqual school district. This new departure was brought about by the original colonists of the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, commonly known then as the "Indiana Colony," so that they might have a school within their own borders instead of having to send their children five miles away to the old San Gabriel vil- lage, or else to Los Angeles. I. N. Mundell settled on his original colony lot in October, 1874 - and in 1875 he was appointed road overseer, being thus the actual first civil officer belonging to Pasadena. And when his time expired A. O. Bristol served next.
In 1877 A. O. Bristol was elected constable ; but he did not want the office, did not qualify, and so never actually served. And Harry Price in 1883-84 seems to have been the first Pasadena constable in real service by election.
In March, 1877, Henry G. Bennett was appointed deputy county as- sessor, and served until March, 1886-nine years. His district included San Gabriel, Alhambra, La Canyada, etc., besides Pasadena.
Pasadena was at this time dependent on Los Angeles for notarial busi- ness, till Major Erie Locke obtained a commission as Notary Public ; and his first official act was the acknowledgment of a deed from the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association to L. J. and T. J. Lockhart, of the land now known as the McGregory place -this act of his as notary being dated March 29, 1877. At the fall election that year Mr. Locke was elected one of the justices of the peace for San Gabriel township, and thus Pasadena first acquired a civil tribunal of her own. During 1878 Mr. Locke, by reason of sickness, became unable to administer the office, and Col. J. Ban-
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DIVISION FOUR - BOOM.
bury was appointed to serve out the unexpired term ; and his first official act that appears of record was the acknowledgment of a deed, on Decem- ber II, 1878. For the next term Thomas Banbury was elected. Next, R. Williams. Then in 1884 T. P. Lukens was elected justice of the peace. After a few months he resigned, and Chas. A. Gardner was appointed to fill the vacancy ; then before his time expired the city was incorporated, and he was appointed city recorder [police judge]. And thus the apostolic suc- cession of judicial honors and duties trickled along down the increment of years with virtue unabated, from old Spanish San Gabriel to new American Pasadena.
In 1879, and again in 1880, P. G. Wooster was appointed deputy sher- iff, being the first constabulary officer here. In 1885 Thomas Banbury was appointed deputy sheriff. When his term expired John R. Slater was ap- pointed, and has held the office continuously ever since.
The first formal move made toward seeking incorporation as a city was some time in January, 1884, but I found no record or printed report of its proceedings. The Valley Union of February 16, 1884, reports an "adjourned meeting" held in Williams' Hall on Saturday evening, February 2 ; the weather was stormy and few were present. Dr. O. H. Conger was appointed chairman and M. E. Emery secretary. H. W. Magee, as chairman of a committee appointed at a previous meeting, made a verbal report. While a good many citizens were in favor of incorporation, there was great diffi- culty in agreeing on the boundaries, and the territory to be included ; and those who feared greatly increased taxation to run a city government, op- posed the project. However, a new committee was appointed to carry on the movement, consisting of Stephen Townsend, Col. J. Banbury, B. F. Ball, James Cambell, Dr. Lyman Allen.
I found nothing further until April 18, 1884, when a meeting was held at same place to hear a report of the committee. Rev. W. C. Mosher was made chairman of the meeting and J. W. Wood secretary. The committee reported South Pasadena unanimously opposed to the movement and re- fusing to be included. This committee was discharged, and a new one . appointed with instructions to prepare a petition and procure signatures, praying the county board of supervisors to make Pasadena a city incorpora- tion. Dr. O. H. Conger, T. E. Martin and James Cambell were named for this work.
Nothing appears on the subject except an occasional newspaper squib " punching up " the committee, until November 10, 1884, when a great mass meeting was held on the public school grounds to consider what could be done to get rid of the liquor saloon then recently opened on East Colo- rado street, in the two story frame building now No. 47, and occupied [1894] by E. H. Lockwood, Kendall & Howe, and others. [See page 241, etc., in Chapter 12.] This meeting voted strongly in favor of incorpora-
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
tion, and instructed its chairman, B. F. Ball, to appoint a committee of five to take measures for accomplishing that end-the committee appointed on April 18 having entirely failed of its purpose; and accordingly H. W. Magee, Col. J. Banbury, H. N. Rust, S. Washburn and J. W. Wood were appointed to take up the burden. But this committee also wearied of the task, and accomplished nothing.
The next public move for incorporation was at a meeting in Williams' Hall on Saturday evening, May 23, 1885. At this time the white scale was ravaging the country and seemed likely to destroy the entire citrus industry of California. The meeting in question was called especially to consider this subject, and see what if anything could be done to avert the threatened disaster - and also to consider any matters of general local interest. The incorporation problem very soon became the chief topic before the meeting, for at every step proposed to remedy that or any other evil, it was found that nothing could be done, for want of police authority ; and as a result a committee of five was appointed to take the matter under consideration, and make out papers of incorporation, to be submitted to a public meeting of the citizens at the earliest possible time. This committee consisted of Col. J. Banbury, Dr. O. H. Conger, H. W. Magee, Esq., J. P. Woodbury and George W. Wilson.
On July II a meeting was held to hear and consider a report of the committee. Col. Banbury called the meeting to order and J. E. Ciarke was made chairman. The petition as prepared included all the territory from Lincoln Park or the old Monterey road to the foot of the mountains, and from the Arroyo Seco eastward to Santa Anita Avenue. There was some warm debate on this extensive grasp of territory for a city ; but it was finally decided to lay it before the county board just as it was, for they had the right to change it, anyway, and those who objected to it could appear there with their reasons and arguments- and then the county board could fix the boundaries as they thought best. Thereupon a committee was appointed to lay the matter before the county board at once and have a day of hearing appointed. H. W. Magee, J. Banbury, S. Townsend, J. E. Clarke and C. B. Ripley were appointed for this duty, and they did it promptly. The Valley Union of August 14, 1885, published the petition, with names attached, a total of III qualified electors.
The next stage of the movement is thus reported in the Union of Sep- tember 11, 1885 :
"On Thursday the petition for incorporating the Town of Pasadena was taken up by the Board of Supervisors and a liearing given to the petitioners. It was found that no less than four remonstrances had been filed from differ- ent sections of the territory embraced within the proposed incorporation limits, besides several protests from individuals. The places remonstrating were South Pasadena, the Highlands, all that territory east of Los Robles Avenue, and the Craig tract, including the Allen, Crank and other ranches.
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H. W. Magee, Esq., and J. E. Clarke appeared for the petitioners. Messrs. Dougherty, Risley, Porter, Glover, Eaton, I. B. Clapp and others were present in the interest of South Pasadena, which was represented by Stephen M. White, Esq .; as legal counselor. On behalf of the Craig district, James Craig, with his attorney, F. H. Howard, Esq., appeared. C. C. Brown advocated the claims of those remonstrating from the eastern portion of the colony."
After this the whole subject seems have taken a long rest, for nothing appears again until May 14, 1886, when the Union said :
"Hurrah ! We are incorporated ! The petition was granted yesterday. In support of the petition arguments were made by Messrs. Hopkins, Brock- way, Ward, Ball, Col. Picher, Drs. Thomas and Allen, and others. The re- monstrants were represented by Messrs. Dougherty, Furlong, Painter, Arnold, Woodward and Brown."
The following is the official order, dated May 13, 1886 :
"Ordered, that the petition for the ittcorporation of Pasadena be granted and boundaries be fixed as follows : Beginning at a point on the west bank of the Arroyo Seco due west from the south end of reservoir No. I, of the Lake Vineyard Land and Water Association, and thence running east to the south end of said reservoir, thence running southeast by the west line of the Painter & Ball tract, to a point forty rods south of south line of Mountain street, thence running east by a line parallel with and forty rods south of the south line of Mountain street to a point forty rods east of east line of Lake Avenue, thence running south by a line parallel with and forty rods east of the east line of Lake Avenue, to the B. D. Wilson estate, thence running west and south by the north and west lines of said Wilson estate, thence running south-west by lands of B. T. Smith and land of George Stoneman, and by the Marengo ranch to the south line of Columbia street, thence run- ning west by the south line of Columbia street, and by a direct extension of the same to the west bank of the Arroyo Seco, thence running north by the west bank of the Arroyo Seco to the point of beginning. From the evidence taken the Board finds that the population in said limits approximates 2,700.
Ordered that June 7th be fixed for holding the election to deter- mine whether the town of Pasadena shall be incorporated, and that said election be held at the Williams building, Fair Oaks Avenue ; and that at said election persons be chosen to fill the following offices : Five trustees, a clerk, a treasurer and a marshal ; and that Edson Turner be appointed inspector, and R. Williams and C. C. Brown be appointed judges of such election ; and that notice of said election be published for two weeks."
The next historic record is the Union's report of the election, printed in its issue of June 11, 1886, from which I quote :
" The child is born who will make his fame by writing the history of Pasadena ; and we of today are making that history. Monday was another landmark - a historic day, being the first city election, and making choice of the men who should first wield corporate authority.
The "Citizen's Ticket," which was nominated by a meeting held at the Union office on Friday evening, was every man of them elected, although there were four varieties of tickets in the field. The contest was quite spirited, although entirely good-natured throughout, and the friends of the successful candidates indulged in a little jubilation after the result was finally made
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