USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 55
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GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY.
San Luis Obispo County is classed as one of the southern coast counties of California, lying between the Monte Diablo Range on the east, which separates it from the Tulare Valley, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It is bounded north by Monterey County, east by Kern, south by Santa Barbara, and west by the ocean. The northern boundary is a direct east and west line, the eastern follows the summit of the mountains which have a trend northwest and southeast; the southern fol- lows the Santa Maria, or Cuyama River, with a general course to the west, and the western boundary is the coast, bearing in a northwest and southeast direction, giving the county the general appearance of a parallelogram, with the northern and southern sides 50 miles apart, and the eastern and western ends averaging 65 miles apart, or a total area of 3,250 square miles. The county is in- cluded within the 35th and 36th degrees of latitude, and the southeastern extreme is about 119° 20', and the northwestern 121° 20' longitude west from Greenwich. The surface is generally undulating, with several ranges of hills, isolated buttes and mountains running through it. The principal physical feature is the Santa Lucia Range of mountains, running nearly parallel with the coast, dividing the county into unequal parts, each of distinctive characteristics. About one-fourth of the area lies west and southwest of this range, which trends easterly in its southern part, dividing the Cuyama from the headwaters of the Salinas and San Juan Rivers, continuing a range to a junction with the Monte Diablo Range. From Estero Bay the Mount Buchon Range extends southeastward a distance of about twenty miles, rising to a height of from 1,200 to 2,000 feet, cut through by the San Luis and Arroyo Verde Creeks. Between these ranges is a succession of detached buttes, as the Mission and Bishop's Peaks, near the town of San Luis Obispo, having an elevation of 1,500 and 1,800 feet. This range of buttes terminates on the northeast in Moro Rock, in the Estero Bay; and in the southeast, gradually sink in low, scattered hills. The valleys and much of the hill lands are arable and very fertile. A great number of small streams flow from the Santa Lucia westward to the ocean, as the San Corcopero, Santa Rosa, Toro, Old Creek, San Luis, Arroyo Verde, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, and others, with numerous branches. Along these are many cañons, with valleys of considera- ble extent of very fertile soil.
Montezuma, French, and other small streams. During seasons of heavy rains the Salinas and Estrella are large rivers, but usually the smaller branches are waterless, or fail to reach the main streams. The region is of fertile soil, well wooded with oaks and pines, is generally hilly, and in the southern part mountainous, and is subject to greater extremes of heat in summer and cold in winter than the country west of the Santa Lucia. East of the San Juan River, or creek, is the Carrisa Plain, an ele- vated and treeless basin, forty-five miles in length by from eight to twelve miles in breadth, which is more fully noticed elsewhere in this book.
With this description, the following statement of the different large land-holdings and their location will be made intelligible.
LAND GRANTS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO.
The history of the land grants of this county, with the litigation attending their confirmation and settlement of title, their division and final ownership, would make quite a volume, but a brief statement is sufficient for the pres- ent purpose. Taking the list, as they stand in geographi- cal position, the most northern on the coast is the
PIEDRA BLANCA-Eleven leagues. Grantee and con- firmee, Josè de Jesus Pico; surveyed and finally con- firmed by natural boundaries. Patented October 9, 1876, for 48,805.59 acres. Subsequent owners, Juan Castro, heirs of Mariano Pacheco, Peter Gillis, George Hearst, and others. Bounded on the north by public lands, east by the Sierra, or Coast Range, south by the Arroyo del Padre Juan Moreno, and west by the Pacific Ocean. 22 SAN SIMEON-One league. Grantee, Jose Ramon Es- trada. Confirmee, Jose Miguel Gomez. Contains 4,468.81 acres. Patented April 1, 1865. Present own- ers, Ira Van Gordon, and others.
23 SANTA ROSA-Three leagues. Grantee and confirmee, Julian Estrada. Survey includes 13,183.62
acres. Patented March 18, 1865. Subsequent owners, Julian Estrada, Samuel A. Pollard, Domingo Pujol, George Hearst, George E. Long, W. H. Freer, John H. Myers, and others.
SAN GERONIMO-Two leagues. Grantee and con- firmee, Rafael Villavicencio. Patented July 10, 1876, and surveyed; 8,893.35 acres. Subsequent owners, Rafael Villavicencio, Ramona Armas, Westley Burnett, James H. Blackburn, and others.
MORRO Y CAYUCOS-Grantees, Martin Olivera and Vi- cente Feliz. Confirmee, James McKinley. Patented January 19, 1878, and surveyed; 8,845.49 acres. . Subdi- vided and sold in farms and dairy ranchos.
$2. SAN BERNARDO-One league. Grantee and confirmee, Vicente Canet. Surveyed and patented April 1, 1865; 4,379.42 acres. Subsequent owners, Estevan Quintana, Domingo Pujol, José Canet, Pedro Quintana.
East of the Santa Lucia Range is the Salinas River, flowing from south to north through nearly the whole ex- tent of the county, receiving from the west the Santa ,27 SAN LUISITO-One league. Grantee and confirmee, Guadalupe Cantua. Patented March 18, 1860, and sur- veyed; 4,389.13 acres. Subsequent owners, J. H. Hol- lister, and others. Margarita, Atascadero, Paso Robles, and San Marcos Creeks, and from the east the Estrella, which receives the Huer-Huero, San Juan, and other streams; the San Juan being the longest branch, rising in the southern part of & CANADA DEL CHORRO-One league. Grantees, James the county and receiving the Carrisa, La Panza, Navajo,
Scott and John Wilson. Confirmed to John Wilson. Sur-
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veyed and patented March 29, 1861; 3,166.99 acres. Present owner, J. H. Hollister.
330 HUERTA DE ROMUALDO, or EL CHORRO-Grantee, Romualdo, an Indian. Confirmee, John Wilson. Con- firmed by District Court of the United States, February 9, 1857; one-tenth of one square league, or 117.13 acres, and patented April 13, 1871.
3/ CANADA DE LOS OSOS, Y PECHO, Y ISLAY-Grantees, Victor Linares, Francisco Badillo, James Scott, and John Wilson. Finally confirmed, surveyed and patented to John Wilson September 23, 1869; 32,430.70 acres. Sub- sequent owners, Mrs. Ramona Hillard, W. H. Patterson, L. M. and H. M. Warden, and others.
324 POTRERO DE SAN LUIS OBISPO-Grantee and con- firmee, Maria Concepcion Boronda. Finally confirmed, surveyed and patented; 3,506.33 acres, July 1, 1870.
334SANTA FE-Grantee, Victor Linares; 1,000 varas square. Confirmed and surveyed. Patented August 19, 1866; 156.76 acres. Subsequent owner, Ramona 3 Hillard, daughter of John Wilson.
> LA LAGUNA-One league, mission land. Confirmed to Archbishop Joseph Sadoi Alemany, and patented; 4,157.02 acres. Subsequent owners, W. H. Patterson, and others.
35 SAN MIGUELITO-Three leagues. Grantee and con- firmee, Miguel Avila. Patented August 8, 1867, and surveyed; 22,135.89 acres. Subsequent owners, Inocen- cia Avila, Juan Avila, John Harford, Josefa Borland, Refugio Castro, and others.
3" CORRAL DE PIEDRA-Seven Leagues. Grantee and confirmee, José Maria Villavicencio. Surveyed and patented October 29, 1867; 30,911.20 acres. Subse- quent owners, Steele Brothers, and others.
36 PISMO-Two leagues. Grantee and confirmee, Isaac J. Sparks. Surveyed and patented November 16, 1866; 8;838.89 acres. Subsequent owners, John M. Price, David P. Mallagh, Francis Z. Branch, Steele Brothers, and others.
3 ARROYO GRANDE, or SAN RAMON-One league. 2 Grantee, Zeferino Carlon. Confirmee, Francis Z. Branch. Patented and surveyed April 10, 1867; 4,437.58 acres. Subsequent owners, Steele Brothers, and A. B. Has- brouck. This is commonly known as the Ranchita, and is located near the head-waters of the Arroyo Grande.
SANTA MANUELA-Grantee and confirmee, Francis Z. Branch. Patented August 22, 1868, and surveyed; 16,954.83 acres. Subsequent owners, Francis Z. Branch, J. Ramon Branch, and Phillip Biddle.
BOLSA DE CHEMISAL-Grantee, Francisco Quijada. Confirmee, Lewis T. Burton. Surveyed and patented August 27, 1867; 14,335.22 acres. Subsequent owners, Francis Z. Branch, Steele Brothers, and others.
31 NIPOMO-Eleven leagues. Grantee and confirmee, William G. Dana. Patented December 14, 1868, and surveyed; 37,887.91 acres. Subsequent owners, Josefa Carrillo de Dana and children, and about 8,000 acres sold to others.
SO SUEY-Five leagues in San Luis Obispo County. Grantee and confirmee, Ramona Carrillo de Wilson. Patented August 10, 1865, and surveyed, the entire :
rancho containing 48,234.77 acres, of which 24,497 are in San Luis Obispo and the remainder in Santa Barbara County. Subsequent owners, Morris M. Roberts, Juana Castro, and the heirs of H. M. Newhall.
13.00 HUASNA-Five leagues. Grantee and confirmee, Isaac J. Sparks. Patented January 23, 1879, and surveyed; 22, 152.99 acres. Subsequent owners, Rosa Porter, Flora Harloe, and Sally Harkness, daughters and heirs of Sparks.
SANTA MARIA, or TEPUSQUET-Two leagues, partly in Santa Barbara County. Grantee, Tomas Olivera. Confirmed to Antonio Maria de Cota, and others. Patented February 23, 1871, and surveyed; 8,900.75 acres, of which 2,950 are in San Luis Obispo. Subsequent own- ers, Juan Pacifico Ontiveras, and others.
The land grants situated on the east side of the Santa Lucia Range are as follows :-
SANTA MARGARITA-Four leagues. Grantee and con- firmee, Joaquin Estrada. Surveyed and patented April 9, 1861; 17,734 acres. Present owner, Patrick W. Murphy. Lies north of San Jose Valley and along the valley of the Salinas River.
31] ATASCADERO-One league. Grantee, Triphon Garcia. Confirmee, Henry Haight. Surveyed and patented June 18, 1860; 4,348.23 acres. Present owner, P. W. Murphy. Lies west of Salinas River and between the Santa Margarita and Asuncion Ranchos.
3/18 ASUNCION-Ten leagues. Grantee and confirmee, Pedro Estrada. Patented March 22, 1866, and sur- veyed; 39,224.81 acres. Present owner, P. W. Murphy. 10 PASO DE ROBLES-Six leagues. Grantee, Pedro Nar- vaez. Confirmee, Petronilo Rios. Patented July 12, 1866, and surveyed; 25,993.18 acres. Present owners, D. D. Blackburn, James H. Blackburn, L. Godchaux, Drury W. James. Lies north of the Asuncion, and west of the Salinas Rivers. The Paso de Robles Hot Springs are in the northern part.
19 SANTA ISABEL-Four leagues. Grantee and con- firmee, Francisco Arce. Surveyed and patented May 21, 1866; 17,774.12 acres. Subsequent owners, Corne- lius Dore, and others .·· Lies east of Paso de Robles and the Salinas River.
¿ CHOLAMIE-Six leagues. Grantee, Mauricio Gonzalez. Confirmee, Ellen E. White. Patented April 1, 1865, and surveyed; 26,627.10 acres. Subsequent owners, W. W. Hollister, Wm. T. Wallace, R. E. Jack, and Freder- ick Adams. Lies in northeast part of San Luis Obispo, and partly in Monterey County.
1 HUER-HUERO-Three leagues. Grantee, Jose Mari- ano Bonilla. Confirmee, Francis Z. Branch. Patented August 9, 1866, and surveyed; 15,684.95 acres. Present owners, Flint, Bixby & Co., who have added to it of Gov- ernment lands 31,150 acres. Lies between the Salinas and Estrella Rivers.
$33 MISSION SAN LUIS OBISPO-Property of the Catholic Church. Confirmed to Archbishop, Joseph Sadoi Ale- many, including 52.72 acres, comprising the present church buildings, and grounds, and land covered by the city of San Luis Obispo. Patented September 2, 1859.
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
LOT IN MISSION SAN LUIS OBISPO-Confirmed to John Wilson, comprising I acre.
I CUYAMA-Grantee, José Maria Rojo. Confirmee, Maria Antonio de la Guerra and Cesario Lataillade. Patented July 20, 1877, for 22, 193.21 acres. ·
2 CUYAMA -- Grantee, José Maria Rojo, and confirmed to the heirs of Cesario Lataillade, comprising 48,805.59 acres. Patented January 10, 1879.
GUADALUPE-Grantees and confirmees, Diego Olivera and Teodora Arrelanes. Patented June 30, 1866; 30,- 408.03 acres.
PUNTA DE LA LAGUNA-Grantees and confirmees, Luis Arrelanes and E. M. Ortega; 26,648.42 acres. Pat- ented October 2, 1873.
1H
The Cuyamas, two-thirds of the Guadalupe and the Punta de la Laguna, with the exception of about 700 acres of the latter, lie in Santa Barbara County, but the United States maps include them in San Luis Obispo, and they are often reckoned as belonging to this county.
LARGE TRACTS PURCHASED.
In addition to these large tracts of granted lands, dif- ferent individuals have made purchases of Government land, aggregating tracts exceeding, in extent, the grants made under the Mexican system. Of these are the fol- lowing:
LAS CHIMENEAS- Owned by Frederick Adams and J. H. Hollister, containing 20,000 acres, situated near the head of the San Juan River, in the southern part of the county.
LA PANZA-Owned by Jacob Schoenfeldt, containing 31,000 acres, extending twenty-two miles along the valley of the San Juan River.
EL SAUCITO-Owned by Chester R. Brumley, contain- ing 2,560 acres, lying in the western part of the Carrisa Plains.
LA COMETA-Owned by D. O. Mills, comprising 36,- I 39 acres, lying northwest of La Panza.
SAN JUAN-Owned by Robert G. Flint, comprising 39,780 acres, on the San Juan River, north of La Panza.
CALIFORNIA- Owned by John Biddle, comprising 18,- 155 acres, lying west of the San Juan.
ESTRELLA-Owned by Christy & Wise, comprising 25, 140 acres, on the Estrella River, near the junction of the San Juan.
EUREKA-Owned by J. M. Jones, comprising 23,640 acres, lying east of the Santa Margarita, along the Sali- nas River.
SACRAMENTO-Owned by Cox & Clark ; 15,900 acres.
WHIM RANCHO-Owned by Haggin & Tevis, contain- ing . 30,000 acres, lying in the southeastern part of the Carrisa Plain.
McDONALD TRACT-Owned by J. M. and R. H. McDonald, comprising 57,386 acres, lying in Carrisa Val- ley, and in the Carrisa Plain.
SCHULTZ & VON BARGEN TRACT-Owned by C. P. Robinson, containing 21,800 acres, in the Carrisa Plain.
MORROW TRACT-Owned by L. Glazier, contains 33,- ooo acres, in the upper part of the San Juan Valley.
ST. REMY-Owned by A, B, Hasbrouck, comprising
1,500 acres, lying at the head of the Arroyo Grande, to which is added the Arroyo Grande Rancho of 4,437.29 acres.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad land grant extends through the coast region of the county, covering all the odd numbered sections of Government land through a breadth of fifteen miles on each side of the surveyed line of the road. This grant has lapsed through the non- fulfillment, by the railroad company, of the terms upon which the grant was made, but the land is still reserved from sale. The eastern line of this reserved land passes northwest and southeast near La Panza, and the western is in the ocean. The land is occupied where practicable for grazing purposes, and some have ventured improve- ments on it, but being reserved from market retards set- tlement.
The aggregate of Government land in the county is estimated at 100,000 arces, but purchases for cultivation and wood land are frequently made, rapidly reducing the amount. The various classes of land have been given in the report of the Assessor.
The large areas acquired by grant from the Mexican Government were for the purpose, and so appropriated, of grazing; but the purchases of the vast tracts in the eastern part of the county have been chiefly for specu- lative purposes, although devoted to the pasturage of large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. The large holdings along the coast have been mostly divided into small farms for cultivation or dairy purposes, and sold or leased, or apportioned among heirs. East of the Santa Lucia, the grant owners, or the purchasers of Govern- ment land forming the large ranchos, still hold them intact.
FRANCIS ZIBA BRANCH.
Among the great land-holders, prior to the conquest, were Wm. G. Dana, John Wilson, John M. Price, Fran- cis Z. Branch, Isaac J. Sparks, of the foreign element, and many native Californians of whom mention has in- cidentally been made in various parts of this book. The names of all we have endeavored to preserve, and have related such incidents as were obtainable.
Francis Ziba Branch belonged to that old line of pio- neers to California, now almost vanished from the earth, around whose lives there gathers the glamours of romance more interesting than the tales of ancient chivalry, and more instructive than the lessons of philosophy.
"To some are given spirits high and daring, And stouter hearts than others of their kind; Who never know the sense of fear and fearing, Who never in the race are left behind."
The poet's laudation of the pioneers pertinently applies to the subject of this sketch. Mr. Branch was born at Scipio, Cayuga County, New York, July 24, 1802. The region of his birth was then in the wild West-but twenty years after the close of the Revolutionary War, in which his grandfathers had served as soldiers-and where General Sullivan had made his celebrated cam- paign against the Indians. On such a frontier was Mr. Branch born, and there passed his youth, there among the lovely and romantic lakes of western New York, the
Francis Ziba Branch.
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AGRICULTURE.
favorite hunting ground and home of the Iroquois, many of whom still lingered around the graves of their fathers, soon to be obliterated from the face of the earth. It was a pleasant section in which to grow to manhood, and a favorable period to inure one to hardship, to self-reliance, and to that manly independence and individual courage which were so characteristic of Mr. Branch, and had such an influence in shaping his future life.
BECOMES A SAILOR.
His father died while he was a mere child, and of him he retained no recollection. The mother was left poor and with a family of children who, at whatever age they could earn their living, were required to take care of themselves. When eighteen years of age Ziba Branch left his home and went to the city of Buffalo, then com- ing into prominence as the terminus of the great New York and Erie Canal, and the principal shipping port of Lake Erie and the chain of lakes reaching into the dis- tant West. Then there were no railroads in existence, and the steamboat was scarcely known. The commerce of the lakes was carried on by sailing vessels, and upon one of these the young adventurer obtained employment. Continuing the life of a sailor for five years on the lakes, he then went forward to St. Louis, in Missouri, then the extreme frontier of civilization. St. Louis was then almost a French city, much of its business being with the voyageurs who followed the great rivers of the West with their light birch bark canoes, trapping and hunting for furs, and trading with the Indians, that city being the center of the fur trade. These voyageurs and trappers were, as explorers of the great wilderness, what the min- ing prospectors are of the present day, or rather have been during the last quarter of a century.
JOINS A PARTY FOR NEW MEXICO.
At St. Louis Mr. Branch joined a trading party com- manded by Captain Savory and bound for Santa Fé, in Neuvo Mejico, called at the present day New Mexico. For this distant land the party journeyed with a large train of one hundred and fifty men and eighty-two wagons, chiefly drawn by oxen. This was the largest party that had ever crossed the plains to that date. Being well armed and having a small cannon to protect themselves from the Indians, who were ever hostile and treacherous, they made the passage in safety.
EXTENDS HIS JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA.
Subsequently Mr. Branch joined a trapping party under the leadership of William Wolfskill, and thus exploring the western country arrived in California in February, 1831. In their journey the party passed by the head-waters of the Grand and the Green Rivers, which make the Colorado, then to Great Salt Lake and to a river called by the Indians "Poonaca," which they "followed until it emptied into a salt lake near the Cali- fornia mountains."* This was in the month of November, and snow had so fallen as to render the crossing of the mountains very difficult, and they were nine days making
the passage. Previous to their arrival in the settled regions of California, they had wandered along the Colo- rado, trapping and trading with the Indians and suffering much for food. They then took the route by the Mohave River and through the Cajon Pass to the old mission of San Bernardino, and thence to Los Angeles. Of the party Messrs. Wm. Wolfskill, F. Z. Branch, Geo. C. Yount, Samuel J. Shields and Lewis T. Burton remained in California; the others returned to Santa Fé. Mr. Branch then engaged in hunting, the most valuable game being the sea otter, with which the coast abounded. After pursuing this business for several years he invested his means in a store of general merchandise in Santa Barbara, subsequently disposing of his business to Alpheus B. Thompson.
MARRIES AND SETTLES.
In 1835 he married Doña Manuela Corlona, and set- tled in the region now included in San Luis Obispo County. In 1837 he received from the Mexican Govern- ment a grant of land on the Arroyo Grande, the Santa Manuela, comprising, as confirmed by the United States courts, 16,954.83 acres, subsequently becoming the owner of the Huer-Huero, Arroyo Grande, Pismo, and other large tracts.
Mr. Branch, like many of the early pioneers, came to California with nothing but his rifle to earn his living and make his way in the world; but in the hands of brave and self-reliant men that trusty weapon was not only cap- ital in business, but a power that commanded respect and raised the holder to influence. His youthful expe- rience as a sailor upon the great lakes was of great assistance to him in the pursuit of the sea otter on the Pacific. The hunting of that valuable animal proved very remunerative, and laid the foundation of that fort- une he afterwards acquired.
THE WILD ARROYO GRANDE.
At the time of his making his home on the Santa Manuela Rancho the region was almost a complete wil- derness. Dana had obtained the grant of Nipomo, but had not yet settled with his family upon it, and the mis- sion of San Luis Obispo was almost the only inhabited locality in all that region. The valley of the Arroyo lay in front of his home, but it was a thicket of swamp and willow and cottonwood, a monte, as it was called, a lurk- ing place for wild-cats, lions, and grizzly bear. Eastward was the cañon of the Arroyo Grande, well stocked with game and a favorite route for Indians from the Tulare Valley to make raids upon the stock of the coast. Against the Indians, the bear, and other vicious animals it was necessary for the pioneer to wage continual war in self- defense, and many desperate encounters he had. The Indians were very bold and cunning, and in their repeated forays drove off a great deal of stock.
AN INDIAN RAID.
In the early years of his residence on the Arroyo Grande it was customary to keep his horses at night in a corral near, with a bell on one, the tinkling of which would notify the owner's family that the horses were all
"As related by Mr. Branch, -the changed names render the description of the locality unintelligible.
28
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
safe. On one occasion the quick and experienced ear of Branch noticed that the tinkling of the bell maintained a more continued and monotonous sound than seemed natural, and he hastened to the corral to find his horses gone, and one of the dusky thieves, well mounted, gently ringing the bell. Finding himself discovered he gave a whoop and swiftly followed his companions. Branch could only send a rifle ball in the dark after the Indian, as his discovery was too late, and he was left powerless to pursue.
But it was not always so. Shortly afterwards, Price, Sparks, Dana and other rancheros aided in the contests against the Indians, and many of the marauders were made to pay with their life the temerity of their raids.
ADVENTURES WITH GRIZZLIES.
The grizzly bear were very numerous, often killing young stock and causing all to be very wild. On one occasion a bear had killed a cow, and it was thought to afford a good opportunity to slay the savage monster. The bear had but partially eaten its victim, and it was presumed would return on the succeeding night to con- tinue the feast. On a slight elevation at a convenient distance from the carcass, a pit was excavated and a strong cover of timber and brush put over it, rendering it safe and thoroughly concealed. Into this Branch and a companion secreted themselves with their rifles and awaited the coming of bruin. In the night an immense she bear with a cub approached the dead cow. The hunters thought best to follow the rule in such cases, and first shoot the cub, thinking the dam would remain and thus prove an easy capture. The cub was accord- ingly shot, making most dolorous howls before breathing its last. These pitiful cries and death enraged the old bear beyond anything Branch had ever before witnessed, and fearing for their safety dared not move to reload nor venture another shot. The maddened beast rushed in a circuit around her slain cub, looking into the trees and leaping at them, as if thinking her enemy was there, tearing great pieces of bark and wood from them with her powerful claws and terrible teeth, uttering frightful howls, as if nothing but the destruction of something cou'd appease her wrath. Thus she continued during the night, and it was not until the next day did she leave so as to release the prisoners.
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