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 71
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99
At San Diego was a small hermaphrodite brig, about to sail for San Francisco, and would take passengers at $100 each, the passenger to furnish his own subsistence. As a great favor, the owner of the brig accepted $150 as passage money for the two, that being the size of their pile after buying some provisions for the voyage. About half a dozen others who had reached San Diego with suf- ficient means, also went as passengers, leaving near one hundred destitute emigrants bewailing their hard fate. A few days afterwards, the steamer Oregon called in on her way from Panama, and took all remaining, free of charge.
On the 8th of December, 1849, the two brothers landed in San Francisco, in the rain and mud of a severe winter, in a condition that can better be imagined than described. A few days thereafter an incident occurred that helped much to relieve them of want, when employment was un- attainable. They had left in the wagon a trunk well filled with valuable books, some clothing, etc. To lighten the load, this was thrown out at the crossing of the Col- orado. At that time Lieut. Cave J. Coutts was in com- mand of some soldiers stationed there (since called Fort Yuma), and, seeing the trunk as jetsam, on the sand, he examined it, and finding the books, papers, and clothing of a cadet, quickly put it on an ambulance, and hastened after the departed train. Finding that the object of his search had gone before, he pushed through to San Diego, but was still too late to overtake the owner of the things he had rescued at so much trouble. The kind officer then put the trunk in charge of a gentleman going to San Francisco, with instructions to hunt up the owner and restore him his property, with the warm regard of a brother soldier. The trunk thus reached its destination, and the valuable books it contained sold for such prices as aided to pass the hardships of a winter which proved the last to many young and homesick pioneers.
The summer of 1850 was spent in mining at Bidwell's Bar, on Feather River, with rather poor success; and in 1851 the two brothers settled on a ranch at a place since called Angel's Slough, near the Sacramento River, south
of Chico. In 1856 they purchased a mining claim at North San Juan, Nevada County, and, joining with others, commenced opening it by tunnel. In this enter- prise about $40,000 was expended and lost. The brothers had continued inseparable until 1860, when the elder, Eugene Angel, went to the eastern slope, in the Washoe excitement, and was killed at the massacre at Pyramid Lake, May 12, 1860. Myron Angel in the meantime had become editor of the Placerville Semi- Weekly Observer, in which situation he continued until the spring of 1860, when he returned to San Juan to take charge of his mining interests there. Upon the breaking out of the war, he offered his services to the Governor of California, and received the appointment of Captain of Infantry. Upon this being announced, the San Juan Press, of October 5, 1861, said :-
"We are pleased to learn that our friend and fellow- townsman, Mr. Myron Angel, is raising a company of infantry in obedience to the call of the General Govern- ment, having received official authority from Governor Downey so to do. This furnishes an additional oppor- tunity to all who are willing to serve their country in the hour of her need, to enroll their names.
" Mr. Angel received a thorough military education as a student at West Point, and knows well the duties belong- ing to an officer. He is a gentleman, too, in whom recruits can repose implicit confidence. Their necessi- ties under his care will be promptly attended to, and their rights strictly guarded."
No fund had been supplied for maintaining and for- warding recruits, and this Mr. Angel did until his own funds were exhausted. Then came the pressing demand for his time to attend to the business of a failing mining enterprise, in which his all was invested, and although appealed to by Colonel Judah, a West Point friend, who then had command of the Fourth California Volunteers, he was compelled to withdraw from the service, hoping for another opportunity when his business would be better arranged. That time, however, did not offer. After writing for various papers, in 1863 he became editor of the Reese River Reveille, which is told in the sketch of that paper. While in that position he wrote several reports on the mines of eastern Nevada, assisting Mr. J. Ross Browne in his "Report on the Mineral Resources west of the Rocky Mountains." A little book he wrote about this time on his favorite theme of the resources of eastern Nevada, had the distinction of being published in French in Paris, and in German in Leipsic, the translator into French being Emil de Girardin, who paid the author the compliment of saying it was the best English he had ever translated. Mr. Angel was editor- in-chief of the Reveille until 1868, when he left and became editor of the Oakland daily News, in California; then of the State Capital Reporter, of Sacramento; then of the White Pine News, of which paper he continued as San Francisco correspondent and agent until 1875, when he again became editor of the Oakland News. While acting as newspaper correspondent in San Francisco he also wrote for other publications, the principal being a " Pacific Coast Business Directory and Gazetteer," of which two editions were published, one in 1871, and the other in 1876; also the historical and miscellaneous matter for the San Francisco Annual Directory. The Pacific Coast Directory comprised all the region west of Dakota and Wyoming, and contained the most complete account of the history, geography, and resources yet published. While performing these labors he was en- gaged in a mammoth mining enterprise, in company with Mr. M. D. Fairchild and Hon. John Daggett, in making a canal, and opening a large hydraulic mine in El Dorado County. After an expenditure of over $100,- ooo the enterprise came to a halt for want of funds.
278
HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
fortune again slipping away, and the faithful pen or pencil found to be the only safe reliance. Mr. Angel, when asked his employment, said, " I mine for a fortune, but I write for a living." September 22, 1879, he was married to Charlotte Paddock Livingston, daughter of Rev. Joseph Paddock, an accomplished lady, whose acquaintance extended from the days of their youth.
In addition to the above-mentioned literary works he was engaged at the organization of the State Mining Bureau in 1880, to write a history of mining in Califor- nia, and entered upon the work, collecting a large amount of valuable material and making extended progress with the history. The Mining Bureau, however, was depend- ent upon an unreliable income, and that at last failing, the work was left uncompleted. He afterwards was editor of the " History of the State of Nevada," a work of over 1,000 pages quarto, and has subsequently written the "History of Placer County," and the present volume, the " History of San Luis Obispo County."
DEMOCRATIC STANDARD.
The San Luis Obispo Democrat did not make its ap- pearance as proposed, but on the 12th of February, 1870, the Democratic Standard appeared in its stead. The publisher and editor was Mr. John B. Fitch, a native of California, his mother being of Spanish extraction, and Mr. Fitch, of course, familiar with the Spanish language. The proposed law to "Protect Litigants," which would give the county printing to Democratic pa- pers, was one of the inducements to the establishing of the partisan paper. The two papers carried on a bitter warfare, the Standard being particularly abusive of its rival, but was answered more in ironical pity and a re- publication of its language than by aggressive articles. The history of the paper is told in Judge Murray's vale- dictory to the Tribune, published in connection with the sketch of that paper in this chapter.
THE SOUTH COAST.
Sometime in 1877 Mr. A. Leon Cervantes, intending, as was understood, to publish a book he had written, brought to San Luis Obispo some printing material. The book appears never to have been published, but the material being at hand constituted a very tempting object for any ambitious and public-spirited individual, having a mission, to start a newspaper. With this as a founda- tion, the paper bearing the comprehensive name of The South Coast was established by Mr. Charles L. Wood, the first number appearing March 20, 1878. This was a four-page paper, of six columns, subsequently enlarged to eight to the page, in bourgeois type. The terms, as announced in the paper, were $3.00 per annum in advance for subscription, and $1.50 per square for advertising, first insertion, but special rates were made with advertisers. The publisher, in his first issue, made the following announcement to the people of San Luis Obispo :-
It is a custom among persons assuming the manage- ment of newspapers, to step politely to the front and make, what we suppose might properly be called, an editorial bow; and it is a custom not to be ignored or
slighted. It is something the people look for-an out- lining of the course to be pursued; of the aim and object of the new publication. Thus do we step forward, and, thus, with the firm conviction that in our enterprise we shall have the hearty sympathy and generous support of the people of this county, do we take upon us the man- agement and control of the South Coast. It shall be our pleasant task to do all in our power to build up and advance the interests of San Luis Obispo County, and to devote the columns of our paper to this purpose. This is our home; here our affections dwell, and here our business interests center, and it will be a proud, as well as a pleasant work, to assist in bringing about the devel- opment of the vast resources of this, one of the finest counties in the great State of California. It is not with- out labor and expense that we have been enabled to place this paper before our readers; some have warned us of the hard times now upon us, and to these we say: "The dawn of better times is at hand; let us arise and meet it.".
To those who have assisted us in our enterprise we return our sincere thanks, and we promise them, and the people of the county at large, that we will work earnestly and faithfully for the general good and prosperity of our county through the medium of the South Coast.
In August, 1879, the material of the South Coast was sold to the Southern California Advocate, and the paper ceased to exist.
CHARLES L. WOODS,
Who was editor and publisher of the South Coast, is a gentleman of more than ordinary literary ability, and has successfully invaded the realms of poetry. He was born in Dundalk, Louth County, Ireland, September 20, 1834, and moved with his family to Washington County, Ver- mont, in 1837. When thirteen years of age his family removed to Niagara County, New York, where they resided three years, and then removed to Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. He was brought up mostly on a farm, and in 1859, had an attack of the Pike's Peak fever, and went to the then famous mining region in the spring of that year. Late in the fall of 1859, he went from Boulder City to Houston, Texas, where his brothers were then engaged in the lumber business, and where they remained until the breaking out of the War of the Rebell- ion, when the three left Texas and returned to Wiscon- sin, where they entered the United States service and continued until the end of the war. Came to California in 1869, and engaged in farming in San Joaquin County; but not succeeding in this, he took a place offered him in the Sheriff's office of that county. In 1873 he was appointed Internal Revenue Storekeeper, which appoint- ment he held two years.
In 1873 he published a small volume of poems enti- tled "Kaw-wau-nita," and other poems. In 1875 he came to San Luis Obispo, where he has since resided. While a consistent and ardent lover and warm supporter of the free institutions of America, he is at the same time devotedly attached, as he himself says, "to the dear ould land of his birth," and was among the first in this county to lift his voice in defense of the suffering poor and oppressed of his native isle. In 1882 he was President of the Irish Land League of San Luis Obispo, and still remains an active member of the order. At the Novem-
279
JOURNALISM.
ber election, 1882, Mr. Woods was elected Tax Collector, filling the office with his usual efficiency and devotion to public matters.
Mr. Woods is quite distinguished as a poet, having, in addition to his poem "Kaw-wau-nita," which makes a little volume of ninety-nine pages, written short poems for the press, and different occasions of celebrations.
The following figure of the invasion of the Indians' country is from his prologue to "Kaw-wau-nita" :-
There came to my wigwam a weary child, Hungry and feeble and cold, When the winter winds told Their bitterest tale in a fierce, fierce gale To the clouds, which in terror were flying wild.
He begged me to shelter his shrinking form From the keen and pitiless blast, And the snow flying fast; And for fire and food, to warm the blood
That was chilled in his veins by the howling storm.
I sheltered him, warmed him, nursed him with care, And with him I shared my bed, And gave him to eat of my bread; And he dwelt with me long, and grew hale and strong. And his face and his form and his words were fair.
He has grown, till a giant now he stands, While I have feeble grown; My wigwam he claims as his own; He has taken my home, and alone I must roam Into barren and desolate unknown lands.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ADVOCATE.
The establishing of a third paper in San Luis Obispo, in 1879, would appear as a very hazardous business vent- ure, but it appears there were those who thought the time ripe for the trial; that there was a necessity for such paper, and themselves strong enough in finance and abil- ity to carry to success the enterprise. The two papers then existing were the Tribune and the South Coast, the latter struggling for existence, and neither boasting of great wealth. On the 2d of August, 1879, the Southern California Advocate appeared. This was a well printed and fine-looking folio of seven columns to the page, in bourgeois and nonpareil type, with subscription rates fixed at $2.00 a year, being unusually low for a California paper. No publishers' or editors' names were given, but it was understood the proprietors were C. H. Phillips and George W. Mauk, with Mr. Phillips as editor. In the first number the following "announcement" was pub- lished :-
With this issue the Southern California Advocate enters the field of journalism. Having confidence in the future greatness of California, and recognizing it as a broad field for legitimate enterprise, it will be the aim of the Advocate to assist in the progress and development of her resources. Anticipating the future, the subscription price has been placed within the reach of all.
The. Advocate will endeavor to keep within the pale of honorable journalism, by a consistent and dignified course of action, and to that end its columns will be made up with care, both in original and select matter. The columns of the Advocate will be open to correspond- ents, regarding measures of a general character, by which the interests of the whole people are best subserved.
.
Recognizing that the good of the whole country is par- amount to the partisan politics, the Advocate will not be a partisan paper, but will assert and defend its opinions on all measures, political or otherwise, of a general or
public nature, and believing that the success of the Re- publican Party in the coming election will be for the best interests of the State, the Advocate will support that party by all honorable means.
In the second number the statement is published that the Advocate has purchased the material of the South Coast, and would carry out its contracts of subscription and advertising. At the time, Mr. Phillips was candidate on the Republican ticket for the office of Railroad Com- missioner for the Third District, having for his opponent Gen. George Stoneman. The election was held early in September, after which Mr. Phillips devoted himself with ability and energy in advocating the interests of the county. March 27, 1880, he retired from the paper, an- nouncing the unprecedented success the journal had met with, as verifying the prediction he had made, that there was a fine field for the publication of such a paper. He said: "In less than eight months of existence it has ac- quired a liberal and lucrative advertising patronage, and obtained a circulation of between 700 and 800."
Mr. Phillips was succeeded by W. M. Armstrong, who continued the publication of the Advocate until its fifty- second number, when he sold his subscription list to the publishers of the Tribune, and turned the material over to his creditors.
SAN LUIS OBISPO MIRROR.
Each of the political parties are always very anxious to have a newspaper to represent their principles and ad- vocate the claims of aspirants to office. The Democratic Party in San Luis Obispo County is strong and wealthy, and in the campaign of 1880 had no journal to spread broadcast over the county names and praise of its candi- dates or the shortcomings of its opponents. This ap- peared a good opportunity to Mr. H. H. Doyle, and he established the Mirror, issning his first number October 13, 1880, and in November following was joined by Mr. J. H. Crenshaw, making the firm of Doyle & Crenshaw, with Mr. Doyle as editor. The Mirror is a large folio sheet, issued weekly, well-printed, and makes a handsome, business-like appearance; the outside pages devoted to miscellaneous reading matter and advertising, and the inside with well-written editorials, local and general news and advertisements, giving evidence of prosperity. Mr. Crenshaw supervises the mechanical department, and three compositors are employed. A good job office is in connection with the paper. The office is located on Court Street, between Higuera and Monterey, in the city of San Luis Obispo. Notwithstanding the competi- tion of two other papers in a sparsely-settled county the Mirror claims a large circulation and an increasing busi- ness, with very flattering prospects for the future.
H. H. DOYLE. 4
The senior partner of the firm of Doyle & Crenshaw, and founder of the Mirror, is Hugh Hanks Doyle, a na- tive of Tennessee, born in Dyer County in that State in 1851. When but a lad he entered the office of the Mem- phis Appeal, one of the most prominent newspapers of the Southwest, and there learned the trade of printer. That
280
HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
was in the time of the great War of the Rebellion, and the Appeal was a powerful advocate of the Confederate cause. But Memphis yielded to the Federal arms, and such of the printers as could escaped to Vicksburg, young Doyle being of the number. Not being of sufficient age to render much service in the trenches when that city was attacked by the forces under Grant, he labored in the printing office to supply the people with the en- couraging news of continued Yankee disasters, of which the following is a relic and a sample, from the Vicksburg Citizen, of July 2, 1863, printed on wall-paper, on the reverse side of a sheet seventeen by nine inches in size :-
ON DIT .- That the great Ulysses-the Yankee Gen- erallissimo, surnamed Grant-has expressed his intention of visiting Vicksburg and celebrating the Fourth of July by a grand dinner and so forth. When asked if he would invite General Joe Johnson to join, he said "No! for fear there would be a row at the table." Ulysses must get into the city before he dines in it. The way to cook a rabbit is "first to catch the rabbit," etc.
The Yanks outside of our city are considerably on the sick list. Fever, dysentery, and disgust are their com- panions, and Grant is their master. The boys are desert- ing daily, and are crossing the river in the region of War- renton, cursing Grant and the abolitionists generally. The boys are down upon the earth, sick from the delving, the burrowing, the bad water, and the hot weather.
We are indebted to Major Gillespie for a steak of con- federate beef, alias meat. We have tried it and can as- sure our friends, if it is rendered necessary, they need have no scruples at eating the meat. It is sweet, savory, and tender, and so long as we have a mule left we are satisfied our soldiers will be content to subsist on it.
GOOD NEWS .- In devoting a large portion of our space this morning to Federal intelligences, copied from the Memphis Bulletin of the 25th, it should be remembered that the news in the original truth is whitewashed by the Federal Provost Marshal, who desires to hood-wink the poor Northern white slaves. The former editors of the Bulletin, being rather pro-southern men, were arrested for speaking the truth when truth was unwelcome to Yankeedom, and placed in the chain-gang, working at Warrenton where they now are. This paper at present is in distress, and edited by a pink-nosed, slab-sided, toad- eating Yankee, who is a lineal descendant of Judas Iscariot, and a brother germain of the greatest Puritani- cal, sycophantic, howling scoundrel unhung-Parson Brownlow. Yet with such a character, this paper can- not cloak the fact that Gen. Robert E. Lee has given Hooker, Milroy & Co. one of the best and soundest whippings on record, and that the "galorious Union" is now exceedingly weak in the knees.
That was the last of the type the printers could get into their sticks on that eventful 3d of July, as the Union Army poured in and took possession of the city. Some printers among the Federal troops found the in- complete forms of the paper, and adding the following put it to press, preserving the numbers as relics.
NOTE .- July 4, 1863 .- Two days bring about great changes. The banner of the Union floats over Vicks- burg. General Grant has "caught the rabbit;" he has dined in Vicksburg, and he did bring his dinner with him. The Citizen lives to see it. For the last time it appears on "wall-paper." No more will it eulogize the luxury of mule meat, and fricasseed kitten-urge Southern war- riors to such diet nevermore. This is the last wall-
paper edition, and is, excepting this, from the types as we found them. It will be valuable hereafter as a curiosity.
Mr. Doyle was conquered with Vicksburg, and has been a good Union man-and a consistent Democrat- ever since. His reminiscences of the great siege are quite vivid, and the preceding extracts are given as a contemporary statement of the condition of affairs and sentiments, the remembrance of which are rapidly fading from the memories of most people.
As Doyle grew into manhood he developed the talents and ambition that have made him a prominent and suc- cessful publisher, his first individual enterprise being the publication of the Larned Optic, in the shire town 01 Pawnee County, Kansas. His next venture was the Monitor in Canton, McPherson County, Kansas. Ir 1880 he became a resident of California and of Sar. Luis Obispo, where he established the Mirror, in Octo ber of that year. In the November following he was joined in the enterprise by Mr. J. H. Crenshaw, making the firm of Doyle & Crenshaw. Mr. Doyle has been the editor of the Mirror since its beginning, and has won for himself many friends and the respect of all.
While residing at Larned, publishing the Optic, on the 26th of March, 1878, he married Miss Jennie Long, and, with wife and children, is now among the prominent resi- dents of San Luis Obispo.
J. H. CRENSHAW.
The junior proprietor of the Mirror is Mr. James Henry Crenshaw, who was born November 2, 1854, ir Normandy, Bedford County, Tennessee. His parents were John William and Lemira Ellen Crenshaw (ne Campbell), who were married in Fayetteville, Kentucky in 1853. When Mr. Crenshaw was but seven years of age, there came the secession of the Southern States and the great War of the Rebellion followed. His father being an adherent of the Southern cause, joined the Con federate army under Gen. Sterling Price, and died the death of a soldier on the field of battle. His mother survived to guide his youthful footsteps and place him in the self-reliant course of man's estate to which she had the satisfaction of seeing him safely reach ere her death, which occurred at Paris, Texas, in August, 1880.
Mr. Crenshaw received a good education at the school: of his native village and at the Hume College in Nash ville, Tennessee. After leaving school, he took up the path of his future life, entering in 1869, as an apprentice, the office of the Athens, Alabama, Post, remaining there four years, and becoming thoroughly master of the trade of a printer in all its branches. After completing his apprenticeship he worked as a journeyman printer, and ir this business visited almost all the Southern and South western States and Territories. The far West at last appeared the most attractive field, and to the Pacific Coast he came. His earliest enterprise as a publisher was in the publication of the Paradise Reporter, at Para dise, Humboldt County, Nevada. The Reporter was a sprightly, well-printed paper, claiming to be Independent but Democratic in its tendencies. Mr. Crenshaw's associates in that paper were Mr. H. Warren, formerly of
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.