USA > California > Santa Barbara County > History of Santa Barbara county, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 40
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R. M. DILLARD, " Committee, { A. G. ESCANDON, ( THOMAS HOPE."
August 10, 1873, the Democratic Convention met at Santa Barbara, and nominated W. J. Graves, of San Luis Obispo, for the Senate, and A. G. Escandon, of Ventura, for the Assembly.
The Republicans met and seemed to be run pretty much by Clarence Gray.
Delegates to Convention: Santa Barbara-Clarence Gray, E. B. Boust, A. Rose, J. J. Alizalde, and B. S. Rowe; San Luis Obispo-Edgar W. Steele, J. W. Parker, Herbert Olmstead, H. B. Spooner, and W. Murray; Ventura-W. D. Hobson, D. D. De Nure, and Jacob Gries.
The Convention seemed divided from the start on the nomination of Senator, a portion favoring Judge Steele of San Luis Obispo, and another portion C. A. Thompson of Santa Barbara, the former gentleman not being present. Gray introduced a resolution that, on account of his absence, would rule his name out of the Convention, producing a long and some- what bitter discussion. The resolution was rejected, after which Steele received the nomination for State Senate; J. A. Barry was nominated for the Assembly.
Colonel Hines, People's candidate for State Senate, declined in favor of Judge Steele, of San Luis Obispo County.
AFTER THE ELECTION.
History is, or should be, a record of facts. The crimes and follies as well as the virtues of the people have a place in its pages. To omit the first or ignore its existence wonld render the record of the years valueless. They must have a place in every true account. The press is always an indicative of the character of a canvass, as being the mouth-piece of one side, at least. A few extracts from the Press will give some idea of the spirit which pervaded this canvass :-
" These old political marauders have at last met their fate, and the county rejoices. Respectable citi- zens will now see, as they have never seen before, how hard it is to inaugurate political reform when such a blatherskite and brazen-faced demagogue and hoodlum as C. Gray came within seven votes of beating the honest, sober, honorable, and reliable Kincaid for the important office of District Attorney, the very office of all others in which a hoodlum could do society more harm than any other, it being his duty to prosecute all offenders against the peace and dignity of the community."
THE NEXT THING.
" Now that the election struggle is over, and all has been done and undone that could be in regard to it, we will turn our attention to the immediate preparation of the long-talked-of illustrated Press. It is to be greatly deplored that the fool-killer did not visit our coast before the railroad vote was taken. In that case we should have announced in our illus- trated paper that this remote Eden was shortly to be opened to the world by the usual method, and de- scribed with ready accuracy the exact route to be taken by the locomotive. But the fool-killer has been sadly remiss in our county; in fact, we doubt if he ever visited it, and his lawful victims have decided that we shall not have a railroad-our favored spot shall not be opened to the world. So, while we can- not refrain from publishing its glories abroad, as of old, we shall feel tempted to add a supplementary denunciation, like this:
" Such, oh fools, is now your delightful abode, but by your own rash act you have insured its certain ruin. Let a few more years ge by, and your ' smil- ing skies' will stare with a fixed grin at bare, uncul- tivated hills, long, broad streets, choked with rank grass and mallows, and tenements whose only tenants are bats and owls, only a little less blind and stupid than the ones who now occupy them. Then your dreary mantle of slow decay will only be penetrated, and your drowsy slumbers disturbed by an occasional shrill whistle from Hueneme, through which you will plainly distinguish the triumphant refrain, 'Serves you right.'
SECOND-HAND ROPE.
"We hear that there is a lot of second-hand rope, inch size, for sale at Lataillade's hardware store, opposite the express office, and it has been suggested that the county buy it to use in hanging a few of the vagabonds and scalawags which are hanging abont the county, ready to vote down tax-payers ready to aid in constructing a railroad. If this rope could have been used before the election there would have been a vote in favor of building a railroad.
ELECTION RETURNS FOR 1873.
CANDIDATES.
Santa Barbara
Carpenteria.
Montecito.
La Patera.
Las Cruces.
Los Alamos.
Santa Maria.
Total.
Harbor Commissioner-
C. L. Taylor.
P. Newman.
161
J. Bost.
..
: :
21
7
: : :
: :
43
546
W. Graves.
310
49
36
69 76
14 57
36
43
607
Assembly-
340
28
50
62 43
23 47
33
32
499
J. Buffington.
19
4
1
38
1
45
108
Clerk-
F. A. Thompson H. P. Stone
316
61
44
100
9
37 25
61
606
Sheriff-
N. A. Covarrubias. S. H. Linville
256
50
39
83
6
25
50
509
District Attorney-
J. H. Kincaid
298
54
34
65
10
26
37
533
C. Grey
303
15
36
54
46
31
41
526
Sturgeon
19
7
13
27
5
3
5
79
Surveyor-
Norway
497
29
49
97
42
19
7
Holben
122
48
34
45
28
44
78
399
Assessor-
Alvord. Williams
319
30
34
63 77
66
54
67
647
Superintendent of Schools- Hamer Cooper
307
54
44
92 50
61
39
35
565
Coroner-
Shrewsbury
276
54
46
74
7
23
48 35
528
Freeman
350
24
: = 6
70
82
39
621
Edwards.
520
91
..
611
44
44
60
63
37
35
625
Senator-
George Steele
315
29
53
J. A. Barry
A. G. Escandon
264
45
35
26
10
:
34
546
310
17
366
26
44
54
53
4
7
18
484
312
21
44
7
23
51 578
740
208
41
539
1
189
22
166
HISTORY OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY.
JUDICIARY ELECTION RETURNS OCT. 15, 1873.
FOR JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT.
Montecito.
Carpenteria.
Santa Barbara
Hope.
La Patera.
Las Cruces.
Los Alamos.
Santa Maria.
Guadalupe.
Total.
Dwinelle ...
2
4
128
2
10
2
23
510
173
Mckinstry
32
20
184
18
35
1
30
10
330
Bronson
2
4
162
2
9
1
196
McKee.
9
84
5
4
13
16 99
11
8
163
STREETS USED AS A PASTURE.
People from the East were much annoyed by the use of the streets for pasturing all kinds of stock. The Mexicans had always been accustomed to the free use of the land for that purpose, and many people who were not natives found it convenient to let the family cow or horse gather the grass along the streets, and were apparently oblivious of the damage done to yard-fenees, shrubbery, and flowers. The city ordi- nances prohibited the use of the streets for that purpose, but the law was not observed, and not until the City Attorney was ehased by an infuriated beast and compelled to elimb a high pieket fence to save his life, did he see fit to proseeute for violations of the aet. The Grand Jury complained of the laxity of the eity authorities in permitting nuisances, and also censured them for not having a suitable loek-up for persons violating city ordinances.
WHARVES.
Nearly all the wharves were erected within a few years after the great immigration. The Santa Bar- bara wharf was first built. The franchise for the San Buenaventura wharf was granted January 4, 1871, to J. Wolfson; the Hueneme wharf to Thomas R. Bard, C. L. Bard, and R. G. Surdam. August 4, 1871; the Gaviota to W. W. Hollister, Albert Dib- blee, and Thomas B. Dibblee, November 6, 1871; Point Sal to G. W. Foster, August 4, 1872.
CATHOLIC CEMETERY.
It was the habit of the Catholic missions, in ac- cordance with the European eustom, to bury the dead in the vieinity of the churches. In the country, away from thickly-settled plaees, it has advantages and charms that add mueh to the attraetions of the place. When a town grows up, as they generally have around the sites.of the missions, the custom ยทยท becomes a positive detriment, often endangering the health of the community. The small lot west of the San Buenaventura Mission has 2,800 and more buried in it The one adjoining the Santa Barbara 'Mission has, it is believed, from 6,000 to- 10,000, sleeping in a space of a few yards . square. Soon after the coming of the Americans, a site was selected, on the side hill, directly north of the town, for a new cemetery. When the town was surveyed, the plot included the ground mentioned, or portions of it, and as the streets in the city began to be built up, loud complaints were made of the interment of bodies in the grounds.
It was first prohibited by a eity ordinance, but the Rev. James Villa, President of the mission, paid little attention to it until the Grand Jury made a presentment of the matter, which they did Septem- ber, 1873, sinee which time the practice has been discontinued, the burials taking place towards the Patera on lands donated by Thomas Hope.
REPORT OF THE GRAND JURY ON THE CATHOLIC CEM- ETERY.
SEPTEMBER, 1873.
66 That it appearing from representations made to us by numerous parties, that the Catholic cemetery, lying north and east of the town of Santa Barbara, and adjoining thereto, is unfit for burial purposes, because of the rocky nature of the ground, rendering it impossible to dig the graves more than from two to four feet in depth, and that by slight denudation the bodies in many of the graves would be more or less exposed, and that in one case the effects of the decomposition of a body were plainly visible at the surface, the jury, in view of these facts, are unanimous in their opinion that the said cemetery is a public nuisance, and thus deelare it; and it further appearing that a former Grand Jury had taken cog- nizance of this matter, but had been assured by those who had charge of the cemetery that such things should no longer continue, and that sinee that time no effort, so far as we can learn, has been made for its abatement, we do hereby make this a present- ment against Father James Villa, hoping, thereby the cemetery may be removed, and that there will be no further cause for such complaints."
CHARLES E. HUSE.
Few names are oftener mentioned in the history of Santa Barbara than his. Coming to California soon after the discovery of gold, and to Santa Barbara soon after its organization as a county, his legal and literary acquirements have always been in quest. He has probably had more influence in the courts and councils of Santa Barbara than any other Ameriean.
He was born March 1, 1825, and had the benefit of an intellectual training in one of the best conducted colleges in the United States, being a graduate of Harvard University, of the class of 1848. His knowledge of law forms, and his clerical skill made him an invaluable authority in all matters of reeord, while his, ability . to speak the various languages, Spanish, German, and Italian, made him necessary, in cases involving people of the different nationalities, to bring harmony and order out of the babel of lan- guages. It was by his assistance that Judge Joaquin Carrillo was enabled to sit as District Judge for four- teen years with no knowledge of the English lan- guage, and do justice to the multitude of litigants who came before him. Whether aeting as District Attorney or as counsel, the Court always relied on him for information as to forms and proceedings. The Supervisors were wont to refer, everything to him: bills for stationery, board for prisoners, prices of improvement around the Court House, sums charged as salary, all were turned over to C. E. Huse or the District Attorney. His first official
..
. .
167
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
service was in April, 1852, when he was appointed to the position of County Clerk, vacated by J. W. Burroughs, which he held until the following autumn. He was elected District Attorney in 1854, which office he held for six years, and " thereby hangs a tale." Mr. Hnse was a Whig, and the county was intensely Democratic, but the nomination was left blank on the Democratie ticket, or Mr. Huse's name was inserted, so that he was almost unanimously elected. The native population had the utmost con- fidence in him, and instinctively employed his serv- iees when they became entang'ed in the wonderful mazes, to them, at least, of the American law.
Mr. Huse has been foremost in advocating all public enterprises, whether roads, railroads, harbor improvements, the improvement of schools, establish- ing manufacturing industries, or building up churches. When the effort was made, years since, to get a line of railroad through the country, he was the strongest advocate, bringing forward the largest amount of facts to prove the utility, as well as feasibility, of the roads. He was the most enthusiastie believer in the capacity of the harbor to become a great ship- ping port. He was, and is now, the most enthusi- astic as to the immense values of the petroleum springs of Southern California. He demonstrated the availability of the petroleum for propelling steam vessels and for redneing the refractory ores of the silver mines of Nevada. He early pointed out the superiority of the Santa Barbara transcontinental route from China to New York for safe and rapid transit for valuable goods. He was among the first to proelaim to the world the superiority of the Santa Barbara elimate, and prove to the world the possibil- ity of supplying the United States with tropical fruits from its own territory.
As a lawyer, Mr. Huse's sangnine temperament makes him rather a special pleader than a judge, an advocate rather than a safe counselor. When enlisted in a cause, his efforts to achieve snecess become almost superhuman, though he has never been sus- pected of tampering with witnesses or suborning testimony, his efforts being purely in the exposition of law and justice.
No man on the coast can put words together in better shape than Judge Huse. His sentenees are compaet, clear, and forcible, and seem, rather, ripe conelusions of the mind than a portion of the mental operations. As a newspaper writer he would have achieved a marked suceess, his writings being known wherever they are found by their terseness and vigor. He never obscures a sentence with elegant phrases, but prefers to talk to the purpose rather than for edification.
He is a natural orator, with a voice of wonderful sweetness and power, which ean easily fill the largest hall. When he arises to speak, one soon forgets the diminutive size of the man in his flowing eloquenee. The people never tire of hearing him, and eall him forth on every appropriate oceasion. With such a
list of accomplishments one wonders why he has not gone to Congress, or gained other high position. Ile has not worked for himself, but for the publie. With more selfishness and less publie spirit he would have outstripped many who have Won. attached to their names.
Immense properties have passed through his hands, but his notions of fair dealing did not conduce to a retention of the millions which otherwise might have been his. In private life he is congenial and polite, never making enemies if it can be avoided, seeking to conciliate rather than offend. He is one of the earnest promoters of churches, and generally attends worship with his family, taking part in the exercises, especially delighted in helping to render the majestie anthems of Hayden, Handel, and the others of that school of music. He is like the model man a famous writer speaks well of, with too much wealth to be called poor, and too little to make him proud. Music and literature are his recreations, which are gener- ally enjoyed in the bosom of his family.
THE NEWSPAPER WAR.
It is said that the editors of the Louisville Journal and Courier would meet in friendly talk over a bottle of wine, and laugh over the credulity of the public in believing that the terms liar. scoundrel, thief, per- jurer, coward, etc., which they threw at each other, meant anything. The editors here meant all they said and much more. The ordinary amenities of society were ignored. Any private correspondence was liable to be conducted in the same way. The editor of the Press sent a request to the District Attorney, inquiring if certain things had been done in accordance with the law. and received the follow- ing answer :-
" J. A. JOHNSON-Sir: In answer to your uote. I have this to state, sir, that I consider you a dirty, presumptuous dog and a slanderer, and that you have been paid to traduce the character of good men, and for that reason I decline to answer any inquiries which you make of me.
. W. T. WILLIAMS."
This last epistle brought out a characteristic Press editorial, severely denouncing the District Attorney as a companion of thieves and bad characters. The result was a personal encounter, in which the Dis- triet Attorney set up a law of his own. The affair was thus described by the Times of June 17, 1871 :-
" On Saturday morning last, about 11:30 o'clock. the people of the place were thrown into some excite- ment by the cowhiding of the editor of the Santa Barbara Press by W. T. Williams, Esq .. District Attorney of the county. [The cause of the action was the editorial alluded to.] He knocked him down and administered to him a severe castigation with a eowhide, marking his face in several places. The general expression was that it served him right."
Johnson in his account of the matter of the editor- ial attack on Williams, disclaimed any reference to Williams' character, or to the ladies he was in the
168
HISTORY OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY.
habit of associating with, and stated that Mr. Williams attacked him unexpectedly, taking him at a dis- advantage.
Johnson frequently received anonymous letters, threatening his life if he did not desist in his per- sonal attacks.
GIFT CONCERT.
There is no doubt but that in many instances Mr. Johnson was useful in exposing frands and crime. A gift concert was projected which was to have raised a thousand dollars or more for the building of a school house. Some respectable men were induced to lend their aid to a scheme which is generally of doubtful utility, but which, in this instance, from the character of the projectors, was quite certain to result in no good to the schools. Johnson attacked it with his usual venom, the Times, which endorsed the affair, retorting in like manner, until the first subject of disagreement was lost sight of in the flood of scurrillous language which ensued. The concert, however, was indefinitely postponed.
HUMOR.
The editor of the Press considered himself the most abused man in the State, and thought a newspaper man had enough to do without running around to crack the heads of his personal enemies or fighting them with their own weapons, cunning and malice.
The Signal suggested that the Press hire a cheap boy to edit the paper awhile (nobody would know it) and steal out unexpectedly with a shillalah and break a few heads; it would refresh him and give an opportunity to flourish the great editorial " WE."
The Times, not making noise enough about the fine climate of Santa Barbara, was lectured by the Press, and returned the attack as follows :-
" We suppose we must say something about ' the climate' in this issue to appease our enemy of the Press. The climate of Santa Barbara is a big thing. There is nothing like it in the known world. It cures the consumption. It knocks the asthma. It is a dead thing on catarrh. The dyspepsia and the dysentery are unknown. Little boys never stub their toes in this climate, and they never get the summer complaint. The climate is death on fits; anybody that don't believe this is a ' hired organ,' an 'unblush- ing enemy of the place.'"
The Press was accused of being the organ of the land-grabbers, and was charged with servility to the rich and tyranny to the poor. It was generally known that the Press had received assistance from Colonel Hollister and other large land-holders. So there was plausibility at least in the charge. A correspondent of the Times answers a question, " Do the settlers know what they are doing ?" published in the Press, as follows :---
" Now, Mr. Press, we consider a journalist who cavils in sycophancy to the wishes of the rich, lends his services to the rich, and turns an un- friendly eye upon the laboring poor, to be a lick- spittle of the lowest type. It is patent to everyone
who happens to read your venial sheet that you are owned by a clan of land-grabbers, and are ever ready to do all the detestable work that they may demand of you. We view your comment upon the letter referred to as another act of veniality which you are ever ready to herald forth to the public.
" In regard to the laws, we claim to be a law- abiding people, but we will not allow you, nor Mr. T. W. More,* nor any man, to insult, molest, or trample upon our rights with impunity. Hoping this will be the last time you will ever meddle with our private business, we remain
THE FOURTH, OF 1871.
The celebration of the Fourth, 1871, did not pass off withont a wordy war between the newspapers. It will be seen that some of the leading parties in the celebration were not personal friends to the editor of the Press. He published the programme, and with it the following notice :-
" THE FOURTIL .- The programme for the celebra- tion will be found in another column. A glance at it will show our friends that we cannot attend it and retain our self-respect. We had anticipated the cele- bration of the day with more than usual interest, and it is a real disappointment to us that such persons have been placed in prominent positions as we cannot consent to associate with, even on such an occasion as the 4th of July."
To which the Times replied :--
" He couldn't attend and retain his self-respect !- a quality to which he is a perfect stranger, and some- thing which, if he ever had, has been publicly kicked out of him, and what was left has been taken off by the cowhide. This pink of high-toned morality and high-toned disciple of honor couldn't attend, but graciously gives the people the privilege to do as they please. He couldn't, oh, no! The speech he had written he had no opportunity to get off, consequently he was rather chagrined, mortified-if possible-that some of our best citizens were unable to appreciate his immense oratorical powers and sublimity of thought. Taking it all in all, the item above referred to is an insult to the whole community, and could only have originated in the dirt-eating, groveling mind of Johnson, who is utterly lost to every refine- ment of feeling, and consequently incapable of show- ing any respect to others, save when parties have money to reconcile his peculiar notions of honor."
The " Press" went to the islands with a select party and wrote a glowing description of the trip, with its intellectual feast of orations, poems, toasts, and other things.
The home celebration, however, passed off to the satisfaction of all concerned.
PROGRAMME .- Procession at 9 o'clock. Marshal, G. N. Collins; Aids, Ames and Rider; President of the day, J. Franklin Williams; Chaplain, Rev. S. S. Harmon; Orator, Albert Packard; Reader, H. P. Stone.
Car containing thirty-eight young ladies, one, Miss Ella Shaw, representing the Goddess of Liberty, and . thirty-seven for the different States. The young
"The troubles on the Sespe, which afterwards resulted in the murder of T. Wallace More, had been in progress for some years.
169
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
ladies were tastefully arrayed, each having her brow encircled by a wreath of flowers; the car followed by carriages and a body of horsemen under command of Mr. Gray. The oration by Mr. Packard was highly spoken of. At the table re- sponses were made to the proper patriotic sentiments by Mr. O. L. Abbott, Judge Maguire, Clarence Gray, J. H. Kincaid, J. T. Richards, Dr. Brinkerhoff, W. H. Mills, and others.
THE FIRE.
["Press" August 26, 1871.]
" About - A. M. on Friday, August 25th, we were aroused from sleep by the snapping, crackling sound of fire. Our bed-room window, opening toward the Press office, was let down at the top and raised about three feet at the bottom, the inside blinds being closed. We sprang to the window and found our office, some fifty feet distant, all lighted up inside and a flame running up the side of the building near the editorial-room window. We rushed to the door and shouted "Fire!" five or six times, then, drawing on a single garment, barefoot, we ran to the office window, which we found up, and our tables and open pigeon-holes arranged on the back of the large office table, all in a sheet of flame. But we saw at a glance that the fire had just been kindled, as the room was not filled with smoke, and the arti- cles on fire not much burned. We hastened around to the rear door, which was open, hastened into the editorial room and tried hard to take out a large drawer filled with valuable papers and correspond- ence, but we found it was on fire from beneath from the waste-basket under the table, and that we could not save it. The room was rapidly filling from the top with smoke, and beginning to suffocate, and we hastily retreated to the rear part of the office. Here, at the foot of the stairs, we found a roaring flame rushing up from behind a cabinet of type, which stood against the wooden partition, and, seeing that the flame which leaped up was entering the stairway, we at once got water and carefully extinguished it. Help soon arrived, and by great exertion the build- ing was saved. It was fired by kerosene in three different places. We were at once struck by the skill of the incendiary and his familiarity with the premises. It was a well-aimed blow from a skillful and daring enemy. We were indebted for the pres- ervation of our building to the energetic assistance of' Messrs. Clifford, Lattaillade, Jones, and Ablet, expressmen, and several California friends whose names we did not learn. We return them, on behalf of our wife and little ones, whose source of main- tenanee came so near being cut off, and of ourself, who wish to finish the work we have begun, our most sincere thanks, and trust they may be spared any such calamity as they prevented from overtak- ing us. We have the office insured to the amount of $2,500, and it cost us, office, building, and all, $5,400. But the things lost are such as cannot be replaced, and upon which no money value can be placed. The incendiary knew just when to set his watch."
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