History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 21

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934

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Charley Rhoades was the pioneer banjo player of the state. Not long after the discov- ery of gold his banjo was heard on the streets of San Francisco and in the northern and east- ern mining camps. In the early '60s he joined a minstrel company and as end man and banjo player was before the public until his removal to San Jose in 1874. He was the reputed au- thor of that popular old song, "The Days of '49," and up to his retirement it was the favor- ite song of his repertory. The style of the song is shown in the following verse :

There was Kentuck Bill, one of the boys, Who was always in for a game, No matter whether he lost or won

To him 'twas all the same.

He'd ante up, he'd pass the buck,

He'd go a hatfull blind,

In a game with death Bill lost his breath In the days of '49.

Another verse refers to Reuben Raines, a Sacramentan, for whom the late Edward John- son, a pioneer millhand of San Jose, some- times acted as assistant. Johnson used to boast of his connection with the Raines' out- fit and would recite with gusto the following verse :

There was another chap from New Orleans, Big Reuben was his name. On the plaza there, in a sardine box, He opened a faro game. He dealt so fair that a millionaire He became in course of time,

Till death stepped in and called the turn In the days of '49.

Rhoades was a consumptive and after a few years' residence in San Jose removed to Santa Clara, where he died about forty years ago.

Fred Sprung and Ned Buckley left min- strelsy to become ranchers and neighbors. Their homes were located on Mclaughlin Avenue near the Story road. Sprung was a bass singer and interlocutor and in the olio appeared as a negro impersonator. Before he came to California he was a member of a band of minstrels organized to give performances on the Mississippi river boats. The band was a small one, but each member was advertised as an artist in his line. On these boats the gamblers, always in force before the opening of the Civil War, would frequently postpone a game to listen to a minstrel performance. On these occasions they would pick favorites and the performers thus singled out would re- ceive donations far in excess of the amounts of their salaries. Sprung found it a happy, easy life and was sorry when the war put a stop to it. He died in San Jose about twenty years ago.

Ned Buckley, endman and comedian, did not stay all the time on his ranch. He had business interests in San Francisco which kept him away from San Jose more than half the time. Finally he sold his ranch and left San Jose for good.

Other San Joseans who have won honors, either on the dramatic stage or in motion pic- tures, are Edmund Lowe, Howard Hickman, Ed. Jobson, Frank Stevens, George Hernan- dez, Vernon Kent and Clarence Geldert.

CHAPTER X.

Distinguished Visitors to San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley-Bayard Taylor's Day Dream-Political Orators-George Francis Train-Henry George as a Detective-Bret Harte-Presidents Hayes and Harrison- The Ovation to General Grant-Beecher, Ingersoll and the Old-Time Orators-Gen. John C. Fremont-Ned Buntline.

Many distinguished men and women have visited Santa Clara County. During the '50s Gen. John C. Fremont, David C. Broderick, William M. Gwin, Gov. Burnett, Bayard Tay- lor, J. Ross Browne and others came to San Jose, sometimes on business, sometimes for pleasure. Bayard Taylor, the famous poet, story writer and traveler, first visited the Val- ley in the early '50s. In his "Pictures of Cali- fornia" he thus describes what he saw : "How shall I describe a landscape so unlike any- thing else in the world? With a beauty so new and dazzling that all ordinary compari- sons are worthless. A valley ten miles wide through the center of which winds the dry bed of a winter stream whose course is marked with groups of giant sycamores, their trunks gleaming like silver through masses of giant foliage. Over the level floor of this valley park-like groves of oaks, whose mingled grace and majesty can only be given by the pencil ; in the distance redwoods rising like towers ; westward a mountain chain nearly 4,000 feet in height, showing through the blue haze dark green forests on the background of blazing gold. Eastward another mountain chain, full- lighted by the sun, rose color touched with violet shadows, shining with marvelous trans- parency as if they were of glass, behind which shone another sun. Overhead, finally, a sky whose blue luster seemed to fall, mellowed, through an intervening veil of luminous vapor. No words can describe the fire and force of the coloring-the daring contrast which the difference of half a tint changed from discord into harmony. Here the great artist seems to have taken a new palette and painted his cre- ations with hues unknown elsewhere. Driv- ing through these enchanting scenes, I in- dulged in a day dream. It will not be long, I thought,-1 may 'live to see it before my prime is over-until San Jose is but five days' journey from New York. Cars, which shall be in fact traveling hotels, will speed, on an unknown line of rail, from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Then let me purchase a few acres on the lowest slope of these mountains over- looking the valley and with a distant view of the bay; let me build a cottage embowered

in acacia and eucalyptus and the tall spires of . the Italian cypress; let me leave home when the Christmas holidays are over and enjoy the balmy Januarys and Februarys, the heavenly Marches and Aprils, of my remaining years here, returning only when May shall have brought beauty to the Atlantic shore. There shall my roses outbloom those of Poes- tum, there shall my nightingales sing, my or- ange blossoms sweeten the air, my children play and my best poem be written. I had another and a grander dream. One hundred years had passed and I saw the valley, not as now, only partially tamed, and reveling in the wild magnificence of nature, but from river bed to mountain summit, humming with human life. I saw the same oaks and syca- mores, but their shadows fell on mansions fair as temples, gleaming with their white fronts and long colonnades. I saw gardens refreshed by gleaming fountains, statues peeping from the bloom of laurel bowers; palaces built to enshrine the new art which will then have blossomed here; culture, plenty, peace every- where. I saw a more beautiful race in pos- session of this paradise-a race in which the lost symmetry and grace of the Greek was partially restored; the rough, harsh features of the Oriental type gone ; milder manners, bet- ter regulated impulses and a keen appreciation of the arts which enrich and embellish life. Was it only a dream?"

J. Ross Browne was a traveler, who wrote descriptive, semi-humorous accounts of his wanderings for Harper's Monthly. His home was in Oakland, but he loved San Jose and its people.

Political Orators.

The political campaigns of the '70s brought many distinguished Eastern and Northern or- ators to California. San Jose was not slight- ed and as spell-binding was the main stock in trade of the stump speaker, the Califor- nians received their full share of lofty periods and flowery diction. Among the orators who came to San Jose were Hannibal Hamlin, Vice- President under Lincoln; Julius C. Burroughs, United States senator and the silver-tongued

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orator of Michigan; Gen. W. S. Hancock, Gar- field's opponent in the race for the presidency ; John A. Bingham, of Ohio, United States sen- ator and statesman; Ex-Governor George L. Woods, of Oregon, Thomas. Fitch, of Nevada, and several others.

In politics the things done nowadays are any- thing but on all fours with the things done forty, fifty and sixty years ago. In the early days there was partisanship, pure and simple. The line-up in every campaign showed the ad- herents of one party in diametrical opposi- tion to the adherents of the other. And those were the days of whoop-'er-up, of intense en- thusiasm, of excitement, of deep sustained in- terest. Street corners were the scenes of ani- mated discussion. Often the ready fist shot out when word of mouth failed to give force to the argument. But it was all in the play and when the curtain fell villain and hero shook hands and all was well as before.

In San Jose the very strenuous political peri- od began in 1865 and ended in 1884. In 1868 Grant and Seymour were the opposing candi- dates. Meetings were held, not in halls, but on the street where men could congregate and where the best places could not be occupied by the women, who were then non-voters. The idea in those days was not to give a theatrical performance to which one must procure a re- served seat, but to talk to the people without any other accessories than an improvised stand, an American flag and a row of tallow candles. On one occasion-in 1865-no stand was used, but at the intersection of Santa Clara and First streets, mounted on a dry goods box, the late lamented Thomas H. Laine, afterwards law partner of John H. Moore, D. M. Delmas, S. F. Leib and W. A. Johnston, eloquently enunciated the principles of De- mocracy, while the yellow torches on the cor- ners flared, their offensive residuum permeat- ing the air.

George C. Gorham, then a recently defeated candidate for governor, afterwards secretary of the United States Senate and author of "The Life of Edwin M. Stanton," was Cali- fornia's most remarkable stump speaker. His voice was often heard in San Jose. He had a most remarkable command of vituperative language and a sledge-hammer style possessed by no other orator in the State. He was the first to advocate upon the stump the "Father- hood of God, Brotherhood of Man" principle.

Citizen George Francis Train was, in his time the best-known American and the strang- est man in existence. He started forty clipper ships to California in 1849, organized the Credit Mobilier which built the Union Pacific Railway, constructed the first street railway in England, organized the French Commune

in 1870, was the business partner of kings, queens and emperors, was in jail eleven times, and, to wind up, broke the world's around-the- world record three times, the first time in eighty days, a feat that gave Jules Verne the idea for his captivating story.

In the early '70s he came to California on a lecturing tour. San Jose was visited and the lecture was given in the Opera House, which at the time of opening was crowded to the doors. The historian will never forget either the occasion or the man. His head was much too large for his short, stoutly-bitilt body, but physical appearance was forgotten as one watched his movements and listened to his talk. Active as a cat and charged with dy- namic force, he was never still for a moment, but moved from one end of the stage to the other, waving his chubby hands and uttering disconnected, choppy sentences in a manner that compelled interest and admiration. He was called a mountebank, a poseur and man with a screw loose in his upper story, but he cared not the snap of a finger for what was said about him, but seemed to delight in the caustic criticisms that followed him while he was in the limelight.

Before beginning his San Jose lecture he said to the audience: "They say I am inco- herent and that I wander from my subject. Maybe these gentle critics of mine are right, but I can talk coherently, and I will give you something that will be to the point. First, I will present a sample of coherent lecturing and, following that, a sample of what they call incoherent lecturing. At the finish you shall say what style you wish me to use to- night." Now came the samples. The coherent one was dry and uninteresting and was re- ceived in silence. But after the sample of in- coherent the applause shook the building. When quiet had been restored Train shouted : "Now, what will you have?" "Incoherent," was the unanimous reply. "All right," Train said, "incoherent it shall be." Then the circus opened. The lecturer jumped from one sub- ject to another, bursts of eloquence were fol- lowed by clownish jokes, points at times were driven home with sledge-hammer force, gems of poetry were sandwiched in between lines of exquisite prose and at intervals came epi- grams charged with scorn and bitterness, for in that distempered brain of his burned the fire of genius. Indeed Train was wonderful as well as strange, and it was easy to under- stand why he was such a success as a platform lecturer. After leaving California he returned to New York, ran as independent candidate for the presidency, defended Victoria Wood- hull by publishing extracts from the Bible, an act that landed him in the Tombs; threw

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away his money, behaved more extravagantly than ever, and then one day closed his lips and for fourteen years never spoke to man or woman. Every day during this period he sat on a bench in Madison Square, feeding the birds and petting little children. At last speech and activity came back. He made an- other around-the-world trip, completing it in sixty days, and then settled down to a hum- drum existence in the top story of a New York hotel. While there he defended his po- sition in the following characteristic style : "They say I talk as one out of his head. Why should I not do so? How can a peanut con- vention know about a cocoanut? The pea- nuts composing it have never seen a cocoanut. They don't know what it is. The peanut con- vention considers the cocoanut, deliberates wisely and passes a resolution that the cocoa- nut is a large peanut. And how can a cocoa- nut find out what it is like until it has seen another cocoanut like itself? I am a cocoa- nut." Train died in 1903, at the age of sev- enty-four years.

Henry George, the formulator and exponent of the single-tax theory, wrote "Progress and Poverty" while acting as editor of the San Francisco Post. In abbreviated form the mat- ter was first used as meat for a lecture, and after San Francisco had been favored with the radical views of the great editor, George came to San Jose with his manuscript. Patrick W. Murphy, city editor of the Post, was the busi- ness manager and the lecture was delivered in the San Jose Opera House to a small audi- ence. But the expenses were light and no money was lost. George took the situation good-naturedly, for he was a jovial, big-hearted man, and declared that he was satisfied with the sowing of the seed and would serenely await the verdict of time.

While in San Jose, George was the guest of J. J. Owen, the veteran editor and philoso- pher. On the afternoon preceding the lecture George was in Owen's office. Among other things they discussed the local sensation, which was of absorbing interest to Owen, who was an avowed spiritualist. Strange, unac- countable manifestations had been reported from a small, one-story house on Fourth Street near St. John. Spooks, no less, so it was claimed and generally believed, had repeatedly broken windows, thrown stones against the building and cut up other queer and devilish pranks. The lessee of the house was a well- known citizen (now deceased), who was ut- terly unable to understand why he, of all men, should be singled out for these satanic mani- festations. His standing in the community was high, he had led an upright life and he was not aware that he had any enemies. The spooks-admitting that malignant spirits from

the other world had been at work-had oper- ated at all hours, day and night. George listened to the story, asked a few questions, and then said: "Let's go down to the house and investigate. We may stumble upon a clew. I don't take any stock in this spook business." Owen smiled but did not express any opinion. The historian, who was then doing reportorial work for Owen, accompanied the two editors to the house of mystery. The lessee was not at home, but his daughter was there. She smiled cynically as she bade the trio enter the living room, which fronted on the street. It was noticed on entering that some of the panes in the two front windows were broken. George examined the breaks and then addressed himself to the girl, who sat, sullen and defiant, near the door opening into the kitchen. The door was closed and there was no sound to indicate the presence of any other person in the house. Owen asked if the mother was at home. The girl shook her head. She was rather attractive, with her black hair and eyes, pale cheeks and tip-tilted nose. But her expression registered resentment rather than pleasure, over the coming of the investigators. Her story tallied with that given by her father. The mysteri- ous manifestations had occurred at all hours of the day and night. She had no theory to advance. The stones might have been thrown by evil spirits or by some human enemy cun- ning enough to escape detection.

After the inquisition Owen and George, with this historian at their heels, looked into and examined every room in the house. Nothing of value as a clew having been discovered, the three newspaper men returned to the living room, the girl following them. She resumed her former seat and listened with an amused smile while George and Owen discussed spooks, politics and religion. At last George, changing the subject, said to Owen: "Have you made up your mind?" Owen was about to answer when there came a noise as of the shattering of glass. The investigators, quickly getting to their feet, saw that another pane had been broken. "Well," ejaculated George. "his spookship is considerate. That show was given for our benefit. Thank you, Spooky. Maybe"-he smiled at the girl, who sat star- ing at the window with her hands concealed in her apron-"Maybe this is a case of hoisting by one's own petard." Walking over to the window, he examined thoroughly pane, sash and floor, then opened the front door and stepped outside. He was gone but a few mo- ments. Returning, he looked at the girl stead- ily, accusingly. She stood the scrutiny half a minute, then cast down her eyes and fum- bled nervously with her hands, still concealed under her apron. She did not lift her eyes

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while George was speaking. "Miss -," he said, gravely, "the stone was thrown from this room, therefore-" He paused and the girl burst out: "It's no use trying to fool you. How did you find it out?" "Easy enough. The glass broken by the smash is on the ground outside and not in this room." Then he added, "Why did you do it? You must have had some strong reason." "I had," was the low reply. Her story was soon told. She hated the house and had been trying for months to induce her father to move to another place. Unable to influence him, she had hit upon the device of scaring him into compli- ance. The scheme might have succeeded but for Henry George's astuteness.

The story ended, the girl fell to crying. Her father would never forgive her. She had a mind to run away and never come back. Her life was ruined, and so forth, and so forth. George was kind and sympathetic. His sooth- ing words soon dried her tears. There was a way out of the tangle and he promised to find it before he left town. He was as good as his word. The father was seen and after much persuasion agreed to take another house, and also never to reproach his daughter for what she had done. That ended the matter. The manifestations ceased and Henry George left town in a satisfied frame of mind. He had not made any money in San Jose, but he had had a fine time.

Bret Harte made several visits to San Jose while he was editor of the Overland Monthly. One. visit lasted several days. It was shortly after the publication of his first book of poems, "The Lost Galleon." He is remembered as a small, dapper, elegantly clothed person, with black mustachios and "burnsides" and a pock- marked face.

Mark Twain was in San Jose a few days before his lecture. This was in 1866. His controversy with W. Frank Stewart, the earth- quake philosopher, has been referred to in an earlier chapter.

In the Society chapter reference was made to the visits to San Jose of Presidents Mc- Kinley and Roosevelt. Other Presidents who came before them were Hayes, Grant and Har- rison. Hayes was in the middle of his term when he made the overland trip to California. There was not much fuss made over his ar- rival, though a large crowd gathered to listen to his address, made from the balcony of the Auzerais House. He was accompanied by Gen. W. T. Sherman.

President Harrison's visit was a flying one. He alighted from the train at the Market Street depot, was driven rapidly about town and then back to the train. He made one speech, short and to the point, like all his public utterances. 9

The great ovation was given to Gen. U. S. Grant on September 26, 1879. In honor of the event business houses generally were closed, the courts took a half-holiday, and the city was given an attractive gala-day appear- ance. Nearly all the public structures and business blocks were profusely and hand- somely decorated with flags, shields and fes- toonings of red, white and blue, while private dwellings along the line of march were simi- larly arrayed and bedecked. It was estimated at the time that more than 20,000 people, in holiday attire, awaited the coming of the man who had reflected such honor upon his coun- try. Military and civic organizations took part in the parade, the late WV. T. Adel acting as grand marshal, with Capt. Ira Moore and A. P. Murgotten as aids. The former resi- dents of Galena, Ill., Grant's old home, were represented by Judge Chas. G. Thomas, G. J. Overshiner, C. O. Rogers, O. C. Wells and C. Bellingall. At the depot Mayor Lawrence Archer delivered the address of welcome. The reception committee consisted of W. D. Tis- dale, T. Ellard Beans, Rev. M. S. Levy, Capt. C. H. Maddox and J. J. Owen. The torn, tat- tered and faded battle flag carried by D. C. Vestal, as color-bearer of Phil Sheridan Post, excited much comment, and its history would not be out of place here. It belonged in 1864 to the Twenty-first Regiment, South Carolina Colored Volunteers, commanded by Col. A. G. Bennett, afterwards of San Jose, and was the first Union flag raised in Charleston after that city's surrender to and occupation by the Union forces. Five color-bearers were shot down while carrying it, and every hole in it was made by a Confederate bullet.

General Grant and party, which included Mrs. Grant and Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., received a pleasant surprise when the procession ap- proached the Court House. Upon the steps and platform were congregated some 500 chil- dren, each one tastefully arrayed in white with red and blue ornamentations and bearing a small flag and a bouquet of flowers. The gen- eral's carriage was driven to the edge of the sidewalk and halted. Then the children, un- der the direction of Professor Elwood, struck up the National anthem, "America," singing the four stanzas with such spirit and feeling as made the welkin ring. At the close three cheers were given to General Grant and then came a shower of bouquets thrown at the car- riage. After the procession had disbanded the general was driven to the Fair Grounds on the Alameda, where a running horse race, against time, had been arranged for his benefit. In the evening a banquet was given at the Auzerais House. Mayor Archer presided and Col. J. P. Jackson of San Francisco made the

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response for General Grant. The following were present :

Ladies-Mrs. U. S. Grant, Mrs. Mayor Bry- ant of San Francisco, Mrs. Mayor Archer, Mrs. S. (. Houghton, Mrs. T. Ellard Beans, Mrs. B. D. Murphy, Mrs. C. H. Maddox, Mrs. H. W. Seale, Mrs. Knox-Goodrich, Mrs. Ira Moore, Mrs. G. R. Baker, Mrs. F. E. Spencer, Mrs. J. J. Owen, Mrs. Gov. Irwin, Mrs. Cole- man Younger, Mrs. J. A. Moultrie. Mrs. J. W. Cook, Mrs. W. T. Adel. Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. A. L. Rhodes, Mrs. J. H. Moore.

Gentlemen-L. Archer, W. D. Tisdale, W. L. Tisdale. T. E. Beans, E. McLaughlin, C. T. Ryland, J. M. Braley, E. McLaughlin, H. H. Hoffmann, H. B. Alvord. C. T. Parks, W. Erk- son, J. J. Burt, L. G. Nesmith, John T. Ma- lone, H. L. Cutter, C. C. Stephens, Martin Murphy. T. W. Spring. D. C. Vestal, W. S. Thorne, A. McMahon, W. L. Coombs, L. Fin - igan, H. M. Leonard, J. P. Pierce, M. Byrne, Ira Moore, R. F. Peckham, J. W. Cook, W. F. Ellis. W. M. Lovell, S. O. Houghton, C. H. Maddox. S. W. Boring, S. A. Clark, Levi Good- rich, J. H. Flickinger. L. Lion, D. Belden, B. D. Murphy, P. W. Murphy, E. C. Singletary, E. P. Reed, James A. Clayton, D. C. Bailey, S. F. Leib, Geo. L. Woods, G. F. Baker, A. E. Pomeroy. H. W. Seale, J. J. Sontheimer. J. J. Owen, Miles Hills, N. R. Harris, N. B. Ed- wards, J. N. Hammond, J. R. Lowe, S. A. Barker, C. G. Thomas, J. S. Seely, C. X. Hobbs, B. B. Thayer, L. J. Hanchett, J. P. Sargent. C. E. White, W. S. Clark, Wilson Hays, J. B. Randol, W. T. Adel, A. Whitton, Coleman Younger, M. J. Ashmore, Jesse D. Carr, J. C. Zuck, F. E. Spencer, C. C. Hayward, A. W. Saxe, A. L. Rhodes, Geo. Rutherford, J. T. Murphy and C. G. Harrison.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 21

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1934

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934