History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 7

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

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Lieut. John M. Murphy, who was Captain Weber's second in command during hostili- ties in Santa Clara Valley during the Mexi- can war, was the son of Martin Murphy, Sr., and after the discovery of gold, went to the mines, taking with him a stock of goods. He employed the Indians to prospect and dig for him and probably had more gold in his pos- session than other miners on the coast. He was the first treasurer of Santa Clara County and was afterward elected recorder and then sheriff. His wife was Virginia F. Reed, daugh- ter of James F. Reed and one of the sur- vivors of the ill-fated Donner party. Mur- phy has been dead for many years. His widow died in Los Angeles February 15, 1921.

Charles M. Weber was a merchant in San Jose where he formed his volunteer company to defend the pueblo. He acquired a large tract of land in the county, raised thousands of cattle and died in San Joaquin County many years ago.

· Gold Is Discovered

The discovery of gold in January. 1848, created the greatest excitement in San Jose. The news came after the grain crop had been planted. All business was suspended and everybody rushed to the mines. Many suc- ceeded in obtaining a good supply of the prec- ious metal, but many more did not succeed.

The grain in the fields grew and ripened, but waited in vain for the reaper and was finally wasted or devoured by the roving hogs. Each report of a rich find intensified the excitement while the numerous stories of disappointment seemed not to allay the fever. Town and county were deserted. There being no crops for lack of harvesting all food supplies went up to fabulous prices. The flour used was brought chiefly from Chile and sold for twenty dollars a barrel. Everything else in the way of food, except meat was proportionately high. Labor, when it could be procured was from ten to eighteen dollars per day. Lumber cost $100 per thousand feet for hanling alone. For two years the onions raised on about six acres of ground where the Southern Pacific depot stands yielded a net profit of $20,000 a year.

The two most prominent towns in Cali- fornia in 1848 were Yerba Buena ( San Fran- cisco) and San Jose. When the gold dis- covery was made Charles E. White was al- calde of San Jose and Harry Bee, alguazil, or sheriff. All the males, with few exceptions, joined the stampede, leaving behind only the old men and the women and children. On account of the favorable location and quietude of the town men from other settlements came to San Jose, left their wives and families and then hurried off to the mines.

Harry Bee then had under his charge in the calaboose ten prisoners (Indians), two of whom were charged with murder. When Al- calde White announced his intention to leave for the mines, Harry asked him what disposi- tion of the prisoners should be made. "Do what you like with them," was the answer. Harry considered awhile and at last came to the conclusion that it would never do to leave the Indians in the pueblo with none but women and children about, for he, too, had made up his mind to go to the mines. He finally determined to take the Indians along with him and with his father-in-law and brother-in-law started out. Before leaving the lockup the Indians promised faithfully not to escape and to serve Harry well in return for which service they would, after a time, be re- stored to liberty. The party located at Dry Diggings on the American River and for three months the Indians behaved splendidly. All the dust they took out was given to their em- ployer and they seemed to care for nothing except food and shelter. At the end of two months the miners thereabout began to talk to them about the shabby way in which they were treated, telling them that they were un- der no restraint, that the gold they took ont was their own property and wound up by giving them the curse of the aborigine, "fire

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

water." Harry soon noticed a change in their manner and as he had cleaned up a good pile he resolved to return to San Jose. Accord- ingly he left the Indians in full posession of his claim with all the tools, etc., and departed homeward. He afterward learned that the In- dians only worked one day after his departure and then devoted what dust they had in get- ting on a glorious drunk, which was not un- mixed with bloodshed. Not one of them ever returned to San Jose.

Hon. S. O. Houghton, who died in Los An- geles a few years ago, passed through San Jose in the fall of '48 to find the place compara- tively deserted. All the male population had departed for the mines, business had stagnated and everything appeared to be going to rack and ruin. No provision had been made for the coming season. Mr. Houghton, while at Mon- terey on his way northward, purchased of Capt. Joseph Aram, a redwood board for the purpose of making a rocker for which he paid one dollar per foot. Sawmills were a paying business those days. After returning from the mines Mr. Houghton employed men in a saw- mill, paying them as high as sixteen dollars per day. When the gold excitement broke out the following persons were in and about San Jose. Moses Schallenberger, Frank Lightson, Charles E. White. J. W. Weeks, Ephraim Fravel. George Cross, A. Pfister, Isaac Bran- ham, Dr. Ben Cory, John M. Murphy, Thomas Campbell, Capt. Joseph Aram, William Gul- nac, Charles M. Weber, W. C. Wilson, Ed- ward Johnson, Peter Davidson, Josiah Belden, Zachariah Jones, P. Haggerty, Jonathan Parr. the Pyle family, M. D. Kell, Peter Quincy, Hiram Miller, Samuel Young, Joseph Stillwell, Arthur Caldwell, James F. Reed, Clement Bugbee, Wesley Hoover. James Enright, Harry Bee. This does not complete the list, but nearly so. Parties were organized for the mines and explorations were carried on until just before the rainy season when the major part of the gold seekers returned. Before the opening of spring, when new expeditions had been fitted out, the population had largely in- creased and the city was left in a more secure condition. Numbers had already increased their store of gold to a satisfactory extent, while others wished to try their hand again.

Killing of Young Pyle

No single event created more interest and excitement in San Jose and vicinity than the killing of young Pyle by a Mexican named Valencia in 1847. From a great mass of stories the following facts have been gleaned : In 1847 young Pyle, son of Edward Pyle, visited the ranch of Anastacio Chabolla for the purpose of playing with the young Spanish

boys on the ranch. During the play one of the boys named Valencia, a nephew of Cha- bolla, accidentally injured the horse of young Pyle. The horse was so nearly disabled that another had to be procured to take young Pyle home. After young Pyle had left the ranch Valencia's companions began to plague him about his awkwardness, saying, among other things, that upon hearing young Pyle's story the parents would make Valencia's moth- er pay for the injury. Valencia appears to have been a very sensitive boy and his com- panions worked his feelings up to such a pitch that he determined to follow Pyle and extract a promise to keep mum about the accident. Mounted on a fast horse he soon overtook Pyle and with a throw of the lariat dragged the boy from his horse. He then cut the boy's throat with a knife and dragged the body to the foothills and covered it with brush.

When young Pyle did not return home his relatives and friends instituted search for him but without result. No clue to his where- abouts was discovered until 1849 and the man- ner of the discovery was for years a subject of dispute. Frederic Hall, in his history says that in 1849 a brother of young Pyle met in the San Joaquin Valley a man who said he knew all about the killing. He was brought to San Jose, the remains of the murdered boy were found and the arrest of Valencia soon followed.

Another story was related by the late Julius Martin, of Gilroy. In 1849 Martin had a band of cattle in the vicinity of Mormon Island. One of his Spanish vaqueros named Camillo Ramero was taken ill with a fever and Martin brought him to his (Ramero's) home in the Santa Clara Valley. One night as they were riding near the Bernal ranch, Ramero was taken with a chill, and fearing that he was was about to die, told Martin all about the murder of young Pyle, who did it, how it was done and where the body had been hid- den. He said, among other things, that after young Pyle had been dragged from his horse. Valencia rode away, but soon after meeting his uncle was told that if he did not go back and kill Pyle the Americans would hang him for what he had already done. The statement so worked on the boy's fears, that he went back, killed Pyle and concealed the body near Silver Creek, beyond Evergreen. Martin, after hearing Ramero's story came at once to San Jose and meeting Cad. Keyes told him what Ramero had confessed. Keyes chanced to find John Pyle in town and they made up a posse and arrested Valencia.

A party consisting of Peter Davidson, John Pyle, William McCutchen and a few others went out to find the murdered boy's remains.

SAN JOSE, CALIF., 1856

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

They were found in the place indicated by Ramero. It was afterward learned that Va- lencia had been living a life of torment ever since the commission of the deed. From the place where he lived to the spot where he had hidden the body of his victim a path had been worn by frequent visits. It was said that hardly a night passed without seeing him trudging the lonely path to the grave of his victim. After his arrest Valencia was arraigned before R. H. Dimmick, Judge of the First In- stance. He confessed to the crime before his trial and the trial resulted in a conviction. The execution took place on Market Plaza in the presence of Judge Dimmick and a large number of spectators.

Local Government

Pending the meeting of the convention and the adoption of a new state constitution in Monterey in October, 1849, the country was ruled provisionally by American officials. Each large settlement had for chief officers an al- calde, who under Mexican laws had the en- tire control of municipal affairs and adminis- tered justice pretty much according to his own ideas on the subject, without being tied down by precedents and formal principles of law. He could make grants of building lots within the town boundaries to intending settlers and really his right of administration, except in cases of grave importance, seems to have been limited only by his power to carry his de- crees into effect. When the Americans seized the country they were obliged to make use of the existing machinery of local government and the customary laws that regulated it. They accordingly everywhere appointed alcaldes of towns and districts and instructed them to dis- pense justice in the best possible manner, pay- ing always due regard for the national laws of Mexico and the provisional customs of Cali- fornia.

Such was the condition of the town gov- ernment when that memorable year, 1849, opened. The rulers in the Pueblo of San Jose were as follows: H. K. Dimmick, to August, first alcalde; Richard M. May, from August to November, first alcalde; John C. Conroy, from November, first alcalde; Jose Fernandez, second alcalde : John T. Richardson, from No- vember 2 to December 3, judge of the first instance; W. M. Kincaid, from December 3, judge of the first instance. The Juzgado, or court house, was located on Market Street, corner of El Dorado (now Post). It was built of adobe and had a primitive and weather- beaten appearance.

In 1847 a survey of the town had been made and streets laid out and in 1849 the three main thoroughfares were Market, First and

Santa Clara streets, the last named taking the lead as far as travel and business were con- cerned. There were but few business houses early in the year. Lightston & Weber held forth in an adobe building on the southeast corner of Santa Clara and Lightston streets. There was no hotel in town then and emigrants or strangers had the alternative of either sleeping in the open air or paying as high as $50 a month for a place on the floor in the second story of Lightston & Weber's store or other adobe structures. Josiah Belden and W. R. Basham trafficked in a tile-roofed build- ing on Market street at the corner of San An- tonio street. J. D. Hoppe had a store in an adobe on the corner of Market and El Dorado streets and William Mccutchen and B. H. Gordon (afterward a farmer in the San Felipe Valley) did business in a frame structure on First street, near the corner of Santa Clara street. On the Knox Block corner stood the handsomest and most aristocratic looking adobe residence in the pueblo. It was occu- pied by Thomas and Frank West and what was a wonder in those days, it was plastered on the inside. From that building down to Market Street, a mustard patch flourished in all its pristine vigor. The bucolic appearance was relieved somewhat by a collection of mus- tard huts put up by the native California popu- lation. The long, hardy stalks were selected and with the aid of a few willow branches and a liberal supply of adobe mud, a com- fortable abiding place was constructed. No pains appear to have been spared by these children of the plains and the Sierras in thor- oughly ventilating their dwellings, and as ven- tilation and health go hand in hand, it is not to be wondered at that the occupants were strong-limbed, hardy and long-lived.

Antonio Maria Sunol sold general merchan- dise at his residence on the west side of Mar- ket Plaza and a Chilean firm did business in Peter Davidson's adobe building on San Pedro.

There were a number of private residences, constructed of adobe, in and about the pueblo and many tents and a few wooden buildings put up for temporary use by the Americans. In 1849 the town began to increase rapidly in population, on account of the discovery of gold, the consequent tide of immigration and the advantages offered by San Jose as a place of residence. The women of '49 deserve a larger share of praise and credit than has generally been accorded them. They were not hot- house plants, nor spoiled beauties, narrow- waisted, weak-chested and doll-faced, who manifested more regard for fashion and the latest novel, than housework. They were women of force and worthy coadjutors of the men who laid the basis for the grand civili-

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

zation of today. The habitations (adobe, tent or shack) were not supplied with the many conveniences of today. Many of the house- hold utensils were of primitive design and in the matter of groceries the stock was not as extensive and varied as may be seen in these later days. In place of the handsome and convenient range, or gas stove, with labor- saving and handy accessories, they were obliged to put up with an adobe fireplace or two sticks driven into the ground, forked at their upper ends with a third stick laid across the top upon which the kettles and pots were suspended above the fire underneath. They did not have any bell-knocker or electric but- ton .on or near the front door, nor a parlor with a piano and lots of chromos in it. In the majority of cases the kitchen, dining room, bedroom, sitting room and parlor were one and there was generally an absence of car- pets and wallpaper. The women worked hard in those days, adapting themselves cheerfully to the rough conditions. Many of them are now living in costly dwellings, surrounded by appurtenances of wealth, refinement and ease. They deserve the success they and their husbands have achieved and it is all the more enjoyable after the hard experiences of the early days.

Early Buildings of San Jose

In the latter part of '49 the Bella Union Saloon was erected on a portion of the ground now occupied by the Auzerais House on Santa Clara Street. The proprietors were Joseph W. Johnson and a Mr. Whitney. The Mansion House was begun by J. S. Ruckel on the ground where now stands the old Music Hall building on North First street; and the City Hotel on the opposite of the street was com- pleted and opened to the public. Mine host was Peter Quincy, (since deceased) and the prices charged for board and lodging were high enough to allow a boniface to get rich in a month.

Where the Bank of Italy building now stands was a large cattle corral and to the east and south plains of mustard greeted the eye, an adobe house, occupied by a native Californian, now and then dotting the waste and relieving the monotonous expanse. The mustard stalks grew as high as young trees --- higher than a man's head and it was the easiest thing in the world to take a walk in the shade of the yellow branches and get lost!

The grand public place was the Plaza, then hard, level and treeless. Here the native Cali- fornians were in the habit of congregating and enjoying themselves according to the customs that had been handed down for generations. Horse racing, bull fights, equestrian feats, fan-

dangos and other divertissements made up the program of pleasure.

Vivid Description of Early Days

The condition of affairs in San Jose at this time was graphically described by the late "Grandma" Bascom in a story transcribed by Mrs. M. H. Field, which appeared in the Over- land Monthly in 1887. The following excerpts are made :

"We reached Sacramento the last day of October. Then we took a boat to San Fran- cisco. It rained and rained. I remember that at Benicia we paid $15 for a candle. At San Francisco we hoped to find a house all ready to be put together, which the Doctor had bought in New York and ordered sent around the Horn. He had also sent in the same cargo a great lot of furniture and a year's supply of provisions, but they never came until the next April and then everything was spoiled but the house. We had also bought in San Francisco two lots for $1,700 each. The best we could do was to camp on them. The first night in San Francisco Mr. Bryant came to take supper with us and the Doctor, to cele- brate, bought $5 worth of potatoes. We ate them all for supper and didn't eat so very many of them, either.

"We had intended from the first to come to the Santa Clara Valley, for the Doctor said that wherever the Catholic Fathers had picked out a site it must be a good one. The chil- dren and I stayed in the city while the Doc- tor went on horseback to San Jose and bought a house for us. Then he came back and we started for San Jose with Professor Jack, while the Doctor stayed in the city to buy and ship furniture and provisions to us. We came to Alviso in the boat and paid $150 in fare, just for me and the children. From Alviso we came to San Jose by the Pioneer stage through fearful mud and pouring rain, pay- ing an 'ounce' each for fare. On the boat I got acquainted with two nice gentlemen, both ministers, whose names were Brierly and Blakeslee. They, too, were coming to San Jose ; also a Mr. Knox.

".We haven't any place to lay our heads when we get there,' one of them said.

"'Well, I've got a house,' said 1, just as if I was in Kentucky, 'and if you can put up with what I'll have to you can come with me and welcome.' So we were all driven straight to my house at the corner of Second and San Fernando streets. It was dark and the 10th of December.

"The house had been bought from a Mrs. Matthews and she was still in it. Doctor had paid $7,000 for the house and two fifty vara lots. I expected to see at least a decent shel-

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

ter, but oh, my! it was just as one of the chil- dren said, 'Most as good as our old Kentucky corn crib.' It had two rooms and a loft which was climbed into by a kind of ladder. The roof was of shakes and let the rain right through, and the floor was of planks, laid down with the smooth side up with great cracks between to let the water run out. I was thankful for that. There was a chimney in the house and a fireplace, but hardly a bit of fire and no wood. It was rather a forlorn place to come to and bring visitors to, now wasn't it? Yet we had been through so much that the poorest shelter looked good to me and besides it was our new home. We must make the best of it. Mrs. Matthews had a good supper for us on the table and the children were overjoyed to see a real table cloth once more.

"'Will you tell me where I can get some wood?" I said to Mrs. Matthews, thinking that a fire would be the best possible thing for us all. 'You can buy a burro load in the morn- ing,' she answered. 'I've used the last bit to get supper with?' Well, the end of it was that we took our supper and went to bed- not on our nice Kentucky feather beds, but on buffalo skins spread on the floor and with- out any pillows. Mr. Knox, Mr. Blakeslee and. Mr. Brierly climbed up into the loft and turned in as best they could. Mr. Knox was sick but I couldn't even give him a cup of hot tea. I said to Mrs. Matthews that I wished I could heat a stone to put to his feet. 'Stone!' said she. 'There are no stones in this country.'

"We slept as if we were on downy beds, we were so tired. The next morning I bought a burro load of wood for an 'ounce'. Every- thing cost an 'ounce'. I soon got used to it. Wheat was 75 cents a pound, butter $1 a pound, eggs $3 a dozen. A chicken cost $3, milk $1 a quart. But the prices matched all around. Doctors charged $5 for pulling a tooth and other things were in proportion. I don't know as if it made any difference. I divided my mansion into four rooms, with curtains. Doctor came and brought us furni- ture and all the comforts money could buy. He paid $500 to get shingles for our roof. Mr. Blakeslee and Mr. Brierly stayed with us. We all seemed to get on well together. It was not till spring that the Doctor found a black man who could cook. He paid $800 for him. Folks said he wouldn't stay-for, of course, he was free in California-but he did. He lived with us for four years.

"People began to ask if they couldn't stay with us till they found some other home, and then, somehow, they stayed on. Everybody had to be hospitable. The Legislature was then in session and the town was more than

full. The first thing I knew I had thirteen boarders-senators and representatives, minis- ters and teachers. Nobody who came would go away. I could always manage to make peo- ple feel at home, and they would all say they would put up with anything and help in all sorts of ways, if I would only let them stay. Mr. Leek (he was the enrolling clerk of the Legislature) was a wonderful hand at making batter cakes. We got a reputation on batter cakes and our house was dubbed "Slapjack Hall" by my boy, Al. It stuck to us. Mr. Bradford, of Indiana, could brown coffee to perfection.

"Mr. Orr and Mr. Mullen always brought all the water. They were senators. I used to think they liked the job because there was a pretty girl in the house where they got the water. And that reminds me that several families got water from the same well. It was just a hole in the ground, about eight or ten feet deep and no curb around it. Once a baby was creeping on the ground and fell into it. The mother saw it and ran and jumped in after it. Then she screamed and I ran out. There she was in the well, holding the baby upside down to get the water out of its lungs. 'Throw me a rope,' she screamed and I ran for a rope. Then she tied it around the baby and I drew it up. Meanwhile our cries brought men to the rescue and they drew up the poor woman. We kept the well covered after that.

"Before we got the black man it seemed im- possible to get a cook. We even had a wom- an come down from San Francisco, but she didn't stay when she found we really expected her to cook. She said she was a niece of Amos Kendall and wasn't going to cook for any- body. Professor Jack helped me steadily and, as I said, everybody lent a hand. We had a very gay time over our meals and everybody was willing to wash dishes and tend baby. I used to go to the Legislature and enjoy the fun there as much as the members enjoyed my housekeeping. The March of that winter was something to remember. People used to get swamped on the corner of First and Santa Clara streets. A little boy was drowned there. It was a regular trap for children.

"Oh, did I tell you I built the first church and the first schoolhouse in San Jose? I did. I built it all with my own hands and the only tool I had was a good, stout needle. It was the famous 'Blue Tent' you have heard of. Mr. Blakeslee asked me if I could make it and I told him of course I could. He bought the cloth and cut it out. It was of blue jean and cost seventy-five cents a yard. The Pres- byterian Church was organized in it and Mr. Blakeslee had a school in it all winter.

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

"We had a good deal of party-going and gave entertainments just as if we had elegant houses and all the conveniences. Some of the Spanish people were very stylish. The ladies had dresses rich as silk and embroidery could make them, and in their long, low adobe houses there were rich carpets and silk cur- tains trimmed with gold lace. I went to the first wedding in one of those houses. Miss Pico married a Mr. Campbell. It was very grand, but the odd dresses and the odd dishes upset my gravity more than once. Governor and Mrs. McDougall lived in an adobe house on Market street and they had a grand party there. I had a party, too, one day and asked all the ladies of my acquaintance. Mrs. Bran- ham had given me six eggs and I made an elegant cake which I was going to pass around in fine style. I began by passing it to one of the Spanish ladies and she took the whole cake at one swoop, wrapped it up in the skirt of her gorgeous silk dress and said, 'Mucha gracias'. I was never so surprised in my life, but there was nothing I could do. The rest of us had to go without cake that time.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 7

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