USA > California > Sonoma County > History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time > Part 7
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A SONOMA SOLOMON.
Some of these judicial alcaldes-many of them Americans-frequently handed down judgment as rare as the finding of an eastern cadi. A Sonoma woman complained to the alcalde that her husband, who was something of a musician, persisted in serenading another woman, and his honor ordered the accused into court. There was nothing in the city ordinances touching the playing of musical instruments, but the wise judge looked beyond the law and saw the fellow and his guitar at the disposal of the wrong woman, and his honor trusted that inspiration would lead him to an equitable adjustment of the matter. The man was sternly directed to play for the court the air he had played for the too-fascinating senora, and after he had nervously done so was fined $2 by the local Solomon on the ground that music so poor could only be a disturbance of the peace.
Occasionally the padres got into the city ordinances measures tinctured like unto a Connecticut statute. Monterey in 1816 had a blue law which ordered that "all persons must attend mass and respond in a loud voice, and if any person should fail to do so without good cause he shall be put in the stocks for three hours." It is presumable that the good father found the attendance at church dropping off and took this means of reminding the unfaithful of their backsliding. However, there is no record that any of them ever got into the stocks or found the parishional regulations unreasonably severe. Tenacious of their ecclesiastical authority and constantly clashing with the military who were not loth to start "an argument" the Spanish priests maintained a very mild spiritual dominion over the Californians. Possibly a place where nature casts her gifts so lavishly, and where heaven sends a benediction in every sun- ray and rain-drop, cannot be governed with creed-charts.
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These padres in their strong opposition to a non-Roman Catholic society laid the ban of the church on marriage between foreigners and native women. But dogma was no barrier to the pioneer American when he found one of the many comely señoritas willing to annex him to the Republic of Mexico, and to her fair self. Generally the priest was willing to baptize the gringo convert and then marry him to the local maiden, but occasionally something would appear to delay the "yoking of the daughters of the land with unbelievers," or at least with husbands whose new profession was of more sentiment than spirit- uality.
CARRYING OFF JOSEPHINE.
One of these cases was the runaway sea-voyage and wedding of Captain and Mrs. Henry D. Fitch, well known residents of Healdsburg, and original grantees of the Sotoyome (48,836-acres) tract in Mendocino and Russian River townships. The fact that the heroine of this bit of early California romance was Doña Josefa Carrillo, a member of the noted family of that name, also a sister of Señora Vallejo, makes the story of lively interest. It was at San Diego where Captain Enrique Fitch, as the Californians called this marine Lochinvar, met the young daughter of Don Joaquin Carrillo. He was not of her religion nor nationality, but faith and the flag follow love, and the dashing New Bedford sailor was willing and even anxious to be naturalized-baptized -or martyrized, if necessary. The priest received Fitch into the church but was afraid to perform the marriage ceremony in his own parish, though he offered to go with the young couple to some other country and there marry them. At this critical point Doña Josefa straightened out the tangle by sug- gesting, "Why don't you carry me off, Don Enrique?" This was enough for the Captain, and the next night she was taken secretly from her father's house by her cousin, Don Pio Pico, afterwards governor of the state. As Joaquin Carrillo already possessed three American sons-in-law, it may be understood that he complacently looked the other way while his last daughter was annex- ing a foreign husband. Pico on his horse conveyed the lady to the bay shore where she embarked. Captain Fitch received his Josephine, and his vessel, like a "Pinafore," sailed away for Valparaiso, where they were married. When they returned from South America he was arrested at Monterey on complaint of Padre Sanchez of San Gabriel, and his wife was placed in the custody of her brother-in-law, Captain Cooper. Governor Echeandia, who was not on the best of terms with the ecclesiastical powers of the territory, finally released Mrs. Fitch, but the investigation of the Captain's "heinous conduct" dragged on for months, Sanchez even contemplating making the governor a party to the crime. After all the points of clerical law were discussed the priestly authorities decided that the Valparaiso marriage was not legitimate but was valid, and the couple were condemned to present themselves in church with lighted candles in their hands to hear mass for three feast days, and to recite together for thirty days one-third of the rosary of the holy virgin. In addition to these joint penances Vicar Sanchez inflicted the following penalty: "Yet considering the great scandal which Don Enrique has caused in this province I condemn him to give as penance and reparation a bell of at least fifty pounds in weight for the church at Los Angeles, which barely has a borrowed one." There is no doubt that Don Enrique, like a good churchman. did penance-till he got to the
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bell-for it is of record that long after the couple settled in Sonoma the church at Los Angeles was without its gift.
SOCIETY ON THE RANCHOS.
While in officialdom change followed change, often with remarkable rapid- ity for a people of such characteristic slowness, down in the rank and file of California there was "never any hurry." Within the big adobes there was the same roominess, the same simplicity in furnishings and on the great ranchos the same old slipshod methods from year to year. The rough table, a few rawhide-bottom chairs, a bench or two along the wall, in the bedrooms chests for the family finery, a rude shrine or a cheap picture of the family saint, and these were the general arrangements of the dwellings from San Diego to Sonoma. While the Spaniard and all his race is dressy, he is loath to change the style of his fine feathers, consequently the grandfather's hat or coat could pass through the third generation. The weakness of "fashion" was one failing the early Californian did not have. That small vanity came in with the Ameri- can. Yet they dressed well and often richly ; sometimes a don would be arraved in a thousand dollars' worth of apparel-a princely sum and suit for that day. His shirt would be silk beautifully embroidered and a white jaconet cravet tied in a tasteful bow, a blue damask vest and over this a bright green cloth jacket with large silver buttons. Up to 1834 he would be wearing the knee breeches or short clothes of the last century, but after that he would be clad in the calzoneras the Hijar colonists brought from Mexico. These were long panta- loons, with the outside seam open throughout the length of each leg and on these seam-edges were worked ornamental buttonholes. In some cases the calzoneras were sewn from hip to middle thigh and in others buttoned or laced with silk cord. From the middle of the thigh downward the leg was covered by the bota or leggins. The Spanish gentleman wore no suspenders, but around his waist and over the pantaloons was the beautiful silken sash, the most picturesque article of dress the world over, and this could always be seen under the ornamental short jacket. Embroidered shoes or slippers for his feet and a black silk handkerchief gracefully tied covered his head. A wide- rim, high-peak sombrero, often richly and heavily ornamented with silver chains or braid, was the hat of this gaudy grandee. For an outer garment was the serapa, the common cloak of the Mexicano ranging from the cheap cotton and coarse serge to the costliest silk and the finest French broadcloth. It was really a square piece of cloth with a hole in the middle through whichi the wearer stuck his head, and this hanging over the shoulders and down the body as far as the knees made a useful as well as graceful article of clothing.
All the world over there is no woman who can wear her clothing so well as the ever-graceful daughter of Spain. She may have only the simple chemi- sette and skirt, but the combination is becoming and there is enough lace, embroidery, silk and satin, flounces and drapery and brilliant color for the completion of the charming picture. A silk or cotton robosa or mantilla droops from the shoulders, the lace edge thrown across the head to fall gracefully over the brow, is the outer garment, and velvet or blue satin shoes are on her feet. The women of the Latin race, whether they hail from Genoa or Andalusia. alone of the world's sisterhood, have learned how to wear their hair-and that
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is without any covering. Hence the Californian of the last century arranged her black braids free of the hat or bonnet and the comeliness of her coiffure has not been improved upon. From her general attractiveness, to her part in the social destiny of this territory is but a thought and the Americans who wedded the daughters of the land found a pleasing cure for the loneliness and other ills of bachelordom. These natives made good wives, devoted to their pioneer homes and good mothers to their large families. Whether the for- eigner came from Europe or the United States, over the Sierras or from the Columbia River country or by the broad ocean to the westward,-if he showed a disposition to settle down to home-building he soon found a young woman favorable to the project, also a large segment of her father's big rancho for experimental ground. And as the Mexican don for years had been tending away from the narrowness and the intolerant aristocracy of Spain, to the broad democracy of the North American, he approved of his young daughter's choice.
TWO GENERATIONS OF SLUMBER.
From 1775 to 1835 the Pacific rim of this hemisphere slipped through sixty years-two generations of peace. Europe passed from war to war and the Atlantic seaboard trembled in the reverberation of hostile guns. California was too young, too far away and too little known, and her people between her mountains and her sea, left alone, eddied out of the great world's current Their activities were the activities of children-a racial inheritance-and they were careless and free. They were fond of the fandango, always ready for a dance, and made the most of their religious holidays with bull-fights and bear- baitings .. Many of them were ex-soldiers lost to the art of war and alive to the excitement of cattle-ranches. Except in occasional official salutes the old cannon on the presidio walls were silent and rusted from lack of use. The ex-mission Indians hanging around on the ranchos could be hired or cajoled into doing the little labor of the establishments and this left the people in general idleness. The only dissipation they had, however, was gambling and this was almost universal with both sexes and classes. Monte was the favorite card game, but anything that liad in it the element of chance would be bet on. They accepted their good fortune without any lively demonstrations of joy and their losses with their characteristic childishness of mind, evidently caring only for the gaming and not the winning. On Sunday afternoons, devotions being ended, some gay festivity was in order. With the broad, rich plains crowded with cattle more or less wild, the fleet horse was necessary, conse- quently there were few such riders in the world. That was before the day of that human centaur-the American cowboy. Wild horses, though every one had its claimant, scoured the leagues of fenceless lands, and those that were accounted tame would seem to any other people unbroken. Connection between points was generally by horse or pack mule and the way was over the "pony trail." When a don set out on a long journey frequently he took a servant and a drove of horses with him, and as one horse wearied under the saddle another was made to bear the burden. In this way a rider could daily put long dis- tances behind him. Often the weary or worn-out animals were turned loose to find their home-ranch at leisure, the brand or mark of the owner on the flank
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generally preventing the loss of the horse-if he was of sufficient value in that land of almost countless bands,-to be stolen.
NOT A BROAD HIGHWAY LEADING DOWN.
One of the most wonderful rides in history-though it has not been told in verse nor set to music-was made between September 24th and 28th, 1858, from Los Angeles to Yerba Buena, by an American named John Brown. He was known among the Californians as "Juan Flaco" (Lean John) and was sent by Lieutenant A. H. Gillespie, U. S. A., who was hard-pressed by the hostile California forces, to Commodore Stockton for re-enforcements. Brown made Monterey, four hundred and sixty miles, in fifty-two hours without sleep. He expected to find there the fleet, but Stockton had sailed, and after sleeping three hours the sturdy rider completed the remaining one hundred and forty miles of his great Marathon in the same speed, and delivered his call for help. It was not a "broad highway," like Sheridan's, nor was the road as smooth as that of the "Ride of Paul Revere," but was a mere bridle-path over high mountains, through deep ravines, around precipitous cliffs, across wide chap- arral-covered mesas, along the sea-beach. He was always dodging the enemy, harassed and pursued, riding shoulder to shoulder with death night and day, losing several horses-one shot from under him forcing him to go thirty miles afoot carrying his spurs and riata until he could commandeer another mount, Juan Flaco rode on and on showing that a California man on a California mus- tang has outridden the storied riders of the world.
The boy at an early age was taught to ride at a break-neck pace and to throw the riata with unerring skill. The Spanish saddle was an elaborate piece of workmanship; the frame or "tree," they called it, being fastened to the animal with a girth or "cinch" made out of the closely woven hair of his own tail. It was taking an unfair advantage of poor "caballo," but the hair cinch was stronger than any other and would not slip on his smooth coat. Over the sometimes roughly-made tree was fitted a wide leather cover called "macheres" and on the stirrups to protect the rider's feet while rounding up a runaway steer through the thick undergrowth and chaparral were leather shields -"tapaderos," and leather leggins were for the same purpose. The bridle and "hacamore," or halter, was always a costly, be-silvered affair of braided rawhide, ornamental reins, but the peculiar shape of the bit made it an instru- ment of torture. To the half or quarter broken mustang this bit extending far within the animal's mouth compelled obedience to the slightest pull on the reins, in fact the horse soon learned to take his cue from the weight of these reins on his neck. Secured with buckskin thongs on the wide saddle cover the rider carried his blankets and food, and when night overtook him he made his camp in comfort, while his horse picketed with the riata, fed in luxury.
SPURS OF A CALIFORNIA KNIGHT.
And always a part of this picturesque rider's make-up was a pair of big spurs. generally silver. the size and metal designing the owner's social or equestrian standing. Mount one of these skillful vaqueros on a spirited thoroughbred, saddle and bridle polished and ornamented and riata hanging in graceful festoon from the horn, silk sash around the rider's waist and silk serapa flowing from his shoulders, silver-braided sombrero on his head, and then set the little bell-
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tongues on his spurs tinkling musically to the pace of his caballo, and time never produced a more artistic and perfect centaur. It was at the fiesta or fandango that troops of these caballeros would appear and take part in race or game, principally for the admiration of the sprightly señorita out for a Cali- fornia holiday. The rodeo, or annual roundup of the stock, was the gala time for the vaquero when the corraling. the roping and the branding of the herds made the rancho throb with excitement. Then the fandangos where the guitars tinkled in the fantastic dances of old Spain and the satined dandy descendant of Aragon bowed and "looked love" to the western heiress of Castile.
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CHAPTER XI.
THE DIGGER IN HIS EMINENT DOMAIN.
The Spanish pioneer found these slopes and valleys well peopled with a race of sturdy Indians, the mildness of the climate and the supply of game food in stream and forest making the country even for the aboriginal an ideal place of abode. Possibly the idealic characteristics of this coast existing here generation after generation took from this original Californian much of the spirit, independence and fighting attributes of his fellow redmen of the east and north. It was early patent to the Franciscan padres that the Pacific coast natives would not make loyal and valuable citizens of Spain and perhaps this is the reason the priestly trainers stopped trying, permitting the pupil to become a mere servant, and to be useful while the missions had beef and bread to feed their horde of retainers. Certainly they were before and after the missions had them, a very un-savage race of savages, except when driven by the injust- ice of the whites to acts of retaliation. Then their senseless work brought its own punishment, which hurried the grossly inferior beings along to extinction. Chief among the Sonoma tribes was Solano and his band whom Padre Alti- mira found in the Valley of the Moon. The priest named the new mission, and attached the Indian to the fortunes of the christianizing institution by giving him the same name. This provided the small settlement of whites a strong friend in the midst of irresponsible hostiles and early proved the missionary to be farsighted. After the passing of the mission and during the military regime, General Vallejo found the unusually intelligent Chief Solano a valuable assist- ant in handling the bands throughout Sonoma. From the somewhat meager records in mission archives it is learned that the neophytes came from the following tribes : Aloquiomi, Atenomac, Canoma, Carquin, Canijolmano, Cay- mus, Chenoco, Chickoyomi, Chocuyem, Coyayomi, Huilic, Huymen, Lacatiut, Lonquiomi, Libayto, Locnoma, Mayacma, Multicolmo, Malacu, Napato, Oleomi, Putto, Polnomanoc, Paque, Petaluma, Suisun, Satayomi, Soneto, Tolen, Tlaya- cama, Tamal, Topayto, Uluato, Zadow and Utinomanoe.
As the names of several localities can be found in this tribal list it is evi- dent that the Solano mission territory covered portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Contra Costa, Marin and Mendocino, and that those game-crowded valleys must have swarmed with Indians. And that they did not live together, inhabit- ing their Eden of a hunting ground in brotherly love, is known from Altimira's daily journal that the first unusual thing he observed on entering the new val- ley was a tribe of Petaluma Indians, on their own lands, hiding from their invading enemies, a band of Cainemeros of the Santa Rosa valley. Along the Russian River country were the Soteomelos or Yapos (braves), or probably Sotoyomos is the more correct name. However, this was a powerful and aggressive tribe and was able to occasionally visit and slaughter its red neigh- bors. Physically as well as along other lines these aborigines differ from
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others of the continent. Both adults and children are heavy-set and clumsy, thick-bodied and thin-limbed, low-browed and strong-jawed, and having none of the stateliness, shapeliness nor dignity of demeanor. of the eastern, middle- western or even the Nevada Indian. Unless the women have a blend of Cau- casian blood to tame the savagery of the wilds, to lighten the darkness of the skin, to make more symmetrical the lines of their bodies, they are without attractiveness. But at the present day the Indians in this and adjoining coun- ties, through association with the superior race, have improved on their animal- like progenitors. They have exchanged the unclean rancheria, the unwholesome fare, for the neater and more sanitary home near some fruit or hop ranch where they find employment and opportunities to imitate in dress and manner, the whites. Like all "animals bred and reared in captivity," a domestic instinct, from somewhere, appears and marks a change.
INDIAN TABLE LUXURIES.
Back within the wilds the native Sonoman's daily bill-of-fare was any game, flesh or fish, that fell victims to his bows and arrows, nets or other kinds of ingenious snares. Bear meat was considered a delicacy on Lo's table, or rather in front of his campfire, but the strong California grizzly had other uses for himself. Ursus Major was the king of beasts in these woods of the west and generally did the eating when the Indian with his crude weapons made the attack ; but about every other creature that roamed the hills and plains graced the rancheria menu. When feet and fins were too fleet for hunters and fishers and the vegetation store was exhausted, edible roots, seeds and grasshoppers filled out the depleted bill-of-fare-and the hungry Indian. A great circle of hombres, mahalas and papooses armed with bushes and slowly drawing to the center where a hole had been dug, surely drove the insect jumpers to destruc- tion. They were considered a luxury when other supplies ran low. The grand oak of California shed manna for her forest tribes. In season the acorns
were gathered and cached for safety in the mother-tree, and when required were hulled. These kernels were ground or mashed in the rude stone mortars that may be found on the sites of long passed-away rancherias. With water heated by hot stones in the quaint and tightly-woven fiber baskets which only an Indian woman can weave, the meal is formed into batter or dough and cooked in a mass or baked in loaves. This "daily bread" of the wilds seasoned with ashes and different kinds of dirts, was not rich in nutriment nor exquisite in flavor, but served with a plain salad of green clover and a relish of pinenuts, or served alone and even in limited quantity, made the quiet family meal or howling tribal feast what the rustic newspaper writer calls "a sumptuous repast." Bone or flint spear and arrow heads were used in hunting, also in fishing when the finny game could not be herded into nets or traps, and chips of obsidian, a volcanic glass, made passable knives before the Spaniards came with weapons of steel.
It is not known how many tribes occupied what is now Sonoma county, but creeks and mountain ranges seem to mark the boundaries between the dif- ferent bands, and when one entered upon the territory of the other without some kind of a treaty or permission the act often brought a bloody retaliation. There were occasional fights between the tribes or rancherias, sometimes severe
1
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ones where a band would practically be wiped out in a dispute over some trivial or childish matter. Much of the time, however, of this historical period the Indians in the great valley between the Rio Sacramento and the coast were at peace because of one strong white man, General Vallejo, Comandante at Sonoma, whose wise policy, much wiser than any policy ever attempted in California, handled the natives with a fairness that made even the distant tribes his friends. Of the turbulence of the southern Indians H. H. Bancroft says: "Turning to the northern frontier we find a different state of things. Here there is no semblance of Apache raids, no sacking of ranches, no loss of civilized life and little collision between gentiles and Christian natives. The northern Indians were more numerous than in the San Diego region and many of the tribes were brave, warlike and often hostile; but there was a compara- tively strong force at Sonoma to keep them in check and General Vallejo's Indian policy must be regarded as excellent and effective when compared with any other policy ever followed in California. True, his wealth, his untrammeled power, and other circumstances contributed much to his success; and he could by no means have done as well if placed in command at San Diego; yet he must be accredited besides with having managed wisely. Closely allied with Solano, the Suisun chieftain, having-except when asked to render some dis- tasteful military service to his political associates in the south-at his command a goodly number of soldiers and citizens, made treaties with the gentile tribes, insisted on their being liberally and justly treated when at peace, and punished them severely for any manifestation of hostility. Doubtless the Indians were wronged often enough in individual cases by Vallejo's subordinates; some of whom were with difficulty controlled; but such reports have been greatly exag- gerated and acts of glaring injustice were comparatively rare."
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