USA > California > San Joaquin County > History of the State of California and biographical record of San Joaquin County; containing biographis of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume I > Part 43
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ered, fortunately for Terry, whose friends frank- ly admitted that no power on earth could have saved the judge from being hanged had his vic- tim died. The committee were compelled to show great leniency to the prisoner because of his high official position, and finally released him. Terry then went to Sacramento on the schooner John Adams. There his friends eulogized him as a hero, willing to die in the defense of liberty. The women of San Francisco presented him with a magnificent plate, thus inscribed: "Honorable David S. Terry, from the ladies of San Fran- cisco, who admire his courage, honor his patri- otism, and take the highest pride in his resist- ance to tyranny."
In the capital city he was tendered a reception, and August 16 received a "welcome home" to Stockton. A large delegation of citizens on horseback and in carriages, accompanied by a brass band, went to escort him into the city. About five o'clock the procession returned, Terry being seated in a carriage with Judge Charles M. Creaner. As they passed along the streets the old cannon thundered forth a welcome, and the New York and St. Charles hotels and Weber house were brightly illuminated. The procession dispersed at the hotel last named. Terry went to the parlor, where he was congratulated by friends and neighbors, and A. C. Baine deliv- ered the address of welcome. Skyrockets filled the air, three cheers were given for Terry and the band played "Home Again." The third act in the eventful life of this man thus ended.
Land grabbers or "squatters" jumped thou- sands of acres in San Joaquin in the '50s. Among the number was James Daly, who in 1851 claimed a piece of land on the Calaveras, worked by A. B. Light. Daly accompanied by eight armed horsemen, challenged Light to come out and fight, but he refused because he was outnumbered. Fearing that he might receive an injury Mr. Light with his wife moved into town the fol- lowing day, leaving his hired help at work cut- ting his hay. During his absence Daly drove the hired men from the ranch and put his own men to work. The friends of Mr. Light now came to his assistance and surrounding Daly in the house they not only compelled him to sign
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a quitclaim deed to the property, but they made him promise to leave the county within twenty- four hours, "in default of which I am to receive thirty-six lashes on the bare back or such other punishment as the above-named citizens see fit to inflict." Daly came into town and procured lodgings at Murphy & Ferguson's bakery on the levee. Two days later an armed body of sixteen horsemen rode to the bakery and demanded that Daly be given up to them. An indiscriminate fight was threatened, but the San Joaquin guard, Richard P. Hammond, captain, was quickly called out and the would-be lynchers finally returned to their country homes.
Ten years later, November 4, another event somewhat similar took place on this side of the Calaveras, which is known in local history as the "Battle of Waterloo." The principal in this affair was John W. Balkwill, who had located in the village of Waterloo, and later by per- mission of A. Drullard, built and occupied a small cabin on Drullard's land, the latter having purchased eighty acres at $75 an acre, of Kelty and Reynolds, the stage owners. In a short time, Balkwill learned that the twenty-five acres on which the cabin was situated was "no man's" land, and determined to jump it. Balkwill was a fighter and anticipating trouble, he fortified his cabin with planks and earth, and provided himself with a supply of provisions, ammunition, fire arms, and with two friends awaited the attack of the enemy. The farmers, Jonathan H. Dodge, Moses Long, J. H. Cole, John Shafer, A. Drul- lard, Jack Tone and Samuel Martin, who were among the best citizens of the county, believing that their rights were being invaded by a band of land jumpers, systematically organized, and resolved to make an example of Balkwill. They feared that the sheriff might stop proceedings, and decided to make a sunrise attack. They had come to Stockton the evening previous, having loaded the old nine-pound cannon on a hay wagon and hauled it to the battle ground. Taking a safe position some two hundred yards from the fort (for they knew that Balkwill was a dead shot and his rifle carried far), they loaded the gun with bolts, nuts, horseshoe nails and scrap iron, and four times the air was filled with bits
of iron, but the fort remained uninjured, as they had taken a position too far away. In the mean- time, Balkwill was busy, and from the porthole, he fired four rifle shots, one of them hitting and breaking Drullard's finger, and another passing through the coat of J. 11. Dodge. At this time, the deputy sheriff arrived on the scene, stopped the fight, and arrested the farmers for creating a riot. They were tried and all but two acquitted, these two being fined $100 each.
Another squatter event, the most notable of any in the county because of the number engaged, was the Mokelumnos grant difficulty on July 8, 1884. The land was claimed by Bailey and Carpenter, also by a Mr. Murray, a member of the Settler's League, a body of armned men or- ganized to fight the railroad claimants. An at- tachment had been put upon the ripening wheat, and Sheriff Cunningham was in possession. The cowardly murder of Patrick Breen in 1883 de- cided these men to make a firm stand. Patrick Breen leased a piece of land near the present site of Clements, from William Walker, and with his wife and three children took up his residence in the latter part of October. Samuel Markley, one of the League, claimed the land under the pre-emption law, and maintained that Breen was only a stool pigeon put upon the land to hold possession for the railroad. A few days after Breen's arrival Markley and several armed Leaguers rode to Breen's house and ordered him to leave the premises or suffer the consequences. Breen replied : "I will not leave the place ex- cept by force." About five o'clock in the after- noon of the day mentioned, fifteen or twenty of the settlers, all well armed, rode to Breen's place, and several of them crowded upon the porch and ordered Breen to get out. Markley, with a pistol in his left hand, broke open the door, and seeing Breen, immediately fired. The ball entered Breen's left breast just below the heart, and the wounded man lived only a few moments. Five of the party were arrested for the murder, but all were discharged except Mark- ley. He was tried before Judge Patterson, his attorneys being James H. Budd, Swinnerton, and Scanlon, and Deputy District Attorney Gibson and Samuel L. Terry were the prosecutors. It
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was impossible to secure a conviction, as the de- fendant had at hand "a preponderance of evi- dence," and the jury were obliged to acquit him. On July 8, efforts were made by the president and secretary of the League to compromise the matter between Bailey and Carpenter and Mur- ray, and the settlers threatened, if the compromise failed, on the next day that one hundred and fif- ty armed men would cut and thresh the wheat. It was a critical period. Some of the settlers were of the outlaw class; others had been impli- cated in the Breen murder. The sheriff feared there would be bloodshed unless he could in- timidate the leaders. Up to that time during his twelve years in office he had never failed in the performance of his duty, and if possible, to pre- vent trouble, he resolved upon a strategic move- ment. That night the Stockton and the Emmett guards were called out. Each man was sup- plied with forty rounds of ammunition, and at four o'clock, the ninety militiamen started in carriages for the scene of the trouble. Sheriff Cunningham started about half an hour in ad- vance, and on his arrival found about sixty well- armed settlers, some bearing repeating Winches- ter rifles. Steam was up in the boiler of their
machines, and they were about to commence work. The sheriff read them the "riot act," and called upon them to disperse. He informed the League that the law would be enforced regard- less of consequences, and that they were foolish to make trouble, as they would eventually be the losers. Before he had concluded his argu- ments, the militiamen appeared at the top of the hill. The leader of the settlers, an old Grand Army man, when he saw the soldiers, exclaimed, "Boys, it won't do to fire on the militia." Find- ing themselves outnumbered in men and fighting power, the settlers capitulated, but said to the of- ficer, "You cannot take away any of the grain, nor arrest any of our number." Two of the lead- ers, going to the captain of the militia, insolently asked, "By what authority do you bring these troops out here?" The reply was, "I have ample authority, and I propose to stay here until or- dered away by my superiors." The militia re- mained in camp from July 8th until the 17th. The same men who had been hired to cut the grain for the settlers were ordered by the sheriff to go ahead with the work. The wheat was cut, threshed, and hauled away, and the law was again triumphant.
CHAPTER IV. LAND AND RIVER TRANSPORTATION.
F OR nearly twenty years the only means of transportation from Stockton to San Francisco was by sailing vessel or steam- er over the San Joaquin river, a narrow, winding stream, twenty miles in length, yet of sufficient depth in the early days for ocean going vessels to navigate and land their cargoes at our wharf.
The first pioneer vessel to sail over the waters was the little bark Maria, built in Oregon and purchased in 1848 by Captain Weber, for $4,000. He loaded her with thirteen tons of merchandise which he brought to his store in Stockton. The same year John Doak built the San Joaquin, a forty-ton vessel, from the oaks that grew along the river near the present railroad bridge. Her two masts were made from pine trees cut in
Calaveras county, which cost him $600 delivered at the river bank.
A line of sailing vessels were in operation, but it took from five to ten days to make a round trip and the people were well pleased when the little side wheeler steamer Captain Sutter arrived in November, 1849, and was put into service. Captain Warren invited all hands aboard to drink sparkling champagne to long life and success to his model craft. The Sutter made tri-weekly trips to San Francisco, carrying passengers and freight. The charges were moderate for those days, $18 a ton for freight, $15 for cabin and $12 for deck passage and sleep in your own blank- ets. During the six months of its operation Cap- tain Warren cleared more than $300,000. This
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vessel was quickly followed by other independent lines, thus reducing the price of freight to $8 per ton and $5 for cabin fare. In April, 1852, there were seven steamers making daily trips to and from this city. The names of fourteen steamers are on record as running to Stockton prior to the organization of the California Steam Navigation Company, in March, 1854. In March, 1853, the Thomas Hunt, a four hundred-ton deep water steamer, was sent up the river as an experiment, to see if large vessels could make a landing at Stockton. The trip was a suc- cess and a corporation was at once formed which purchased or took into the combine every river steamer in the state and held full control of all inland navigation until their business was destroy- ed by the Central Pacific Company.
This company put on the route a first-class line of large steamers, the largest of these being the Julia, six hundred and fifty tons, and the finest was the Amador, built at a cost of $150,000. The John Bragdon was two hundred and fifty feet long, thirty-three feet wide and drew nine feet of water, her wheels having a diameter of thirty-five feet. As the company employed none but reliable men there was no longer much dan- ger of passengers losing their lives by fire, col- lisions or boiler explosions. A uniform price of $8 per ton was charged for freight and $7 for cabin fare, with excellent berths, and meals were $1. Soon the merchants became dissatis- fied with the rates and induced the owners of the Willamette of Oregon to run an opposition line, promising to give their patronage at living rates. The Oregon steamer was brought to Stockton and the rates were fixed at $3 for freight, $3 cabin fare and $1 for deck. This caused the old line to reduce their rates much lower than the op- position line and the merchants continued their shipments with them and ordered an over stock at the low rates. Frequently opposition boats were put on the river for the sole purpose of selling out at a high figure and at times the com- petition was so sharp that passengers were car- ried for twenty-five cents and occasionally the passage was free. The California Steam Navi- gation Company retired from business in 1869,
at which time the Central Pacific purchased all of their steamers.
In 1868 an opposition steamer called the T. C. Walker was built and put on the river by Walker and Lambert. Her trial trip was made to San Francisco September 10, and two days later the old line, Arthur Cornwall, agent, reduce 1 their prices to ȘI for freight or cabin passage The Walker was liberally patronized by the ship pers and later the new company built the Alice Garratt and the Hattie Fickett. This was the nucleus of the California Navigation and Im- provement Company, organized in 1876 by citi- zens of Stockton.
The saving of time is a very important factor in navigation, and in 1870 a company was incor- porated for the purpose of digging a canal from the city to Venice Island. This canal, eleven miles long, would have permitted ocean-going vessels to land their cargoes at the wharves in Stockton, but by a preliminary survey it was found that the cost would exceed $1,500,000 and the project was abandoned.
In 1906 J. E. Ramsdell, chairman of the Na- tional harbor and river commission, visited Cali fornia to inspect her rivers and harbors and was invited to Stockton as a guest of the Cham- ber of Commerce. An excursion was made over the river and Mr. Ramsdell remarked : "You ought to have fifteen feet of water to the sea." The matter was presented to congress and an appropriation of $25,000 was made for a pre- liminary survey. The engineers completed it in July, 1908, and their report awaits congressional action.
The building of railroads was the dream of the pioneers, but this was not realized until 1869. when the last spike was driven that joined the east with the west in the trans-continental system. May 10 the event was celebrated with a salute of thirty-one guns and for five hours the fire bell rang out the joyful tidings. At the invitation of the committee in Sacramento many of the citizens of Stockton attended the celebration in that city, the railroads giving free transporta- tion from Liberty, then the end of the line.
In 1862 a company had been incorporated un- der the name of the Western Pacific, to build
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a road via Stockton from San Jose to Marys- ville. They called upon San Joaquin county for assistance to the extent of $250,000 in bonds and at the election held May 12, 1863, the citi- zens not only voted for them by a vote of almost three to one, but they also voted $100,000 worth of bonds to the Mono and Big Tree turnpikes.
The directors of the Western Pacific were un- able to carry out the project and sold out to the Central Pacific. As president of the company Mr. Stanford asked the Stockton city council for the right of way through Sutter street and he met with that body in November, 1867. Nothing was accomplished however, for the coun- cil, afraid of being buncoed, declared: "We are not opposed to railroads but we are strongly opposed to being humbugged as we have been by the Western Pacific." The council asked Mr. Stanford many impertinent questions, and finally one of the members said: "Mr. Stanford, what do you propose to charge for freights and fares?" "None of your d -- business," replied Stanford, and taking his hat, left the room. The council fought among themselves for nearly two months and could not agree upon any one street ; when they did, it was too late, for the railroad had made their survey along Sacramento street, then six hundred yards outside of the city limits.
The road was completed to Stockton late in July, and August 2nd an excursion train of forty cars was run from Sacramento. Nearly the en- tire population of Stockton was at the depot to welcome the visitors and it was a grand sight to see the train as it rounded the curve, the whistles blowing, bells ringing, bands playing and the people cheering. There were nearly five thousand people on board; this included the pioneers, the military organizations, the firemen, and the city and county officials. A procession was formed and the various organizations were escorted into the city and entertained. At that time there were but few hotels and restaurants and so great was the crowd that they ate every- thing in these places and raids were made upon the bakeries and grocery stores for their stocks of eatables.
In the election of May, 1863, the citizens voted upon the issuing of $100,000 bonds for the Stock-
ton and Copperopolis Railroad, a local enterprise, but the measure was defeated because the farm- ers and voters in the third ward said: "If the road is built it will ruin the business of the black- smith and wagon makers' and the teamsters' occu- pations, and there will be no use for horses and mules and no sale for hay and barley." The road was projected by Dr. E. S. Holden, for the pur- pose of cheap transportation of ore from the Copperopolis mines to the water front, as at this time the mines were putting out six thou- sand tons per month, and it was costing $33,000 to have this hauled to Stockton. The promoters were not discouraged and in 1867 Dr. Holden succeeded in having a bill passed by congress granting two hundred and fifty thousand acres of land to the road. This enabled them to bor- row money enough to complete the road to Pet- ers, fifteen miles distant. Under the management of the Central Pacific the road was extended to Milton and on May 4 the first train was sent over the road to that point. The celebration of the building of this road took place December 13, 1870. The locomotive Stockton, with six flat cars attached and crowded with men and boys, started down Weber avenue to the water front about one o'clock, the whistle valve wide open, and Mrs. Holden ringing the bell and the doctor standing on the top of the cab bowing and smiling. The walks were crowded with people and when the train reached Eldorado street, Mayor George Evans shouted: "Three cheers for the first locomotive to come to the water front and three more for the father of the railroad, Dr. Holden !" The cheers were lustily given and during the afternoon hundreds took their first ride upon a railroad train.
At this time there was considerable uneasiness among the leading business men for they saw the trade of the valley slipping away from them because the promoters of the Central Pacific had founded the town of Lathrop and were rapidly building a road down the valley. Their only rem- edy was to build an opposition line and April 15, 1870, a company was incorporated known as the Stockton and Visalia Railroad Company. The peo- ple by a large majority voted to give the "people's road" $500,000, the city giving $300,000. The
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citizens had strong faith in the directors of the road, but they, Judas like, betrayed their trust. As the Stockton and Copperopolis road had be- come involved, the directors of the Stockton and Visalia road purchased in September, 1871, the holdings of the concern for $400,000 and built a road from Peters to Oakdale. They then de- manded the bonds, claiming that they had ful- filled all conditions. The officials refused to sur- render the bonds and a law-suit was the result, but after several years the people won the case. The directors in the meantime had disposed of the road to the Southern Pacific.
Because of this suit and the extension of the city limits, which compelled the Central Pacific to pay city taxes, there was hostility between the road and the county. This was in no ways lessened by the United States Supreme court upholding the decision in the Newhall vs. Sanger case. This was a case in which the railroad, under the congressional law of 1864, claimed thousands of acres of land on the Mokelumnos grant, considerable of this land having been pur- chased by the farmers years before the organi- zation of the road. The Supreme court gave their decision on every point in favor of the settlers and when Senator Newton Booth, on May 4, telegraphed the news to Mayor Doak, the farmers were filled with joy. To celebrate the event they resolved to give a free picnic and barbecue at Lodi. Stockton rejoiced with the settlers and on May 19 the city was practical- ly deserted, for nearly every one had gone to the picnic. The courts, banks, schools and even the saloons were closed and a special train of twenty- two coaches carried the people to the village. Upon their arrival a procession was formed and to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" they proceeded to the grove where about ten thousand persons were assembled. An ora- tion was delivered by Judge J. H. Budd, after which the hungry crowd enjoyed a feast and danced until four o'clock, when the excursionists returned to their homes, from one of the largest of the county's celebrations.
The coming of the railroad wonderfully in- creased the wealth and population of the county and it also destroyed two of the most important
of the early day industries, staging and the com- mission merchant, the latter, who for a certain commission took charge of the goods for the mountains merchants and forwarded them in due time to them, by pack mules or by wagons. Prior to 1852 everything was transported by pack mules and it was a curious sight to see fifty or one hundred of these small animals heavily load- ed with all kinds of merchandise, sacks of salt, sugar, flour and barrels of whiskey, vinegar or molasses, as well as all kinds of furniture. This method of transportation was short-lived, for soon was begun the manufacture of the big wagons or "prairie schooners," as they were aptly called, that would carry from two thousand to ten thousand pounds. Regarding heavy loads, John Schreck, with twelve mules, hauled eiglit- een thousand pounds of freight from Stockton to Jamestown, and Mike Caracoff, with the same number of animals and three wagons, hauled eighteen thousand pounds of wheat to Knights Ferry to a flour mill. The teanister usually handled one large and two smaller wagons, one behind the other. These teams would travel about fifteen miles a day and it was not an unusual sight to see seventy of these teams in one day's travel. Hotels were located all along the route and at night fifty or more team- sters and more than three hundred animals have been accommodated in one place.
Thousands of persons arrived in Stockton bound for the mines and hundreds walked the entire distance. The Chinamien travelled by the slow mule teams, but the majority took passage on the handsome four-horse coaches that started daily for every mountain camp. The longest drive was to Mariposa, one hundred and ten miles, and the fare was $20. The shortest run was to Sacramento and the fare was $6. These teams made on an average of eight miles an hour. During the summer it was a long, tiresome ride in the hot sun and through the blinding dust. and in the winter the passengers were frequently compelled to get out and walk, on account of miry places. Occasionally the stage would be held up by highwaymen, and sometimes in cross- ing swollen streams the stage wouldl turn over. In cases of extraordinary events, such as the
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burning of Sonora, October 4, 1853, fast time would be made. On that occasion, Kelty and Fisher's stage left Sonora at 3:40, while the flames were still raging and arrived in Stockton at 9:30, making the distance of seventy-five miles in five hours and fifty minutes.
There was nothing in the county of further interest in railroad circles until July, 1894, at which time the California branch of the Ameri- can Railway Union were on a sympathetic strike with the eastern organization. Sacramento was the center of the fight and the state militia was ordered out and for nearly thirty days Com- panies A and B, Sixth Regiment, Colonel Nunan, commanding, were on duty and received well- merited praise from the adjutant-general. For ten days the strikers in Stockton kept the of- ficials, from the sheriff to the policeman, ex- ceptionally busy, watching their movements, as it was believed they would destroy railroad prop- erty. Their fears were not well founded, as their only object was to prevent the running of Pull- man coaches. The round house in which four locomotives were kept, one with steam up ready for an emergency, was supposed to be closely guarded by officials and detectives, yet on the night of July 9, fourteen strikers from Sacra- mento, armed with Winchester rifles, raided the house, disabled three of the engines and taking the other ran back to Sacramento and as they passed through the city fired their rifles promis- cuously. The following day W. L. Worden, with a number of strikers, went from this city to Lathrop and that night they stole an engine and ran her to this city at full speed without sounding the bell or whistle or having a headlight; they slowed up at the asylum grounds, where the Stockton strikers boarded it and went to join the men in Sacramento. The tragedy of the event was the death of Samuel J. Clarke, an engi- neer who had been in the employ of the company for twenty-eight years. He was ordered to go to San Francisco from Sacramento over the Val- lejo route and while crossing the trestle the en- gine struck a loose rail, which had been unbolted by some fiend, and toppled over, crushing the engineer. He was buried in Stockton on July 14 and over the grave of the man that had died
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