THE
ARGONAUTS OF CALIFORNIA.
Page 316.
CHAPTER XXII
PIONEER HALL--OLD MIKE EXPLAINS--SOMETHING WRONG--THE BUSINESS OF
MINING--MIKE’S PHILOSPHY--YANK AT THE BAY--THE EXPRESSMAN AND THE BROOM PEDDLER--LUCKY
BILL AND THE GAMBLERS--SAM PLUNKET, THE ARKANSAS BEAUTY--PETE, THE BOSS LIAR OF
THE YUBA.
MANY questions were asked in
relation to the new Pioneer Hall. Jeff explained that it
was on Fourth street near the
corner of Market; that it contained a large hall, used for meetings, lectures,
festivals and other purposes, as well as for dancing by the young Pioneers. “I
attended one of their dances and I noticed that some of the old boys themselves
could just get around as lively as any of ‘em.
“Then there is the ladies’ parlor, which
is grand I tell you, with its velvet sofas, divanzes and everything. There
ain’t nothing around here in the mines that can compare with it. Then up-stairs
is a fine billiard room, where I saw some of the old boys amusing themselves,
and I noticed that the most of ‘em who played, were sure to get left every
time, jest as many of us used to in mining. ‘Tis the same old game, clear
through. (You bet ‘tis, was the general response.) There is also a big
smoking-room, and here were a number of the old boys amusing themselves by
playing checkers, dominoes and cards, and they all looked a kinder happy and
contended, with a sort of a ‘well, now we have struck it’ kind of a look about
‘em. On, by the way, there was a large reading-room, too, containing several
long tables which were all covered with books and newspapers. And there were a
number of old boys sitting around in just the biggest kind of rocking chairs
that you ever did see. Some were reading, and some were asleep and just
dreaming about their old mining days.” Some one asked how many of the boys were
there now in the society, who were living, and how many had joined since its
organization in ‘50?
Page
317 Illustration.
Page 318.
He explained that Mr. Graves, the
Secretary, informed him that the whole number who had joined the society was
about 3,350, and of this number there were now living about 1,300.
“Well, Jeff, did you make out to find the
old ship once more that brought you to California?”
“No, boys, but I found the great building
that was built over her hull on Sansome street, but the hull of the old ship is
buried deep below the mud and water out of sight entirely, and all the remains
now of the old ship is the name, the ‘Niantic.’”
After Jeff had concluded, an old-timer
remarked that it was a great pleasure to him to hear that so many of the
old-timers were yet living, and said he.
“I wish there was some way of finding out
how many of the old-timers are yet living, and what part of the world they are
in.”
“Faith thin,” replied Mike, “Indade an’
‘twud be er fine thing if we wer afther knowin’ thet same. An’ if we wer afther
knowin’ of ther by’s who are above the ground at ther prisint toime, thet we
sailed with around ther Horn so many long years since, an’ indade, if we could
only be afther mateing with some of thim, an talk ov ther ould times and
incidints av ther voyage, an’ ov ther lives ov thim since we landed upon ther
coast, do yez moind, pwhat tales we could be afther relatin’ to aich other, ov
evints an’ incidints av a California loife.
“Pwhat a foine thing ‘twould be, now, if
some one wud jest be afther gittin’ ther names ov ther by’s who are now livin’.
‘Twould be a hape ov trouble an’ ixpensive, too, but bedad thin, twould be
interestin’ to all ov us. Now, Yank, yez had better undertake ther job ov
gittin’ ther names of thim for yez own satisfaction.”
Yank remarked that he had been thinking of
doing so, and as soon as he had an opportunity he would see what could be done.
Mike again remarked:
“Well now, me by’s, ‘tis many long years
since ther news was afther bein sint across ther continint that ther was jest
slathers av gould lyin’ around loose here, an’ aisy to git, do yez moind, an’
indade thin thet’s jest what brought us here too, the lot av us. An’ pwhat a
change, begorra, has been afther takin’ place since we landed upon the shores
of California, for ‘twas thin a-wilderness, an’ the Indians, the grizzlies an’
a variety ov other strange animiles, were monarchs ov all they surveyed, thin,
with not a blessed wan to
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dispute ther title, do yez
moind. But ther discovery ov gold changed all this, do yez see? Fur now, where
we was afther finin’ a wilderness thin, we see a number ov towns an’ cities,
an’ in the short space ov toime ov forty years we now are afther obsarvin’ an
empoire containin’ a million ov paple or more, begorra. Doorin’ that space ov
toime, too, there has been taken from our gould moines an amount excadin’ a
billion and a half dollars, which has been scattered about among ther paple of
ther country, do yez moind. Indade, thin, ‘tis thrue enough, be jabers, that
ther by’s who was afther diggin’ it from ther sile, received a moity small share ov the same for ther
labor ov diggin’ it from the hills an’ mountains about, for it saimed the whole
toime to obsarve the same law as runnin’ wather, do yez moind; an’ as fast as
‘twas afther bein’ taken from the earth, it run in a containious straim down to
ther big cities below, an’ divil a bit could we be afther stoppin’ it, at all,
at all.”
Another old-timer remarked that although
the boys who dug out the gold retained but a small proportion of it, yet the
whole country in general received the full benefit of it.
“Yis,”
Mike replied, “thrue enough that same was the case, an’ do yez call to moind,
thin, ther wise spaich in ther Bible where it says that to him who hath much
more will be afther being given to that same, and to him av the same trifling
quantity, begorra. Well, me by’s, that’s jest the style av it, for ‘tis a law
av money now, do yez obsarve, that, ‘twill be afther continually concintratin’
into the hands av the by’s who have got the most av it, do yez see? An’, in me
own opinion, ’tis jest as well, for they are the by’s generally who know how to
use it for the benefit av the rest av us, do yez moind. For didn’t Mr. Lick,
thin, use his money in a dacint manner for the benefit av all the by’s? An’
didn’t he give thim a fine Hall down at the big city below, where they can
howld their matins’ to talk about old-timers, rade ther papers, an’ enj’y a
quiet nap, begorra! and indade, thin, did not the same ould gintleman spind his
money frayly in erectin’ an observatory with a big tilliscope, do yez moind, to
sarch ther hinvens with, expictin’ the whoile to discover in some av ther
planets above anither rich moining country where yez can be afther emigratin’
to whin yez have worked out this wan? An’, indade, thin, wasn’t it another wan av
ther by’s who gathered
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up more than his share afther
spindin’ his kine fraly in the building’ av an ixtinsive univarsity, to give
our children a bit av larnin’ av a louder style, begorra? Yis, indade thin, the
construction av fine buildin’s, av big warehouses, ther monstrous staim ships,
ther great manufactories, and ther railroads all over the counthry, as well as ther exinsive canals and ditches,
constructed to give wather to ther barren places in ther counthry, begorra, is
in me own opinion an evidince that a fair portion ov the gould, at laist, that
we by’s helped to dig from the river beds an’ mountains in ther moinin’ ragion
has collected into ther hands ov the by’s who are jest afther knowin’ how to
use ther same for the binefit ov all, do yez moind.”
Another old miner declared that there was
something wrong about it; that he couldn’t understand at all why so many of the
miners who dug so many millions of gold from the earth should all be so poor
now, and he believed ‘twas owing to the greed and selfishness of the business
classes. They took all the advantage to rob the miners of their well-earned
share of gold.
“No, not at all,” said Mike; “that,
indade, is not the raison, but ‘tis all owin’ to ther nater ov the moinin’
industry, an’ that I’ll be afther explaining’, thin. Do yez obsarve the
difference now betwain the business ov mining an’ all other kinds; for, indade
thin, has not the moiner got his rich moin in ther beginnin’, whilst in all
other kinds it requoires long years to wurruk for it. As a man puts in his
toime and his money in any business, sure thin is it not incrasin’ in vally
continually? An’ so it is with the lawyer, the doctor an’ with the mechanic
too, now, do yez moind. Wan ov the by’s takes up a pace ov land; spends his toime
an’ money in improvin’ that same, and, begorra, the longer he works upon it,
thin, the more valuable it is afther growin’ the whoile; but divil a bit is the
rich moine growin’ in vally at all, at all. But do yez moind, thin, the longer
yez are afther wurrukin’ it thin the poorer ‘tis growin’, an’ when ‘tis
wurruked out, devil a cint can many of yez show for the toime an’ labor yes
have spint upon the same.”
Another one remarked, “Well, ‘tis true
enough, as you say, that the gold we dig out flows into the big cities into the
hands of a few wealthy men, and ‘tis for that reason that the rich are getting
richer whilst the poor are gittin’ poorer.”
“Well, says Mike, “now yez are afther
encroaching upon a
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question in political economy
that we ould miners are hardly competint to dale with, begorra. But in me own
opinion ‘tis not thrue, as yez have stated, that the rich are afther gittin’
richer, whoile the poor are gittin’ poorer, at all, at all. It only saims to be
the case, but not so in fact, as oi will explain to yez. “Tis thrue enough,
that in consequence ov the large quantity ov gould yez by’s have dug from ther
hills above an’ thrown in circulation, the facilities ov scrapin’ large
quantities ov it in a hape by a few ov the by’s in the big cities was an aisy
job, an’ by use ov the same, in a few years they were rich men. An’ if all the
by’s who were fortunate enough to do that same could continue to live in the
same manner, and ther children afther thim, to inherit such conditions ov great
wealth, why, then, ‘twould be thrue as yez hav sthated. But divil a bit is that
the case. But why not, are yez asking?
“Well, thin, jist be afther lookin’ back
for a few years an’ callin’ to yez recollection ther by’s who were wealthy
thin, and where do yez foind thim or ther descindents now? An’, indade, thin,
couldn’t yez spake ov many ov the by’s who were ther poorest ov the lot a few
years ago, an’ are now the richest ov thim? An’ don’t that prove ov to-day may
be the wealthy by’s ov next wake, an’ the sons ov the by’s who are now rejicin’
over ther good fortunes may be the by’s who’ll hav the hard wurruk to do in
ther future, do yez moind. An’, agin, me by’s to-day were poor, or the sons ov
poor murrain’ min wanst, which is an ividince that the opportunities for
scrapin’ together a hape ov wealth is not confoined to any won class ov min, at
all, at all; but ivery divil a won ov yez has an aiqual opportunity wid all if
yez only go ther right way to wurruk to git it, be jabbers.
“Now, these changes prove that altho’ at
wan pariod in the lives ov the wealthy by’s they do increase in wealth, but
yez’ll foind in toime that noine-tinths ov thim grow poorer as they grow older,
which is not the case with the whiskey yez are afther drinking, thin, for that
is improving’ the whoile. And yez’ll be after observin’, too, that ther ranks
ov the wealthy by’s are bein’ containualy recruited from the ranks ov the
workin’ min ov the counthry, be jabers. ‘Tis for these raisons, me by’s,
acquoired by long exparience an’ observation, that divil a bit are ther rich
gitting richer or ther poor poorer, at all, at all. Oh, yis, ‘tis thrue enough
thet it saims
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to be the case thet the gould
ov the country is being gobbled up by a few ov the by’s, but divil a bit is it
thrue in fact, for to make money yez must use the saime, an’ for that raison
‘tis evident that the circulation ov money is constant an’ aiqual, an’ all ov
yez hav aiqual opportunities for usin’ that samine, begorra!”
Mike was now asked if he didn’t think that
it would be better for the country in general, or for the working classes in
particular, if this co-operative plan that we have heard so much about lately
should be adopted:
Mike answered:
“No, indade, thin, it would not, and for
the raisins, me by’s, that if yez will only investigate ther incentives - that
is the ground wurruk ov all human action - yez will be afther foindin’ that all
depinds upon our future ixpictations. Now, me by’s, what is it that kape ther
lot ov yez er thrampin’ around among ther hills and the mountains from Arizoni
to Alasky, thin, but ther containual ixpictation of sthrikin’ er rich mine?
An’, indade, thin, is it not thrue ov all other human affairs, begorra? What,
thin, me b’y’s, becomes ov all ixpictations when yez hav all jined with the
co-operative union, be jabers? Indade, thin, yez can hav none at all, for yez
are all shure of a livin’ an’ nothin’ more to ixpict, an’ all ov yez are livin’
upon an aquality. Yis, indade, thin, jist ask the workin’ min ov the country if
they wud be contint to live in such a style, whin they wud all be afther bein’
shure ov er livin’, shure enough, but wid no ixpictations that aither
themselves or ther children wud iver be inythin’ higher than workin’ min. An’,
be jabers, thin, they wud be afther sayin’ to yez: ’Give us poverty, thin, an’
hard wurruk, but divil a bit shall yez be afther deprivin’ us ov ther continual
ixpictations we hav that our by’s may be in ther future able to live like
gintlemin widout ther necessity ov labor, at all, at all.’ An’, faith, thin, do
yez moind ther lad who was afther robbin’ ther melon patch, but accidentally
got among ther punkins, an’ whin tould thet the owner ov ther melons wud give
him all he wanted for the askin’, said he: ‘Indade, thin, its meself, thing,
who had rather ate a grane punkin that I could stale than to ate a fine melon
presented to me.’
“Tis thrue enough,” continued Mike, “that
the poor saims to be continually incrasing in numbers in all ther large cities
ov ther country, begorra! But ther raisons for this are that the inducements
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are greater there, an’ to the
minds ov the by’s the prospects ov gittin’ money much quicker an’ aisier saim
more encouraging to thim, do yez moind; but in me own opinion ‘twould be better
for ther most ov thim to come out into ther country an’ try to make an honest
living from ther sile; that would aqualize ther labor ov ther country, begorra,
an’ tind to solve ther labor problem, begob!”
Mike was now asked the question, what
method could be adopted that would have the effect to bring all classes more
upon an equality? “None at all,” Mike answered, “Divil a bit is it necessary to
do that saim for I tell yez, me by’s, that poverty, which saims to the most ov
yez to be a curse put upon man for his sins, is in fact ther base an’
foundation ov all human enterprise, industry, and prosperity; now was it not
poverty, with a desire to escape from it, that brought thousands ov yez old
pioneers here to dig an’ thramp about among ther mountains for gould? Indade,
thin, it was, for if yez, hadn’t been poor, divil a bit would one ov yez come
at all, at all. An’ indade, thin, was it not in consequence ov this same poverty
(that many ov the by’s all over ther counthry are howling and cursing about,)
that has been ther mains ov ilivating ther whole country to such high
conditions ov developments, shure, and it is thin, an’ ther prosperous
condition ov ther counthry to day with its great commarcial enterprises, its
railroads runnin’ in all directions from ther Atlantic to ther Pacific Oceans,
an’ with its mariads ov growing towns and cities springing into existence among
ther desert places, where but a few years since was a vast wilderness occupied
only by ther buffalo droves, and savage Indian; all ov these wonderful changes,
me b’y’s, are only ther effects ov poverty, be jabers. It must be plain to yez,
thin, that poverty is a necessity, an’ ther incintive to escape from it is ther
bottom of ther whole business, begorra!”
“Yes, that may all be very true” remarked
another, “but when we take a view of life around us and witness the great
amount of misery and suffering in all of our large cities, while a great
portion of the more fortunate are rolling in wealth, don’t you think that it
would be just and right to adopt some policy that would prevent such extreme
conditions of great wealth of a few and the poverty of the many?”
“Faith thin” says Mike “an’ ‘tis this same
idea upon which is founded all ov thim isms that are after creating so much
excitement
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among ther workingmen ov ther country, begorra; it
makes thim discontinted with their conditions for ther raisons that ther
laiders ov socialism, ov Georgeism, anti-povertyism, nationalism an’ ther rest
ov thim, are all the toime taiching the b’y’s that ther only raisons why they
are so poor is because others ov thim are so wealthy, begorra, and if their
ideas in relation to human affairs can only be carried out by preventing them
by’s from increasing their wealth who are, owing to their good habits and
suparior abilities, the best able to do so, be jabers, will in their opinion
give ther poor b’y’s a better opportunity to incraise their wealth whether they
are capable ov doing so or not; now, me b’y’s, is this a raisonable view ov the
situation, for aint you b’y’s who are jest afther putting in your toime
tramping ’round among the mountains for a rich mine, begorra, more loikely to
foind it than ther by’s who are all ther
whoile contint to hang around in the cities, thin, huntin’ for an aisy job, and
who are continually howling for yez to prisint thim with an interest in yez
mine, be jabers. Yis, m’ b’y’s, observation is afther taichin’ us ther fact
that as a gineral rule thim b’y’s who are industrious thin, an’ who are afther
acquiring good habits only, are ther b’y’s who are prosperous and, faith thin,
in me own opinion they desarve it, too.
“Now for these raisons, me b’y’s, it is in
me own opinion all darmed nonsense to talk about anti-poverty an’ an aiquality
of conditions, for we don’t want thim at all, at all.”
Yank next related his experience at the
Bay. When he was down last spring an acquaintance persuaded him to attend a
reunion of the Old Hangtown residents, or rather the old-timers of Eldorado
County. Yank explained that the residents of Tuolumne, Nevada and Eldorado
Counties hold what they call a reunion every year, generally about May 1. They
have them in Oakland at one of the numerous parks; generally; but sometimes at
other localities. He said that the one he attended was in Badger’s Park, and
there were as many as 1,500 people there. But among all that crowd there was
only one old Forty-niner whom he knew before, although it was said that there
were several others around on the ground somewhere.
“I tell you” said he, “there were lots of
people there whom I used to know around old Hangtown in ’51 and ’52, and they
all seemed kind of glad to meet one another. Then there was a whole
Page
325 Illustration.
Page 326.
regiment of youngsters and
girls dancing in the hall, but they were all babies when I left the diggings,
so I didn’t know a single one of them. They hold these meetings down there
every year, and, boys, blamed if I won’t try to go down every time if I can
make a raise, for I tell you it sets a fellow up again to meet all of these
old-timers, and to have a chat about old times.
“I came across an old acquaintance very
unexpectedly down there whom I thought was dead, and by consent of my old pard,
Tennessee, I’ll tell the whole story. You remember, boys, that in ‘52 an old
miner in Shasta County discovered somewhere in the mountains a very rich cañon
but none could ever find it. In the spring of ‘54 a company, consisting of
Tennessee, five others, and myself, concluded to go in search of it, but,
unfortunately, we started a little too early in the spring, for on the fourth
day out there came on a terrible cold snow-storm, and of course we started home
again. We got lost and wandered about for three or four days, not knowing what
course to take, and, worse than all, we were nearly out of provisions. There
was a young Swede with us. He was a sailor chap who had come from San Francisco
to try his fortune in mining, and, being anxious to go with us, we had brought
him along. He was a smart, good-natured boy, and we all thought a heap of him.
Well, in the evening, we were all lounging around the fire, talking over the
situation, when one of the boys, just for sport, proposed that we now right
there and then cast lots to see which one of us must be cut up to save the
lives of the rest, as we only had grub enough to last about one day longer. Of
course the boy was elected, as we intended, just to see if ‘twould scare him
any; but he didn’t seem to mind it at all, for he laughed and joked about it,
when we had all decided to have him for breakfast in the morning.
“The sun rose clear the next morning, but
we were astonished to find upon getting up that Pete, the sailor boy, had
vanished. He had become frightened, believing that we were in earnest, and had
started off alone through the snowdrifts, only to get lost and perhaps
destroyed by bears. We determined to find him if ‘twas possible, so without stopping
to make a fire we ate a cold breakfast and were soon following his trail, which
we were enabled to trace easily for about twenty miles to the bottom of a deep
cañon.
From
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that point, however, all
traces of it were lost. We returned home, determined to continue the search as
soon as possible. In a day or two we procured mules and searched among the
hills and cañons
thoroughly in all directions for several days, but nothing was ever heard of
him, it being the conclusion of all that he had been destroyed by a grizzly,
which were very numerous at that time. Well, I came across an old mining
acquaintance in San Francisco who was following the sea, and we took a walk
down among the vessels. We were lounging along down one of the wharves and I
saw a man on board of a small coasting schooner whom I though had rather a
familiar look about him. My acquaintance said that he didn’t know his name, but
that he was the owner of that vessel. I told my friend that I was going to see
him, so I jumped down on to the deck and spoke to the man, asking him if he was
the captain. He answered that he was, and he wanted to know if I was looking
for a job. I told him no, but that I had a great curiosity to see him, as he
reminded me very much of a young chap I once knew in the mines. He asked me
when. Said I: ‘More than thirty years ago, up in Shasta County.’
“’Well,’ said he, ‘I was up in that county
about that time and got out of there as quick as I could, as some of the old
miners were talking about eating me up.’
“As he said that I just grabbed hold of
his hand, and said I: “’This is Pete, the sailor boy, isn’t it?’
“’Yes,’ he answered, ‘but who are you?’
“’Don’t you remember Yank?’ I asked; ‘one
of those old miners who were going to make a breakfast off of you?’
“Well, boys, he did remember me now, you
bet.
“’Mine gracious, is this Yank? Well ! well
! now come down into mine cabin.’
“After we had both recovered a little from
our astonishment, and I had explained how we had hunted for him for several
days among the hills and cañons, he told me how he had managed to find
his way out of the mountains, after remaining up in a tree for more than two
days to get away from a big grizzly which he thought must have been some
relation to us old miners, some way, for the brute seemed determined to eat him
up, anyhow.
“’But,’ said he, ‘the bear got tired and
hungry waiting for me to come down and finally went away, and then I came down
and
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made tracks for San Francisco
pooty quick, and don’t want to go out prospecting any more at all.”
Yank continued by asking if any of them
remembered the chap they called “Razor Bill.”
“Oh, yis,” Mike answered, “indade I
remember him well whin he wurruked down near Angel’s camp, an’ whin he wurruked
up at Poverty Point, near Hangtown, an’ he made a good dale ov money too, but,
begorra, he wasn’t the b’y to save it. I see him play cards with that same chap
they called ‘Lucky Bill,’ an’ he lost more than $800 at the game.”
“Well, said Yank, “I saw him at the Bay.
He is driving an express wagon, and says that he is doing a very good business.
He is married now, and has five children.”
Tennessee remarked that any man who played
the game of seven up with “Lucky Bill” was sure to leave his dust there, for he
was one of the best card-players in California.
“Do you remember the time when he cleaned
out them chaps from San Francisco?” resumed Tennessee. “Twas in August of ‘50,
soon after his arrival in Hangtown from the East. These two chaps had heard of
him, and that he had plenty of money, and they came up to clean him out. His
house was crowded that evening by the boys who wanted to see the fun. It was
agreed that one of these ‘Frisco chaps should play ten games, and then if luck
was against him he should have the privilege of quitting the game if he wished,
and the other one could take his place and play in the same manner. They
brought (as was said) $11,000 with them, all in $50 slugs, which was piled upon
the table, and an equal sum was placed alongside of Bill. Both piles were
decorated in the usual manner, with a big revolver placed in a convenient
position for an emergency. The play was for $1,000 a game, and I tell you ‘twas
interesting to see them piles of slugs travel back and forth in a rapid manner
from one side of the table to the other. But it was soon noticed that many of
these stacks of slugs that had waltzd across to Lucky Bill’s side didn’t seem
to be inclined to waltz back again. The consequence was that at the end of two
hours they had played thirty-one games, and every slug was under the protection
of Bill’s gun.
“’Well,’ says one of the chaps, ‘that ends
our game, for you have got it all.’
Page 329.
“Bill shoved a stack of slugs
over to them, remarking: ‘There, boys, take that to pay your expenses.’
“’No, no; not a cent,’ one of
them replied, ‘it is all yours, for you have played a straight square game, and
we will not take a dollar of it.’”
Some one enquired of Jersey
if he knew what ever became of Pete, the boss liar of the Yuba? As the boys
called him; Jersey replied that he was killed by a bear up in Plumas County
sometime in ‘54. Pete and two others were prospecting in a ravine one day, when
a big grizzly came upon them from the brush; his pardners got away by climbing
up a steep hill and went for assistance, but Pete had been caved upon a short
time before and couldn’t run, so he and the bear had the whole circus to
themselves for a while; they rescued him but ‘twas too late, he was torn all to
pieces. But he was true to his colors to the last, for after they had taken him
to his cabin to die, almost his last words were, “well boys, I got away with
one of ‘em any how, and if I’d only had a fair show I’d ‘er cleaned ‘em both
out” but when told that there was but one bear there, he answered: “Oh, yes,
ther was, for didn’t yer notice lots of hair and bear’s grease scattered about
on ther rocks?” the boys said
Page 330.
they did. “Well,” says Pete
with his dying breath, “that’s ther, ther tother one.”
“Ah!” continued Jersey, “but Pete was a
fine talker and his persuasive eloquence was almost irresistible; he said once
that his father was a life-insurance agent down in Connecticut, and that he
himself had inherited a faculty for the business, and intended to follow it
when he returned East.”
There was an old Irishman living on the
bar at that time by the name of Pat Flynn. Pete was in his cabin one Sunday
morning, and Pat wanted to trim up his long hair with a large pair of shears,
but couldn’t find his piece of looking-glass. Pete said that he would go and
get his own for him, so we went and found a brick, and bet the drinks with one
of the boys that he would convince Pat that it was a looking-glass and that he
could use it to cut his hair with. Well, it was hard work, and it took a great
deal of talking to convince Pat, but after looking it all over, and turning it
in his hand, he remarked, “that ‘twas a quare glass but, be jabers, I’ll give
it a thry, any how,” and he did; in a few moments, however, he come near
clipping off one of his ears; grabbing the brick from the table, as Pete
started to run he threw it at him, at the same time exclaiming, “Pete, yez are
a damned liar.” “I know it, that’s my trade, Pat” says Pete as he started away,
and he won the drinks.
Page 331 Illustration.
Page 332.
Some one asked Bolzer what became of Sam
Plunkett, the Arkansas beauty, as they called him. Bolzer stated that after
they had finished working out their joint claim in Georgetown cañon,
in the spring of ‘50, Sam went north, and was supposed to have been killed by
the Modoc Indians in the summer of ‘56, as he went on a prospecting expedition up
into that country about that time, and was never heard of afterwards.
“If the Indians did kill him,” Bolzer
continued, “they must have done it when he was asleep some dark night, for they
never dared to go near enough to kill him in the daylight. Why, Sam told me
once that he was offered a big salary to travel with a show as a natural
curiosity, and I asked why he didn’t. Well, he said he would, but there was
another chap in his native State who was jealous of him, and told him if he
joined that show he would kill him later, sure. Sam said they hired ‘tother
chap, but they didn’t keep him long, for the farmers all over the country made
such a fuss, and threatened to kill him if he didn’t git out. I asked Sam why
the farmers were all down on him, and he said that in every section of the
country he passed through, the milk all turned sour.
Bolzer then related an incident to show
why the Indians were afraid to get near enough to Sam to kill him.
“Upon one occasion,” said Bolzer “Sam, in
company with a chap they called ‘Sleepy Ben,’ started upon a prospecting
expedition away up north, and Ben tells for a fact that when, in passing around
a point near the mouth of a ravine, they saw, just a short distance beyond,
four or five Indians who were apparently very badly scared at something upon
the opposite side of the ravine, for they ran for their ponies, which they
mounted in a great hurry, and were out of sight among the rocks and brush
beyond in a jiffy, Ben said they were astonished, and couldn’t imagine what the
Indians were so badly scared at, but, upon coming in sight of the opposite side
of the ravine, there upon the face of a high ledge of rock was the shadow of
Sam with his roll of blankets upon his back, looking for all the world like a
huge camel walking upon its hind legs.
Bolzer was asked if he believed the yarn
that was told about Sam frightening a bear to death up in Nevada County, in the
fall of ‘50. Bolzer replied that Dutch Pete, who was with Sam at the time, said
‘twas true. Upon some one asking about the circumstances,
Page 333.
Bolzer related that Sam and
Pete had been into town and were on their way home again with a sack of flour
and other articles upon their shoulders. Sam was in the lead, and just as they
were opposite a cluster of bushes a huge grizzly bear met them in the trail,
and, raising itself upon its hind legs, laid its forepaws in a playful manner
upon Sam’s shoulders. Sam had a heavy load on his back, and being somewhat
astonished at the sudden appearance of the bear he stood perfectly still, and
looked his unwelcome visitor square in the face. The bear also, by the way,
seemed to be as much astonished as Sam was, and Pete said that it would look
very earnestly at Sam, first out of one eye and then turning its head it would
gaze at him for a minute with the other, and then it would lower its head, and
closing both eyes, seemed to be thinking to itself whether it had ever in the
course of its life come across such a looking object before, and whether ‘twas
dangerous or not. Pete said the animal seemed to think that the queer-looking
thing was dangerous, and that he had “shust got dem paws into it, for he shost
rolled his eyes up and pooty sudden all at vunce he falls over on top mit his
back, und den he durns his eye up to Sam, strikes at him mit his paw, und
daking von long breath vas dead right avay as von big nail, by shiminy.”
Page 334.
“This was Pete’s account of the affair,”
concluded Bolzer. “Well, Sam was the ugliest man in the universe, and he seemed
to be proud of it, too. He said once that he would be remembered after he was
dead a spell longer ‘than you good-lookin’ chaps,’ and that seemed to console
him for his ugliness. It was stated by a man who crossed the plains in the same
train with Sam, that the whole train was at one time in the greatest danger of
being run over and trampled to death by an immense drove of buffaloes, but Sam,
seeing the danger just in time, walked towards the drove when it was almost
upon them, and it divided, passing upon either side. His presence of mind in
showing himself to the drove at the right time saved the lives of more than one
hundred men, women and children.”
Transcribed by:
Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Proofread by Betty Vickroy.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
BACK TO ARGONAUTS IN
CALIFORNIA PT 1