Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/248



would waste  time  in  trying  savages  for  their  lives  ? A whole  rancheria  of  150  souls,  for  the  killing  of  one Anderson, under  the  severest  provocation,  and  the stealing of  some  cattle,  were  shot  down  and  butcherd with knives  in  the  most  cowardly  manner  by  self- styled citizens  of  Trinity  county,  in  April  1852. Hundreds of  such  clisiJ:raceful  instances  mio^ht  be  re- corded had  I  the  time,  space,  or  inclination  to  parade them.

Durina: 1852  the  crusade  aofainst  foreio-n  miners reached its  climax,  with  the  result  that  in  the  spring of the  year  Mexican  guerrilla  bands  extended  from Mariposa to  Mokelumne  hill. The Americans  of Saw-mill  Flat,  in  Tuolumne,  would  have  been  massa- cred on the  7th  of  July,  but  for  an  Italian  who warned them. They thereupon  took  up  arms  and drove all  foreigners  from  the  locality. Many meas- ures adopted to  drive  foreigners  from  the  mining claims with  varied  success  mioht  be  mentioned,  but  for lack of  space  I  must  leave  them  out  of  these  pages. It is  worthy  of  notice,  however,  that  amidst  the  strong feeling aroused  on  many  occasions,  and  the  multitudin- ous threats, little  blood  was  shed. The Americans were none  of  the  time  sure  that  they  were  right,  and their action  was  much  less  determinate  and  uniform than  in  the  administration   of  popular  justice.

As time  went  by,  from  urging  persecutions  against all foreigners  alike,  it  became  directed  against  Asiatics only. In this  cowardly  work,  white  foreigners  them- selves, but recently  obnoxious  to  American  citizens, were the  chief  instigators. By this  time  the  better class of  Americans  had  given  up  the  occupation  of minintr  •  and  the  dretrs  of  the  nationalities  had  taken their places  to  glean  what  they  could  from  the  leav- ings. The latter  continued  the  persecutions  against the Chinese.

The president  said  in  his  message  to  congress,  De- cember 2, 1850,  that  he  was  at  first  disposed  to  favor the plan  of  leasing  the  mines,  or  of  granting  l