Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/417

 ned havoc

and death,  fire  and  extermination,  should  any  attempt be made  to  expel  them. Fort Larkin  the  place  was called, in  honor  of  one  of  the  ringleaders. The galley of a  sailing-vessel,  perforated  with  port-holes,  had been planted  as  a  fortress  on  the  disputed  lot,  over- looking which, on  a  sandy  eminence,  stood  a  dilapi- dated shanty, the  headquarters  of  the  belligerents  who thus aspired  to  become  owners  of  lots  by  merely  tak- ing possession of  them. The next  day  a  much  larger meeting for  the  suppression  of  squatterism  was  held at Musical  Hall.

More and  more  audacious  the  squatters  of  Mission street became  every  day. And the  infection  for  ob- taining property without  rendering  an  equivalent spread rapidly  over  the  city. Soon there  was  scarcely a lot  that  was  not  fenced  in  and  guarded,  either  by  its rightful owner  or  by  some  wrongful  claimant. Pres- ently squatter rose  up  against  squatter,  and  fought each other. On Green  street,  between  Stockton  and Powell, James  Lick  owned  a  lot  which  two  squatters claimed simultaneously. Murphy and  Duffy  being  the contending claimants,  and  each  backed  by  a  sub- claimant. One party  erected  a  fence,  and  when  the other side  attempted  to  pull  it  down,  pistols  were  fired, and a  woman  and  a  man  shot. The squatters  were  no less  active  than  their  opponents  in  holding  meetings and forming  secret  associations. Before the  disputed premises on  Mission  street  armed  men  were  stationed, who marched  back  and  forth  night  and  day  like  sen- tinels. The authorities  at  length  took  the  matter  up, and drove  them  away ;  but  scarcely  were  they  out  of sight  before  the  squatters  were  back  again  in  posses- sion, and nailing  up  their  demolished  fences. Finally they were  efiectually  dislodged ;  the  rightful  owners were then  placed  in  possession,  and  peace  again  smiled upon the  sand-hills.

It was  the  fashion  of  purchasers  of  water-lots  to stake  off  the  limits  of  their  submerged  lands  and  fence them in  by  means  of  pile-drivers,  paying  little  regard