Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/78



Other towns  and  settlements  in  California  were  no less  slow  than  San  Francisco  to  move  under  the  new fermentation. Indeed, they  were  more  apathetic,  and were finally  stirred  into  excitement  less  by  the  facts than by  the  example  of  the  little  metropolis. Yet the Mexicans were  in  madness  no  whit  behind  the  Amer- icans, nor the  farmers  less  impetuous  than  townsmen when once  the  fury  seized  them. May had  not  wholly passed when  at  San  Jos^  the  merchant  closed  his store, or  if  the  stock  was  perishable  left  open  the  doors that people  might  help  themselves,  and  incontinently set out  upon  the  pilgrimage. So the  judge  abandoned his bench  and  the  doctor  his  patients;  even  the  alcalde dropped the  reins  of  government  and  went  away  with his subjects.^     Criminals  slipped  their   fetters   and

Mason, Jones,  and  Paymaster  Rich  on  gold  excitement;  WUUy*H  Decade  Ser- tnofiJi, 12-17;  OUason^s  CcUh. Church, ii. 175-93; Sherman's  Memoirs,  i.  46-9; S, F.  Directory,  1852-3;  8-9;  S.  I,  News,  ii. 142-8, gi\ing  the  extract  of  a letter  from  S.  F.,  May  27th;  Vallejo  Recorder,  March  14,  1848;  Cnl. Past and Present,  77;  OillespU's  Vig,  Com.,  MS.,  3-4;  Findla's  Stat,,  MS.,  4-6. The Ccdi/omian  newspaper  revived  shortly  after  its  suspension  in  May.

the lock-up,  tM'o  of  them  charged  with  murder. These he  would  have  turned over to  the  alcalde,  but  that  functionary  had  already  taken  his  departure. Bee was  puzzled  how  to  dispose  of  his  wards,  for  though  he  was  determined to go  to  the  mines,  it  would  never  do  to  let  them  loose  upon  a  community  of women  and  children. Finally he  took  all  the  prisoners  with  him  to  the diggings, where  they  worked  contentedly  for  him  until  other  miners,  jealous of Bee's  success,  incited  them  to  revolt. By that  time,  however,  the  alguacil had made  his  fortune. So goes  the  story. San Jo^4  Pioneer,  Jan. 27* 1877. Writing  Mason  the  26th  of  May  from  San  Jos^,  Larkin  says:  *  Last  night  sev- eral of the  most  respectable  American  residents  of  this  town  arrived  home from a  visit  to  the  cold  regions;  next  week  they  with  their  families,  and  I think  nine  tenths  of  the  foreign  store- keepers,  mechanics,  and  day-laborers  of this  place,  and  perhaps  of  San  Francisco,  leave  for  the  Sacramento.*  West,  a stable-keeper,  had  two  brothers  in  the  mines,  who  urged  him  at  once  to  hasten thither and  bring  his  family. ' Bum  the  barn  if  you  cannot  dispose  of  it otherwise,  *  they  said. C. L.  Ross  writes  from  the  mines  in  April,  Experiences from 1847,  MS.:  *I  found  John  M.  Homer,  of  the  mission  of  San  Jos^,  who told me  he  had  left  about  500  acres  of  splendid  wheat  for  the  cattle to roam  over  at  will,  he  and  his  family  having  deserted  their  place  en- tirely, and started  off  for  the  mines.'  J.  Belden,  Nov.  6th,  writes  Lar- kin from San  Jos^:  'The  town  is  full  of  people  coming  from  and  going  to the  gold  mines. A man  just  from  there  told  me  he  saw  the  governor  and Squire Colton  there,  in  rusty  rig,  scratching  gravel  for  gold,  but  with little success. ' Larkin^ s  Doc,,  MS.,  vi. 219. And  so  in  the  north. Semple, writing Larkin  May  19th,  says  that  in  three  days  there  would  not  be  two men left  in  Benicia;  and  Cooper,  two  davs  later,  declared  that  everybody  was leaving except  Brant  and  Semple. Larkin^s Doc,,yL^.,\\,  111,116;  Vallejo, Doc,, MS.,  xii. 344. From  Sonoma  some  one  wrote  in  the  Cal^fornian,  Aug. 5th,  that  the  town  was  wellnigh  depopulated. 'Not a  laboring  man  or
 * ^The alguacil,  Henry  Bee,  had  ten  Indian  prisoners  under  his  charge  in