The Knave - Oakland Tribune - Sunday, September 28, 1941

The Knave Unknown Forty-Niner Redwood Peak The Hights graves Sun, Sep 28, 1941 – Page 21 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Alameda, California, United States of America) · Newspapers.com

I'm leaving out the first few paragraphs, which deal with current politics, and moving right to the histories and stories. Click the image above if you want to read what you missed, here. - MF

Unknown Forty-Niner

When we started in to recall the old days of redwood lumbering in the hills crowning Oakland, many an old-timer responded as we had hoped, and enlarged the tale out of memory of family records. But the other day I got from Theodore E. Merritt a story of contrasts and disclosures.
If readers may answer one of the questions he puts, a rare tale may be unfolded. Says Mr. Merritt: "Tramping up Mountain Boulevard to attend a concert by the Federal Symphony Orchestra and Mr. Keaton's splendid Negro chorus, at Joaquin Miller's 'The Hights.' I was amazed at the transformation of a region over which I used to hike. Though I had to admit that the improvements have given us a small 'Treasure Island' of real beauty, I wondered what old Joaquin would say to it all. With tongue in cheek and not too much enthusiasm for such synthetic changes, he would perhaps declare, 'Well, the geographies will certainly have to be rewritten,' and saunter down the hill to his once beautiful little creek and his jug of dreams. I used often to go up to Redwood Peak, resting, if I am not mistaken, at the place you mentioned on September 7, the Closson house on the crest of the ridge at the base of the peak. Near the house that I am assuming was the Closson home was a tiny graveyard, a few graves still visible not long ago. Nearer the house, next to one of the huge redwood stumps, was a mound with a stone above it, bearing the inscription 'Rover.' (I think that was the dog's name.) One day, seated against a huge boulder, not far from the house, I discovered that the great stone was a natural monument to a local forty-niner. Carved clearly at the base of the rock, almost hidden by grass and poison oak, was the Scandinavian name and initials of someone apparently buried there: only the name and the perfectly legible date, '1849'. I have forgotten the exact name, but remember that it was Scandinavian. Through these several years I have hesitated to mention my discovery, lest the site become another WPA project with attendant hot-dog stand. Let this obscure forty-niner rest in peace. With a little searching, I think I could again locate the inscription. Who was he? Was he on his way to the mines? Or was he, perhaps, making a more certain living by getting out redwoods for some of our old houses? I am afraid we shall never know. Perhaps it is enough, just to call him the Unknown Forty-Niner.

More on Vallecito Bell 

When the Knave brought up the story of the Vallecito Bell, and drew upon Joseph Henry Jackson's "Anybody's Gold" for the richness of the yarn, he made one mistake. Since I have been in the old camp - and since the visit Jackson recorded - the oak tree in which the bell rested so long gave up its ghost. I'll turn the tale over to D. R. Rees of Niles who, as you will see, was a boy in Vallecito and knows the place today. "The bell was originally attached to a large oak and, during my boyhood days, called the congregation of the church that had been built very close by. However, some years ago, the oak blew down. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. J. Corley, who live near the church, undertook to perpetuate the memory of the bell and, with considerable work on their part, enlisted the help of neighbors and others. They gathered native granite quartz and other stone and designed and built a very lovely - well I guess you would call it a monument - and installed the bell on its peak where it is now. I cherish the story of the bell and the sentiment that prompted the Vallecito people to erect the monument, so that it may call the folks of the little town for many years to come. Whether it is a ship's bell, or one that had been cast to be used on a church or other meeting place, the story is typical of the early days, with a happy ending. What matter? It is a lovely old bell that rang clear and true. The oak is gone and only a few of us remain that remember the fact that once the oak and bell were inseparable companions. Let us all hope that the story told of it will be long remembered." I think that Joe Jackson, if he reads this, will say "amen."

Must Have Been O'Bryne 

Dr. S. G. Morley of the University of California, author of a fine book on the covered wagon bridges of this State, recently confessed to having met so many contradictions in the records as to cause him to question the authority of the accepted naming of "Byrne's Ferry." A bridge is there now on the Stanislaus River, on the road from Copperopolis to the Oakdale-Sonora highway. Various writers and records of the past have called the place "Burns," "Byrnes" and "O'Byrne's." Dr. Morley asked if anyone could help. He tells me now that Frederick R. Pond of Napa has sent him a straight tip: "In fact, it is the first official documentary evidence I have seen about the correct form of the name, and it is all but conclusive." He writes: 'The Register of officers . . . in the service of the United States on the thirtieth September, 1857, compiled and printed under the direction of the Secretary of State, on p. 392 lists O'Byrne's Ferry as a post office in Calaveras County. The 1859 volume of the biennial Register on p. 27 lists the post office as O'Bryan's Ferry. Inconsistency in spelling, such as is here evident, is common in the early Registers, but there is no uncertainty as to the presence of the O'. These are the only occurrences of the name in the Register lists of California post offices, of which I have consulted a file complete from 1849 to 1875; the form Byrne's Ferry or Burns Ferry does not appear at all.' Postal registers can err, as the discrepancy in the two editions shows, but one can safely assume that the earlier is the more accurate, and it bears out Mr. Wilcox's statement to me that the correct form is O'Byrne. The second form, O'Bryan, was probably copied from the first, and distorted by confusion with the commoner name O'Brien."

Ice in the Early Days 

Today when it is possible to get an ice cube in practically every kitchen and a block of ice by popping a coin in almost any roadside slot, it is difficult to imagine a time when ice was at a premium in California and when men gambled fortunes on it. Edmund Kinyon, writing in the Grass Valley Union, dealt with the ice problem of the '50's recently in relating the story of "Baldy" Hamilton, a stage operator out of Sacramento city, who lost a fortune when he overplayed a hand. In that era, ice was delivered to California from Boston, coming down the Atlantic, around Cape Horn and up the pacific Coast to San Francisco, whence it was doled out to some of the larger towns, including Sacramento, as long as the supply lasted. Shipments were few, however, and frequently the interior found itself sweltering in Summer heat without ice. Such a Summer was the September of 1851, with ice unobtainable in Sacramento, Grass Valley, Marysville, or any of the other miner-packed towns and camps. The Boston shipment had apparently failed for. the season, and "Baldy" Hamilton decided to do something about, it, for he knew where large snow banks were to be found, and he decided to make a killing. Gathering all of the moving stock he could find and buying a generous stock of sawdust for packing, Hamilton set out for Echo Summit. He found his supply without difficulty, packed it in sawdust and green bows, and with 20 armed guards to keep off Indians and marauders, started back for Sacramento. Midway he was met by speculators who offered him 75 cents a pound for his snow. He spurned the offer with some hauteur, knowing that he could make his own price in town, estimating that $1 a pound would be the minimum sale price. On the second night out, in Sacramento, Hamilton prepared for his first sale. He cached his wagon train, set up his guard and went to the nearest saloon to order sherry cobblers for his friends, knowing that sherry cobblers cannot be made without ice, and confidently expecting the bartender to be in the market for some. To his consternation, the bartender served the sherry cobblers without turning a hair. The Boston shipment had arrived in Hamilton's absence, and he had lost a cool $20,000, plus whatever profit might have accrued. Baldy Hamilton spent the rest of his life cursing his luck, and rueing the day that he had failed to unload on the speculators.

One of Four Oldest 

A few days ago, on September 18, our neighboring newspaper, the Contra Costa Gazette a Martinez, pardonably swelled its chest and announced it had attained its 83rd birthday. Though some of us may not have realized it, it is one of the four oldest newspapers in California, and enjoys a unique record of never having missed publication of an issue in its 83 years. The story of the paper will bring back names and times to many readers. Let the possessors of the files and facts, the Gazette itself, give us the facts: "The Contra Costa Gazette was first established as a weekly newspaper in Martinez, and published its first issue on September 18, 1858. W. B. Soule and Company of San Francisco were founders and first publishers of the paper, but a year later sold to W. Bradford. On April 28, 1860, Bradford sold a half interest to R. R. Bunker. At that time, two columns of news were printed in Spanish, due to the large Spanish-speaking population of the county. In 1861 the paper was moved from Martinez to Pacheco, and W. W. Theobold acquired the interest of Bradford, which he sold to C. B. Porter in 1865. In 1868 the plant was wrecked by an earthquake, and in 1871 it was destroyed by fire. After the fire, the paper was moved back to Martinez, in which city it has since been published. In 1908 W. A. Rugg purchased the paper from G. E. Milnes, then the publisher. Rugg published the paper until 1930, when he sold out to San Francisco interests, and later the same year the paper was acquired by John F. Galvin, Richmond publisher, who in November, 1930, sold to Will R. Sharkey, then publisher.of the Martinez Standard. The two papers were consolidated under the name of the Contra Costa Gazette. This newspaper has maintained its publication through earthquakes, three fires and the vicissitudes of a growing State and county for well over three-quarters of a century, chronicling the business and events of the county seat and the affairs of one of the richest counties in the Nation."

Old International Hotel 

A story which came from Napa telling of the recent death of James Thomas Paul, 73, tempts one to review the records of Paul's grandfather, one of the founders of Virginia City. Sutton Paul was the builder of the famous old International House, which on the hillside was six stories high. It burned a number of years ago but stories of its magnificence and of great doings held there carry on. As I get it, on the night of March 31, 1877, Albert Hanak and Ike Bateman opened the place with flourish and ceremony. It was built of brick and occupied a solid block; the finest of hardwood went into its interior, and the furnishings and drapes, it was said with pride, were equaled only by the Palace in San Francisco. A restaurant paid the management $600 a month; on the sixth story a man could rent a room for $65 if one cared to live in "pauper's alley." Poker games were in continuous operation, often many thousands of dollars changing hands in a single night. With the hotel, Hanak and Bateman - and Sutton Paul, the builder - left a material monument in Virginia City. Most of the others who found millions there packed them up and took them to San Francisco? James Thomas Paul, the grandson of Sutton, moved to Napa about three years ago. He was a native of Indiana, and lived for some time, before moving to Napa, at Battle Mountain, Nevada.

More About Boyce 

The Knave: Your story about John H. Boyce in last Sunday's Tribune was a fine character sketch of Trinity County's famous stage driver, but there was one very important detail that you probably overlooked. Boyce may have been a supervisor of Trinity County, as you stated. During the three years that I lived in Weaverville, 1909-12, Boyce served as sheriff, a position to which he had been elected several times on account of the reputation he gained in the famous stage robbery of 1892. Mr. Boyce bore the dignity of a superior judge or a college professor, and even the prisoners he locked in jail joined the people in Weaverville in their love for him. Maybe I should not say "locked in jail." Once, as principal of the Weaverville Grammar School, I had been asked to arrange a program for the Monday Night Club, whose meetings were held in the Superior Court chamber above the County Jail. That evening the court-room was packed. Sheriff Boyce noticed me rushing around looking for seats, and he remarked, "Go down to my office and tell Tom Hayden to get you some chairs." I found Hayden standing near the front door of the Courthouse. He got four chairs for me and helped to carry them up the stairs. Hayden, who had been convicted for his part in the notorious Hayden-Norgard cattle feud in southern Trinity several months before, was a trusty prisoner before being taken to San Quentin, where he died, if I remember correctly. No more would he have run away from his sheriff friend than from his own home. Sheriff Boyce's most prized memento was the pair of buckshot-perforated overalls that he wore the time of the stage robbery. The overalls were as well known in Weaverville as the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.  - Eph. L. Musick

A Hayward Anniversary 

Next month the Methodist Church in Hayward, of which John W. Winkley is minister, will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the dedication of its first building, and the 88th anniversary of its organization. Perhaps someone may help the congregation, for no one knows the exact date of the dedication of that first building. Dr. Winkley tells me that the files of the California Christian Advocate, published in San Francisco and containing this information, were destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906, and that there were no local newspapers at that date. He says: "I wonder if you or your friends know of any records of the year of 1866 which might give an account of the dedication here. The Rev. James Corwin was pastor and builder of the first church building, working with his own hands, laying foundation and erecting much of the structure." The church plans to publish an account of its early days, and, it may be, out of the scrapbooks of Knave readers will come much to help. The anniversary date this year has been set as of October 26, when President Tully C. Knoles of the College of the Pacific will be the guest preacher.

Mystery Train Holdup 

Up in Grass Valley Edmund Kinyon takes delight in turning back in the files of his paper and its predecessors. He notes that on the 19th of this month, 60 years ago, the big news in the Nation was that of the death of President James A. Garfield, as result of wound suffered at the hands of an assassin on July 2 of the same year. Coming closer to California, he reviews an event that took place earlier in the same month and year and here is how he tells it: "The expected had happened on the Central Pacific Railroad - a west bound passenger train was deliberately wrecked at fearsome Cape Horn point by a band of robbers who apparently lost their nerve and ran away before securing anything of loot. With the two engines derailed, the train lay helpless for several hours before outside officers arrived. Many opined that the robbers would return, and a call for volunteers to help defend the mail and express cars was sounded through the passenger coaches. Only one man responded, and he was ordered away on the assumption that he might be one of the robbers. The train, traveling slowly on the upgrade, stopped when the lead engine hit a loosened rail and slid into the ditch, dragging the second engine and a fruit car with it. Immediately six armed bandits swarmed along the train, shouting terrifying demands that the doors of the express and mail cars be opened instantly. When no responses were forthcoming, the two obvious leaders (called the "sands"), saw to their quite evident alarm their gang melting away into the brush, and they likewise fled the scene - thus fashioning one of the mysterious attacks in train robbing history.

Why the Masks?

Left behind were six masks, crowbars, sledgehammers, and a supply of giant powder-cartridges sufficient to blow up the entire train, Kinyon continues: "Why the masks were not being worn was one of the mysteries. Among the passengers was the Comstock mining magnate, Senator James G. Fair, who reputedly was in the habit of carrying large sums of money by pocket wherever he traveled. This prompted the theory that the robbing or possibly kidnapping of Fair was the chief object of the attack. Several doubting newspapers, including the Nevada Transcript, advanced the theory that the raid was not for robbery, but to induce the C.P. to employ more track-walkers and guards. Likewise, a wagon track followed for a long distance in the direction of Nevada City gave rise to the report that the gang had returned to their assumed rendezvous there. However, a few days later the robbers' camp was found in Secret Canyon, on the American River, and thereafter a number of arrests on suspicion were made, some of them in Nevada City. Railroad and Wells Fargo police and county sheriffs claimed to have evidence that the affair was a regulation robbery attempt, the ensuing fiasco being due to poor organization and that the picked-up aides which the two leaders took along deserted at a critical moment. John Mason, one of the men arrested, confessed, so it was said, and revealed the robbery plot.

Rival to Medicine Show 

"Doc Benjamin," of story connected with many publicity ventures and the developing of Willie Ritchie into a National lightweight championship, tells me a story in politics. "Your pictures and references to the late Dr. George C. Pardee," he says, "bring to my mind the time he was campaigning for Governor of California. I was running a medicine show in Red Bluff at that time, and had been there for several weeks. There being no movies or other opposition attractions in those days, my company of eight or ten clever vaudeville entertainers were drawing almost the entire population of that town nightly to my free open-air show located on the big lot next to the old skating rink, where the Governor was to hold forth. The local campaign committee, who were somewhat alarmed lest the drawing power of my show would detract from the attendance at the Governor's meeting, asked me to forego that night's performance - to which I readily agreed, as the week previous I had extended the same courtesy to Franklin K. Lane, his opponent. I also contributed the services of the entertainers of my show to make sure his meeting was doubly successful. I found the Governor a good scout, who did not seem at all scandalized at shaking hands with a 'patent medicine man' when he thanked me for contributing to the success of his meeting."

Two Requests 

To aid in research and satisfy some family curiosity, readers of the Knave are today appealed to by two who have old-time interests. Theodore E. Merritt, of 1958 42nd Avenue, says: "Could you on your page inquire for new or obscure data on the doughty Ezekiel Merritt of the Bear Flag affair? For some time I have been gathering notes on various Merritt groups, especially those who were among the West's pioneers. I have never come across anything on the origin of Ezekiel. Can anyone enlighten me? So far as I know, there is not the remotest connection here with my own family. I am simply curious to know something more of the fellow and to link him up, if possible, with other Merritt lines in the West. My great-uncle, John William Merritt, was one of the Oregon volunteers in the Modoc War." Says another old resident; "I believe that with some exploring, we may recover the site of the silk factory that existed prior to 1876 in that part of San Francisco then known as Butchertown, or South San Francisco, somewhere in the vicinity of Hunters Point. My. parents were married during that year and I often heard my mother referring to the activity of herself and other girls of that day who worked there." Still another worker in a particular line of research is anxious for any information concerning early day attempts (other than Indian) at making pottery in California. Maybe readers can be of help and, incidentally, furnish some interesting and valuable yarns.

Original 'Shirley Temple' 

Mrs. Cordelia Howard MacDonald, who died recently at the age of 94, liked to regard herself as the forerunner of Shirley Temple, and it was not without reason, for Mrs. MacDonald was the original Little Eva of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and one of the most favored infant performers of her day. She was scarcely four when she was engaged for the child role in the Harriet Beecher Stowe opus and although she played for only eight years, the profits from "Uncle Tom" brought about her family's retirement and hers from the theater. The daughter of George C. and Caroline Howard, Mrs. MacDonald made her first appearance as Eva at the Troy Museum in New York on September 27, 1852. At that time her father was lessee of the Museum, and arranged for the dramatization of the classic, since the stage rights were not reserved by the author. George L. Aiken, a cousin of the Howards, made the adaptation and played two roles in it. Howard had an exclusive on "Uncle Tom" for eight years, did the play both in America and London, and made a fortune.

- THE KNAVE