The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-05-30

HIGH LIFE IN CALIFoRNIA.-A San Fran
cisco correspondent of the New York Evening
Mirror givesshe following history of one of the
fnanciers who have turned up in California In
the last year or two: .r . ,..
New systems of fraud and viainy are al
most daily exposed, and always does the expo
sure come Just too late to afford justice the al
rest of the perpetrators. Meiggs, honest Harry
Meiggs-struck out in a somewhat new line,
although that elegant Wall street financier,
Schuyler, gave him cue, but these two pale
before the brilliant accomplishment of the latest
operator-G Hubert Sanders. This gentleman
came to our city about three years ago, poor
and meek He hired him small office, en-
gagged with partner equally poor, and the two
hung out modest yellow painted sign, which
told that they were attorneys and counsellors
at law Sanders is Frenchman, | believe,
hence he soon got very fine practice from his
countrymen. He had married an American
| lady in one of the eastern cities, widow, the
mother of Two girls--one of most dazzling beau
ty The family moved. to this city. The Won
derful beauty of the daughter drew to their
house crowds of admirers-the wealth and
aristocracy- of our city.
Soon the family became noted in high Cir
cles, and some even assigned to them the front
rank among the ton. They rode in the finest
carriages Ns town, had the best horses, and
plunged into al! the extravaganza essential to
support their newly assumed position. The
beauty married lawyer of some wealth,
Mr. Alfred Wheeler. The party given on the
occasion eclipsed anything of the sort ever
known in the country. With the accumulation
of business, Sanders felt it necessary to pur-
al +l,, of pto IL
to facilitate his own practice, for he was now a
'sconveyancer,' and loaned other peoples
money ''on the best secured real estate" and
ments of the borrowing and loaning parties in
his Office, he was saved the trouble and annoy
ance of running here and there to affix the
notarial seal. He did the largest business CT
the kind in town. Frenchmen especially con-
fded in him. They were not going to put
their money in banks, for sometimes banks
failed, they were determined to invest safely,
put their money in mortgages upon the best
| improved well secured realestate in the clty-so
they went to Sanders, and he did the business
for them all.
G. Hubert Sanders was now one of our
wealthiest citizens, certainly the most extrava-
CANT He drove span Of sorrels before a
| light buggy in the morning, span Of blacks
to a handsome rockaway in the afternoon, and
in the evening he supported a carriage and
spanking pair of bays. His Office hours were
shortened s'from till 81 down to ''from 10 to
e. but between those hours he was always in
his office save at lunch hours when, ii any Of
his distinguished family were 'down shopping'
he would escort them to the ice cream saloon,
and the skill Of the catering artistes was taxed
to their utmost in providing daintes for them.
On one occasion last year, when strawberries
first appeared in the market, It's said himself
and Mrs. Wheeler ate the moderate allowance
of 800 worth at a single sitting. Thestor
now told of his lavish extravaganza would fill
a fair sized octave. About two weeks ago, the
eldest daughter was married to gentleman OF
Sacramento. Another magnificent and costly
entertainment was given on the occasion. Young
wife hunters mourned that there were no more
daughters in the family, SO that they might
too. form a matrimonial alliance with so distin-
guished set. Their soirGcs outshone those OF
all others. To be invited to Sanders was the
zenith of bliss to all codfshdom. But time
works wonders. The mutations of human life
are beyond the power on the prediction Of man.
Last week, G. Hubert Sanders was arrested
on a charge Of forgery, and was released upon
giving bonds in the sum of $4,000 for his ap-
pearance at court to answer the charge. His
son-in-law and bis partner were his surctics.
That evening he fed and has not yet been
found nor heard of. The following day, forged
mortgages and deeds were discovered in his
office, upon which he had raised over $500, 900.
In one instance, he actually mortgaged man S
own property to him for s4,O 900, and strange to
tell, the poor fellow never discovered it until
the news OF the forgeries were two days old.
To some he gave mortgages upon the highway,
the boundaries and descriptions being given in
the usual form. He drew mortgages upon the
property Of Bolton P. Banon, John Parrot, Sam
Brannan, and others of our wealthy men, who
never had a dollar upon their estates. All
these he conveyed to his victims, who paid him
their money, gave him his commission, and
went away confident in the security that held
their funds. One great cause why he was ena-
bled to continue his frauds so long undiscovered,
is the fact that nearly all his sufferers are
French, who do not understand our language,
and who were ignorant of the legal procedure
in such cases. Every day, so far, has brought
to light some new act of his vllainy.
OF all our splendid rascals, Sanders has
proved himself the chief. His new system of
ROBBERY is enllLeu 10 the nrSL rank IN the pdtent
Office Of rascality, and old style forgers, such
as Monroe Edwards was, must not hope for the
distinguished reputation that is SO richly
merited by Sanders, Meggs and Schuyler.
THE PUBLIC PR1NTING.-In answer to ques-
ton put by Mr.. Hunter in the senate to Mr..
johnson, chairman of the committee on print
ing, the latter replied:
eve are paying for the public printing of
this congress S. 100000 For the depart
ments, so far as their printing has been done
under the law, the cost has been S5OO,OOO.
All the public printing which has yet been sub
jected to the general printing law has cost
100000.
This, we presume, includes the cost of pa
per, which is provided by government. The
amount must strike every one as enormous
Two millions of dollars for the printing of con-
gress and the departments in two years! Two
millions of dollars for the printing of demo-
! cratic congress and democratic departments in
two years! Is this specimen of the rigid
economy, we were promised by the democratic