The Placer herald., 1856-02-16
FRANK.
Correspondence of the Placer Herald.
A Birds Eye View of Yankee Jim's --- the
Past, Present and Future.
\ lAEKEE JIM's, Feb. 5th, 1885,

L A>kEh d IN :, 'tp. ONLi, iCco'
Nessrs Editors: In this section of Gods
creation may be seen an old Indian-once,
doubtless, noble specimen Of the wild and
untamed man, but now doubled up with the
heavy weight Of years, partly bald-headed,
with few remaining hairs of long silky
texture, but white as the driven snow, hang
ing loosely and gracefully over his shoulders
down midway his back He is the wonder
of all who behold him, and involuntarily the
question is put forth, "IIow old is that old
1ndian!' "Really, know not" necessarily
is the invariable answer, 'but presume he
is, from appearance about one hundred and
seventy-tive or two hundred years Of age"
Dear me, never in my born days, saw so
old a looking being" Thus may be seen and
heard said daily of this poor old man.
He talks but little indeed, he seems to be
beyond the power of utterance, unless, per-
chance, he comes in contact with some of
our present Spanish students, who being
somewhat fluent in the language, and of
course eloquent in oratorical powers, he then
fires up with the recollection Of youth, throws
up his headeercct, and straghtens his bent
up body and soliloquIzes, ''Secu2de0a arte@.'
BE it known, the old Indian is something of
Latin scholar, having spent his young and
early years with some Of the better class of
Padres. OF course, our Spanish students
not having seen the quotation in any Of their
lessons, were at loss to know what it meant;
but some one of them-I could name him. |
will not offend his vanity: but he wears
white hat, though ccasionallv-beings smart
IL, Al, -, 6 a.
idea that it was "lngin,' and so it was de-
cided j. e. forget me not. The old man shook
his head in dersion at their stupidity, for he
too understands little English, and becbons
them to approach him. Doubling their ta-
miliarity with the dead languages, he COM
menced slowly in the Spanish language, but
the conversation soon ceases, for he finds
them fluent as high as stockings only; any
thing above the knee they have to refer to
books which is too tedious for the old man.
He looks at them dsdainfuly and bids them
epart-"away"
Happening to be passing at the time, he
greets me, 0or we are old friends, and have
often conversed in his own lingo, as we'll as
in the Spanish language), with his usual sal
utation-"wee, wee, kali ikal?' ''meet me
on the morrow at the big old oak tree-sun
at high meridian" | never fail in any of my
appointments with him, ergo, lie delights
much in me and in conversing about the
early history of the country. His tradition
airy statement goes far, far back, to A. d. II,
when the rivers were running swiftly along
the high range of our present hill-tops, and
the deep and frightful ravines but newly
formed by the great rush of water consequent
upon the breaking up of what is now termed
the Golden Gate. Anterior to this our now
beautiful and fertile valleys were one mass of
water, whose boisterous waves and heavy
constant surges against the aforesaid Golden
Gate, finally after many, many years, wore
away the stern rock of ages. The deposits
from these newly formed ravines found their
way down into the valleys, which soon be-
came coated with, natures product Of great
richness and hue, and the rivers took new
courses for their daily travel, in which they
continue to this day.
For the last eight months have been in
constant labor in penning down the old mans
traditionary statement 1t is necessarily too
extensive for newspaper, |, therefore, will
not trouble you further on this head, but
commence briefly in the year 1850.
Early in this year, a fellow "a brigand in