The Placer herald., 1856-09-06
Letter nom Tom Bel, OIL Politics.

On THE HIGHWAY, Aug. 27, 1896.
Editor Placer HeraM-I suppose you have
heard of the celebrated Tom BELL, the high
wavman; if So I'm your humble servant;
and If YOU agree not to tell on me- will oc-
casonally write You of my dongs on the
great highway to-eloRY.
The political cauldrons is beginning to bile
in California, and ! have seriously thought
that can make a 'speck out of it, in con-
nection with the other multitarious phases Of
my profession. My plan is this, to wit: To
attend all the political meetings in Placer
county, and besides picking of pockets in
the crowd, to waylay all the speakers on
their way home, as they are generally i'm
ported from other parts; and after speaking
is over at night, take tramp for the next
point. You rem ember old Este once had
his saddle-bags lifted at the Orleans, in Sac
ramento. 1t was me did that, and have
any quantity of them blank water-lot deeds
vet, with which he intended to bribe the leg
islators.
| was at Rattlesnake Bar last Monday
night, at the Know Nothing meeting, but no
one knew me. picked five pockels-tota
proceeds one Jack knife plug of tobacco and
six bits. | followed the speakers some dis
tance towards Auburn and on examining
their pockets, did not find enough to foot my
bill for two days. grant, Colonel, that al
though there we're stout men there, money
was very scarce, owing, perhaps, to their all
being lawyers One wasn't a Wht better
man than he should be- Il almost forgot,
they all had FilImore's latest speeches in
pamphlet, and the latest revision Of the great
North American and South American Know
Nothing Platform in their pockets.)
Sorry the meeting WAS SO slim poor
chance to pick pockets. One gruf fellow
was called for; he came out and said You
call out Hawkins, Hawkins;' now here he
is" Sure enough, there he was, all that
was of him, and he put me in mind of
Sparrop- hoach among a lot of docile chickens
| found out he was q printer. SO concluded
it would be lost time to try to rob him, as |
might meet with the same fate as the Dutch
man who :" bit himself mid a laddlesnake,
and de shnake dite.'
On Tuesday evening. | went over to the
Pine Grove, on the New Castle road, to an
other Know Nothing meeting; but was
awtuIlv taken down when found that the
speakers were the same crowd that saw at
Snattlerake-except old Foot and Whitman.
Hawkins, Mills, Hopkins, CrandalI, Stout,
Grant, and old JAKE; all the Court House fac
ton, were there. On the whole, think
Colonel, Fillmore is elected. | am led to this
unpleasant confession, from the fact that all
the speakers said SIS much and now think |
the d" wild hunt after Office is at All end and .
| would suggest that we save the expense OF
an election in November. Speaking OF the |
wild hunt" isn't it little singular that
none of the Know Nothngs care about stir
ring up an excitement. except the gentlemen |
who are in Office, (present and prOspective,) |
in and about Auburn Is is not pretty |
good evidence that these gentry are begin
ming to "tremble in their boots" when we
see them leaving the city in the hollow"
by the half dozen, striving to get up Know |
Nothing excitements, and "telling all they |
know" long before they have candidates in
the field. How often they will infict the
same speeches on the same audiences before !
the election, will see.
Colonel, 60 in for Fremont up to the
hub, and the only reason write ms 10 YOU
ia because we have no Fremont paper in this
county. Fremont is fast rider like myself,
and goes in for fast horses-eXcept when
they are woolly-but in this he makes up for
the aCool some where else; and the way we
Republicans are going to distance the Know
Nolhincs and Democrats won't be sneezed at
next November
must close this. as see jew peddler
drawing in sight, which like to see, as they
are good game.
In haste. always, Tom BELL.