Volcano weekly ledger. (Volcano, Amador County, Cal.) 1855-1857, 1857-01-17
Written for the VoicanO Weekly Ledger.
THE MIDNIGHT MARRIAGE.
SKETCHES OF CALIFORNIA INcIDESrs,-No. 3.
by CLARA CALICO.

time, the burden of conversation in all circles
throughout the United States The idle. the
! romantic, the victim of enniti; the aspirant
for fame, snd that more respectable class
who felt within them fitness for a higher
destiny than the every day routine of labor
ing to live; all alike aocked to the mysterious
standard, and hailed the expedition as a relief
from their troubles or as the portal to the
realization of their hopes On the trans
port ship Thomas H. Perkins, which carried
only portion of the command, were all
these classes, besides others actuated by more
sordid motives and less entitled to our appro-
baton.
Among the common soldiers on this vessel
was young man named William Ranell,
from the north eastern part of the State of
New York At the early age of fourteen he
had been bereft of both his parents in the
short space of month. The orphan, to-
gether with the small estate descending to
him, was consigned to the care of an uncle
who stood high in the estimation of his
| neighbors He was wealthy, had never been
know to violate the law, and had well hus-
banded bis own possessions; therefore, who so
well qualified as he to act as the guardian of
the parentless
Although William was received into his
uncle's family on equal terms with the other
members, yet his treatment contrasted so
strongly with that to which, as an only child,
he had been accustomed, that he gradually
sunk into depression of spirits, which his
guardian misnterpreting for dislike, caused
the boy to be more directly neglected. AS
like ever begets Ike, it was not long before
the guardian and ward entertained the most
bitter feeling towards each other The SEEM
ing result of this enmity was the apprentic-
ing of William to a mechanic in a neigh
boring village. Meeting here with un-
usual kindness for one in his situation,
the time sped quietly along till William
had entered his nineteenth year. when
tie usual routine Of his occupation was
disturbed by his receiving a legal notice
to appear before the Court on certain day
to choose a guardian for himself as his uncle
had asked to be discharged from that duty.
On the day appointed the usual forms were
gone through WITH and friend who was alb
sent chosenas the new guardian. The un-
Gle, on pretense of urgent business abroad,
obtained leave of the Court to deposit the
funds of his late ward in the village Bank,
and the parties separated. 1t only remained
for the appointed guardian to sign the appro-
pirate bonds and receive the trust confded to
him. This on his arrival at home, he pre-
pared to do, and on visiting the county seat
for that purpose he arrived just in time to
learn the earliest news of the failure of the
bank, and the consequent loss Of his wards
inheritance Though the uncle was one of
the directors of the Bank, yet who could
censurc him for the unfortunate occurrence ?
Had not he obeyed strictly the dictates of
the law?
/ shall not here undertake to lay bare this
scheme of yainy so successfully consummated,
but only say that its result was the enlistment
of William in the California expedition; de
termned to seek for himself cline as far as
possible from relatives on whom lie looked
with disdan if not disgust.
The young mans soldierlike bearing, intel
ligent appearance and marked bravery in
several instances when overbearing "buleys'
endeavored to impose on him and Others, at
tracted the attention of his officers, and
gained for him subaltern appointment to-
gether with the respect Of his superiors.
The voyage from New York to San Fran
cisco was not devoid of incident; neither were
his adventures, after landing, without inter
est, yet my limits will not allow their nara
ton. So we viii pass over the intervening
time till the company, in which young Ranel
was Sergeant, was stationed at the Pueblo
de San Jose as a guard This brings us to
the Spring of lS4s.
At that time there resided at the Pueblo,
a wealthy old Californian named Don Antonio
Morales with his family consisting of his wife,
Sonora Francesca, and son and daughter
Don Antonio was direct descendant Of an
old Castilian family, and with their fair skin