San Andreas independent., 1858-02-20
THE WOOD PICKER PAPERS.

/ 1850 COLlN.
THE WOOD PICKER PAPERS.
WooD PICKER HILL, (near Angels, Feb. 9th.
Mr.. INDEPENDENT After looking
over the last issue of the Independent, [
came to the conclusion your correspon-
dents from this place had "gin eout,"
and as | have never seen the name of oar
burgh in print, | thought would shraacl
few lines to you (please keep the name
in your head, the hill part) about it. 1t
is situated in about the same latitude as
Angels, but the longitude, I think, is
about four degrees west, bearing little
north, but | am not sure. | did intend
to ask the school-master in Angels; was
told he lived in Vallecito! and being a
little inquisitive, Gas all the Wood Pecker
Hill people are, | asked how that could
be; was duly informed, by Mr.. Van We,
that he was dividing his time between the
two places. A traveller, is that school
master-walks twelve miles per diem !
but he would not teach school on w. p.
H-he couldn't Who are the trustees
in Angels? Time I. public money. ex-
animation. Strike the anvil Shake the
bari Mount the wagon! "The cry is
still, who are the school trustees of the
eighth district? Hunt up the old adage,
Labor for learning" &c. Wake up, gen
tlemen, and do your duty.
[ will now 90 back to my subject =
Wood Pecker IIill lisa thriving little place,
with several inhabitants, and on the in
crease. | think it fine site for county
seat we have lots setapart for the county
buildings; also, public squares and a
grave yard, beautifully laid out we
patterned after the one in Angels in
every particular that is, we have it in
the centre of town, have got just such a
fencc-splendid fence number of large
logs lying in it, and plenty of hogs to stir
up the surface. We have also sent for
two or three old wagons and some old
rubbish to put on it. You see we don't
intend to be outdone by Angel S, in mat
ters of that kind We have the same
public works going on, but perhaps not
so many employed on the ,corhs as in
Angels. | almost forgot to mention our
school house, but it is enough to say that
it is the same as Angels we have preach
ing every Sunday, but no regular preacher,
just the same as Anyefs. The doc
triEe preached is something like Quaker
Ism, with small sprinkle of Mormonisln
in the singular number, l. e., one man,
one woman-nom no less. The power
to preach seems to come and 90. think
the spirits of many of the great speakers
and preachers is lowering around our
place at this time, and whenever the spirit
comes in contact with one of the inhabi-
tants, he will act very strange for some
time. The first one that had an attack
of it, when first noticed, was making a
noise like a tree toad, and twirling his
finger upward, appearing to be distressed
inwardly. The inhabitants gathered around
to see what was the matter There hap
pened to be an outsider around, and he
opened in this way: ''That feller has bin
to Angils and got dost Of 'Minnie-rihe,
or 'globe-site, or schain-litenin-sky-ro rocket
or something of that kind, and it is jist
nawin the very inards out of him." One
of the inhabitants politely requested the
outsider to close, and at that moment the
inhabitant that was being moved by the
spirit looked as beautiful as a Morning
Glory Che made me think Of an uncle Of
mine-looked Just as he used to, when he
came up out of the water after-wash-
ing sheep.) | forgot to mention this was
on Sunday, when all the inhabitants were
in town; and, by-the-by, we do not work
on Sunday, like the people in some other
towns we know Of The inhabitant hav
ing then opened his mouth and spoke, in
loud voice, for some time, or about half
an hour-and do think it was the best
discourse | have heard in long timc-he
appeared to be very much refreshed, and
SO did the rest of the inhabitants. can
not begin to tell you half he said, but it
was something like this: And it came
to pass in those days, there was man
whose sir name was Dan, of the tribe of
Jehu, and that he was mighty man; he
came and dwelt upon the hill of Sinner,
near AngeFs.) Then he said something
about digging gold if fortune smiled, but
if " she" frowned-then he brought in
the old prophets, Mathew, Mark, and
some of the rest of them, something after
the kow style. | will get him to write it
out, some time. | have many more things
to tell you, about Wood Pecker Hill.
Yours, &C.,
One OF THE INHABITANTS.