San Andreas independent., 1858-07-17

prospect before them. They mingled with
the natives in all their amusements,. and in
their strange, wild and Ito them) fascinating
society, believed themselves recompensed for
the absence of relatives and the great distance
from home. aggravated by the discipline of the
army. Add to this the charm which attaches
to the labor of exploration and discovery in
field entirely new, and we may say that the
men of Company /. T" had but little cause for
sorrow and discomfort
Upon the discovery of gold in the South
Fork of the American river on the 10Th of
january, 1913, and all along the western base
this delightful, dreamy state of society was
swept away. Like the poor moth in the fable,
that left its natural burrow and aspired to the
fields of light and sunshine which gladden.
the upper world, only to be deyoured by a
hawk, so when gold had flung open the gates
of commerce, and the vast treasure of the
mines, had been scattered over the new Terri
tory, enrching the laborer, and limiting to the
poor that they might hope to rival the rich
the rancheros, the herdsmen, those that delyed
in the soil, the woodsmen, the fishermen, and
even the soldiers, obeyed the impulse. and
that beckoned them to higher sphere in the
temple of fortune. Many of the soldiers of
Company Of" rank among the pioneers of
the gold discoveries. Many of them amassed
fortunes suddenly some of them labored with
Indifferent success; for the most part, those
who went to the mines prior to the year 1851,
went upon a furlough of from two to three
months. One of these, among the most sue
cessful, was Mr.. Haggerty, who, during fur
Tough of two months, in July aud August, 1858,
accumulated, on the middle fork of the Amer
ican, at Ford's Bar, sirty pounds of gold Hag-
gerty is now dead. These furloughs were
kindly granted by the commanding officers, to
all trusty men who desired. to try their luck in
the mines Here is a copy of our first one:
COPY OF FURLoUGH GIVEN TO DIG GOLD
To ALL WHOM MAY CoSoggS-Th, bearer hereof
- ---, private of Captain H. S. Burtons Com
pany "F 5rd Regiment U. S. Artillery [herethe person
Is accurately described is hereby permitted to 20 TO New
Hevetia, [Sutters Fortl land the country adioining)
California he having received furough from the 25th
day of September 1SiS, to the 18th day of November
lS4S at which period he will rtjoin his company at Mon
terey wherever may then be stationed be con-
sdered deserter Subsistence has been issued to said
private - -, to include the 25th day of Novem-
ber 1S4S and pay to the Both June 1s4S, inclusive.
OF, Giyen S under my hand at Monterey California this
lApprevedl Col. 1st Dragons, Commanding |
E. o. &. Ord, 1st 1t. Cong Company "F"
How the influx ofeastern immigrants changed
the aspect of things III California; how the
rights and pretcnsions of the old rancheros.
were invaded or swept away by the new race
that came from the east; how the simple, pas
toral habits of the people, all at once under
went change; how the princely hospitality |
OF the old regime was succeed by cold distrust
and rigid scrutiny how the love of money in
vaded the. dominion of the farmer, and erected
a rural aristocracy among the pastoral dis
tricts how, upon the bay of San Francisco, |
and in the then unbroken wilderness, new and |
fiourishing cities and towns sprang up COM
trade and commerce and how, in the train of
all these events, arose that unique and won
derful state of society which fourished on the |
Pacific coast from the fall of lS49 to the year
1858, are matters well known to the scattered
survivors of the pioneer company They min
gled with the busy throng, and but few of
them came out unscathed. The great events
of the last ten years swept away their bright
hopes and prospects, as well as those of the
natives. We look backwards with fond re- !
grets, through the vista of memory, to those
glorious days when peace, health and simplic-
ity reigned in the golden State but our mem
cries sadly shaded by the sad fate of SO
many of our old comrades in arms.
q The breezy call Of DEMONSTRATING morn,
The swallow twttering from his straw built shed,
The cocks shrill clarion, the echong horn,
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed"