Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-05-28
Our San Francisco Letter,

history of the Picb,cick GLIB the world laughed
at the humorous conception and supposed that
such a collection of enquring, benevolent fogies
might, by some possibility, exist in London, but
certainly nowhere else. 1t appears, however,
that some of the members migrated to San Fran
cisco and keep up the old organization by semi
monthly meetings, as academy of science. 1t
'Tas Mr.. Pickwick, | believe, whose antiquarian
research led to the discovery of wonderful
stone with an almost illegible inscription and
presented it to the society as a relic of the Ro-
man conquest until Samuel Weller pronounced
it to be merely a prosaic, "Bill Stubbs, bis
mark, and it is to Judge Yale that California
owes the remarkable announcement that the
Potrero is a very mine of anteduiYian deposits.
At the end of the long bridge there are two or
three mounds of earth, possibly sand drifts, per-
haps natural rise in the ground, cr more
likely, artificial elevations made for some for
gotten purpose by early settler. Bat the
Judge has an idea that these hillocks are the
work Of an extinct race of Indians who inhabited
the continent about the time that Noah ark
was in the shipyard waiting to be launched, and
he has so impressed this view upon his col
leagues that last night they solemnly resolved to
meet on Saturday and make careful pick-and-
shovel examination for bones and fossils. May
no Samuel Weller disturb their amusements by
the information that the mounds in question
were the work of a Californian Bill Stubbs.
Our scanda-loving community has an mex
haustibe fund of gossip in the divorce case COM
meuced yesterday by Mrs. Eliza Ann Brannan
against the redoubtabe Sam The petitioner
has been living in Europe for several years, and
consequently, apart from her husband. She
now prays for dissolution of the matrimonial
bonds the ground of her liege lords cruelty,
habitual intcmperaGee and breach OF the seventh
commandment, and, moreover, asks that one
half the common property be awarded her
That last demand will be the principal item of
controversy, as the amount involved was up to
a million, and Sam has an objection to halvng
Castoga and his other real estate especially as
legal wit promises him way out of the diff
Guilty.
Either this case or some domestic disturbance
has had 4 sour effect on the Board of education,
for they yesterday decided that any school marin
contemplating matrmony must drop her feruc
on the Hymeneal altar as in future they intended
to have none but madens in the department.
The members think it impossible to serve two
masters that while the ladies are teaching the
young idea how to shoot the husbands shirt is
buttouless, his dinner uncooked and his general
happiness neglected. There is almost enough
wisdom in that board to furnish material for an
other Solomon.
But the main topic of conversation since my
last letter has been the clever attempt at forgery
made by an organized band of New York rogues
on our brokers and bankers, and the still cev-
erer capture of the gentry by the detectives. 1t
is almost impossible to condense the history of
these transactions and write it in a graphic
style, so | will content myself with a bare reci-
tai of facts. On Friday man named johnson
purchased fifteen hundred dollars worth of goods
at TrpndWpll & Co hard ware storp tnuderintr
fifty dollars in payment, and requesting check
on the Bank of California for the balance, in or
der, he said, to remit it securely to lady friend
in San Jose. Having secured the check as de-
sired, the forger, by means of acids, erased the
figures, and substituted Sl4,G7l 75 for the origi-
nal amount, and the name Of IIickox q Spear
for that Of Mary Dooey, the person for whom it
was originally made out. The next day he
called on a brokers' firm and stated that he
wanted about fifteen thousand dollars worth of
currency for which he would give check from
Treadwe!l & Co. on llickOn Spear, They de-
sired him to call in an hour two, and in the
meantime casually mentioned the circumstance
to Captain Lees, the detective who happened to
look in for chat Lees thought it would be as
well to take look at the capitalist ard waited
round the office until the appointed time but
as the stranger did not put in an appearance his
suspicious were aroused and he notified the var
ious banks not to pay any large amount drawn
by Treadwell Co. unless they knew their Gus
toner. Meeting Mr.. HickoX Of llckoX & Spear,
the officer gave him similar caution. &" Why, ="
said the banker q that fellow called some time
ago and my partner attended to him. | guess
he has got the money by now, ;" and on hurrying
back to the Office they found such was the case
Mr.. johnson had left few moments before with
a wallet stuffed full of greenbacks. Nor were
the other members Of the gang idle. One OF
them called on Mr.. Woods, broker, and wanted
to buy seven thousand dollars worth of currency
for which he tepdered several checks. Not lik-
ing the mans looks, the clerk requested him to
call again and the worthy quickly took his de-
parture. Still another of the fraternity went to
Seligman's bank and asked for eighteen thou
sand dollars Of the L. 5. bonds Cor which he
would give order on Friedander. The
cashier here was also suspicious and sent round
to the grain king to make enquiries, telling the
gentemanly dressed stranger to wait for few
moments, but that individual was on the alert
and pleading pressing engagement walked out.
Chief Crowley was soon informed of all of these
transactions, placed all of his detective force on
the scent and telcgraphed descriptions of the
gang to every part of the coast The same eve
ming Captain Lees arrested johnson at the Sac
ramento boat, and following up the trail, cap
tured his confederates next day at Stockton, re-
covering the whole of the fourteen thousand dol
lars and thereby rejoicing the hearts of the con-
fding bankers and the mercantile community
generally The three are now rejecting on the
mutability of human affairs in sx-by-nine cell
and it is probable that they will withdraw from
active participation in commercial transactions
for some Yeas to come.
The Hon. Frank NJ. Pixley has created some
sensation in the political world, by leaping at
one bound, from Repubicanism to Democracy.
Rumor, which is always unchartable, ascrbes
the sudden conversion to congressional ambi-
ton, but Frank denies the self impeachment and
says that he is disgusted at the encouragement
given by Republicans to the Coolie immigration /;
that he is satisfied the country Will be ruined it
the influx continues much longer, and so he in
tends to join the party that makes hostility to
the Chnaman plant in their platform.
Colonel James NJ. Coey, San Francisco Post