Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-06-18
Our San Francisco Letter.

1t is a popularity of Pacific Coast literature to
invest repentant Williams, conscientious, self-sac
rifcing gamblers, unconvicted felons and tender
hearted Formasas, with halo of sentiment,
gloss over their crimes and faults as the result
of defective moral education ard then turn out
the interesting subject frst-class, magnani-
nous hero. Mark Twain worked this vein in
several of his sketches, and extended it so as to
include the intractable small boy who is ire
deemably wicked, does not honor the ten COM
mandments and will indulge in Sabbath-break-
grandmother. Bret Harte, the talented editor of
the Overland Monthly, is a master hand at this
style of fiction as testified by his Luck Of Roar
ing Camp, Miggles, and other weil-known maga-
zine tales, and even our literary weeklies are
markable for their contributions for the manner
in which individual sinners are sacrificed and
their naugbtiness excused. And new comes
John F. Swift, author of charming book of
travels Going TO Jericho and in a novel which
is going to create great sensation in this State
and Nevada, takes an outlaw and murdeter for
his hero and makes him the embodiment of ev-
cry manly attribute and virtue. Robert Great
house, the title of the work in question, is writ
ten under such peculiar circumstances as to JUS
tify an extended notice. Some years since Mr.
Swift, then practicing member of the San
francisco bar, was rendered an appointment by
President Lincoln Judge for the U. S. district
court for the new State of Nevada 1t was at
| the time OF the great silver discoveries in
| Washoe, when the country was flooded by a
wave of wickedness, and bench, bar, press and
society were literally little better than commu-
| nifty of thieves. Enraged at the inhiction of
stranger upon them, whose decisions could not
be purchased by presents of stock, the dishonest
mob OF false swearers, judicial brokers and wild
cat spectators, aided by the bought denuncia-
tion of the unscrupulous press conspired and
plotted against the legal dignatary and
with such success that he soon removed.
With wonderful patience Mr.. Swift has waited
ten years for his revenge, and now takes it with
ditiusive satire that almost sayors of burlesque
| With vengeance Spin he overakes his foes
Aud strikes them down with fierce unsparing blows;
| Nor fame, nor rank, the onslaught Withstand
Till satiate fury holds his weary hand.
San Francisco shoddyism is fercely rebuked :;
the rascaity of mining corporations clevery ex-
posed, and the venality of more than one public
man plainly mentioned But the principal inter-
est of the book consists in the fact that every
coast celebrity has been lmsily disguised and
made to contribute to the plot of the story,
while Mr.. Switt's enemies dished up in
style that reminds one of gallon of gravy to a
small lark. Charles e. Deong, Minister to
Japan under the non de plume of Cicero de Froth)
| COMES III lOT ldir snare OF remuneration; Seua-
tor Stewart, of Nevada, las Napoleon p Speter)
is the recipient of an accumulated vengeance
General and Mrs. Mcdowell (as General and Mrs
Chainshot) are nnsparingly ridiculed and in
deed few prominent San Franciscans escape
The hero is the well-known murderer Sam
Brown, Colonel James, Judge Lake, Hall Meal
lister, Miss Lilly Hitchcock, Mark Twain May
nard, Poole, and NOuges, are all there, aud in
deed the dramdtiS personde are mostly we'll
known Pacific Coasters. AS description of
Californian life and society, the sketches are
somewhat overdrawn, but il is rather the ex-
aggeration of satire than the deliberate mis-
statement of cynic.
The vote on the question of subsidizing the
Southern Pacific railroad to the amount of
81 ,OO0, 900 was cast on Tuesday and resulted in
the defeat of the proposition by majority of
one hundred and twenty-four. The company
deny that they made any exertioS to carry the
day, bnt am credibly informed that they spent
81 900, 600 in order tie secure affirmative vote
Laborlng men were Infavorabe to the project on
the ground that it would encourage the employ
ment of Chinese, while business men either took
no interest in the matter or were hostile to it,
believing that the road would not be DELAYED
one day by refusal of the subsidy.
The mines of Arizona have lately attracted
considerable attention. in the city, and there is
now likelihood that their value will be proved
by practical working. company of working
hiiucIo haNe Dccu eucl man contrib
uting 5000, and for this he has his expenses
paid to the Territory, tools, provisions and
weapons furnished and an interest in all discoy-
cries. One hundred men left last week armed
to the teeth, and if Mr.. Apache attempts to dis
pute their rights to prospect his hunting
GROUND, some good Indian is pretty certain to
lose the number of his men.
What a moral community San Francisco
should be Standing on Sutter street, within a
radius OF seventeen hundred feet, there are
either hnlShed or in erection, three Jewish syn-
agogues, twelve Christian churces and "A Chinese
Josh-house and yet we have to build additional
cells to the county jail ask for an increase of DO
ice and get law passed establishing a special
criminal court for the trial of CITY felony.
Either preaching does little good or we are an
unbelieving generation. Scoffers say the for
mer the clergy the latter, but whatsoever is the
cause, the fact remains that with an increase oe
churches there is an increase of crime.
A deed was recorded last month from George
Bonner, one of the survivors of the unfortunate
party after whom Bonner lake and pass were
named. 1t will be remembered that Captain
bonner, the leader OF the party perished in en-
deavorlng to reach California, and that his wife
either died OF starvation at the lake or was MUIR
dered and eaten by some of the tamished mem
bers. when the Bonner children reached here,
great sympathy was elected in Their favor and
al application for an l00-vara lot was made for
them. George Donner's interest in this lot was
lately transferred, the ostensbe consideration
being $4,000, but the property is ncumbered
with mortgages and almost endless legal ex-
penses.
Some one hundred laundry women of San
Francisco have organized a Woman's Co-opera-
tive Anti Chinese Laundry Association for the
purpose of making an effort TO regain the Gus
tom which has been taken from them by the Ce-
lestlals. There are some four hundred white
women in San Francisco who depend upon their
labors in washing clothes for living, but peo-
pie generally patronize the Chinese because
they work so much cheaper. 1t is almost her
esy to say that it is altogether the fault of white
women that they have lost this business, vet
such is the case, as their charges are just double
that OF their Coolie competitors, and the major
ity of the public are not such ardent opponents