New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-18
A CALIFORNIA ROMANCE.
A Scheming Widow-A Daughter Destroy
Her Fathers Will.

t1cf 8tucT>S WHO
A letter from San Francisco, to the Gin.
cinnati Commercial, says: About the year
1925 Scottish sailor boy, named James
Black, deserted from ship lying in San
Francisco bay, and, after divers adventures,
settled down at Mission San Rafael, about
twelve miles above the metropolis He
learned the Spanish language, and eventu-
ally married into the Spanish family Of
Sepulveda. He received an immense grant
Of land from the Mexican government. COW
cred it and 10000 acres beside with his cat
tie, and gradually enlarged himself into the
form and stature Of an Old-time California
grandee. In the process of time he had a
daughter born unto his house and vast
estates-his only child, l believe.
Then came the amazing rush and thrOng-
ing bither of thousands, and again thousands
of hungry miners, and this whilom Scottish
lad, who had once skulked like maletactOr
in the tule swamp, found himself suddenly
in possession of "wee bit OF silver"
"SOme are born great, some achieve great
ness, and some have greatness thrust upon
them" He was evidently of this latter
sort, like many other early Californians, for
he appears to have been of a rather feeble
order of understanding. He decided one OF
his valuable ranches to his daughter, and,
in 1864, she married q dentist in San Fran
cisco named Burdell, nephew Of DR.. Bur-
dell, murdered in New York, to which mar
rage her father was opposed.
About a year afterward Mrs. Black went
down to San Francisco, to have dental
operation performed by her sOn-in-law, and
she died under the influence of his chloro-
form. This drove her husband almost dis
tracted; he became dissipated and besotted,
fell into the tolls of a managing Mexican
widow, named Pacheco, who scared him by
q falsehood in regard to her condition into
a hasty marriage. She poisoned his i'm
beetle mind against his daughter, and
caused him to believe that she had mort
gagged the ranch he decided to her. He be-
came Tightly, made new will every week,
and tore it up, but in every one alike he cut
off his daughter pOrtiOnless, except for the
ranch already given.
Finally he fell off his horse on a hillside
while riding after cattle, struck his head
with violence on q rock, and, after lingering
awhile, died, though he made no new will
after his head was injured. After his death
the parties assembled in the family parlor
to listen to the reading of the will, and the
daughter then learned beyond peradven.
ture that she was cut off without dime,
except the ranch. She rose quietly and
calmly, and asked to see the will 1t was
handed to her, and in the twinkling of an
eye she tore off her fathers signature, and
would have reduced it to ribbons in trice
if she had not been seized.
She was indicted for this offsnse once, but
nothing was done. She now appears,
through her counsel, to contest the will on
the ground that her father was OF unsOund
mind, and the case has been tried once, the
jury disagreeing, and is now on the tapis
again, exciting great interest at San Rafael.
The value Of the property involved, fOl
which the scheming widow Black is strug
Cling, is said to be $750,00O