Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-09-19
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A Bit Of Early California

That many strange and wonderful
things happened in early times in Cali
fornia, is so trite a saying that | hardly
dare repeat II. As my story, however.
is neither narrowing nor sentimental, 1
hope may venture 10 bring it before
the reader.
Long before the great Overland Rail.
road was built, there entered one day
one ofthe largest mercantile establish
ments in San Francisco. handsome.
athletic man, whose fresh. kindly face
showed record of barely five-and-
twenty years. and whose slender lin
gers belied the iron strength with which
he could hold and tighten the threads
forming the net into which malefactors
are SAID. sooner or later, always to run.
If he tras a detective officer. he had
friends, because he had a warm heart ::
and in spite of all dark phases of life
that were brought TO his notice every
day, he had not learned TO disbelieye
in the bright side, or the better in
stincts of humanity.
The chief clerk of this establishment,
was Captain Herbert's (the detective
oiiicers) most intimate friend. and he
had come to bid him good-bye-per-
chance to charge him to guard the
"fatherless and the widowed should
the trip on which he was about to start
out. end disasterously to him. ..Early
Californians' realized, better than any
other class of people, the uncertainty
of life-particularly with those who
had to cope with the desperadoes OF
that time and the Captain intended
to start out as usual-with the determ.
ination 10 do SO or TO die.
by the by" said Young Tavlor
laughing, to the senior partner of the
firm, studying the morning paper il
the counting-room, "Mr. Mcdonald
has been silent for SO long that think
it would be good job, and an econom
ical one, to commission the Captain tc
hunt up the junior partner of this firm
at the same time, and bring him il
with the absconding cattle agent"
The old gentleman took off hi,
glasses, and folded the paper.
"ies; it's time Harry was home
I'm really getting uneasy about him
They may have tempted him with th,
prospect of whole string of wives a
he passed through Salt lake-wherea
here he can have only one.
Give me his cdrte-de-cisite, or tn
color of his hair and eyes, height
breadth, and weight, and Ill bring hin
sure !" laughed the Captain.
Thank you kindly, Captain but
don't know whether Mr.. Mcdonald
would appreciate your kind attentions
particularly" continued the old gen
tleman, ''if enhanced by those littl
steel bracelets you bring into requisi
ton sometimes"
Twenty-four hours later, the Captai
was hurrying as fast as the stag
horses could run, TO Salt Lake City
where. it was surmised, the dishones
cattle-agent would be found. A fe
hours vigorous hunt convinced til
Captain that the object of his scare
was not there-circumstan pointin
backward TO one of the smaller place
he had passed on his journey thither
and the next stage that left had I'll
Captain for his occupant again. tn
only other passenger beside the Cal
tain and his one man. was a rath'
. slender, well-built person. who. lib
himself and assistant, had both hanC
full, literally, TO keep from being hurie
: by the sides Of bacon with which Il
stage was filed almost to overflowin
When night set in, the coats of Il
Captain and his man, and the wools