Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1872-02-09
L III Il Sc N TIN Il l..
For The montgomery County Sentinel.
An Unexpected Meeting.

The following incident in my somewhat
eventful life have told, orally on many oc-
customs, and always, believe, with the effect
of elicitng from my hearers the concession
that it was worth the telling, TO say the least.
Some friends to whom | reiterated the incident
day or TWO ago, insisted | shond commit
the same to writing and proifer it for publca-
ton in the Sentinel. | essay herewith TO COM
ply with their wishes.
Before jumping in medals res | think it me-
ccssary to premise as follows:
From the age of about seven years to that
of early manhood | was u resident of this
county, living most of the time on my fathers
farm, near G--g. In 1876 left old Mont
gomery and sought my fortune elsewhere in
the State until 1852, when sought Califor-
na-synonymous with securing a fortune in
those days, you know.
"Blown by the blast of Fate, like dead leaf,
Ger the desert"
Blown, too, for six long, weary months,
and over the great American Sahara at that,
| found California and fortune--i. e. of the
kind the specimen" ! am now exhibiting
| best. indicaes-a fortune of rare incidents
rather than rich nuggets. After eddying
around in the Golden State a few months
struck up against the .'big pile' Of facts fol-
| lowing, to wit:
A friend living in San Francisco bad just
bought out squatters right to about one
thousand acres OF splendid land in the valley
| lying between the Coast Range Of Mountains
and the coast ITSELF near place called Half
noon Dayi Instant from San FRANCISCO ABOUT
| MY miies oy water, wa. Tue Goidch Shle, or
ABOUT thif.y mites overland across said coast
| range. MY iriend pargained win me 10 20
ana reside on ms SAID purchase TO prevent lis
being re-jumped or squattcd npon.
| The valley speak of extends many miles
a'ohg 'ne California coast, ana varies IN widtn
rom one TO eight or ten miles, and before
let me otate IN 1901, hau become ihlckly peo-
pied, highly cultivated and perfect paradise
Tor beauty: Al the time OF my advent there,
however, IL was very spafseiy setiled, there
pelng put one occupied tenement within four
mics Oh the spot was 10 locate on, ana that
one over mile from my shanty. Except
Few cultivated acres ABOUT the mouse OF my
nearest hei8hoor aoFesaid' inc "uo'e Vaiiey
lar ana near was wilderness OF high, yet NJ
THAI season, dry grass or hay, ana the noun
lains, about two mIts from my shanty, which
stood Immediately on the embankment OF the
ocean some two hundred feet above the waters
edge, or rafher the sand beach over which
ebbcd and iiowed the tide, were densely tim
bered with the gigantic Redwood and other
trees OF native GROWTH so that this region,
even previous TO emigration to the State, must
have been very African jungle FOR rdrmeVs
OF all kinds-old Grizzly and the even more
terocious Cougar Substituting the Lion aud
Tiger. But now, because OF tie settlement of
the valleys east of these mountains, It was
even more resort for wild beasts than then.
reached my cabin about nlght-fil and
did not therefore get to see any OF these ami
mails that night, not one, ! only heard them,
heard hundreds OF them, heard all OF Them,
and cleaned EN- Out but thereby hangs a tale
| reserve for future paper. peradventure this
one grove printable prefer TOO postponng
n
| in, fearing lis recital might engender feelings
IN my readers Incompatible WIN those am
| desrous shall pcryade their bosoms when list
| ening to the denonement OF tins Incident
| When say dld not see any OF these ami
mails, alluded only TO una ANIMALS, Inc deni-
| zens OF the nils AID daies around me there.
| Of the kind, however, 'who go down TO tho
sea, and make their home IN the Vastly deep,
reckon there.is no spot anywhere, on any
coast IN the world, from whence, looking out
upon the waters, so hcefy scene can be dis
cerned as was witnessed br me the morning
after my first nights stay IN that cottage by
the sea" BESIDE ihnumeraoie oirds OF many
species, there met my gaze, Mt the distance ap-
parenily OF about I'VE hundred yards from
where stood on the shore, the celebrated
Wairus Den OF Han Moon BAY, where dlsport-
ed ana howled IN their literally Hnedrthty way,
not hundreds, but, neutrality-suspicious., thou
sands OF those curious specimens OF animated
nature called the Wafus or sea Lion. There
IS said TO he but two dens OF these creatures on
the Pacihc coast, one OIL the coast OF Oregon
ana TINS one at han moon bay. Inc Walrus
is often seen elsewhere than nj these places, but
never in such gangs could also see, crawl
ing about or lying and summing themselves on
the rocks forming tins den or swimming In the
breakers, many other specimens OF the aquatic
tribe, such AS the sea outer, the Tortoise &C.;
very novel, Interesting sight ioany
one, and especially 10 "'and lubber' like
myself
We'll, Imagine now your humble servant,
the morning spoken OF, sitting on the oceans
bank IN mont OF ms cabin sitting there alone,
come III rty-hYe hundred mi ON the bor-
ders OF "old montgomery watching with
wondering eyes the animated scene before him;
thinking just such thoughts as would likely.
occur to green I'm like himself, unaccusiomed
until lately to any grander scene in nature
than mat pre- ere IN We tiny blae pinnacle
OF sugar Loai'' saluting hun from the brown
sedge hIlis where MS father LED bis Hooks"
Or the milc-broad waters OF the Potomac,
when following hlsiather . Fsh"g '00gon down
10 Alexandra IN" s"cA moughts meaning or
with his present experience in sightseeing,
and the anticipated pleasure OF rcconnting The
things just then under bis eyes to the folks in
Did Montgomery when he got back there, none
.,,aa - - -. Ia - a.