The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-02
The ArgOnauts of 40.

Bret Harte, in his lecture describing
the early days of California, tells many
interesting anecdotes. The laws against
dishonesty were SO strict that dishonesties
were punished with death. A horse
thief was tried, and the jury having re-
tired to deliberate upon their verdict
were slow on returning into court. The
Judge pushed his head through the door
Of their room, and found they had not
agreed. "Take your time, gentlemen"
he said, "but remember we are waiting
for this room to lay out the corpse iu."
A gentleman replied once to the query
of q parishioner of Rev. Thomas King
that as preacher he won every trick
An engineer on the Pacific Railroad told
Of a comrade who died of consumption
Poor Jim," he said "got a running
slower and slower, until one day he
stopped on his centre" What a picture
of the helpless hitch of this weary hui
man machine. A teamster met q sur
voyor and farmer angrily discussing
Siding with the surveyor, he said, IF
were you would just theodolite that
fellow out Of camp" Another teamster
was rebuked for his profanity by young
girl returning from camp-meeting.
Why, Mss" said he, "you don't call
that swearing, do you? Why, you ought
to hear Bill Jones exhort the impenitent
mule" The names of places were ex-
pressive. A letter dated from dead
Broke was not calculated to induce
credit, and stranger would hesitate to
accept an invitation to "Murderer's Bar"
A stage in California was run from
Happy Valley to Mount Dolores, and
from Blazes to Purissima. Adverting to
the recent Spanish colonists, he minutely
described how the Argonauts at first
pretended friendship and afterward COM
pletoly robbed and despoiled them.
They joined their fandangoes and bull
fights, but were decidedly anxious to
give the bull show. On one or two
occasions they substituted q grizzly bear,
that cleared the ring and effectually
wiped out the first two rows of benches.
But with experience the Spaniard became
wise and allied himself with his oppres-
sors. Being the earliest inhabitant, his
evidence on the question of titles was 50
valuable that he knew everything that
was wanted to supply deficiency on
either side of a case. This extended so
ioi 90 ONChtudlly w utoIioy bIl OWntlShip u
of property in California. The advent
of the Heather Chinee impaired new
life, n new conservatism to the character
Of the Argonaut. He engendered clean
illness, attended to all domestic necessi-
ties, and acted at table like man who,
knowing his superiority, could never
ieopardize his position by condescending
to speak. He worshiped the devil in
your household with frankness that
shamed your own attempts in that direc-
ton. Oppressed by cruel statute, he
had an innocent way of defrauding the
customs by oonyersins with custom
officers, while seated on a chair stuffed
with smuggled opium. He avoided the
State tax by taking the name and as
suming the facial expression of some
other brother who had paid the taxes.
Knowing the character Of his Christian
brethren, he established doctors offices
at every street corner of San Francisco,
distributed medicines, the mention of
which would bring ON sea sickness, and
when finally discovered retired with dig
nifty to his native race, the happy pos
SCISSOR of half a million dollars.