Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-03-21

re lie CIR
The Mournful Story Of an
Old Porty.Niner.
ONCE A CALIFORNIA OFFICE
HOLDER, NOW A PAuPER.
Raking Up the Professional Nall
Contractor.
HOW fHE NATION Is ANNUALLY
swINDLED BY HIN.
A Rhode Island Suit Against the
Credit Nobllier.
''''''.- '.; s:: - 4 '''' ''-
rs. s.,ry or old Pis.s,

The story OF = Old Pissssr.
Nxw YoRK. March 2i.-The World pub
fishes q long account Of an interview with
John Reed. who was . f~orty.niner. and Is
nov . psuper In tho Queens county poor
house. He was twice an officer OF tho
California Senate. and for tho last seven
years has lived In Jamaica, Long Island.
He came East 70 contest his fathers will,
and spent all his money In unsuocessful
litigation. For the past two years he has
subsisted mainly upon tho charity OF
friends. until about . month ago, when he
was induced 70 enter tho poor.house. He
10 90 years old and has suffered greatly
from rheumatism. During tho interview
he said:
"Caiifornia is the only State worth liv.
ing In, and I'm going there again. you bet.
I struck there In 10, fresh from Obcrlin
College. must have boon rather
q wild youngster. I with thirty other
Young fellows sailed for the Pacific
Coast on the bark Lanark In jan
uary. l8i9. We were nearly ship
wrecked several times. and wero forced TO
put into Rio Janeiro 10 reft. We found
that several other ships In distress bad put
into that port. and the town was full OF
Young Yankees. Dom Pedro had Just
been crowned, and those being hlibustor-
ing times, tho Government conceived the
notion that the youngsters had hostile pur.
poses. An edict forbidding strangers 10
carry even pocket knives resulted In the
arrest Of many Of u fellows. although
ali got of a. soon q their ships were ready
to ssil. When We reached Han Francisco,
after Q weary and stormy voyage OF six
months. We found II . mere collection Of
shsnties. started for the diggings, but
found. when I got - far a. Sacramento,
that I could mako $50 . night fddling,
80 I stopped 10 take that In. The figure
WAS not 80 large ~ II sounds. Tolerablo
board cost 500 . week, and other eI-
penses were In proportion. spent nearly
. year In Sacramento. During the Au-
tunn the cholera broke out among the
half.starved emigrants, who had crossed
the plains, and they died of like sheep.
I was ono OF . committee OF citizens who
cared for the sick and buried the dead, who
numbered eighty In n day. In 1850
I wont to Stockton. and became director
Of tho CorinthiAn Theater. Money Just
flowed In. and after four months there l
went back 10 Ban Francisco quite . capt.
talist. I took . share In and became mu.
steal conductor OF Pell Brothers circus.
Nicholas and Peoples, since big men In
the circus business, were bareback riders.
There were too many partners In the con.
Germ to make Q big divide, 90 l went
next 10 Sierra county. whore the placer
diggings were then paying big. had .
notion that Downioville, Sierra county.
was going 70 make . big city, and had
my accumulations swept away four
times in tires there. Three or four
times during tho nine years that was In
Downieyille I was worth from $4,000 To
$50, 900, but lost u every time that way.
In 1860 l fought the Indians at what Ia
now Virginia City. and was wounded four
times. Afterward I bought out the Sierra
D,moeraf, aud conducted IL several years.
The paper gave mo political influence. and
In 1862 I was made Enrolling Clerk OF the
State Senate. I was roappointed 70 that
position In 1864. but that year the fourth
fre devastated Downieyillo. and swept
away my paper and about everything
else I had Of any value or interest. After
my misfortunsI was male Deputy Recorder
Of Downieville. and might have hold that
or other political positions - long l chose,
had not trouble over my fathers will
called mo East. I knew Dave Broderick
intimately, and sided with him when he
made the split In the Democratic party. /
was away st the diggings when tho encoun'
ter took place. II had been near enough
10 coach him. I have always felt hal the
duel would have resulted differently. Ben
ators sharon. Jones. and Stewart, Flood.
O'Brisn and many Of the prominent Pacific
coast men l know more or less intimately.
II I get among them again i know thatrm
young enough and energetic enough 70
wipe out the remembrance Of these" point
Ing sadly ct his pauper uniform.
How Money 10 hads BY Nail Con-
tractors.
NEw YoRK. March H. Tho Wsrids
Washington special has tho following do
tails Of Adams testimony. ETC.. before the
House Committee ON Postoficos. He ID.
mit.ed that he sub.let all his contracts,
and that. while not carrying letter him
self, he was making IN annual profit Of
about $40,0 900. One contract for forty
thousand dollars he sub-let for fifteen
thousand. making . profit out Of the Gov.
eminent Of twenty-five thousand dollars
per annum. Tho committee will investi-
cato certain contracts with members OF .
certain mail transportation company.
which has Its headquarters In Washing
ton. The company has never made bid.
In It's corporate capacity. but Individual
members al bid and go ON the bonds for
each other. One Boone. . member. 10
also . notary public, and In tho late bids
certified TO the signatures In his Official CO
pscity. Among the names thus certified
10 was that Of ]. W. Peck, who was In
New Mexico 81 the time, and could not
have signed his name. II 10 supposed that
another member Of the company, J. II.
Minor, signed Peck's name, and he was
summoned to appear before the COMMITTEES
this morning. but he left tho city
last night for Ohio. and could not be
found. Col. Money. Of Mississippi. n Of
the members Of the committee, says he Il
satisfied that instead Of . yearly dehcit In
tho revenues Of the Postofice, reaching mp |