Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-27

| GEONG Hill ciElOSJ W QSSJUiI. Ou
receipt of news of his brothers.
death, Col. Kewen closed his office,
adj listed all matters of business,
and took steamer for Nicaragua, to
share in the hazardous fortunes of
that desperate adventurer. Col.
Kewen was determined to devote
himself to military life, but
Walker, well acquainted with
his capacities, and desir-
Gus of securing them in
aid of the civil administration of
his government, prevailed upon
him to lend his exertions in that
behalf. He was com missioned as
financial agent of the Republic of
Nicaragua, position in which he
disp.sy yed great ability, regulating
and consolidating the meagre re-
sources of the Government SO as to
make them efficient. While dis.
charging these duties, q
rivalry sprang up between
the steamship companies Of
Vanderbilt and Garrison d Morgan,
for the transportation of passengers
to and from the Isthmus. Their
dispute was referred to a tribunal
composed of Col. Kewen, j. Mar
shall and Caleb Smith, whose de-
iiberations were protracted several
months, during which the battles
of Massaya, Plras and Granada
were fought, in all of which Col.
Kewen participated as aid 10
Walker, having been twice wound
ed. After Col. Kewen recovered
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of the commission were resumed,
and they adjudged Vanderbilts in
debtedness to the Walker-Rivas
government q little less than half
a million dollars. Gel EeNen WAS
then aatAoTized to take an adequate
force and seize all the Vanderbilt
steamers plying on Lake Nicaragua
and the San Juan River. He did SO,
and new contract was entered iu-
to between the government
and Garrison & Morgan. The pol
icy of the seizure was not approved
by Col. Kewen, and ultimately
proved suicidal to Walker. 1t ar
rayed the powerful influence of the
great capitalist against Walker,
who, eolluding with the authori-
| Jit5 vi op5td IelcAi iuA biohCt Nl uoJ
munitions of war, and Americans
led their forces-this becoming of
all others the immediate cause
of Walkers failure. Short
ly after the seizure of
Vanderbilt's vessels, Walker dep
uted Col. Kewen as Commissioner
to the Southern States to secure ad-
ditional means and money. In
this capacity he made tour Of the
States of Mississippi, Alabama,
South Carolina aud Tennessee,
making speeches everywhere and
winning universal sympathy for
the cause he represented. Hav-
Ing rallied around him eight hun
dred men, armed, equipped and
supplied with all the paraphernalia
of war, he was on the eve of de-
parture with his recruits to Nicara-
qua, wnen intelligence of the arrest
of Walker by Commodore Pauld-
ing reached him at his headquarters
in Augusta, Georgia. The expedi-
ton was, of course, abandoned,
and Col. Kewen's connection with
the Nicaraguan venture ceased.
Col. Kewen returned to Califor-
MIA on the last day of December,
1857, and three days subsequently
left San Francisco for Los Angeles,
where he has since resided. He
here began the practice of his pro-
fession, but had not continued it
year until he was elected District
Attorney. AT the expiration OIL
his term, declining q reelection,
he became the Democratic candi-
date for the Assembly.
The southern war had, by this
time, been inaugurated, and,
the intense passions engendered
by the strife ran rife in Southern
California. Col. Kewen, with
many of the leading men of the
State, was in favor of peace, and
thought the arbitrament of the
sword, the worst remedy for the
evils then existing. Los Angeles
was especially under the surveil-
lance of federal suspicion, and
troops were stationed in various
parts of the county to check any
potent demonstration of rebel SYM
pathy. TO overcome the Demo-
cratic ascendancy in this county, it
was determined to unite the mill
tary in the privilege of suffrage,
regardless of law or precedent.
On election day, Col. Kewen pro-
ceeded to Camp Latham, took his
seat by the judges of election, and
challenged the vote of every MEM
ber of Col. Foreman's command.
Pistols were fl0urished and threats
of every kind made, but amid all
the turmoil Col. Kewen stuck to
his post and performed the task he
had prescribed for hn-c f. Not
withstanding the polling of over
three hundred Illegal votes, Col.
Kewen was elected by o clear and
decisive majority. Shortly after
wards, through malign influences,
instigated by his political enemies,
he was arrested by Col. Foreman,
and consigned to the seclusion of
Alcatraz. Without information as
to the charge preferred against
him, he was incarcerated, and
after some weeks of durance vile,
without being advised as to the
cause of his arrest, or the reason OF
his discharge, he was released. He
took his seat in the Assembly in
1862. He was again returned to
the Assembly in 1868 and 1864. In
the campaign of 1868 he took an
active part in favor of Seymour and
Blair, and received the highest
number of votes in the State Con-
vention for Presidential .elector at
large. Since that time Col. Kewen
has been actively engaged in the
duties of his profession and in con-
ducting his ranch at San Gabriel
Gel Molino"-takiDg little part in
politics.