Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-05-18
VA. TUESDAY, MAY 1S, 1880.


He returned to this country in Jan
uary, 1888 In the fall he entered Will
| liams College. He took the highes:
honors in the junior and senior classes
delivering the Greek Grafton snd the
valedictory, and graduated in 1887. Is
rael w. Andrews. President of Marietta
| College, and Col. Lewis Benedict OF
| Albany, killed in the war, were among
his classmates. Stephen began the study
of the law in the office of his brother,
David Dudley, in New York, in the
fall OF 1887. In 1S4l he was admitted
to the bar, and became his brothers $
, partner. He appears to have made no
| mark at the bar, and perhaps confined
himself strictly to office duty.
In 1915 David Dudley Field wrote
two articles for the Democratic Reuiea0
on the Northwest boundary. In his
examination of works on Oregon and
California he became familiar with the
geography of the Pacific coast. War
against Mexico was declared in the
spring of 1886. One day David planted
his forefinger, on map of northern
Mexico, and told Stephen that if he was
a young man he would go to San Fran
ciscu. Its the finest harbor on the
coast" he said, land 1 am satisfied that
peace. will not be declared until. the
| United States owns that harbor. If you
will go out there. Stephen, I'll pay your
expenses and give you money TO buy
land in San Francisco"
Stephen thought the matter over and
declined. He had longings for q second
| trip to Europe, and could not repress
them. The war closed and California
wac ceded to the United States. Stephen
| went to Europe in the summer of 1S4S
While sitting in Galignani's news room
in Paris in November he read President
Polk g message confirming reports of the
discovery of gold in California, and re-
GREETED that he had not accepted his
| Continent, and returned to New York
| City on the LIST of October, lS49
It was the haydGy of the gold excite
ment. Stephen caught the fever. His
finances were at a low ebb, and he fam
cied that be saw d brilliant future for d
young lawyer in the land Of gold. Cyrus
and David urged him forward. He Sc
cured letters to various business men in
San Francisco, and took passage in the
Crescent City, advertised to leave New
York for Chagres on Nov. 13. Cyrus
| went With iim to buy an outfit. While
purchasing Stationary, Cyrus saw some
chaGOis skins. and suggested that
Stephen buy few and wrap his sta
tionery in them. Lawyers get paid
off in gold dust out there" he said,
"and you might need the skins to make
bags for your dust" Stephen paid $40
for twelve skins, and slowed them il
bis trunk David also gave him uote
to collect. "It's John d. Stevenson 3
/ nate for a4A0," be said. II hear he's
doing vel in California. End it Iaay ue
Of some use to you"
The passengers by the Crescent City
landed at Chagres, and the indians
poled thel0 up the river TO Cruces Here
they took mules aud rode over the
mountain trails TO Panama. Thousands
were there awaiting passage up the Pa
cifc The new corners were booked
through. and were transftr trred to the
California, t,0a1 tans burden. The de-
mand for transportation from Panama
was so great that steerage passengers by
the Crescent City sold their tickets at
$3.50 each and awaited cheaper rates.
The California was crowded with over
200 passengers. Panama fever broke
out, and the main deck was covered
With rile aies-. The only physician on
board was ,7ostTataI. Nervad by his
experience in the East, Stephen did
what he could 10 aid the sufferers. he
nu,sed stranger to life. The stranger
was Gregory Yale, afterwards an emf
nent California jurst.
Mr.. Field landed in San Francisco On
the night Of the 23th of December, 1919
with ten dollars in his pocket. It cost
bl;l aeTan dollars 10 get lis two tr.ln .is
ashore. With two telloa passengers he
engaged room in al OLD adobe build
! ing at s2a5 per week. The two passen-
gers tooss t,lo bst4, anl eteGhen s.art oa
the floor. On the next I,drning he paid
two dollars for breakfast. A solitary
dollar was left. The weather was beau
tiful. The sides of the hills running
back from the water were dotted with
sns&3 2a5 tents. The bay washed the
eaat a:ae af xnap ~ ntY kno~.. ce
Montgomery at,eet, hetveen Jackson
and Sacramento streets. Happy Valley,
now Mission and Howard streets, lie
tn cen Mal....cet and Folsom, was packed
with shanties and tents. Men repre-
senting nearly every nation in the uni
eEaa r.shed through the narrow streets,
each 3iad in his national costume. ste
phen met many New Workers. All
shook him by the hand and told him
that he had come to glorious country
About en- hour after breakfast Stephen
saw crowd surging around a small
building facing the plaza. On inquiry
he was told that it was the Court House
Judge Almond was holding what was
known as the Court Of the First In
stance. Stephen saw two of his fellow
passengers sitting on the jury. They
said that while visiting the building cut
OF curiosity, they were summoned by
the Sheriff They demurred on The
ground that they had just landed. 'That
makes no difference" the Sheriff re-
sponded; ''you'rs eligible. Nobody Is
been in the country three months u
Each juror received IS for his services
Stephen hung around an hour or more
awaiting an opportunity to serve bis
country. hut got none. He resumed his
perambulations. While passing down
Clay street, near Kearney, he saw this
sign: