The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-09-04
CALIPORNIA's svIGILANTES.
How the First "Commiftee. was Or.
ganixed In san Francisco.


ganixed I'm san Franciseo.
When the treaty OF peace between
the United States and Mexico was rat.
iiled. 10 lsaS. writes F. g. Cary, in the
international Rerie'e. gold had already
been found at Suffers mill on the soutl,
FORK OF the American River; but 90 pos.
itive information concerning this won-
derful discovery reached the Atlantic
States until the autumn of that year
The communication between San Fran.
cisco aud New York, philadelphia or
Boston. being by sailing vessels via
Cape Horn, letter would be perhaps
Tour or i've months on its way, as clip
per ships at that time were only used
for voyages 10 China by the way of the
Cape Of Good Hope. An official letter
from Colonel r B Mason, Governor of
the State of California. was published
with other documents in the usual mes
sage OF the President to Congress. The
letter described visit to the gold mines
and said:
No capital is required to obtain this
gold. - the laboring man wants moth
ing but his pick and shovel. sud his tin
pan with which to dig and wash the
gravel; and many frequently pick gold
out of the crsvices Of rocks with their
butcher knives. in pieces of from one 10
six ounces
When this statement appeared, CON-
ing ss it did from undoubted authority,
and given TO the world by the highest
powers at Washington, every able
bodied man wished to 60 to . country
where pure gold could be picked out of
the creviccs of rocks with jack knife:
and there appeared in the Atlantic
States that curious epidemic known as
the gold fever. which bid fair TO de
populste the country as rapidly, al.
though not 80 fatally. as any yellow
fever that eyer ragged on the banks Of
the Southern Mississippi. During jan
nary and February in 1S49. so vessels
called. with freight and passengers. for
San Francisco via Cape Horn from the
ports of New York aud Boston. Many
persons also crossed the continent from
the Western States, and steam commu-
nication with the IstLmus of Darien
gave facilities to those who wished for
rapid transit. and were willing to
pay exorbitant prices and to run the
risk of the malarious fevers to which
all travellers on the Chsgres River were
exposed. In addition to the emigra-
tion from the United States, many per.
sons flocked to the new Territory from
Mexico, Peru and Chili; from China,
the East Indies and from Australia.
For some time after Ssn Francisco
become a place of importance. the
members of the City Government had
been named according to the Mexican
style. There wss sn Alcalde and an
Ayuntamisnto. or in other words.
Mayor and Common Council. In tho
year isa9, although there was City
Government. there was no police force.
The streets were neither paved nor
lighted, and everyone was Obliged to
protect himself and his property as
best he could. A gang Of ruffisns
known as the Hounds, had for some
time committed many assaults and rob-
berries; but ss their uepredstions had
been confined 10 the tents and shant.es
occupied by Mexicans and Chilenos,
who lived on the outskirts of town. the
American citizens, who we're busy with
their own affairs, had paid little stten-
ton to the outrages committed on
number of foreigners. who were looked
upon In the same light as the Chinese
are at the present day; that is to say, ss
inierlopsrs, who were willing to work
for half the wages demanded by ma
tive Americsn. One Sunday afternoon
these Hounds or .Regulators' as they
called themselves, had collec ed in full
force. and toward evening they made
an attack upon the Spanish quarter,
which exceeded in fury any Of their for
mer outrages. Not content with pilla>
ying and breaking. thsy used their re-
volvers and fred ct random among the
men and women. The next day. Mon.
day. the 10Th Of July. when the rsspec>
table part Of the community learned the
particulars Of this Outbreak. they ell
felt that immediate steps must be
taken to break up the gang. or every
ones life and property would be in
danger. The Alcalde. or Mayor. Mr.
Leavsuworth. having no police force to
assist him. called o public meeting of
citizens 10 be held on the plaza now
known ss Portsmouth Square.
About two hundred persons Offered
their services as volunteer police TO dis
persc the rioters, who were threatening
to drive oil people of Spanish extrac-
tion out Of the country. The Hounds
were accustomed to oct In concert. and
we're prepared for resistance; but the
citizens, having armed themselves.
arrested the two rinsleaders. Theodore
Saunders and Sam Roberts, together
with twenty more OF the gang. They
were sentenced in different degrees to
fine and imprisonment; but since there
was no Jail, aud none of the prisoners
had any money. the sentence was
merely nominal. The moral effect.
however. WAS sufficient. and not one of
them appeared in San Francisco again
Il has been necessary to give the
details IS explanatory of the story
which 10 to come The affair Of the
.Hounds' has often been alluded to as
one OF the instances where the citizens
Of San Francisco took the Law into their
own hands. Such was not the case. In
the absence OF q regular police, the
Chief Magistrate Of the city called upon
q number Of citizens to act as special
coustAbles for the purpose ofqueiling
riot. and afterward. in the absence of
any criminal court. evidence was taken
and sanfence uassed nv a self elected