Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-13
AN CID PIONEERS STORY.

The testimony of several of the early pio-
rees, given in the debris trial pending before
Judge Temple in this city, leads old residents
of California generally to open the doors of
memory upon the scenes and events Of the
long ago, and one can scarcely go amiss now,
upon the street, of groups of citizens. with a
pioreer of '49 or 80 as the central figure,
who entertains those SO unfortunate as to have
arrived upon these shores away down in the
ffties and sixties, with the recital OF events
of the trough days" Yesterday, in such q
group, one of the Arganauts told story
that may well keep its place, without blush
ing beside the adventures OF Lemusl GUl
liver. The pioneer, directing attention
to a tall, gray-haired man just then
crossing on the opposite side of J street, ex-
claimed "Therel Do you see that man in
the apron, with tool-box on his shoulder :?
Well, he's well preserved he is. knew him
to be in tight place once when he came
very near having his neck stretched. Want
to hear about it? Well, I'll tell you, and
you Just believe me it is gospel TRUTH too.
That man came near being hanged for dog.
You see, it was up at Niger Hill at the
junction of the North and South Forks of the
AMERICAN. 1t WAS III DIOOAiiiS udJS VI
that camp. There were nearly 200 of US on
the hill, and the placsrs were panning out
right lively. There was very little fear of
robbery or thieving then. When we came
down to Sacramento we used to take very
good care of our gold dust, but up at the
sHilP no one dreamed of losing anything
by theft for thieving was punished
with a certainty and severity that held
would.be evil-doers in check. l tell
you men were honest in those days
cause it paid, you see. Well, one afternoon
the boys came up to the clearinghouse for
dinner. 1t was about o'clock and the sun
was shining right hot. Two chaps who had
Just cleaned up their claim brought up gold
pan with some dust in it. and just set it up
'gainst the side Of the shanty in the sun to
dry out while they and all hands went in to
grub. There was in the corner of the pan
maybe about two large spoonfuls of gold
dust and some settings of wet black sand.
and maybe little drain OF water settled
down too. Well, when we all came out. and
the boys went to take up the pan, if You be-
lieve me, the tin was empty; cleaned out
clean as whistle. Well, then there was fun.
1t was the first theft in many day In that
camp. Standing near the shanty was a
stranger, q tall, good-looking. innocent-ap-
pearing sort of man. He was dusty, and
appeared as if he'd Just tramped into
the camp. Well the boys bounced
him right off. He must be the thief. No
one else had been outside; he was there
alone the dust was gone; he was stranger,
and that was evidence enough. Runners
went out, and q miners meeting was called
inside of fivs minutes, while four men stood
over the prisoner with drawn revolvers-he
all the time protesting his innocence. Well,
to make a long story short, everything ap-
peared against the prisoner, and within ten
minutes the only question was ss to hanging
or whipping him. Just then there came
trotting along little. long. bodied, bow
legged, stumpy-tailed. NANCY, brown dog,
that lived around the camp, and belonged
co nobody and everybody. He was old and
fat and saucy, and a sort of general favorite.
He had been brought up from Suffers Fort
month before. One of the miners in the
crowd happened to step on that dog, and he
set back On his launches and yelled, and
stuck his muzz'e up toward the sun. when
one of them saw something shining on his lip.
He snatched the dog up, crying out that there
was gold dust and black sand on the animals
mouth and whiskers, and perhaps the dog
had eaten the lost gold. This was too abb
surd for belief, but it raised doubt, and SO
the miners court put one guard over the man
and another over the dog, and adjourned till
morning. Well. the result was they mined
that dog out with medicines that just turned
his stomach inside out, and when they cleaned
up the claim they got within a fraction of all
the lost gold. You see, the cur had seen the
pan with the damp sand, was too lazy to 80
down the hill for drink, and Just licked the
pan clean. OF course they let the stranger
go, and he left that camp in hurry, and l
didn't see him till a year ago here, where he is
now at work. The dog? Well, as for him,
they named him Miner and he became
known all up and down the river by that title,
but he fell into prospect hole later and was
drowned"
SEVERELY INJURED.-C. H. Krebs was
kicked night before last by a colt and SO
severely injured that it rendered him insensi-
Bile for some time. He was struck in the face
and arms, and will be laid up some time, but
while his injuries are serious they are no.
regarded as dangerous.
DEcEAsED.-The friends of Mrs. Maggie
Farland, wife of Miles l.. Farland, former
resident of this city, will be panied to learn
that she died in San Francisco Saturday.
The deceased lady leaves two young children.
Her parents reside at GAINESVILLE, Ell Dorado
county.
POLICE CoURr-Only two cases were be-
fore this Court yesterday-that of Louis
Cavanaugh for vagrancy. which was con-
tinued until to day, and the battery case of
G. S. Ferguson, who pleaded not guilty.,
when trial was postponed until the 18th il.
stant
INSANE En- RoUrE.-Sherif Hanks, from
Virginia CT y, New, passed through yester-
day with an insane man named Richard Far
man and an insane girl, II years of age,
named Mary l.. Pendegast, en- route to the
Stockton Asylum.
EASTWARD SHIPPING -There were shipped
eastward from this city yesterday by the
Central Pacific Railroad car loads of tea,
of silk, l of sugar, 2 of wool, 2 of barley, 1
of shingles, of pelts and of general mer-
chandise.