Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-29
FROM Ell DORADO COUNTY.
Further Interesting "reminiscences of
Pioneers and Pioneer Days.
TSketch No 81
Fps. REcoRp- UNION The roll of a

county, Oh the organization OF the
county government in the spring of 80,
were James Churchman, Charles ]. Rock
lift, William Ross, Joseph B. Lamar,
Thomas Robertson and d. C. French.
Churchman left III 81 and went to Nevada
county Rocklif went back to the States in
| 81, Ross left in 81 and went to Sonoma
county, and was afterward District Judge
| and died several years since. l have lost
all trace of Lamar, Robertson and French
In 81 the roll of attorneys became for
midable in numbers and also in legal ac-
qulrements, containing many historical
names that have shed luster upon
many of whom still live to grace
| by their presence our Bar Associations
| Milton 5. Latham was acting District Attor-
| ney in so, afterwards Governor of the
State. and while Governor was elected
! United States Senator, and died in the city
OF New York about two years since. The
| roll in 81 contained the additional names
ct S. B. Farwell, ]. NJ Howell, ]. II.
Berry, +. L. Sanderson, Peter Van Clief,
James Johnson, S. w. Sanderson, John
Hume, S. Garfield, Geo. J. Whelan, D. X.
Newell, Thos. II. Williams Thos II.
Hewes and G. +. Irwin. FarwelI was
elected District Judge in 80, to fill the
vacancy made by the retirement OF Judge
Tod Robinson. Farwell resigned and went
back to the States. He died about ten
years since in Carson City at the residence
of Governor Nye J. NJ. Howell succeeded
Farwell as District Attorney, and left the
State and went back 10 Mississippi e. [.
Sanderson, brother of S. w Sanderson,
went back to the States in 81 Peter Van
Chef went to Sierra county and was after
,1-orIo ;,f 6 ~
trict. James Johnson remained at Hang
town and was afterwards County Judge.
S. W. Sanderson is eI-Chief Justice
of this State, resides in San Francisco,
and has been Tor many years leading coun-
sci for the Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany. John Hume remained at HangtoWn.
5. Garfield left Coloma in 80. as also George
J. Whelan. d. K. Newell speculated
largely III county warrants, worth twenty
five cents on the dollar, and, think, re-
turned to Kentucky Thomas H. Williams
was elected District Attorney i'll 81, served
out the term, and was afterwards elected
State Treasurer. After he was out of that
office, he went TO Nevada, located at Vir-
ginia City, and practiced law General
William now resides in the city of Oakland
Thomas II. Hewes, | think, resided at Dia.
mond Springs. C. f. Irwin remained at
HangtOwn, has been County Judge and
still resides there
In 40, DR.. Leman Gilpin settled at Co
Iona with his wife and family, and built a
house on Piety Hill He was a member of
the California Pioneers of your city, and
left Goloma in 81, died in 70, and was
buried in the Pioneer cemetery in Sacra-
mento In 40, Foster and wife, from San
tiago, Chile, settled at Coloma, and resided
on the north SIDE of the river. Foster died
| at Coloma in 81, and his accomplished and
estimable wife returned in 50 to Chile
The old pioneers of Ell Dorado know
that as late as the fall of 81, mob law was
oftener enforced by Judge Lynch than the
Courts were called upon TO administer JUS
tee. Mob law swayed the masses. The
doors OF our Courts OF justice were barred
by an angry, perhaps revengeful crowd who
demanded that the culprit should beswung
up to the limb of the first tree, Charges
were made that could not be proved, and l
| am sorry to say that in many cases on false
and insufficient evidence punishment was
inflicted upon innocent parties
In the fail Of 81, in Coloma, and under
the very shadow of our County Court Joe
Gordon, our County Clerk, headed mob
to take and lynch q gambler who boarded
with George Crummey at Winters Hotel.
He was charged with swinding some
miners out of their gold dust by trickery
IN card playing. George Crummey told
the gambler that the mob was coming 10
take and lynch him, headed by Gordon
and that it was race for life. He ran to
the stable back of the Winters House
jumped upon a horse, and road across the
open ground to the Hangtown road. Thirty
or forty shots were fired at him, but in
those days they were not used to shooting
on the wing, and they all missed him
The old pioneers of Coloma, and I may
al Tb,a Of - ri
and did not take any stock in mob law
Joe Gordon at the next election was de
feated for County Clerk, and he never
after held any Office in the county. In
Judge Lynch's Court it was too often the
case that low sneak-thieves. towards and
even murderers denounced innocent per-
sons to shield themselves from Just pun
ishment for their crimes.
The first great lawsuit in the county
originated in conflicting mining interests
AT ColOma, involving to some extent the
question of riparian rights. In 1850 and
1851 q company of Germans, nearly POO
men, commenced q tunnel about forty
rods below Suffers sawmill, to drain about
one mile of the river bed between Coloma
and Uniontown. This company built a
dam across the river, but built it so
high as to back the water mp on
the Suffer miil-race. Another COM
pany was formed of miners at
Coloma, who purchased of John T. Lit
tie, for the sum of $4,000, the right to tear
down the dam of the Sutter sswmiQ. The
tunnel damned back the water upon the
ColOma bar claims. The COloma miners
said that the dam must come down. The
Germans said that it should not. War
was declared, and both parties armed for
the conflict 1t was not to be war of
roses, but war ~ et Grnjs. The roll was
called for posse conitatus; Sheriff and
deputies were flying in every direction
warlike banners waved on every side; the
Germans were fortifying the ridge on the
south side of the river while the Sheriff
and his deputies were rallying the posse
comitatus. The gallant and accomplished
gentleman, Colonel W. w. Gift called to
arms the citizens of Coloma Sheriff Rog-
ers went to Hangtown for reinforcements,
while one Of the deputies was sent to
Georgetown. The watchTord Of the flying
squadrons as they were marshalled by the
Sheriff and deputies and rushed TO the fray
was tenlpIS tttgit. Squads of armed men in
rough mining clothes were continually
pouring into Coloma in wagons on horse
back and on foot from every section of the
county, and by noon our town had assumed
the appearance of military encampmeut.
But am pleased 10 say that better coun-
sci prevailed. John 4. Reichart, with our
German citizens Of Coloma, advised the
German company to submit their case to
the decision of Judge Tod Robinson.
Judge Robinson ordered a special term of
the District CoYt and tried the case, de-
Gliding that the dam must be cut down so
as to take the back water of from the SUIT
ter mill-race. Thus ended peaceably and
without bloodshed the first great lawsuit of
conflicting mining interests.
have almost forgotten to mention that
we had in so and 81 q chronological pro-
fessor who delivered a course of lectures at
the Court house. Professor Rogers was an
old pioneer, having settled ct Coioma in
40. Many an old pioneers head has been
squeezed and thumped by the professor, to
the great amusement of the audience, and
some curious chronological developments
were the result of his scientific lectures.
z. s. HALL.