Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-21
EARLY DAYS IN SACRAMENTO.
Sketch of the Celebrated Squatter's Riot
Related by an Eye Witness.

&CSstco ny Oil rye "lLutse.
EDS RECORD UNION: 1t is almost forty
years since l reached the spot where Sacra-
mento, the beautiful capital city of the
proud State of California now stands
What was then known as Sacramento City
was hard-looking place, and consisted of
few tents and cloth houses, scattered
among the giant oak and sycamore trees
that skirted the river bank, fringed the
sloughs and were so thick upon the rich
bottom lands that it was a difficult matter
knocking off the bark The roads in con-
sequence were so crooked that no more
than two yoke of oxen could be used until
you got beyond the timber belt, which ex-
tended back from the river a distance of
one mile. l saw team of oxen mire down
where Seventh and J street is now located,
and the animals could not be extricated
until they were all unyoked.
The first three nights spent in Sacra-
mento L shall never forget; they are as
vivid in my recollection as though it was
yesterday. There were no lodging houses
at that time, and l, with several others,
hired accommodations in hay-stack and
we found it, although expensive, quite
| comfortable. assisted il the survey for
the first levee constructed around the CITY,
and had the misfortune to receive prom
ises for my pay. This, however, was not
| the rule in the early days of California, for
all obligations, either written or verbal,
were generally kept. Men were liberal
with their money and the sick and dis
| tressed were cared for.
THE sQUATTER RIOT.
witnessed the battle between the settlers
and the squatters. Malone rode on horse
back, with drawn sword, leading a out
fifty men, armed with double barreiled
shotguns. The next thing l no.
ticed was Sheriff McKeny riding between
two gambling houses to and fro, ordering
every man to arm himself and follow him.
A great many did. l think most of them
were sporting men. The Sheriff $
party pressed upon Malone's men, and
the firing commenced. The first wounded
man that l saw was a man shot through
the wrist. The next an emigrant, that had
just arrived at the town, who was struck
by stray ball in the neck. He was carried
away on the shoulders of two men, the
blood squirting two feet high from the
wound. The next l observed was the
Mayor of the city on horseback | believe
his name was Bigelow. He came riding
from the front, very fast, during the thick
est of the fight. His horse fell with him
on pile of lumber, when he jumped up
and ran into blacksmith shop, and was
not seen again for two or three days. I
afterwards went to the spot where he fell.
There were pieces of flesh an inch long on
the lumber. Malone's horse fell dead
| while crossing from J to K street. Malone
ran a few steps, turned into an alley, and
fell dead fiat on his face, in pool of slop
| at kitchen door. He was shot in the back
of the head.
The next day the funeral of the settler
took place, with considerable show-bands
of music, very long procession, etc. After
the funeral Sheriff McKeny and DR.. Bri-
erly thought they would ride up the Ameri-
can river about seven miles and take one
Allen, said to be squatter. They arrived
and entered the house, and told him he was
| a prisoner and had to go with them to the
city and stand trial. He told them his
wife was dying, but as soon she was dead
he would go with them. They replied
!! he was going then, dead or alive. At this
shooting commenced and Aliens step-son
was killed at the first fire. Allen then
killed both the Sheriff and the doctor at
one shot with a shotgun. All this hap
pened in the room where his dying wife
lay, and Allen was badly wounded. l
have seen the wounds several times. One
was by ball in the side just below the
ribs the other in the arm, the bone being
shattered from the wrist to the elbow. He
said when he saw the men fall he ran from
the house down into the river, and
kept close to the bank by holding to the
bushes. One of his negroes found him
there and placed him on mule and took
him 10 the mountains. There was large
reward offered for his arrest but no one
got it. He travelled with me on the same
ship from San Francisco to Acapulco,
Mexico. There he left the ship with others
to cross Mexico on horseback to Vera Cruz
This was the last / heard of him.. He told
me there was one thing he wanted to do,
and he though he would die easy; that was
to kill two men he wished to get even with
in California. Allen was a native of
Missouri. w. Q. RALPH.
Ursa, Adams county, Illinois, January
IL, 1888.