Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-18
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
THE OLD RACE OF SPORTING cHARAc-
TIERS ALMOST GONE.
sPhenix'' and the Jeweler-LeIand Stan
ford's Letter on Political Parties
Local Incidents.

The newspapers contained notices OF bull
fights, which were frequent occurrences at
a place called THE Willows" resort near
the Mission Dolores, San Francisco, back
in the hfties. Near by was the old Pioneer
race track, where all the turf events of that
section were decided. Bill Shear was then
running the old Nightingale House at the
junction of Sixteenth and Mission streets.
The Nightingale belonged to class of
suburban resorts that are not met with in
these days. 1t was a place where noted
politicians, business men, sporting men
and others were wont to congregate. Every
thing was on an elegant scale. Shear him.
self belonged to type of the old time
sport" that has almost entirely disap-
peared. There were rough men in those
days, as well as now, but these were not re-
garded as gentlemen" The Nightingale
is where Judge Ned MCGOWAN passed his
first night in seclusioH when the Vigilantes
were searching for him to hang him. Many
years ago 1.-The Willows" the race track,
the Nightingale and all the old-time re-
sorts disappeared before the march of mod
ern Improvement, and the whole section
has been closely built up with fine resi-
dences and stores. Wherever q suburban
resort is encountered in these times, it is
generally found TO be "beer joint" There
are not many now left of the class of men
who were prominent in sporting and polit-
ical circles in those days, and they appear
to have succumbed to modern ideas-at
least, they are, as a rule, less aggres-
sive than of yore. Some have become
wealthy, reared families and discarded
their old associations few occupy posi-
tons of trust, and few can be met among
the throngs that gather about the Stock
Exchanges, the lunch-houses and pool
rooms in San Francisco, but the great ma
jority have followed the Dennisons, the
Mulligans, the Coras, the Shears and the
other leading lights of their fraternity be-
yond the silent river. And if tender
foot of to-day wants to have a fight on
his hands he has but to hunt up member
of that old-time chivalric band, and cast
but single aspersion upon the memory of
one of those old time gentleman sports
who formed such prominent element in
the citizenship of early days.
Our Napa readers will be interested
to know that according to the UNIONS
marriage column) it was on August 10,
1859, that George E. Goodman, the promi-
nent banker and capitalist of that place,
was married to Carrie Augusta, daughter of
Pulaski Jacks, prominent Napa farmer.
Mr.. Goodman has been in business in
Napa ever since, as q banker, and is
largely interested with money enterprises
throughout that section and in San
Francisco. Mr.. Jacks was at one time (if
the writer remembers correctly County
Judge of Napa. Prior TO thirty years ago
he was engaged in the jewelry business in
San Francisco, and the mention of his
name recalls an unpublished incident in the
life of Lieutenant Derby, the quaint humor-
ist known far and wide as I" John Phoenix"
Derby was to that day what Mark Twain is
to the present, and his witticisms have been
widely read and enjoyed. He had just
landed in San Francisco and was passing
down. Washington street, when he encoun-
tered a sign-board reading: Pulaski
Jacks" Derby strolled into the jeweIry
store and addressing the proprietor, said,
with the utmost seriousness q" Say, mister
I'm about to start for the mines, and | Just
dropped in to ask what is your price for one
of those Pulaski jacks" The jeweler
reached for club, and Phoenix" reached
for the street in double-quick time.
1.-THE tax rate in Sacramento for the
year 1859 was 81 So on the 500, including
Fair Building tax. Among some of the
heaviest taxpayers were: Estate of James
E. Birch, S24,420; Booth & Co., $50, 900; ;
Boyd & Davis, Sl7,500; ]. G. Brewton,
$l2, $50; Burton & McCarty, $4,000; J. II.
Carroll & Co.. SOTO: Charles Crocker,
SIS, 900; Despecher & Field, $4,000; Rob-
ert Dudgeon, $14, 300; D. w. Earle & Co.,
$4,000; Thomas S. Fiske, SIT 900; Hasg
& Co., $4,000; F. W. Fratt, $4,000; ]. B.
Haggin, $4,000; Hammond & Co, $40, 600;
B. +. Hastings, $1,000; Hooker & Co.,
$4,000; Hull & Lehman, $34 400; A. C.
Hunter, $4,000; Huntington & Hopkins,
$4,000; T. P. Kleinhaus, S27 500; Mad
anne Lanos & Co.. SIS. 500; Lindley, Woos-
ter & Weaver, $50 900; w. S. Maulove,
3d. 100; r. H. Mcdonald, $1,000; Nc
Williams g. Co., $l6.400; G. A Miller,
SIS GOO; D. O. Mills & Co, $4,000; B. S.
Nichols e. Co., $4,000; 0'Connell, Ryan e.
Co; Sl2 600; Henry (. Robinson, SIS, 207 :;
Sloss & Co., $4,000; Sheath & Arnold,
$50, 900; Stanford Bros. & Meeker. $25, $50 :;
Chas. Stewart, $4,000; w. L. Uhler, $15,-
600.
IF any person doubts that the "chiv-
alric'' idea existed in California in the
early days, he should study the political
history of those times, especially that of
the campaign of 1859, the year whose
chronicles are reproduced in these papers
on thirty years ago" 1t will be remem-
bered how Senator Broderick declined to
meet Perley on " the field of honor be-
cause the latter did not hold high politi-
cal position, as he did. Then again we
find DR.. Powell, candidate for the office
of Supreme Court Clerk, challenging Gov
ernor John Is. Weller TO political debate
on the stump. In bis reply thereto, Weller
penned the following very sarcastic note :
IL have no doubt the Democratic candi-
date for Clerk of the Supreme Court will
take pleasure in meeting DR.. Powell and
take pleasure in discussing the political
questions involved in the election of that
officer"
There was a serious dispute going on
as to the rishdnl ownership of San Juan
Island, in Bellingham Bay, on the northern
Pacific coast. Both America and England
claimed it. In July, 1859, General Harvey
established a military post thereon, and
sent a company of troops 10 occupy it. The
British sent word of the invasion to Vic
toria, and Mr.. DeCourcey was sent TO in
terview the Americans. Crosby, the Amer
ican magistrate, informed him that the
island was American soil, and that the
troops were there to protect American
rights. DeCourcey then denounced the
Americans as squa;ters on British soil, and
ordered them of. Crosby refused to COM
ply with the order, and when the steamer
that brought the news left the island there
was prospect of hos;ilities. GAmerics' s
right to the island was afterward settled
VIM. P. Jones, of Suffer Creek. Anna
dor county, addressed a letter to Leland
Stanford, Republican nominee for Gov
ernor, asking him if it was true that he in
tended withdrawing on the eve of the
election in favor of Curry, the Anti
Lecompton candidate. Mr. Stanford, in his
reply, denied having any such purpose in
view, and said be believed there should
be but two parties in the State and that one
should be the Republican party. 1T comes
fresh from the people" he wrote, has
never been corrupted by power, and offers
the only basis upon which the people may
hope to build up successful reform party.
The Republican party is not a party OF one
idea, for, in the principles it advocates and
the influences that control it, it is emf
nently national"
Alexander II. Stephens had then
been a member of Congress for nearly
twenty years, and was talked of as pos
sible sspirant for the famous Charleston
nomination for President He made a
notable speech in Congress about that time,
in which possible strife was limited at, and
Stephens was more radical in his Southern
views then than during or after the civil
war that followed so soon. He said that,
much as he loved the Union, If the South