Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-09
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
HOW CASES WERE WON IN JUSTICES
COURTs IN THOSE DAYS.
The Railroad Convention of 1s6O-A
FiddIetown Warning to
shaky AssembIyman.


brought for any amount. One of my first
experiences as an attorney (Which, how
ever, never really was, occurred in this
way One of the Mcconnell brothers, who
carried on a trading-house at Johntown, a
few miles from Georgetown. FL Dorado
county, came to me- saying: "Our cattle
have been attached and taken from our
wagons on the public road, and the ques-
ton of ownership is TO be tried to-day here
in Georgetown, before Justice Brotherton.
We want you to come and help US. There
are a great many cattle the title to which is
TO be tried, and unless you assist Us we fear
great loss.p
This was a pretty hard case The Nc
Councils we're of the very best people l
ever knew; hard working men, ali the
brothers, and always working together.
There were four in all, and some OF them
stood in their stockings six feet four inches,
During the first and second years of Cali
fornia's settlement no one coveted another
OK nor ass. 1t was the most scrupulously
honest population that the world ever
saw. This, however, was to be all changed,
and in 1851. unless you stood over your OK
and ass, the thieves took them, until
finally grand larceny was made a capital
crime and some hanging was done in pur-
sUance thereof.
This lot of valuable oxen were taken
from the Mcconnell teams on the public
road, and they were now in jeopardy as to
ownership. Alvipzs Hayward was then
mining at Johntown. He had not vet
entered upon the career which, as a miner,
has made him man of great fortune, but
then Mcconnell knew him as man of in
telligence, and he was engaged by them as
counsel. The other side had secured ali
the important legal talent of which this
part of the country boosted. One was
Anthony Buckner, one of the famous
Buckner family of Kentucky, and the
other was Thomas H. Williams, the incip-
lent Attorney. General.
When we reached the Court the case was
on, and my CO. counsel, whom l had never
met before, had agreed to try the case
without Jury. There were lots of wit
nesses, and the case must largely turn upon
the closeness of the swearing to the marks
of the cattle, thus identifying them as the
property of the plaintiff or defendant. All
day long we went on with the trial, SUBJ
hitting the case to the Court after dark,
when his Honor reserved Judgment until
the next morning at 10 o'clock.
We really believed we had won the case
on its merits, but while the Justice was
above suspicion as TO integrity, there were
Immediately after the trial some danger
signals, as we thought The Court, when
not in session, kept little place where he
and his friends played cards for drinks, for
oysters which were imported from Balti-
more in cans, and other little comforts;
and the instant almost, after the trial was
over, table was occupied by his Honor
and the two Kentucky attorneys, who
were adopts at all games of cards.
| beckoue1 to one of my clients, and
taking him out to lonely spot, asked
him if he could play cards. He said no,
he barely knew them one from another
from seeing them played at his store, but he
did not know much about the various
games. We said 10 him: I'VE think we
have won this case, but it must not be lest
now. Go in and take a hand in all that
shall be done all night. Play liberally-do
not be outdone; keep on the side of the
Court, to strengthen him, and in the late
hours of the morning ne will retire to the
loft above 10 sweet rest, under some buffalo
robes. Seek it and he will generously in
vite you to share them with him. Be
nothing 10th to accept, and trust to luck"
Well, this advice was followed to the let
ter, and in the morning we had the just
Judgment of the Court in our favor.
......... A memorable body of men met in
Sacramento on February Z, 1860, compos-
ing the State Railroad Convention. Gen.
eral John Bidwell presided, and there
were sixty delegates present. Among
those who took prominent parts in the de-
bates were James A. McDougall (afterward
United States Senator) A. L. Ormsby, of
Sonoma; James G. McCollum, of Ell Do
RADIO; Mr.. Barbour, of Yuba; R. P. Ham
mond of San Joaquin; B. R. Nickerson, of
Ell Dorado; ]. B. Crockett, of San Fran
cisco; R. II. Mcdonald, ofSacrsmentc; Louis
z. Lull, of San Francisco; D. o. Mills, of
Sacramento; John B. Frishie, of Solano;
F. F. Low, of Sacramento Zach Montgom-
cry, of FL Dorado, and others.
....,...A Among the names of old-timers
announced on the various committees for
the fifth annual ball of Confidence Engine
Company were: Governor John G. Downey,
John B. Weller, J. H. McKune, S. Fair
Monson, R. B. Ellis, D. 0. Mills, John Ar
mold, John Leach, a. H. Estill, A. P. Here
ford, J. NJ. Duncan, G. w. Chesley, T. M.
Lindley, John Ryan. a. G. Bidwell,
Il. R. co7ey, g. j. Torbert, Drury
Melone, w. B. Hunt, A. Aiken, A. Bad
lam. E B. Mott, Leland Stanford, W. NJ.
Siddons, T. Lesson, II. B. Waddilove, II.
]. Bidleman, c. II. Trainer, H. II. Pierson,
H s. Crocker, D. ". Earl ]. Gregory, A.
J. Rhoads, G. A. Putnam, Captain J.
Howell, Captain E. E. Eyre, ]. Z. Treat,
Jerome Madden, J Q Brown, c. G. Hooker,
J. B. Saul, j. H. Carroll, W. McMitchell,
Frank Powell, and many others, some OF
whom are still living here, but most OF
whom have either crossed the silent river
or wandered to other parts of the earth.
1.-THE question as to the permanent
location of the State Capital was hotly
agitated, and among the boldest and
ablest champions of Sacramento was AS
semblyman john Conness, of Ell Dorado.
The attempt to remove the Capital, it is
needless to say was defeated, although
San Francisco and other places were bid
ding high for it.
.........John Davis, hack-driver en-
ployed by the notorious Mike Brannigan,
drove woman named Annie Clayton, iwho
arrived by steamer from San Francisco,
some five miles into the country and then
choked and robbed her. Brannigan SIM
ilarly treated an actress some years later.
......... The call for the Republican State
Convention to meet in this city on the 22d
of February, 1850, was signed by ID. II.
Haight Chairman of the State Central
Committee. Mr.. Haig1t afterward served
a term as Governor, having been elected
on the Democratic ticket.
......... Many curious things transpired
during the session of the Legislature OF
1860. One day Assemblyman johnson. Of
Amador, presented remarkable petition
from citizens of that county, accompanied
BY letter which read:
F1DDLETowN, Jan. &c. 1860
hon, P. c. JchRson-DEAR SIR; Please read
the petition carefully, and then shove II
through, or be id careful how you travel
round through Amador when you return.
MANY CITIZENS.
... Men boast of their fast greyhounds
of the present day, but thirty years ago
Henry Wilson of Themes creek, Tehsms
county, had one of those feet-tooted ami,
mails that could give an antelope start OF
200 wards and catch and kill it inside OF
two-mile run.
1.-THE Sacramento High School Ly-
ceum debated the subject: Resolved
that the election of Stephen A. Douglas is
the only occurrence that can take place, by
which the strife now going on Will DC
stilled and harmony restored" The CHIEF
disputants were Edward Cadwalader and
William S. Wood.
While the Assembly was in session
in the old Courthouse on the 9Th OF Feb
ruary (lS60) large piece of plastering fell
IL : O