Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-03-31
ICspvs0ht Secured Az Rights Ressrpsdl
Driven From Sea to Sea,
Or, JUST A CAMPIN.
NY q q. POST.

HY q q. POST.
tiers League, and q committee imme-
diately selected and authorized to act
for the whole. Among those chosen
for this duty were Erastus Hemingway
and his neighbor Mr.. johnson. Tho
committee proceeded to San Francisco,
put up at hotel and notified the rail-
road officials of their presence and
readiness &c confer. Instead of proceed
ing to the conference, however, one of
the officials went before the authorities.
swore out warrants and had them all
arrested and conveyed to jail, where
they were locked up and forced to re-
main until morning, and the business
men of tine city were notified that it
was the will of the railroad company
that no one should go bail for the ar
rested men, and that the company
would ruin the business of any one who
dared to do so.
After lying in jail all night they were
taken before the court and dismiss d
without hearing, and in spite of their
protest and demands to be given an OPP
portunity 10 explain to the court the
circumstances of their arrest and so
were forced to retu n to their homes
and their waiting neighbors and report
that no mercy was to be expected from
those who had cons ired to reduce
them to serfdom upon their own lands
Still these men reta ned possession of
the homes, and tn ugh they had
ceased making Improvements were
able to OBJ ain subsistence therefrom.
Time passed, and the railroad COM
pany obtained from the Government
s., H. - Il Al
in the original grant. The road was
grant requi ed that it should be before
the patents should issue, one hundred
and ten miles of it be ng then, as now
(1S84), untouched. and no portion OF it
being upon the line specified in their
charter, which was the only line upon
which they had the right to build a
road. much less to claim a grant of land
for building, even under the resolution
of Congress, it being plainly absurd to
say that one hundred and fifty miles
was as near to t e original line as it
was possible to build
The settlers were now powerless in
the hands of the corporation. which
played with them much as cat does
with mouse before branching its
/ bones for the final sct of swallowing
Their first act after having completed
the road through the Slough and formed
connection with a road leading to San
Francisco was to place the pr.ce of
freight so high as to consume the entire
| profit of all labor upon the irrigated
lands. thus seeking to prevent the set
tiers from obtaining further means with
which to continue the contest and trans
form them into the serfs of the COM
pany.
The outside world during all this
time remained in almost absolute ig-
norance of the desperate attempt being
made upon the rights of u portion of our
citizens. The greater part of the press
of the Pacific coast wore the muzzle of
the corporations. and only the most
sent out through the Associai ed Press.
and such as were sent were tinged with
the coloring furnished by the consp.ra-
tors.
| The first year after the completion OF
the main irrigating ditch the settlers
had set apart the eleventh day of May
as day of general rejoicing and
thanksgiving for the harvest which fol.
lowed the coming of the waters, and
through all their troubles they had
regularly observed it, their fystivit es
usually taking the form of picn C.
which was attended by everybody. re-
CARELESS Of age or sex. and it was this
eleventh day of May. 1880, that the
corporate conspirato1s fixed upon for
the consummation of their scheme fol
possessing themselves of the homes Of
these people.
In order to secure fit tools for this
purpose, the company had made pre-
tended sales of the homes Of portion
of the settlers to m n Of known des'
perate character. among others to 6
noted desl erado and crack-shot; and
1t was these men whom the United
States Marshal was ordered to take
upon his raid of eviction. The Mar
shall left San Francisco before day AND
arr we'd at Hanford, the station peares
the Slough lands. at seven O'Clock IL
the morning. Here he was met by thu
gang of desperadoes armed to the teeth
and all started together in wagons:
The leader of the gang carried two
belt, and had repeating pifa and .
double barreled fpwling 3 ece in tn,
wagon in which he rode, and all blistlet
With deadly weapons. principally re
volvers and knives.
AS was anticipated by the Marshal
they arrived vt the frat house in th,
Slough settlement after its occupant
had left for the picnic. Without cere
mony the door Of this peaceful dwelling
was broken down and everything in i
pitched into the highway. This done
they placed three No. 10 cartridge
upon the doorstep as an indication O
the fate which awaited the homes
settler and his family if they dared re
place their household goods and re
sumed the occupancy Of their home
They then started in the direction O
the next settlers claim, intending t,
proceed in the same manner with eacI
Of the twenty-five houses against who's
owners the Marshal had writs of eject
ment But they were not destined t.
| proceed so far, Unknown TO them tn