San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-02-27
CALIFORNIA STORIES.
Tho Last of the Mustangs-0riniiss ana
Frontiersmeu.


Frontieumcu.
The mountains of San Luis Obispo offer
some Of the strangest frontier scenes and
types to be found on the Pacific coast.
The region was one OF tho last strong
holds of the native Californians. Helen
Hunt jackson collected o good deal Of
material q few months before her death
in the old town Of San Luis, from tho
Spanish priests there, and would perhaps
have written anqther Californian novel
IL she had had one more year OF life.
She thought that the region combined to
remarkable degree the peculiar charms
Of northern and southern California. and
she often spoke Of its "waste wealth Of
literary material"
My thoughts were turned To San Luis
the other day by the news from there
that man had found band OF wild
horses in the mountains and had cap
turcd about twenty in corral. There
are four or five bands Of wild horses that
take care Of themselves in the unfenced
mountains Of the upper Sierras, but mono
in tho coast range, north Of San Luis.
They are descended from Spanish "mus-
tangs," and are as wild and worthless for
any kind of work asit is possible to Inn.
agine. In one case, in early times, u
Spanish land owner was persuaded to
buy an American plow and SOW some
wheat. He had four or five .mpstangs
tied to the plow beam, put boys ,on the
mustangs, and ran them across the fields
Tn trSt
handles. Every now and then the mus
tangs flew out on the plowed ground and
kicked "for all they were WORTH" After
little while the old Don was heard to
say: "What men these Americans arei
How hard they work for nothingw And
so he went back to his brush harrow.
Ono of the characters of San Luis died
a short time ago. He was frontiers
man, known over thousands Of squnre
miles of mountain and valley as "Uncle
Billy of Josephine" He was grisxled
giant, certainly tho coolest and strongest
man in the region, and he kept post
Office and store. He was blacksmith,
a school trustee, and few things be-
sides, especially wheel horse at camp
meetings. One might've Mexican miners
tried to rob the old man. The door was
Shut, but he threw the foremost Mexican
I through tho panels into the road, and
then, putting his arms about tho three
others, showed them Ell Inasse through
the splinters and fragments Of the broken
door. "One or two Of them Mexicans
stuck their knives into me-" said Uncle
Billy afterward. "but never showed I
was hurt, and after they were throwcd
out they crawled away." In fact, ono
knife thrust was clear through his arm;
but, on tho other hand, he crippled most
Of the Mexicans for life.
There were plenty Of grizzlies around
the mountains fifteen years ago, and !
hear of them, even now. Every one Ia
the mountains has an immense respect
for the grizzly. An old frontiersmap
tells mo that few years ago he was
hunting stray cattle, and lie came onla
new settlers cabin beside an oak IN O
mountain valley. He stayed with tho
settler over night, sleeping in blanket
before the fire. During the night they
heard a great noise outside. The settler
looked out and reported that large bear
was at tho meat safe, which hung under
the oak tree. The frontiersman was
asked to shoot it, but said he would not
risk it, with only q revolver and a shot
gun. The wife Of the settler remarked
that they were both towards, and she
would drive 1t off with broom. They
locked tho door, prevented her from
going out, and shortly after heard the
meat safe fall and roll into the gulch.
In the morning they found that an old
horse had become entangled in the ropes
of the meat safe, and finally torn it down
in his struggles and dragged it down the
ravine. The old frontiersinan and tho
new settler were Obliged in self defence
to retire to the headwaters Of the San
Antonio within week and stay there
until they had killed grizzly apiece
New York Tribune.