Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1891-01-04
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
SENSATIONAL SCENE IN A COUNTRY
JUSTICES COURT.
How Couple of Sacramento Girls
Fooled "the Old Man"-The Shoot
ing of DR.. Boyce-Minor Events.

How Couple of Sacramento Girls
ing of DR.. Boyce-Minor Events.
There were some "high oldn Justices of
the Peace in those days, and one Of them
dispensed with law and justice in an
outlying township of Sacramento county.
One day case was called in his Court
which occasioned no little CONSERVATION
to those present, and fun for those who
afterward heard of it. The issue was the
ownership of a few head of hogs. 1t was
agreed between the litigants that the case
should be tried by jury, and that there
would be no appeal, whicheve: way the
Judgment went. The trial commenced
about IL O'Clock, in a bar-room. The
worthy Judge started in to be very digni-
drink, and, just as often, the Court would
declare recess of five minutes. After a
while the Court became quite mellow and
lost much of its assumed dignity. About
dusk sll the evidence was in and counsel
had argued the case. At that time the
Court had adjourned about thirty times to
"liquor up," hence the Judge was not very
clear-headed when he started IN TO charge
the jury. He commenced summing up the
testimony and laying down the law. He
finally laid down something as law which
one of the jurymen thought TO be of very
doubtful quality, so he ventured to ask the
Court where it could be found.
fNNhotiu +ba.0D ~, l.
a comical effort at being austere.
Il simply want to know where that law
can be found, answered the juryman.
'D-n you, sir % rosred the insulted
Justice, reaching behind him and
drawing revolver, "I'll give you TO un-
derstand that when l tell YOU things
Law, II is law p'
As the revolver was being leveled at him
the juror broke for the door, and the other
jurors, not liking the demoniacal ecowl on
the Judges face, followed suit. Then the
Judge got up from the bench and broke
after them. The jurors had not fired up
quite as literally as the Court and had the
best of the race. There was e grove of
liveoaks near the place, and they reached
it before the irate Court could determine
which one he would take g crack at That
ended the race-and the case. The Jurors
scattered for their homes, and the famous
hog case did not again come up for adjudi-
cation.
1.-THE inaugural ball of 1860, given
in honor of the then new Governor, Milton
5. Latham, was quite grand affair Sac
ramento was then the home of many per-
sons who have since become prominent in
social and commercial circles elsewhere,
while many have passed over the dark
river that runs through the Valley of the
Shadow nf Death Tho hal II Ior J.
management of committees composed as
follows: Invitation Committee-William
Shattuck, Leland Stanford, ]. w. Winans,
n. II. Hartley, F. Powell, D. o. Mills, B.
+. Hastings, Major J. W. L. Hunt. L. Saun-
ders, Jr., I. s. Fiske, II. E. Robinson,
Captain E. E. Eyre, Captain j. Howells.
Reception Committee-A c. Monson, J. r.
Hardenbergh, General a. Redington, s..
Kneeland, Captain J. Howells, Captain e.
Z. Eyre, General n. G. Curtis. Floor Com
mittee-A. K. Grimm, Morg. Miller, Ed.
Robinson, H. T. Booream, II. A. Thomp-
son, 81. A. Chase Lieutenant c. J. Torbert,
Lieutenant L. Powers, Z. B. Ryan. Car
riage Committee-Lieutenent j. Rothen-
bacher, ]. P. Sharkey, Joseph Marshall
Thomas Roberts. Morg. Miller.
Referring to the event the Thentis of yes.
terday says of many of the gentlemen
named in the above committee: William
Shattuck was President Of the Board of
Supervisors under the Consolidation Act
and ex-otficio Mayor of the city Joseph
w. Winans was lawyer of prominence,
and contributed much to the better class OF
literature. Harley was an accomplished
lawyer. B. F. Hastings was the head of
athe banking house of B. F. Hastings & Co.,
that was located in what is now the Rhoads
d Townsend house. Lewis Sanders, Jr.,
was lawyer well known. II. E. Robin
son was a member of the first Legislature,
removed to Oakland. and died in the East.
He left g magnificent fortune for charitable
purposes in Oakland. j. R. Hardenb ergh
was Postmaster and Mayor here, and after
ward occupied important Federal positions
at San Francisco. General Redington was
for many years Manager and President OF
the California Steam Navigation Com pany,
and was Presidential Elector. He was
native of Maine, ana an ardent admirer
of ex-Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin.
When Mr.. Hamlin spoke in this city Cen
eral Redington presided, and we well recol-
lect the old General standing by the side of
Mr.. Hamlin during the entire time the lat.
ter spoke. Seth Kneeland was prominent
here in the early days. A. K. Grim was a
well-known auctioneer and business man.
Morg. Miller was County and City Treas
urer, and signed all Of the bonds and cou-
pons of 1859, over which we have so much
contention now. Booream was reporter of
the decisions of the Supreme Court Thomp
son, with a. G. Kinssy, built the first wire
suspension bridge at Folsom, over the
American river, and was the husband of
Agnes Clarken, the sister of Hon. R. NJ.
Clarken, of this city. He died in Arizona
Torbet left here and located in San Fran
cisco when the railroad offices we're re-
moved from this city. and continued in the
employment of the company until his
death. Powers was merchant of proml-
nence. Those men are dead. OF those
living there will be recognized the names
of several who are now of more than State
note.
-.......A GOOD story was told in the local
press of how q couple of Sacramento girls,
living in the suburbs of the city, had man
aged to entertain their beaux despite their
fathers vigilance. The old gentleman was
of the strsight-laced sort, and had ALWAYS
denied the girls the privilege of having gem
tlemen callers. The sisters put their hesds
together to devise means of evadiDg the
old gentlemsn's vigilance, and it worked to
perfection for a while. After the family
had retired for the night, and the old man s
snores eehoiDg throughout the house told
of his somnolent condition, they would
hang sheets out of their window and their
beaux would aided by the girls efforts,
climb into the upstairs parlor and spend
the evening. One night the sheet was hung
out rather early, and the head of the house
going into the yard discovered it. He
caught hold of it to pull it down, when he
at once felt himself being drawn upward.
Determined to ascertain the cause, he held
on, and pretty soon his head was on level
with the window above. Then he heard q
scream from one of his DAUGHTERS while
the other cried out: "0h, Lord, it's dad 7"
The sheet was released in an instant, and
the old man went down with a dull thui.
When he got himself together he went in
and held consultation with his wife, and
the result was that the girls were allowed
to invite their besux to the family fireside,
and in few months the old man had a
couple OF sons-in-law. Who were those
girls?
.........A sensational murder occurred in
front of the What Cheer House, San Fran
cisco, on the ID of January, 1860. The
parties were both Auburn, Placer county,
men. Horace Smith met Samuel T. New
ell, ex-editor of the Auburn Signal, on the
street, and without word plunged knife
into the latter's neck. Newell escaped into
Ashim's clothing store and fell, and Smith
followed and again plunged his knife into
his victim, wiped the blood from the blade
and walked to the police station aud gave
himself up. The story told at the time
WAS that Newell had fbrourh his naDar