The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-02
"@ENnPAI, VAILEJO.
An old stjunrade, Pays Him High Fri


"A communication has been received at
this office. written by JOHN K. MacaGlay of
A!ameda. III which the writer says. -.
/, about two months .agF., I read an. article
headed "Reminiscences of Early. Days in CALI
fornIa." LII. the ar iee mention, WAS made of
The. late :GeneTal Vallejo IN which; the writer
stated that at lie mention OF =Eailcj0's name
some of the 4then) natives of California speaking
Tile Spafl4s hsl;fi siage would ithdj from the$
. company, or froml lie GooIn where Ills con versa
lion Was going on. s0.diNasterul did The JIame
OF llle great General seem 10 them. Ii seems To-
Inc thai DO create Justice could be done 10 The
greatest Callf0rutan living Or dead, which =Ni-
Eleio prUyed2 himself To be byAls dnseltish life
: WiIhkeenforesigbtl lie could see what the ma
jeity ot:l,is countrymen could not then see, aud.
tDat was-lhat the Mexican G0vetnInent- could
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF CALIFORNIA; especially after
the discovery OF The rich gold fields of California.
and thdLvaSr hOrdes OF adventures and multt-
lpdes of gold miners and weatll-seekers would.
1QCR to- .this C0dst.' At that time an:agtatlon
had alieatfy sci in locking forward tO'a Separa-
lion OF CalitOrlha from Mexico and the annexa-
t1on TO Tie -UnlIed ,SIaIeS and some even favored
Great Blitalu; but Vallejo favored America, and
10 :use his own words to his cpuntrymen:
HIhe English wlllGeatyOu as heir Interiors; H.
deed as. peguS;: but II you Join win the United
States rlGy:wlt tIeat You: as their equals and
make Anetlcan citizens OF yOu" which, in my
eslimaIiDH. Is Ihe highest honor In the world,
aud / have no doubt tile great Vallejo thought
tue same. SOME of his cOunlgymen found fault
with him - some of them. have SO Expressed
themselves Ill 1Hy nearing tdl lie lndue no tltOIJ
III ststing the Americans when they came To-
take possession of California. AS / said to one
OF ihems why should General Vale 10 have his
small army: Slaughte ed? He was too much of
Il man, and had loo much OF big human heart
TO have blood shed in vain; aud besides, he knew
his country was going-to he better governed, and
ne welcomed the Americans, and the State OF
California: owes him great debt OF gratitude,
which, ndred, onght TO Lave been paid to the
General wuen he was alive. But probably me
Stale will give him stone as he Is now dead AT
/ one time lie the richest man In California,
owned Ibe most land, owned the most cattle and
never appealed 10 him In vain. He
gave them land and cattle and
horses without money aud without price.
He advanced money, too, some OF which, am
sorry 10 say, was never paid back TO him. One
instance was to man who died few years ago
worth millions of dollars Of real estate in san
Francisco. besides other places, as L had The
statement from the General himself as lie and
were sitting on the veranda OF his house i'll
SOnOma several years ago. Tie sum, l believe,
| 10 this one man alone was SS000-quite large
sum for early times. He did more 10 settle Cali
lOrnia than any other man, aud IL lie had Kept
the 0ue-thiTd OF his estate IL would have been
worth millions Today. But the great Vallejo, to
use the very words lie used o me then, SAID !:
How could see the poor devils staryngY
could not use il all, so / gave IL TO them" he
literally fulfilled the command Of the Savior TO
certain young man who wanted 10 obtain eternal
life: He gave, and lie gave Till ho had nothing
more to give, and he gave II IN Heavens own
way. No trace of 1t Is left behind TO tell OF his
goodness; but have no doubts when he lett
this the seen for the unseen he was gladly wei
coined by some of those he had beirltnded IN
the early days of California into the realms OF
the blessed, for, like the Apostle, he fought the
good fight, lie finished his course, lie Kept the
faith ana he has gone to his reward aud TO
crown of glory that fadeth not away. Since then
his good partner III lie, his vile, Mrs NalieJo'
has 1oiued him.