River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-02-05
CALIFORNIA LETTER.
SAN JosE. Cal. Jan. IS, Is

SAN JcsE, Cal, Jan. IS, 1891.
DEAR Watching the tides at
Pacific Grove last summer taught me the
truth of the old proverb that refers to
both time and tide, and on dating this
letter the first part of said proverb proves
| itself anew, for so swiftly has the time
flown that | never realized that nearly
six months had gone by since L wrote
you last, and now | am wondering II 1t is
/ too late to wish You and all the friends on
the eastern side of the Rockies a Happy
| New Year I'll do it any way, and at
| the same time tell you the stirring man
| ner in which we Californians began ours.
On the ID we experienced the heaviest
| shock of earthquake on record since 81.
There were three sharp, hard shocks fol-
| lowed by vibrations lasting what seemed
| to us long time. Our house rocked so
that on passing through the hall to an
other room could not walk in my usual
steady manner, and the rocking sensa-
ton was anything but pleasant. Our
door swung as by invisible hands and the
| window weights and pictures added their
| Earring noise to the confusion. 1t was
accompanied by dull sound something
like distant thunder. The boys on the
vacant lot near us were playing ball, and
Arthur said his first thought was to see
| if buildings moved, and looking up saw a
two story house rocking back and forth,
aud at the same time saw and felt the
ground rise in waves beneath his feet,
giving him feeling of sea-sckness. The
business portion of the city was startled,
| and all tried to see who could rush out
side first. No damage was done further
throwing some dishes from the shelves
and cracking the plastering in some of
| the houses.
Some of the pleasantries connected |
with the event show the ludicrous side. |
Some thought that it was caused by the |
legislature taking its seat in Sacramento. |
Some of our colony were attending |
wedding and the shock occurred just as
the ceremony was concluded and it was
thought to have been occasioned by the |
trembling of the groom. One of the |
young men present thought he rather |
liked it, but it did not last long enough |
This young man has since started for |
| Wisconsin. and is even now speeding |
across the country as fast as steam can |
carry him, so l will let him enlarge on |
his first experience, as he will probably |
be among you before this leaves San |
JOSEF
have about come to the conclusion |
that California has something more than |
climate, ami some day we may 90 down |
! into that ever widening depression" in |
the center of the Pacific. If this part of |
the country is on the down grade, I'd |
rather be on the other coast.
We had some delightful frosty morn
ings the first of the month. Ice formed |
J of an inch thick. We wish you would |
begin your winters in Wisconsin rs you
ought, and not be sending Jour cold /
waves across the mountains, or you may /
see us all changing climate again. and |
even now some of the colony are talking |
OF migrating in the spring. How l wish |
it were me. but | don't say it aloud. |
"Home is not merely four square walls,
sings the poet, and l would add, ''nor
yet country fair, though the sun may
shine the whole year round, and fruit |
grow everywhere"
have been reading Samantha among
the brethren" lately and this must &C
count for my 'episoding, so | will re
sumo"
Shocks other than that caused by |
earthquakes have shaken us up lately. |
Last week J. NJ. Eaubanks, who shot his
daughter at Los Gatos last winter, was
hanged, and to one unaccustomed to liv-
ing where such things are done, it causes
thrill of horror. This week big fire
destroyed a lodging house, and two men
were burned to crisp-beyond identifi-
ton. Liquor was, as is usually the case,
the cause of these dreadful things. Eau
bank had been drinking hard for several
days before he shot the girl, and con-
fessed it on the scafiold, sending out his
warning to call young men, to let drink
and cards alone" As local paper says
this morning, "A drunken man and a
candida big fire-two charred corpses.
Whiskey did it. 1t keeps doing such |
things" 1t would seem that no COM
ment was needed, but the city fathers
still talk high license, and the mill still |
grinds away and gathers in the boys. |
One comfort is that though ''the mills of |
the Gods grind slowly, but they grind ex-
ceeding small, yet with justice |
grinds he ALL" And SOMETIME we shall |
have TO answer for drunkard making.
1t is late to write of the election but |
few notes may be of interest. Party |
spirit ran high and many enthusiastic |
meetings were held. 1t was hard for |
woman citizen to distinguish parties, for
they both carried the same flag, used the |
same kind of powder, and fired the same
kind of rockets, while flags and banners
were stretched over the saloons all
through the campaign, welcoming both
political parties. Some of us fell into
| line one night and followed in the wake
| of one procession that carried banner
| with this inscription "They all drink
beer" Now as we are all prohibitionists
out here, / am not going to be personal
at ALL
The people of California have been
rather choice in their selection of candi-
dates names. One lady remarked that
it would seem that the Democratic party
would be the Prohibition party of the fu-
ture, for, not being satisfied with the Re-
publican governor, Waterman, they had
now chosen a whole PoND."
Gov Waterman closed his administra-
ton with deeds that ought to make him
long remembered by the whole country.
He pardoned criminals of all grades,
from the murderer down-some that aft
er long trials had been sentenced to 30
and % years, and had only been impris-
oned two and less. We were out on the
street several evenings to see the brilli-
liant parades, and like all children of a
larger growth could not resist going out
to witness the closing demonstration of