The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-08-28
THE FIRST VlGILANTES.
TEE ORIGIN OF A FAMOUS CALI
FoRNIA ORGANIZATION.
Thieves With Impuntty PIundered
Pioneer Cattle Queen--rhe Wight


Thieves With Impunity PIundered a
Pioneer Cattle Queen--rhe Wight
ance Committee to Her Rescue.
In the month of November, 1850,
there were eight primitive houses situated
on the extreme point OF little peninsula
far projecting into the. Bay, of San Fran
cisco. 1t was separated from the SUR
rounding country by rocky mountain
range. The eight houses were occupied
by an American hunter and seven French
fishermen, deserters from French man
of-war. On the opposite side was an.
other French settlement of five fisher-
men. All of the cattle owned by the
two settlements was single goat, the
loss of which would have proved pub.
l,c calamity. Its master had brought it
from France, around Cape Horn. Besides
the hunting and fishing people, there vas,
beyond these settlements also, a regular
farmer called the Irish Captain, although
he was neither Irish nor Captain. He
was Dane by birth, and q farmer all his
life by occupation. He possessed a valua-
bic stock of imported cattle-a rare thing
, at that time. Farther into the interior,
on the other side of the mountain range,
was the Cornelia Rancho, California
manor-house, constructed of rough beams,
and surrounded by mud and cattle in
stead OF gardens, parks, green grass, and
flowers. CorRelia was n native grandee,
and claimed the right to four hundred
square miles of territory. Although the
invasion Of her country by the gold
hunters had swept away the
greater part Of her herds, yet there
remained over a thousand head. In
tull dress. adorned with gold chains,
pearls and jewels, she looked very mag
nificent, seated in n large wagon drawn
by two oxen and sixteen mules, roughing
over u country without roads. This,
however, was upon State occasions, and
of rare occurrence. Her home dress was
an old broad brimmed straw hat, leather
boots, a loose white shirt, and n short
petticoat of coarse red flanuel. She ruled
over thirty Indian servants besides her
son-twenty -four years of age-and
homeless Portuguese adventurer, who,
seeking support, had drifted to that
Eden before the rude gold hunters dis
persed the charm of silence, simplicity
and ignorance that reigncd complete
everywhere. The Irish Captain was not
slow to perceive his advantage over the
sonora. He therefore proposed to her
to take charge of her cattle and sell to
the best advantage, on condition that he
should have onc.half the sum realized,
which proposition was reluctantly accep-
ted by the sonora. The Irish Captain
now organized for the common defense
by calling general meeting, and bind
ing each by covenant to take care OF
his neighbor's property by armei force
when necessary. But short time there
after n boat laden with stolen beef from
the senora's herds was captured, and the
cattle thieves taken prisoners by the
Frenchmen Of Low Point. The thieves
were tied, put under 4 boat turned upside
down, and closely watched. The Irish
Captain himself escorted the prisoners to
San Francisco the following morning,
and delivered them into the hands OF
the civil authorities. Instead of being
wsfs et Utterly bh by the evil Sit'a 'saatho6fi:: hi6:
ties, and retaliated upon the Irish Cap
tain by butchering and carrying off all
his milch-cows. These thieves and this
system of robbery received the couute-
nance OF rich and influential butchers OF
San Francisco. who furnished the means
for these predatory incursions and the
money to retain influential counsel to
defend and acquit, through techuicali-
ties of the law, such of the thieves as
should fall into the hands of the Irish
Captain and his cohorts. Convinced
that no redress could be obtained from
the civil authorities at San Francisco,
second general meeting was held, and 1t
was unanimously resolved that the
residents of the peninsula should form
themselves into permanent committee
and assume all the duties of police aud
courts martial. No suspected party
should be permitted to land. Thieves
aud other criminals -ahould- -hn-- --tsi-.s-a.e-r
fore the committee, and, if found guilty,
executed on the spot. Thus was formed
the first vigilance committee that ever
existed within the limits of California;