The morning call., 1891-01-04

| the border His men rode on horseback to
| Monterey aud to Captain Suffers fort on the
| sacramento, bringing him news and carry
| ing his letters. Spanish families coIonized
| tile fertile valleys under his protection and
Indians came and built in the shadows of
| the SOnoma Mission.
de owned, as he believed by unassailable
| title, the largest and finest ranch in the
province, and he dispensed hospitality so
| generous ana universal that it was admired
| and extolled even among the old Spanish
| families. j. Quinn Thornton, who visited
the coast in 1913, and published his expert
ences, says: "Goyernor-General Vallejo
| owns 1000 horses that are broken to file |
saddle and bride, and 5000 that are not
broken. Broken horses readily bring 500
apiece, but the unbroken ones can be pur-
chased for trivial sum-"
More and more in the closing yearo f the
| epoch and the days Of the conquest :. neral
| Vallejo became the representative man of
MS people, and so he has received, among
many of the old families, the reproachful
name OF traitor tn California and to his
nation. The quiet intensity of this bitter
ness, even today, Is startling thing. i
have seen men of pure blood, famous in
provincial history leave the room at the
name Of Vallejo.
Spanish Hospitality in Early California
In the old days there was not hotel In
California, and 1t was considered grieyous
otfense even for stranger, much more for
friend, to pass by ranch without STOP
ping. Fresh horses were always furnished,
| and in many cases on record when strapg-
| ers appeared to need financial help pile of
| amounted silver was left in the sleeping
apartment, and they were given to under
| stand that they were TO take all they needed.
| This money was covered with cloth, and
it was point of honor not to count it be-
forehand nor afterward. 1t was guest sill
ver," and the custom continued until its
abuse by travellers compelled the native
Callfornians to abandon it.
Among themselves no one was ever al |
lowed to suffer or struggle for lack of help.
The late DR.. Nicholas Den of Santa Bar
bara, who married into tue Ortega family
once needed money to carry through a spec |
ulatiOn, and thought of going TO Los An |
| geles to borrow it. Old Father Narciso,
hearing OF the matter. sent his Indian boy |
basket full OF gold, and the message that |
he ought TO ccme to his priest whenever he |
needed help.
Pioneer Spanish Families In California.
A multitude of stories of the social life of
the Spanish period might be told. Each
town on the Coast was the center of the hide
and tallow trade for a hundred miles or
more. The low, adobe stores there held
piles of costly ana beautiful goods in the
days of which Farnham and Dana wrote
the DAYS whom the great cattle princes came
from their ranches to hold festival. The |
young cavaliers rode in on fiery but we'll |
trained and gayly caparisoned horses, and all |
the wonderful feats of hOrsemanship Of as
fine race Of riders as the world has ever
| seen were performed daily on mesa and sea-
beach and plaza.
But the home life of these great families
| was simplicity itself. In many a Spanish
house there was no fireplace, window or |
| q W aS I'm
| clay floor, IaTtly rooted, outside of the
main building. The household utensils
were few-a copper or iron Kettle, slab of
| rock on which to pound corn or wheat. n
| soapstone grlddle for the turtiilas Dishes.
| tableware, and furniture came slowly, and
| we're OF the most simple description For
| years rawhide stretched on the floor with
| bed in early California.
Everything was KEPT exquisitely clean.
| and though the Spanish families learned to
spend more on their houses and belongings.
they seemed to look upon such things as
only a1o[dlng opportunities for a more
| generous hospitality.
John T. Doyle also contributes some inter-
estlng sketches, from which the following
| are selected:
o1d-Time Hospitality in California,
Besides nstructing the natives and in
| cidentally fulfilling the duties OF parochial
clergy the missions extern dcd bountlfu
| hospitality to all travellers and wayfarers.
Planted at intervals of about days tourney
| on the natural route of travel along the coast
| they became the usual resting place for all |
| travellers in either direction.
Horses were the only means of locomotion
ana AT me end Oh his hard days ride the |
weary traveller stopped at the door of the |
mission building as naturally and with as |
little thought of intrusion as one might now |
at public hotel. Throwing his rein to an |
Indian arriero he was received by the mis- |
slonary priest. or in his absence by the |
sacristan, with tho patriarchal hospitality |
that Abraham extended to Lot A bath was |
provided, followed by a plentiful meal and |
comfortable bed. He was at liberty to |
stay as long as his convenience required. and |
on leaving was provided with a fresh horse |
and directions, or, if needed n guide for |
ms further journey. Perhaps it is tradition |
from these early days. but travellers still |
| speak kindly of the hospitality of California.
The Ruin of the California Missions
The ruin OF the missions was completed |
| by the American conquest The few re-
naming Indians were speedily driven mr.
| entlced away, for the rough frontiersmen
VINO came over the plains knew nothing of
| missionary friars or civilized Indians. thew
| came here to squat on public land and 70
| spected no possession beyond 16O acras and
| tnat only IN the hands of one familiar wifi
tne EnslSh language and modern weanons
None oil The establishments retains ito pr;gi
| nal character. 40 vi
Where population has grown m around
the site, as at Santa Clara. San Frsncisno
| and San Rafael, they became norisH
churches. At other places s0uatterIp 80,
possession of them, extruding nriast oUd
mayor-domo lmpartially, and In more than
one case even tho churches were sacr;iagi-
ously degraded to the use of stables and t6e
ike. In others many parts of the bniidings
were demolished Tor the sake of the timhar
tiles, and other building material thav Of
fOrded. 'Nos III
Adventure OF Three Children vy;.t |
California Lion
Maria Antonio Castro tells the follo,,,nr
thrilling story of an adventure with Cali
fornia lion, in which she was ono If Tho
children referred to:
! whispered to the other children r. liz
still, because we had no place to hide in
nor was it any use to try to climb tree
for the California lion will climb like cat
So we saw the lion finish his meal on ourov
1t grew very light, near sunrise befora ba
took any notice Of us, where we sat nndar
the ox-cart. As soon as he saw nc he
walked up very close, with a curious' won. /
derlng expression on his face, and went all
ABOUT the cart, looking us over and ma;rino
purring sound. We sat close and had iry
| arms about one another, but we did not Cow
word. lie then came nm 90 oln.o .i' ~