The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-02-01
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
Old Forty-Niners' Annual Reunion in
New England.
Men Who Dug for Gold, In the Days of
Old, Rehearse Their Cali
fornia Lives.

wiz dio IlOW spending Ine1r declining
years amid the scenes of their childhood
men who made their "piles' in the early
fifties, and went home to enjoy life. The
Boston Sunday Herald of January lst
gives the following interesting account of
the annual reunion and dinner of New
England '49-ers. Many of those present
were men who had passed under the
shadows of old Suffers Fort in this city
in the winter of '49 and the spring of 80.
The paper says:
The Revere House was the goal of the
Original Forty-niners" yesterday after
noon, and from it's flagstaff fioated the
white and blue folds of the grizzly bear
flag OF the New England Associated Cali
fornia Pioneers.
g.; Inere were about 100 people present, a
Ialr portion OF whom were the legitimate
and bona fide members of that organiza-
ton.
With those hardy and rugged pioneers
OF the Sacramento were their wives and
families, all their to participate in the sec
ond annual reunion and banquet of the
gold-diggers of New England
Never did the big banquet hall of the
Revere House look more cosy and at
tractlve, and never was there a jollier or
more satisfied assembly Of banqueters
than these same torty-niners, their wives
and descendants.
During the reception, which preceded
the repast, there was general handshak-
ing, general exchange of greetings and
OF "reminiscences, and general feeling of
delightful anticipation concerning the
joys to come.
Shortly after o'clock, to the delightful
music OF select orchestra, the order was
given to fall in,' and the march began
TO the banquet hall.
For dpcOratipnS tbarain l,ociJoe @l,o
Moral adornment of the tables, were fes-
ICONS OF bunting and groupings of the
American flag, making altogether q beau
tiful and artistic appearance. Covers
We're laid for 100 people, and beside each
cover was unique and attractive souve-
mir menu.
Seated at the tables were: President
Samuel Snow, with Mary S. Davis, one of
the Forty-niners, on his immediate right:
Earnest Douglas, Lizzie Parsons, Cornell
Jus Coolidge, Mrs. w. A. Billiard, Albert
g. Titcomb, Mrs. Bennett, Jacob T. Ben
nett, James II: Bennett, Mrs. E. L.
smith, George l.. Smith, Mr.. and Mrs.
n. M. Hunnewell, Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph
Holmes, Mr.. and Mrs. L. Litchfield, Mr..
and Mrs. Marshall Russell, Mr.. and Mrs,
>. Arthur Cornell, Miss Gertrude Cornell,
y. +. Griggs, Miss B. w. Griggs, A. l..
Dole, Miss Helen G. Dole, d. A. Hodg-
don, n. E. Hodgdon, Colonel Charles N.
-.
Upton, ). }. Upton, 1. p. Blake, C. F.
Mcclure, A. Ledyard, Daniel r. Child,
Grenville III. Child, Mr. and Mrs. John
ii. Eveleth, Mr.. and Mrs. j. b. Kirby,
Mr.. and Mrs. l. o. Draper, Mr.. and Mrs.
Newton 5. ingalls,, Mrs. c. c. Twitchell,
and Mrs. Daniel w. Mason, Mr.. and Mrs.
ii. IL. Lawrence, Dana Lawrence, Miss
Anna Lane, Mr.. and Mrs. f, NJ. Upham.
w. ID. Gates, Miss Gertrude Lawrence,
Minot Lawrence, Miss l.. p. Cakes,
George G. Spur, Ellen Ledyard, Warren
Fletcher Maud Fletcher, Samuel Snow,
Mr.. and Mrs. Il. S. Rowe, Miss Pauline L.
Rowe, l.. Gibson, A. r. Richardson, Mr..
and Mrs. S. \. Ryder, b. G. Gerrish, A.
\. Proctor, Samuel t. Manson, Joseph
b. Dillaway.
President Snow opened the after din
ner exercises with the remark that 1--WE
have met to celebrate this anniversary by
congratulating one another that here we
are, and that in times past our fortune led
US in such paths that we have a right to
celebrate the discovery of gold in Cali
fornia, and all which that implies.'
Continuing, he said: 1--WE do not know
that any of us here present can boast of
any benefits of fate received by reason
OF our experiences in those paths; and if
we ever enjoyed any sorrows there, we
are now too old to remember them.
Many, it is probable, were common to all
of us. Wherefore our Secretary has
made up composite photograph $50 to
speak,, in which each genuine forty
miner shall behold his own best feat
ureS."
President Snow regretfully referred to
absent members, and congratulated the
association that during the year not one
member has died. Finally he introduced
the Secretary of the society, George G.
Spur, who read an original poem, con-
t1IninO intaraStinO mi Of M
days of old.'
Then came other "reminiscences, in
prose. of the joys and sorrows, trials and
successes of the olden times in California,
delightfully."- told by James HI. Bennett,
Treasurer of the association; Col. A. c.
Titcomb, of Newburyport, who, though
not member, bears the title of ''forty-
niner;" Colonel Wheldon, of Pittsfeld
and Daniel w. Mason, whose story of
1.-The Grizzly was one of the interesting
and thrilling features of the day.
The last number on the programme was
song entitled 'The Days of Old" com
posed by George w. Spur, whose father
was buried within the grounds of the
Suffer Fort:
The song that once inspired the camp
Along the Yuba's stream,
Comes back to me each winters night
Like Well-remembered dreams.
That land so full of memories dear,
Has changed since Forty-nine;
The soil that once was filled with gold
Now teens with fruits and wine.
Beneath our flag of blue and white
We gather once a year,
And pay the homage due its rank
In good old-time Revere.
And ere we part, my dear old friend,
Let's drink one cup of wine
To days of old we dug for gold
Way back in Forty-nine.
God bless that fair and favored land,
That land of fruits and wine:
God bless the men that gave he her fame
In eighteen Jorty-,'i11e.
President Buchanan's famous
dough-faced message, in which he con-
dennis secession, but did not recognize
any power to prevent it, was then the
laughing of the country, and was
hkened by Va1lity Fair to Dogberry's last
charge, as follows:
Dogberry. Buchanan
braham Lincoln
Dougberry-Come hither neighbor Seacoal
Well. for your favor, sir, why give God thanks
and make no boast of il? and for your writing
ana reading, let that appear when there is no
be the most senseleSs and lit man for the con-
stable of the watch, therefore bear you the
lantern; this is your charge! You are to bid
any man stand in the Princes namei
Seacoal-How if he Will not stand?
Dogberry-Why, then take no note of him
let him go!
Edward Donnery was tried in the
Court of Sessions January 18th for assault
TO murder james f. Wilkinson. The
prosecution was conducted by Cornelius
Cole, District Attorney, and the defense
by NJ. NJ. Estee. WilEinson's statement
was that he went to Donnery's house at
Thirteenth and l. streets at night. where
he had been doing carpentering work, to
get his account book; that Donnery came
in and attacked his wife with a knife:
bot h. liz, t,,t,