Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-08

i. He utterly refused to convene the
legislature not he; military rule
was sufficient, thought he. What was
the use of soldiers any way? They could
do the police work, and he could easily
manage the custom houses and disburse
the funds. When the proud dons de-
manded q representative government.
he played the baby act, and told them
that their vocales had been illegally
| elected. Then the dons, both north and
south, began to insist on free exercise OF
their civil rights. Victoria answered
their prayers with curses; he gave
them stones for bread and thistles
for figs. He imprisoned those
who protested against his usur-
pations of power.
He was very severe in his punish
ments.
He banished Mexican citizens without
trial, or cause other than they criticized
his acts. Abel Stearns, ]. M. Padres, ].
A. GARLIC and Juan Bandini suddenly
found themselves transported across the
line into Baja California.
Among other outrages which he COM
mitted was the arrest of the alcalde of
the pueblo of San Jose, and causing him
TO be brought in irons to Monterey, and
| q
offense consisted in responding to an
amorous letter from woman, inviting
him to her house, where he was arrested.
1t was developed afterwards that the
man had incurred Victoria's i'll will, and
that the latter, ascertaining his weak
ness, had sprung this trap on him.
The people of Los Angeles had quar-
rel with Vicente Sanchez, who being
already a member of the legislature,
was therefore declared by them incom-
petent to hold at the same time the Office
of alcalde. Victoria restored Sanchez to
office, and imprisoned two members of
the town council, Alvarado and Perez,
and elk other citizens: Tomas Tala-
NANTES, Jose Maria Avila, Maxim Alan
is, Demisio Dominguez and jose Aguilar.
1t was unnatural that such state OF
things could long continue. The Cali
fornians had tasted of the sweets of self
government and were loath to yield.
Stearns was son of Massachusetts, and
came of race of people who had not
only been free from time immemorial,
but had written guarantees in the Magma
Charta and the American constitution.
On the northern frontier of Baja Califor-
MIA were Stearns, Bandini and j. A. Car
rillo, all exiled by Victoria.
While the north equally with the
south detested Victoria, it also stood
ready to oppose anything the south
might do. AS it was the arribefios had
the capital and the control of the Gus
tom house-the two vital points OF
the government in Alta Californians.
Ii they should join the abajefios
against Victoria, they would prob
ably lose the capital and posi-
|
chose to bear the ills they had rather
than fly to unknown evils.
1t did not take Stearns and Bandini
long to decide upon course of action.
Boldly riding into San Diego on Novem-
Der 80, 1881, they met Echeandia, Pho
Pico and other prominent abajef1Os.
The forts on the hill and Ballast point
were captured that night with no oppo-
sition. A pronuncamiento was duly
drawn up, reciting at length the evil
deeds of Victoria, and declaring that the
signers were animated by love of our
soil'' against him. Those who signed
the pronunciamiento were: Jose Maria
Echeandia, Pho Pico, Juan Bandini,
Jose Antonio GARLIC, Pablo de la Por-
tilla, Santiago Arguello, Jose Maria Ra-
mirez, Ygnacio Del Vale, Jaun Jose
Rocha and Andres Cervantes.
Santiago Arguello was elected to the
dominance of San Diego. Pablo de Ia
Portilla organized company OF mounted
men, armed, and on December3d set out
for Los Angeles, where they arrived the
next day. Captain Portilla at once freed
all the political prisoners. among whom
was Andres Pico, brother OF Pho, and
in turn imprisoned Sanchez. Los An
geles joined the revolution with great
| -.
cember 9Th, the revolutionists, 100
strong, rode out OF Los Angeles to meet
Governor Victoria, who at the same
hour had left San Fernando mission
with force of about thirty men, on his
way to Los Angeles.
Victoria was coming south on an Off
cial trip, and had not heard of the up
rising till near San Fernando. Nothing
daunted Victoria rode on toward Los An
geles. The opposing parties met near the
Cahuenga pass. Portilla commanded the
revolutionists, and ordered halt when
Victoria and party came out of the pass
Victoria, approaching within speaking
distance, ordered the abajeflos to sur
render, which they refused to do, when
he ordered volley. In the fight which
ensaed, Captain Romualdo Pacheco was
killed by J. M. Avila, who in turn was
killed by Victoria, the last named being
badly hurt in hand-to-hand conflict
with Tomas Talamantes. Avila and
Talamantes had both been il
legally imprisoned by Victoria,
hence their reasons for centering the
fight on him. AS soon as Victoria was
endorsed and badly wounded the fight
ing stopped. The revolutionists retired
to Los Angeles, while Victoria went to
the San Gabriel mission. On the next
day, December 6, 1881, he surrendered
the government to Echeandia, and is
sued proclamation ordering the pro-
vinciaI legislature to meet at Los An
geIes, and Southern California was again
triumphant.
The legislature met at Los Angeles,
agreeably to Victoria's proclamation,
January 10, 1882.
COUNTER REVOLUTION.
The abajehos' glory of having over
thrown Victoria and practically secur-
ing the capital at Los Angeles was too
bitter pill for arribef1os to swallow.
The Montereyans could not yet give up
the capital, and accordingly, headed by
Capt. A. V. Zamarano they pronounced
against "the plan of San Diego"
as the revolution of the abajefios
against Victoria was called. The