The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-12

Golden Gate. When he arrived at this port
in 1851 he came ashore, and after drinking
more than was good Tor him III Clay-Street
saloon, he finally quarreled one night with
another sailor. and many drunken taunts
were exchanged. 1t was the same old story
of jealousy over the beStOwal of a woman's
love, for the second marine had also given
his heart to the Champerico beauty. Words
led to blows, and finally the favored sultor.
drawing his sWeetheaItS StilettO, stabbed
his rival, who fell, severely but not fatally
wounded. Fearing the consequences of this
assault and hoping to conceal his share IN
the atfray, the aggreSsOr threw the stlletto
away from him with all the force of his
drunken energy. 1t fell in the soft mud at
the corner Of Clay street, where It'll has lodged
uninjured during the past forty years The
street was afterward filled with refuse OF all
sorts from the adjacent houses. covered over
with brush and branches OF trees.
HIS FIRST ToP-BooTs.
The older streets of the city are undOubt-
eddy the repository of many other interest
ing articles, with most of which some story
is connected. A prominent journalist mar
rated an anecdote in point yesterday after
noon to an interested circle OF auditors. In
1851, this gentleman, who was then little
boy, resided with his parents on M0ntgOm-
cry street, near Sacramento. He was the
proud possessor of u new pair of top-bonts,
ornamented with bright red tops. The
streets were at that time rivers of mud, and,
as he was crossing Montgomery from Com
merciaf the little fellow slipped off the path
and fell into the Shiny roadway. burly
miner, wearing an enormous sombrerO, res
cued the unfortunate pedestrian from his
muddy station and carried him to the side
walk He was minus his new boots, how
ever, which stuck in the mud, where they
have since remained. They are now prOba-
bly, fOssliZed, about ten feet under ground,
and, if the ravages of the past forty years
have not destroyed the leather, the eXcaya-
lions of some workman may yet restore
them to their owner.
THE MULE DISAPPEARS.
The same gentleman related an incident
which he witnessed in the same year, on
Broadway, between Stockton and Dupont,
opposite the site of Truck-hOuse 2. In those
days water was sold from house to house by
peddlers, who supplied their patrons from
casks placed on pair of wheels and shafts,
drawn by horses or mules. On this occa-
sion n water merchant was driving a mule
attached to a wagon containing a cask of the
marketable liquid. Happening to drive out
of the more solid ground composing the road
he unluckily proceeded a little too far to
one side. when his outfit stuck in the Shiny
mire. The attempts Of the owner to ex-
conveyance, water-cask and the unfortunate
mule sinking down into the mud, until the
only evidence OF their location was slightly
defined mound, indicating the site of the
CASH 1Hb ShtltlOn Vi tllt llilllt Uid1 ptI-
haps be un earthed at some future day, but
the excavator will hardly be likely to guess
the true explanation of its presence.
A SAFE UNEARTHED.
Another interesting discovery was made
yesterday on Montgomery street, near Cali
furnia, by the finder of the stilettO. Six feet
below the surface of the street the work
mans pick-ax struck an iron safe which,
when it was removed, was found to be
about three feet square. 1t was covered
with rust, and the iron yielded easily TO the
stroke of the pick. The men, excited Mt the
prospect Of buried treasure, demolished
the relic, instead of removing ii intact and
keeping it to gladden. the hearts of the Cali
fornia Society of Pioneers. Money and
valuables had been removed, however, be-
fore its burial, and the safe was empty.
Many theories rs to its original owner
ship were advanced by interested byStand-
ers. Some suggested that it had been in
the possession of Joseph G. Duncan, who
erected the Safe Deposit Building, in front
of which the relic was found. Many pio-
neers were of the opinion that the safe had
been thrown into the street at the time of
the elevation of the grade. Others con-
tended that the iron box had belonged to
squatter, whose first settlement on the site
OF this city was fifty years ago The resi-
dence of this old inhabitant had been de-
strOyed by fire, and the safe was allowed to
remain in the debris.
The author Of this theory maintained that
its position when found was identical with
the location of the old settlers dwelling,
and that.the last vestige of its contents was
destroyed by the wUrImen employed in dig
ging the trench for the underground wires.