The record-union., 1891-05-17
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
An incident of the Cholera Scourge
in the Year 1850.
The War Spirit Raging All Over the
Country-Patriotism of Sac
ramento Miss.

OF Chicago and member of the Assocla-
ton Of Forty-niners of that city, was
one of the early gold seekers in Cali
fornia. In a recent letter to the Placer
vile Democrat he relates some of his
experiences in the vicinity OF Sacramento
during the cholera epidemic of 1850,
which are quite interesting. After de-
failing his ups and downs in the mines
of Eel Dorado, he says:
My partners health falling him,
he concluded to go home, so l accom-
panied him as far as Sacramento. l
hunted up my tools and got a job. l
was soon promoted to foreman for the
contractor at Sl6 per day and boarded.
Ready made houses began to arrive from
around the Horn. We putaOuSes along
street so fast that at night we would
hardly know the place we left in the
morning. | was foreman on the M-Street
theateF, which was opened with circus.
Thecholera soon broke out and things
slackened up a little. Then it was l
built the house for Latham and Graves
three miles east of Sacramento-a sort
Of a hospital on the doctors side, and a
milk punch saloon on Graves part.
So between the two they got all man
brought to the place. While [ was
building this house q man from the
mines brought his partner there to be
ter with him but the scurvy; but DR.,
Latham was a Thomsonian doctor-he
gave emetics and nothing else, no matter
whether the disease was external, in
ternal or eternal The patient was laid on
some shavings ut the end Of my work
bench, and that Internal emetic was
rushed down his throat. 1t was not long
before he began vomiting, and l shall
never forget the agonies of that man.
/ stopped work long enough to ask him
his name and where his people lived,
and if / could do anything for him. l
remember | went out and found Doc
Latham and told him the man could not
live under such treatment He replied:
You go back and attend to your bust
ness, as | understand this case; he has
got to go through this before l can begin
To cure him"
As l returned to my work 1 thought,
Heaven help me if l get sick here-dOn't
lot me fall into the hands of Doc Latham.
When l laid down on my work bench for
my nights rest / was too tired to do
anything for the sick man, and he was
too sick to throw off anything more.
When l awoke in the morning, before
the sun was yet up, went to him and
asked him how he felt. He was beyond
speech. l went down, found the doctor,
and told him the man was dying. His
reply was, Nonsense, he won't die; I am
Just getting him in condition that can
cure him, man."
washed myself, and went back up to
my bench, where I kept my toilet tools.
Just then the sun peeped his face above
the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the
snow banks were so white, and the sun
beams shot through the unfinished win
dOw-case right into the face of the dying
man. / stepped to his side and took his
hand in mine-in one minute he was
gone. l finished my toilet and went
down. They were at breakfast. [ step
ped over and told the doctor that Mr..
Elliott was dead. ''Wel," he said, Il
told his partner l didn't think | could
cure him, when he brought him here"
O! how I did ache to tell him his pa
tient had been murdered by quackery,
and in the first degree, too! After break
fast the doctor went up the ladder with
me. and said, Yes, he is dead, sure" AS
/ stood there looking at the old doctor
and the dead man l said: Doctor, with
your permission ] will not work for you
to-day. If you viii sell me a pine board
or two l Will make him coffin" He
replied that 'his blankets were good
enough to bury him in, but if you want
TO lose your day, go on and make him a
coffin"
And | did so, making it coffin-shaped
As ] happened to have some venetian red
in my tool-bOx, with some fat from the
kitchen | mixed it, stained the coffin, and
!
hOmelike. Then | went to the city, where
/ had my grip-sack in store, and where I
knew I had two white shirts that were
done up well at home. / took one of
them back with me, washed the man off
put a white shirt on him, laid him in the
coffin, set two saw-horses alongside my
bench put the coffin on them, left the lid
of. and then laid myself down on my
bench. l slept sOundly and sweetly,
with a clear conscience. for ! had done
what l could for dying humanity.
The next morning, with the assistance
Of two Indians, we dug grave on the
plains, and there we buried Mr.. Elliott,
OF Wisconsin, decently. The doctor went
with us to the grave, but 10 this day
cannot get over the manner in which he
did those things.
Three years ago, when I was in Sacra-
mcnto, / walked out to the mouth of that
slough, or where 1 thought it was; but it
was all built up, and nothing recOgniza-
bic.
..,...... The women of the country were
not less patriotic in those days than the
men. At a Union meeting held in Onisbo
township in this county, at which Jared
RUnyou presided and 4. F. Kerchival
was Secretary, Miss Victoria Runyon
proposed the following pledge, which
nearly all present signed, the lady being
accorded the privilege Of first afIixing her
signature:
I'VE whose names are hereunto sub
scribed, hereby pledge our lives, our for
tunes and our sacred honor to stand by
the flag of our country, to defend the
same against all enemies, whether foreign
or domestic, and to uphold and assist the
constituted authorities of the United
States in maintaining and preserving the
same.'
douglas Democrats all over the
country were exercised TO know what
stand the Little Giant" was going to
take between the Government and its
Southern assailants The St. Louis Her
aid sent Douglas the following telegram
Of inquiry:
10 Judge s. 4. Douglas, Washington: Do you
lndorse Lincon's war policy? Missouri will
not.
Douglas answer was almost as brief
but it was both patriotic and emphatic
and set at rest all doubt as to his position.
lie wired back:
IgJ0msS l.. FgIccett: I deprecate war, but if
II must come ! am with my country and for
my country, under all circumstances, and in
every contingency. Individual policy must
5. A. DOUGLAS.
Among the young men of Provi-
dence, K l., who had just enlisted under
Lncoln call for volunteers was a young
priest named Quinn, who was elected
Chaplain OF Governor Sprague's regi-
mont. His mother in Baltimore wrote
him as follows, as soon as she learned of
what he had done:
ny Dear Son: Has God sent you to
preach the sword, or TO preach Christ?
Your MOTHER"
TO which the son replied:
" ny Dear Mother: God has sent me
10 not only preach the sword, but TO 2tSe
Il. When this Government tumbles,
look among It's ruins for Your Son."
......... The patrioticsp of the State was