The morning call., 1892-04-03

water ditch in dispute. but the great advo-
cate made the jury see it, and that W as all
that was required.
Some months after the case was tried
again, and Baker was just coming to the old
fountains and cataractS when the opposing
counsel, Colonel r. II. Taylor, arose and
begged permission from the court TO suggest
that since Colonel Bakers former brilliant
plea number of honest miners had gotten
into the headwaters of the ditch and riled it
up so that the waters didn't sparkle at all.
aud, therefore, the colOnePs magnificent
description of the upuer premises had no
longer any application. The court and
spectators laughed. Baker, for once in his
life, was done up. and he came near making
a failure.
Another anecdote relates to an incident of
the Fremont campaign. During this exct-
ing period Downieville contained only
some 500 people, and among these only one
Republican. All the rest were Democrats
of the most radical type Baker determined
TO go there and make Republican speech.
although strongly advised not to do so, as it
was considered dangerous.
But the mighty sorcerer" was never
afraid of the forbidding faces of men. He
appeared TIC know how to stir the latent
divinity within thu most savage souls.
When Baker entered the village the crowd
about the hotel hauled down the American
flag in token of hostility and disrespect, but
offered no further personal indignity.
Baker did no. seem to observe the flag
episode, and after dark he mounted a car
penter's bench in the main street and COM
menced his speech. crowd collected and
he kept on. The rough audience had heard
OF him, and Though a detested "black Re-
publican" they wanted to listen TO his
0ratory. Not a word was spoken in the
crowd; not sign or appiauSo or dIsap-
proval; and never did an orator address so
seemingly stolid an audience.
Baker continued half an hour or so with.
out any pereeptible effect; then seemingly
gathering all his energies for one gigantic
blow to split the rocky silence of his audi
tors, he began 70 pace back and forth along
the bench, pouring out wave after wave of
elOquence. cumulative, majestic and over
whelming.
Something like tremor ran through the
obstinately silent thr0ng. One could see
individuals here and there move uneasiiy
about. Some of them had belonged to
Riey's regiment In the Mexican War.
Baker knew that. aud looking up at the
naked flagstaff, he referred to his own par
ticipation in the battles in Mexico and then
for fully ten minutes, and, as il appeared,
without period in the structure of his
speech, he rolled down torrent on the
transfxed audience.
Like the "dashing, silyer-splashing surges
OF San Salvador" the orator. standing in
the majesty Of his power, went on piling it
up higher and higher and louder and louder
until at length some one standing in the
crowd gave queer kind of agonizing yell,
as though unable to stand it any longer. and
the stubborn rock was cleft for the outflow
of the hidden waters.
The men yelled continuously and with a
regular war-whoOp rushed upon the fraii
platform. Baker and his speech were over
thrown, and it was several minutes before
the triumphant orator could 60 on with his
speech.
'Never." said a spectator OF the scene
afterward, never was a crowd so nearly
from
equal number of men behave so frantically
from similar emotions c. A. d.