The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-08
IN SAN GABRIEL CANYON.
The Story Of Two Travellers Who
Struck California Just
About Broke.
Starting Divers and Several News
papers in 10 Many Conn-
{ try Towns.

R00OA0 - 06 MAU S0AA
try Towns.
Discouraged J%surnalista Take to the Hills
Throwing Chunks Of Gold II
Trouhlsssme Coyote.
What possessed us to 20 to Los AnRslsa
In 1877 has always bsen q .myatery to mo;
il must have bsen the stories We heard of
orange trees and blossoms. ! suppose. AT
that time southern CaliforniaAvas deadsr
than . door nail, and what two newspaper
men OF experience. as my friend Walter
WATSON and myself were. expected to
achieve in the lower country, 10 more than
I can now remember. says . writer
in the San Francisco Chronicle. We had
come from the east to better our fortunes
ON the Pacific coast. but on the morning
that We landed In Oakland from the ferry
boat on our way to Los Angeles that for
tuns consisted Of just n twenty-dollar roll
Of 50-cent pieces.
We had no railroad passes. but that did
not prevent NJ from riding in the cars. II
ever anybody could get aronnd a hinty-
hearted conductor you may believe that /
and NV. W. as always called my part
ner, knew how IT was done. We did not
travel as fast. perhaps, - we should have
done had we possessed PASSES or tickets,
but 70 reached Los Angeles Just ths same.
u Was them really but an adobe town with
5000 or 1000 inhabitants, q great many Of
them being Mexicans. Reporting on the
solitary, prosy morning or the equally
sleepy evening papers was out Of the ques-
ton. There was nothing to report.
We skirmishsd around for awhile and
finally met with . good Samaritan who had
! small newspaper plant on his hands that
he didn't know what to do With. We
struck ont for a little country town and
started I weekly paper. NV. W." and my
self did everything; writing. typsssttinR,
mailing. delivering. working. the crank Of
the handpress, besides cooking our meals
and Washing cur olothe. And YET We
subscribers couldn't pay cash, and a. for
filing any .~'long-fslt want" II was all we
could do TO fill our stomachs.
Al soon az We became discouraged, or the
town discouraged NJ, We would rack up
and start a weekly jim-erow papsr, in an
Otu0I kl1blV OA0NAUkUV OWU July "
with . similar fate after a few months of
struggling. Our last venture. l rsoollsst
wat the Rationale Island Bugle. and
whom that went to pieces We swors q great
oath that only angels, who oould subsist
without feed. could run q weekly paper in
usither vlrtuous nor patient enough to keep
up our task Of enliRhtening the people Of
that section.
We returned to our protector his plant.
much the verse for wear. with hsartfelt
thanks, bat had much trouble to induce
him to receive it back. It had mover
brought him in : cent. and 10 would gladly
chosen to accept il. But We had had
enough Of the newspaper business.
Although We had debts right aud left We
were liked we'll enough BY everybody, and
when the publishing business petered out
nobody dunnsd us. #E -5.m
II was June, and the weather being
lovely We decided TO so on q fishing trip to
the San Gabriel canyon. A Mexican
friend loaned us three burros, two to ride
and the other to pack our traps on. and
away We went. At that time Los Angeles
county was nothing but = big Sheep ranch,
tancs of thirty miles, there were mighty
few dwellings,. We entered the San Ga
brisl canyon one f1ne morning n pro-
ceedsd many miles before We reached thu
fork Whole We meant to fish. We had with
us a shotgun and an old navy revolver,
After travelling up the north fork for
three or four miles We came to a lovely
spot, and there. under a big oak tree, we
made eur camp. It WAS very pleasant for
us to be relieved from work OF the Bugle.
to breathe the inviRorating air of the noun
tains, to catch trout by the hundred, aver
aging from six to twelve inches. to shoot
mountain quail, and to eat ~ravenously five
times a day.
One morning, while we were fishing from
a big rock. We esried q deer, and / shot
at it with the revolver, breaking n Of
its legs. 1t got away. however. Az we
T 1%tsI;.n 1s'u ona . kn .G our edmp a Va m. %ss ot 1Me
a tinker, whom We had known in Los
Angeles, and told Thorn of the deer. They
had rifles and started in pursuits OF the
wounded animal. In the afternoon they re-
turned with it, all cleaned and skinned.
They, divided Up s%eneroosly, and then
whore they had a barrel Of California lin
fandel.
Il was nearly four miles away, Ind be-
fore We were ready to leave them darkness
wal setting in. NV. W." had toyed with
the olarss until he was three sheets in
fat bacon which tho Italians had given
us to fry our trout in. The darker it
became the more intoxicated became my
friend, who likewise grew stubborn and
obstinate. When | thought We had rcnohsd
ths mouth of the moth fork / wanted him
to turn of to tho right, but he wouldn't
have it that way. --tl
We must have crossed the stream in
three feet of water at least thirty timer
before "W. W." admitted that VS. were lost
and proposed to camp where we wers. We
were then at the mouth of a little canyon
in which grew several kinds of cactus, many
of which were dried up. OF these We gath
ercd a lot to make "A tire by which to dry
ourselves. Having prepared things ~ COM
fortably ~ w oould near the edge Of the
water on some nice dry sand, we proceeded
to toast our bacon ana make a meal. We
could hear tho caterwnuling of Wildcats not
far away, and u lonesome coyote joined in
the concert frequently.
Nv. w." soon fell asleep and I kept
watch with the old navy revolver. The
wild cats came no nearer, although they
could be heard occasionally. but bier coy
ots, who had smelled the bacon, made bold
to come within a short distance of the
camp. l did not care to ire the old cap and
ball pistol, 90 l won't down to a big boulder
lying in the water. for the purpose Of gath
ering = few stones to shy at tho bowling
brute. ! found several pieces that sesmsd
pretty heavy for their size. which I brought
back and laid near me. But brer coyots
was prudent and kept out of sight in the
dark. Having become sleepy myself l
woke NV. W." and told him to keep watch
It'll -NI:-- l- A.