The record-union., 1892-09-01
SOME EARLY HISTORY.
What San Francisco's Exhibit at the
State Fair viii Be.
The First Inquest Held Over a Live
saiIor-Something of Interest to
Residents of San Francisco.

The exhibit illustrating the early his
tory of San Francisco, which has been
prepared for the Worlds Fair by Merton
G. Allen, by order of Mayor Sanderson
and the Board of Supervisors of San
Francisco, was shipped to Sacramento
yesterday, and will no doubt be an OBJ
ject OF interest to thousands of visitors to
the State Fair.
The exhibit comprises a lot of aged
documents, pictures, maps, etc., showing
In detail the history of San Francisco
since lS47. There are no documents per-
tanning to the Spanish occupation prior
TO 1S47, the same having disappeared in
mysterious manner in 1850.
School teachers will be interested to
see the report of J. G. Peton the first
school teacher of San Francisco, which
shows that the school enrolment for lS49
numbered three children. In 1850 the
number was increased to eighty pupils.
LIVE CORPSE.
One of the principal features of the ex-
hibit is the report Of the first Coroper's in
quest, held in San Francisco in September
1e47. The supposed dead man was Anto-
MO Lopez, sailor on the ship Vesper.
he was found apparently lifeless on the
beach, and while the jury was inquiring
into the case Lopez suddenly sat up, Gre
ating great CONSERVATION among the spec
tators. The Jury found that Lopez was
severely flogged and that he would thor
oughly recover within two weeks time.
The report is signed by w. w. Leaven-
worth and John Townsend.
The original bill OF sale of the brig
Euphemia TO the city is also in the ex-
hibit. This ship afterwards became IA
NOUS as the local prison ship, in which
many of the malcontents that infested
the city in 1850 Were confined.
The citizens in 100 We're averse to bull
nghtIng, as is Shown by petition filed in
that year asking the Town Council TO
pass an ordinance prohibiting the same.
Among the signatures to the petition are
James Langley, James Van Ness and a
dozen others.
In June, 1850, an order was passed pro-
hibiting the playing of any game of
chance on the Sabbath Old residents
agree that the order, like many of the
present day, was dead letter upon the
statute books
A Probate Court record, filed in 1916.
which IS contained in the exhibit, will
give people an idea of the price OF luxu-
RES III those good old days. Potatoes
cost twenty cents a pound, candles 81 25
a pound, beef twenty-five cents pound
and bread fifty cents loaf. The list also
@AAN4uN'So VIC price VI lOIlN uOZen mexican
playing cards, which cost the muniticent
sum Of $500.
ORIGINAL MAP OF THE CITY.
An object of especial interest to outside
residents will be the original map of the
city IN lS47, when the western limit of the
city was Mason street. Howard street
was where Sacramento street now is, and
Dupont and Stockton streets were in re-
verse OF their present order. The map,
NTfa faCNT1I- -f,r,
nearly at Montgomery street at the inter
section of Clay.
The hrst census returns of the city for
iSo2 snow population of II, ,l53. There
was II the county 2,2I5 horses, 577 mules
and ,3z2 cows. The total capital in the
city that year aggregated SS00,000.
Among the leading features of the ex-
hibit is the report of the Coroner's in
quest on the bodies OF James Casey and
Charles Cora, who were hanged by the
Vigilance Committee in 1856. T. j. Il.
smiley, the present Auditor. figures in
the report as having testified that he wit
messed the hanging, and that Casey had
requested him to deliver his body TO his
(Casey's) friends. More than this Smiley
refused to testify to. The foreman of the
jury was Roderick Mckee.
Among other interesting features of the
exhibit are Mayor Geary's message an
nounclng the death of President Zachary
. IVA PSbItlOh OA Il6 Onll6u states
Government of September I9, 1851, for
permission to erect a Custom-house on
Portsmouth Square, which was refused !:
the original ordinance of 1850 creating q
funded city debt of 100000, issued in
scrip; petition filed in 1852 by citizens
for the closing of dance halls; statement
showing the city debt in May, 1851, to
have been 81 ,07S IA; official com
munication to the Board of Aldermen
announcing the organization of the first
hre department in San Francisco, Sep
tember 27. 1850.
VALUABLE PORTRAITS.
In addition to the documents there are
portraits of all the Mayors from 1863 to
the present time, of the Supervisors for
the past fifteen years and also views of
the city in early days. An interesting
picture is one reproduced from the New
York Herald, showing the President of
the American Tract Society presenting
Colonel j. ID. Stevenson Bibles printed in
all tongues.
The collection includes a file of the
California Star for 1917. 1t was the first
newspaper published in California, and
was edited by Sam Brannan.