The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-09

where Me'ggs wharf stands. think he is
there yet.
"Oid Abe kept great collection of mon
KEYS and birds. and the place was called
Old Abe's Monkeys.
There were no parks in the city at that
time and Old Abe's was the general resort
Oh holidays and Sundays for the people to
go to.
1T is many q time I have swung along
from there With the old stage at night with
Jolly crowd aboard that had more whisky
than sea air in them, aud they would
make the night howl.
w hen the first ear line was built in 1862
ald 1868 on Third Street by tie Omnibus
Railroad Company, l was made conductor.
ana was in that capacity for a year when l
was made Superintendent Mr. GardGeI's
pace temporarily, then assistant superin-
tendent. | remained with the company for
thirteen years.
The next line built after Third street was
on Howard street. OF course there was
always something happening, bat renem-
Der better two occasions that were rather
cut OK the common, and though they seemed
pretty serious at the tiIae, l have often
laughed over them since.
w hen tile cars were first put on the road
there was a rule made by the company
thai culored people were rot TO ride inside
OF the cars. One night rather late when
Inc car was going along empty 1t was hailed,
ana colored man named Brown, who used
to have livery stable where the Apprais-
etS Office now stands, and who was the
father. believe, of the editor of the Vindi-
Gator, newspaper published for the colored
people, got on the ear with three coored
women, his DAUGHTERS, his son, James +.
br1wu, and his sOH-in-iaw, named Dennis. It
was wet. driZzly, nasty night, ard it seemed
10 me rather hard to turn the women out. So
L went IN, and said to Brown: You'll have
TO get out on the front platform. You
know the rule OF the company, but as 1t is
such bad night / will let the women stay
in. Why said lie, isn't there room here?
Yes, said l. but the comrany don't allow
cOlored people to ride inside the car Put
me out, then,' said lie, aud he squared HIM
sell up TO me. am smai-sized man, hut
L caught him by the lapels OF his coat with
both hands and jerked him down on the
seat, and as he came down lie smashed a
window.
Then the women screamed out You low
white trash jumped off the seats and sailed
INTO me. and they were fighters toe, l eau
tel you. Il became regular free fight for
awhile with tie whole gang on me. Some
times was on top and sometimes l was un-
derneath. The air for awhile was full of
petticoats and legs and arms flying around
Ike the fans of a windmill. All the win
dows in the car were smashed to atoms and
my clothes were badly torn, but was de-
termined l would not give in. was going
TO show item who was the boss of that car,
and finally after hard tussle | succeeded
IN getting them all oui. but the car was SO
badly damaged that 1t had to lie hauled up
for repairs and cost the company tidy little
sum to put it in shape again. That hap
pened on jackson street, opposite the old
fremont House, between Montgomery and
Sansome."
result of this incident was a suit
against the company. N which it was con-
tended for the first time in this city that
under the fourteenth amendment 10 the
constitution colorod people were entitled to
ride in cars that were common carriers.
THIS contention was upheld by the courts.