Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-10-24
A SAN DIEGO BRIGAND

cities of Southern California 1t lies
within only a few minutes ride Of
Mexico There lisa pretty little Mex.
lean town on the line between Mexico
and California called Tia Juana-
pronounced TIE Wanna. In the cen.
ter of one of the streets stands q
great gray stone monument. set there
by the government to mark the lire
between the United States and
Mexico.
TO the south, severa! hundred
miles distant, stretches the long Sea
of Cortez, as the conquerors OF ancient
Mexico once called the Gulf Of Cali
fornia. Beyond the Sea OF Cortez is
the long and rock bound reach of the
west coast OF Mexico.
Then come Guatemala and group
of little Central American Republics;
then Colombia, Peru. and so on. till
at last Patagonia points away like a
huge giants finger straight toward
the South Pole.
But l must bear in mind that set
out in this story to tell you about
1.-THE Brigand of San Diego" and the
South Pole is q long way from the sub
ject in hand
l have spoken of San Diego as one
of the great new cities, and great 1T
is, but altogether new it certainly is
not. for it was founded by u Spanish
missionary, known as Father Juni-
pelo. more than one hundred years
ago.
These old Spanish missionaries
were great men in their day; brave,
patient, and very self-sacriticine in
their attempts to settle the wild
countries and civilizc the Indians
This Father Junipero walked all
the way from the City of Mexico to
San Diego, although he was more
than fifty years OLD; and finally, after
he had spent nearly quarter of a
century 10 founding missions up and
down the coast of California, he
walked all the way back to the City
of Mexico, where he died.
When it is added that he was a
lame man, that he was more than
threescore and ten years Of age. and
that he travelled all the distance on
this last journey on foot and alone,
with neither arms nor provisions
trusting himself entirelyj to Provi-
dcnce, one can hardly failito remem-
Der his name, and speak it with
respect
This new city, with its most salu-
brious cline, is set all over and about
with golden oranges red pomegran-
ates, great heavy punches of green
and golden bananas and silver-laden
olive orchards. The leaf Of the olive
is of the same soft gray as the breast
of the dove, as If the dove and the
olive branch had in some sort kept
companionship ever since the days of
the Deluge.
San Diego is near ten miles broad.
with its base resting against the
warm, still waters of the Pacific
Ocean. The most populOus part of
the city is to the south, toward Mex
leo, where seven or eight railrOa is
run together.
Then comes the middle part of San
town." and here it was that Father
Junipero planted some palm-trees that
stand to this day-so tall that they
almost seem to be dusJing the stars
with their splendid plumes.
Here also you see great many old
adobe houses in ruins, old forts,
churches, fortresses, barracks, built
by the Mexicans nearly century ago.
when Spain possessed California, and
her gaudy flag floated from Oregon to
the Isthmus of Darien.
a., @1l io Ia fnr
Their on up the coast. and the new
college, known as the San Diego Col
lege of Letters, is still further on up
the warm and salubriOus sea-bank.
San Francisco lies several hundred
miles ON up the coast beyond Los
Angeles. Then comes Oregon. then
Washington, one of the newest
States, and then Canada, then Alas
ka, and at last the North Pole. which
n is almost as far as the South Pole
from my subject. the Brigand of San
Diego.
He was little Aztec Indian,
brown as berry, slim and slender,
very silent, very polite, and not at
all strong.
It was said that he had Spanish
blood in his veins, but it did not
show through his tawny skin. 1t is
to be conceded. however, that he had
all the pOliteness and serene dignity
OF the proudest Spanish Don in the
land.
He was q student at the San Diego
College of Letters, where there were
several hundred other boys OF all
grades and ages, from almost all parts
of the earth.
A good many boys came here from
Boston ana other Eastern cities to
escape the rigors Of winter I re-
member one hoy In particular from
Philadelphia. He was small boy
with q big nose. very bright and very
brave He was not friend of the
little Aztec Indian. the Brigand Of
San Diego.
The name of this boy from Phila
delphia was Peterson; the Boston
boys called him Bill Peterson. Hi