Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-01-25
An Old Roman of Mariposa.

Mariposa is wreck OF tho golc
fever The merest skeleton OF it'
former self, its lies there in the gulcf
betwee the chaparral-covered 1901
| hills and remembers the time when II
was lusty and vigorous, in the iul
flush of feverish youth, and had
murder every morning for breakfast.
All around it the gashed aid scanned
and Scared aud furrowed earth bears
testimony to the labors of those stir
ring times when men dug fortune
from tn. ground in day. and spent
il in the town at night.
The people live in the past. The
first man with whom you talk vii
make you hear the sound OF barroom
fights and pistol shots down the street
and the rolling chorus OF Forty nine,
and make vivid for your eyes the piles
OF gold dust upon the gaming tables
the hundreds of gold weighted miners
that came trooping into town Satur
day night, and the placer mines down
the bed OF the creek, a. populous then
as city street, though utterly de
serted now. And every man and wo
man above middle age with whom you
talk will do the same for you with new
characters and incidents, until your
stay in the town becomes Il rolling
panorama Of the gold days and you
feel as if you were yourself living
| through their sXcitemepts and had
gotten their deliriums in your veins
At least that was what was happen
| ing to me as | sat on bench in front
of little house whose narrow porch
was flush with the sidewalk OF the
main street Ny hostess. herself an
oldtimer, the first woman in the town,
began the entertainment as we sal
there in the early afternoon, shelliug
peas for dinner and breathing deep
draughts Of the honey-scented all
that blew down the hills FROM thous
ands of pink lowered manzanita
bushes. She told how she and her
sister had algbted from the stage in
Mariposa that evening so many years
ago, when they were both lust slips
OF girls" the very first women in that
region for miles and miles around
and how the mel, hundreds OF them
who had not seen the form of wo
man for months, save Indian squaws
came at the news that two women
were in town and begged her father
to he allowed just to look at them
and how the two OF them, hand II
hand. came shyly out and the mer
crowded around with looks OF respect
full alteration and then passed on tc
let Others look, though one stopped
long enough to fall on his knees anC
kiss the hem OF her dress; and no"
the whole great crowd OF men sudden
ly started up, as if by one impulse
the hH mn. Nearer, My God, to Tnee.
Then along came a newspaper mar
"a bit of the present mingled witt
the past. He was there reporting 1
murder trial for his San Francisco
paper.
Better como to this afternoon
session Of the trial" he said. "Th'
prisoner isn't much. but his father Il
the most interesting old chap Iv'
run across since I've en- on thu
Coast. I'll tell you about him as W.
walk over.
Its a brutal, ghastly case, th'
newspaper man said, "and to Ill!
mind the only mystery about 1t Is TN
prisoners father. He is fine-lookin!
old man, with the manner and hen'
of an old Roman. II has the reputa
ton Of being the straightest an'
souarest man in the county, and hoN
he ever came to be the father OF sucl
a ood-for-nothing scum OF the eartl
a the prisoner can explain only Ii
the supposition that he isn't.
The old man is one Of the pioneer
in Mariposa aud they tell me that h
was one Of the nsrviest men that eve
drew a gun in this town. He kIlIe'
his man in those days, just as lots O
other good men did, but it was in sell
defense and everybod! was glad tina
the town was rid of the man b
dropped and so nothing was sal
about it. There was a coroner's jury
which gave a verdict Of suicide, an
explained their finding on the groun
that it was suicidal for any man t
draw on Dau Hopkins aud then Civ
Dan the chance TO shoot first.
The old man was UNIVERSAL
known TO be so honest and square i
all his dealings and so upright an
honorable in every way that the SON
deprsvity seemed all the blacker b
contrast. He has stood by the youn
fellow from the first OF his wickednes'
SO every body says, and has Away
shown toward him the very gresi
est affection. He has never intlms
ted even to his best friend that th
Young man was anything but tn
best and most dutiful son that ha
ever lived. He has kept him supple
with money, so that the fellows onl
reason for the petty thievery he di
was pure love for stealing. He m
paid his. fine when he has been al