The herald., 1894-05-06
SOME OLD TIME DOCUMENT
Til e City Ordinances in the
Days Of Old.
Ancient Records That Came to Light
Yesterday.
How the Ciudad do Los Angeles was
Governed in the Good Days of
IS55-Soms Interesting Old
Charter Extracts.

The vaults of the city clerks Office
contain a motley variety of ancient doc
uments pertaining to la Ciudad de la
Reyna de Los Angeles in the days Of
old. when the present city was still in
its swaddling clothes.
While looking for some old ordinances
City Clerk Luckenbach yesterday I'M
esrthed quite bundle of yellow, time
stained papers, covered with duet, that
turned out to contain lot OF antique
ordinances, some of which are nearly
half century old. In the collection
WAS a certified copy of the city charter
adopted on April 20, 1860. In this year
Abel Stearns was president OF the coun-
Gil, w. w. Stetson clerk and Henry
Mellus was the mayor. The officers CT
the city were city marshal, city attorney,
assessor, treasurer and water overseor.
The combined bonds of these officials
amounted to $780, geo.
They had restaurant license in those
days, for the charter reads that the pro-
prietor of each public eating house,
fonda or restaurant, bakery and brew
cry at which wines are sold shall pay
menthly license OF So, and if there was
the license WAS So q month.
Another section absolutely forbids the
game OF the pseu and sill reunions OF
Indians i'll the night time within the
! corporate limits OF the city. In those
days ths council selected three persona
to act as a school board and likewise
elected the school superintendent, and
it was the duty of the mayor to visit
and examine the schools as to tho con-
dition and progress of the pupils.
A copy of the revised ordinances OF
the city OF Los Angeles fled July 81,
| 1855, iB also included among the docu-
ments which have just come to light
after many years. They are written
with quill pen and chow that the city
clerk at that time, W. g. Dryden, was a
very good penman. They are attested
by Alfred Shelly, who was then city
marshal, and the salaries OF the city off,
Gals were then as follows: Mayor, $500
per annum; city marshal, $1,000; city
attorney. 5000; city assessor, $3.50; city
| clerk, $500 per anDum; and further,
| thai the city treasurer should receive
per cent of all moneys received by him
in his official capacity as his compensa'
ton. In this year the liquor Ii
cense was fixed at SIS per month
! instead of $50 as at the present
day. Those were halycon days for the
circus men for instead of paying licease
Of $500 as they are required to do today
| they then paid only IS per performance.
About two-thirds Of the charter ia de.
voted to the regulating Of the zanjas or
city irrigating bitches, and fer the sale
of the public city lands which could not
| be sold for less than 81 per acre in the
80 acre tracts, while 10 acre tracts could
not he eold for less than $40 per acre
aud lots less than one acre could not bs
cold for lees than $40 per said lot.
1t was in this series of the revised
ordinances that the chain gang was or
ganized and established as one of the
features of the city government, for the
punishment of such persona as were
convicted of crimes and misdemeanors
and violations of the city ordinances.
The FIRE limits OF the city are thus
quantity described:
"For the protection and security oil
the city and it's interests the following
limits are hereby established, in con-
formity with the decree OF the county
court of July %. 1855: Commencing at q
point two leagues due south of the Gath
Ole church and running west on the line
| OI bBb hhuCuU u0 lOb OdOIVOb W bu6 llAc
of Tomas Sanchez; thence in northerly
direction along the lines OF the rancho OF
Tomas Sanchez, the Cienega, and that
of the Roches; thence easterly along the
southern lines of the ranehos of Los
Feliz, Luis, Granger. Los Verdugos and
the Rosa Castillo to line two leagues
east of the Catholic church; thence
south to the line of the Rancho San An
tonic; thence aleng the north and west
boundary of said rancho to the Rancho
dc les Cuervss; thence to the place of
beginning"
Sec. 2. The following fire limits are
hereby established: From the deep
ravine that crosses the road that goes to
the Catholic burying ground adjoining
the college to the blocks IL, IL, IA and
10, and from the main water canal and
with the college, and with blocks IL, ID,
IA and 10 to the loot OF the hills.
| The officers of the city were then
Mayer, thomas Foster, and John 8.
Nichols, president Of the common coun-
| ell