The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-12-18
A $40 GOLDPIECE.

Don't stop at L. L.. Better re
main over night at ca and go on
clear through to Id the next day. -
These were the parting words of our
genial host of the Ukiah inn, Mendoci-
no county, Cal 1 had purchased q cou-
pie of horses and pack mule lower
down in the valley and was taking
them along the old Oregon stage route
to my home in the northern part of the
state.
Accompanying me were my overseer,
Robert Thorndycke Hawkins, or, as he
was more generally known, Rancheria
Bob, and an easterner named Wilson,
who was going to spend few months
ON the ranch "to see how it was done. "
l had not advertised for boarders nor
contemplated starting a "tenderfoot
nursery" but Wilson, whom l had met
at the Palace hotel, seemed such a gen.
ial. pleasant fellow that it was impos-
sible to refuse his earnest request to
ioin us in our mountain life. Bob was
rather opposed to the scheme, but not
being a prominent factor in the matter
Wilson came along.
Our route lay through section of
country which had elapsed into demi-
civilized state, the mines there having
| in measure become exhausted, the
stage route abandoned for the more
expeditions railroad and the immense
timber tracts still being too far distant
to be worked to any advantage. The
men as we'll as the other conditions took
a backward growth, and those who re-
NAMED were very favorably described
as tough" hence the cautioning in
struction from our landlord
Acting upon such advice, we planned
our daily route SO as to pass L. L.
at noon. We were all we'll equipped
with rifles and side arms, and looked
forward to a very pleasant journey
Our horses were in fine condition, as
also was the mule Perhaps it is need
less to say that Bob and myself rode
the former, while Wilson was happy on
| the mule.
The view was charming, with con-
stantly changing vistas. Now exquisite
groups of bouquet shaped elm trees
haunted the river bank, and again an
open, undulating meadow with wooded
| hills in the near distance, backed by
the great blue tinted mountains of the
Coast range We travelled on, enjoying
the constantly changing view, without
any incident uncommon to any trip OF
the kind, and the evening of the second
day found us at ca. From here
Id was "a miles and L. L. but
80. As these were the only settlements
in the country, we felt it incumbent on
us to make an early start, as it would
be good days work for the horses,
who were beginning to show effects OF
their recent efforts.
Various rumors as to the sanctity and
future prospects of the l. L-ites 1--WE
classified them as biologists do other
hard materially kept reaching us as we
iourneyed on So corroboratory were
the reports that we looked upon our APP
proach as one in the olden times must
have felt on nearing Sodom or Gomor-
rah. L. l. was one of those places
(which fortunately are becoming few
where no restriction is placed on any
class of society, and the medieval law,
might makes right, F" is the only rec
ognized judicial power. There were per-
haps 200 people in all forming the fixed
population, though at certain seasons
there might be double that number.
The only visible means of support OF
the inhabitants was catering to the
vices of their fellow men. 1t was the
escape valve of that lawleSs class who
haunt the borders of new civilization
Miners came there to spend Sunday and
the result of their past weeks toll
Herders who might have been leading a
hermit's life in the mountains for three
months brought there the result of
their labor and did not leave until it
was all exhausted. We did not believe
much of all this that was told in re-
gard to the place, considering the great
er part of the information of that myth
ical construction common to the char
acter of such a region.
Our intention of starting early in the
morning from ca was frustrated
by one of the horses casting a shoe, and
it was nearly 8 when we entered the
woods beyond ca. However, we
had the prospect of moonlight night
and did not despair of reaching Id
in fairly good season. We crossed the
watershed at the Mendocino valley, and
were descending into that Of Hum
boldt, the road following the twisting
Eel river. Here begins the greatest red
wood belt in the state, and as we trav-
eled lower down the valley we saw the
trees which were 100 feet or so high OIL
the foothills assume such mammoth
proportions that the distance to their
tops could scarce be measured in a.
many yards They now became an i'm
portant factor in the topography of the
road, which deviated from its course
continually, obedient to the dictation
of these monarchs. This constant inrer-
ruption made what had been fairly
direct road a system of geometrical
curves, impossible to follow III any fix
ed direction From a certainty 1t be-
came a labyrinth The great size and
abundance of the trees stilled the at
mosphere giving soinber effect to all
the varied sounds natural to the woods.
We could see limbs swinging ne the top'
of the trees and yet scarce hear or per
ceive a trace of the wind, which mus
nave been strong to move them so VIC
lently. The very jingle of our saddle
equipments seemed discordant amid the
deeper harmonies
1t was here in the stage times, that
Black Bard, the poet highwayman, reap
ed many rich harvest His was chiv
alrous nature, and his memory is hello
sacred in many a cabin in the woods.
One stage driver told with pride how
after relieving him of the mail anc
Wells Fargos box, Black Bard asked
him for a chew of tobacco. His nom d.
plume arose from the fact that, after ri
fling the mail, he would jot down ;
doggerel verse upon the back of som'
specially lucrative envelope-an extern
poraneous address Of sympathy to thu
owner of the package-and sign Th'
Black Bard. I" His final capture, afte
many liberal rewards, was unique. Be
ing interrupted in his self enforced in
spectorship of a mail, he departed il
his haste leaving one of his cuffs. Thi
was traced by the laundry mark to San
Francisco and led to his capture. Sto
ries as to his prowess and the speed AM
beauty of his horses are too numerou
to mention. His great virtue, so tn
people said, was his hberality to tn
poor, and the fact that he never robbe'
from any one but the express compan.
and the mail. AS we threaded the tor
tuous road we could easily imagine
highwayman stopping from behind on
of the enormous trees and calling o.
us to "hold up our hands.
Coming upon little spring, we halt
cd awhile to refresh both ourselves an
our horses. Hore we calculated that W
were distant but eight miles from L
L. and still had 23 more to go befor
Id was reached. 1t being but littl
past noon, our ride through L. II
before dark and reaching Id !
good time seemed a foregone conclusion