The herald., 1894-12-09

to seek rented q uarters; and again tn
people were Inconvenience in thei
public affairs, till they were very read,
to vote several hundred thousand dol
lars to build our new, commodiou
courthouse on the hill, which, it i
hoped, will Accommodate the county,
public business for many years yet tt
come.
The basement OF the old building wal
occu pied as q wine cellar or depository
by Kohler & Frohling for many years
Don Ygnacio Garcia. atill a resident o
this city, was for years, or from 1S49 till
1865, Mr.. Temples confidential clerk
anu after the death of Mr.. Temple he
continued to act in q similar capacity,
or as local manager of the estate under
Mr. Hinchman, the administrator, until
the estate was settled up. Gov. Downev
bought the block bearing his name oil
the Temple estate, / believe for Sic, 900.
Two lots near the brick school house on
the site of the Bryson block were offered
to friend OF mine by the agent of the
estate for SIS each. They are now
worth probably $1,000 per front foot.
In recent interview with Mr.. Garcia
which l sought for the purpose OF YER
ificstion OF certain data, learned other
facts which are of interest in this con-
nection.
Mr.. Temple appointed Mr.. A. F..
Hinchman as administrator of his estate,
and as after bis death Mrs. Temple de-
sired to go to Paris to live with her
daughter, she directed the administers
tor to sell ell the property in Los An
geles and speedily close up the estate.
which he did in about six months, and
therefore some of the property was sold
at prices which. even then. seemed very
low. 1t is interesting to contrast the
almost startling difference between the
prices realized then and the prices
which the came property could be sold
for today. even without the added i'm.
provements.
The old courthouse was sold for $l5.-
600; Downey block, to Governor Dow
ney for SIG 600; Temple block and lot
to Y. Garcia for $4,000. This included
the portion Of Temple block then built
(nearest to the courthouse), and the
balance of the lot on which the Temple
block now stands. This property Don
Ygnacio afterwards sold to Mr.. Tenn
ple's brother, Don Francisco, who built
the middle and northeastern portions of
the block. removing the adobe buildings
then standing on the ground.
twenty-five lots, between First and
Fourth etreets, and between Spring and
Hill streets, we're sold by the estate to
Burns & Buffuln for $50 each, and sew
ersl lots were cold for SIS each.
At one time (sbout '55 or '56) Mr..
Temple had on his Cerritos rancho over
IL. 900 head of cattle, 5000 horses and
1000 sheep. and branded as many as
$500 calves in single year.
In 1857. the year of the drouth. he
bought and founded the San Emigdio
and Consuelo ranchos, in Kern county,
and sent 1000 head of cattle there to
save them from starvation.
In his lifetime. Mr.. Temple sold Los
Cerrisos rancho, Of $4,000 acres, to
Flint. Bixby & Co., for $l25, 900. Six
months afterwards they were offered,
aud refused, 100000 for the came
rancho.
Although the Temple estate now
owns no property in Los Angeles city or
yet there are many things here
and hereabouts besides the old court
house, which will soon be q thing of the
past, to remind our people, and es-
pecially our older citizens, of one of the
very first American pioneers of Los An
eeles. honest. genial, bluff Johnny"
Tam nla