The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-26

masterful hand of law and American
civilization graSped and nodded into CON-
paratlVe orderly compactne>s the hetero-
geDeous mass that had sought our golden
shores from the four quarters of the globe
-Wnen nothing was thought of, talked of,
dreamt OF but gold-when all the better
qualities Of human nature were dried up
by the auri sacra flames, and the rule of
action was Every man for himsef-the
devil take the hindmost."
1t was time, too, when, included in the
heterogeneous mass" spoken OF, came
the bold. bad, bl0ody-minded adventures
from that see thing spawn of moral cor
ruption, begotten by the English convict
system IL Australa-sO wildly described
by the late Marcus Clarke. a former at
tache of the Melbourne Argus, and Libra
rlan of the city of MelbOurne-in the
admirable book. "His Natural Life"
These adventures appeared to be pre-
eminent in scoundrelsm. They led the
soldiers of fortune of all other nations in
the army of vice, and each died with his
boots on, when an outraged community
called a halt In his career of crime with a
Chinese-like indifference to death. The
only purpose of this horde in the then
young State of California may be de-
scribed in one word-''loOt."
Three of these Australian c0nvicts-
Sydney ducks" or "cOyes" they were
called in the argot of the time-as Frank
Ball sings in the ballad he published
during that year ridiculing Collector Il.
Butler King of San Francisco and his re-
moval of the Government moneys from the
custom-house, corner of California and
Montgomery streets, 10 another building
corner OF kearny and Washington streets:
Then he put his officers on the ground
And told 'em the specie vault to surround.
Ana II any "Sydney cove" came around,
To PICK up cudgei aud make him bound.
Ri tn d1 nu, etc.
But this is a digression. Three of these
gone wrong" Australians are The heroes
of this relatiOn--the del ex machine, as il
we're, OF the whole affair. Their names were
Gibbs, Flanagan and Robinson. They had
wayla man one night VINO was coming.
not Through the rye" although he had a
good stock on board, but through soil
taTy cut in the tules. near the widely
scattered city, the houses in which were
dropped down here and there, miscel-
laneouS ike. They stuck him up." as
they call the operation In their own coun-
try. and eased him of all the money he
had-S5O They did propose TO take their
victims life, in compliance with the rob-
ber'S old maxim, that dead men tell no
tales" but fOrebore, because they thought
they had scared him sufficiently to keep
his mouth shut, and so let him depart de-
spoiled but otherwise unharmed. The
footpads were mistaken about the scare.
People were not easily frightened In those
days OF wild chances and rough gam
bling. The robbed man thought enough OF
his 80, to make an effort to recover the
coin. He gave information of his loss to
the happy-go-Iucky police Of the period
considered about as efficient as the
Eight watchmen of Messina that old Dog
berry fooled with-between whom and
the criminal they sometimes arrested the
dividing line was so fine as to be scarcely
perceptible. However. strange as 1t may
seem, the officers did exert themselves 10
THIS case and captured the three mlnlons
of the moon" almost before they had
opportunity to enjoy the fruits OF their
robbery. The thieves were consigned to
temporary prison On K street, between
Second and Third. The punishment for
the offense under the statutory law then
prevailing was death. Horse-steaing was
punished in the same way. Tie times
were critical and responsible people felt
that their safety was TO deal with The erlm-
inal element by "a short shrift and a
long rope"
The arrest of the Australians and the
nature of their offense was soon noised
abroad. An excited crowd assembled
around the prison. Ii was an lndlg.
nation meeting" in the fullest sense OF
the term, as every one seemed BOILING over
with rage against the culprtts. One OF the
principal speakers was Joe Grant-after-
ward broker in this city, and we'll known
to old Californians Grant was very proix.
and had Chadband way of repeating and
spinning out his sentences. but ne was
earnest withal and urged hemp first. last
and all the time.
And then the crowd rOared and shouted
ID appreciation, and their fingers ltched 10
clutch tile rope to give effect TO the tragedy
OF sus. per coll. in one act.
Grants gallows oratory was addressed to
receptive ears; but. nevertheless. the men
were duly tried. The robbery was commit
tel IN June. and the execution did not take
place until August following. In the
meantime they were taken from the place
on street, sort of police prison, to the
prlson-orig, moored TO the levee OF
Sacramento. the county jail nf the
period. IN charge of Captain Jim MELON
AID, now wealthy capitalist IN San Fran
cisco. At the trial Robinson inadequate an
eloquent speech in the nature OF confes-