The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-26

winter and you were fool for
doing it, too would be the reply. "A man
who doesn't know any better than that
doesn't know enough to be Justice of the
Peace, T" which was doubtless true for the
locality and the time.
Things have changed in Yreka since
then. The faro bank and the cartridge
belt have gone to return no more. The
Bella Unions dance hall has had to go to
make room for the high school, and the
public library has crowded out the band
of horsethieves that gave the first alcalde,
Cut Eye Foster. so much trouble in 1852.
1t was Cut Eyes successor, George Vail,
who made the famousdecision in the mule
stealing case. The band operated in vari-
Gus ways. One day they claimed fine
mule that belonged to an old man. The
case was tried before Alcalde Vail. The
plaintiffs, being the horsethieves, were
more numerous, and all of them swore that
the mule had been stolen from them in the
mines farther south.
The owner of the coveted animal put in
for his defense an indignant denial of the
charge of theft and The averment that he
and his partner had purchased a match
span of mules back in Missouri. They
rode the animals across the plains to San
francisco and then separated. In diyid-
ing their possessions each partner took one
of the mules. The old mans story seemed
true enough, but the complaining thieves
were so numerous and so unanimous that
Vail was forced, almost against his own
belief, to award to them the disputed
animal.
A few days later the defrauded owner
sat by the corral at the foot of Miner street.
where his stolen mule was now kept. He
was disheartened at the loss of his animal,
and was cherishing bitter thoughts against
his kind-as there was some reason, in
fyt,fh fTN,- l., 30 ~
distance down the trail, there was borne
family on the still air the bray of an ap-
preaching mule. The animal in the corral
prlcked up its ears and answered the bray.
AS the mule on the trail grew nearer and
its braying louder, the answering calls and
uneasiness of the mule in the corral be-
came so apparent as to attract the atten-
ton of the bystanders
THANK God, thats my partner coming"
said the old man. Nov I'll prove to you
folks whose mule that is"
The two animals kept calling to each
other until the stranger with the approach
ing mule turned the corner of Main street,
and would have passed on along the creek,
but the strange mule, in spite of all the
efforts of his driver turned out from the
road and made bee line for the corral.
Presently the two animals were rubbing
each others noses, and the eX-partners
greeting each other joyfully.
Aicalde Vail was one of those who wit
messed the scene.
.'Old man, y he said, springing up from
his nail keg, "that is your mule. This is
better evidence than was ever given in
court OF law. You take the mule; and you
- thieves -"
The latter remarks were addressed to
those who had lied themselves into pos
session OF the mule. but they had already
disappeared from view in their own dust.
Joseph Lane, the Governor of Oregon
Territory, had a narrow escape from dis
covering the richness of the Yreka gold
flats. He had manfully resisted the on
slaught OF the gold fever in 184S, while
passing through California on his way to
Oregon. I'm the summer of 1850, how
ever, the Governor convinced himself, if
not others, that it was necessary for him
to make protracted official visit to the
southern portion of his Territory. He set
out in July with a half dozen white men
ana three times the number of Indians.
That he failed to halt when he reached the
southern boundary was an oversight that
he could hardly be held responsible for, as
the exact location OF the line was not de-
termlned until many years later. On reach
ing the Klamath River Lanes party pros
pected a little and Then went on farther
south. Quite little work was done on
Shasta River, near the mouth of Yreka
creek, on what is now known as Joe
Lanes bar. But they looked for still
richer diggings and went on southwark"
Parties of prospectors were now passing
over the flats constantly, on their way to
dlgglngs at Scott Bar, Shasta River and
Greenhorn. Yreka Creek was the favorite |
camping place. 1t was by one of these par
ties from Oregon that the great discovery
was made. This was late in March of 1851.
In the party was one Abraham Thomp-
son, more curious or more persistent
gold-searcher than the others. On the
morning of the discovery-the exact date
OF which is unknown to the local histo- |
party was breaking camp and
TO cross over to the Greenhorn
mines. Thompson wandered off to the
west and became separated from the 9TH
ers. He concluded to prospect little on
his own account, and washed three pans Of