The herald., 1895-11-24

poets FROM the days OF Job to Buchanan
Read have sung his praises.
Before the days OF the telegraph he was
the swift-footei messenger that bore
away from the battle the tdings
victory or defeat.
And when beleagured army was beset
on all sides by the enemy the hope OF de-
livsrance was the speei Of some fset-
footed morse and the endurance of his
rider.
In the conquest Of California by tho
Americans in 1916 occurred an incident
which, though history gives it but faint
record, is the story of one OF the most
wonderful tcats Of hors manshi a I'd Ut hu-
man endurance recorded in the annals OF
modern warfare.
This Is the ride made by Captain GILES
pies dispatch bearer. John Brown, better
known by his California nick name
Juan Flaco, or Lean John. He rode from
Los Angeles to San Francisco 600 nj iles)
IN four DAYS. To better understand the
urgent nscessity that impelled Juan Flaco
to make his wonderful ride, a brisf 70.
view OF the mil tary events that had tran.
spIred aud were Transporting in Los An.
gele., 10 nsccs airy.
After taking possession OF Northern
and Central California, Stockton md
Fremont set sail for the south to COM
plsts the conquest OF California by tho
capture OF Los Angeles. Fremont IN owing
on from San Diego and Stockton from
San Pedro, entere Los Angeles without
opposition. Castro's forces dispersed,
and Castro himself with sumo OF his
officers fed TO Mexico.
Stockton, considering the conquest Of
California complete, sailed for Monterey.
and Fremont, with mis- battalion, few
DAYS later. took up the line of march for
the north.
Captain Gillespie. WITH a garrison OF
fifty men. was left to hold Los Angeles
and . eep the turbulent element of that
hotbsu Of sedition and evolution in sub
jection and In accordance with the in
structions Of the secretary OF war; 10 zen
courage neutrality, ssif-governmsnt and
friendsbip.'
Gillespie was not success IN control
ling the turbulent element, ror did he
succeed In encouraging friendship. His.
toirsns have accused him of attempting
70 transform the ea's.lovine Canornians
Into strsight-lscei Purit. ms by mil tary
re- ulations. Whether his attemp, by
"coercive system to effect moral and
soc al CHI snge IL the habits, diversions
snd pas.imes of the people was the
cause, or whet er it was patriotic i'm
pulse to free themselves from the rule of
. nation foreign T. them !, customs and
religion that i'm PEELED the Californians
to revolt u is not necessary to our SUD
jsot here to discnss.
In les an two weeks after tho de.
parlure Of st ckton the aliforniaEs had
Ysvoltei. Gillesrie's 'mall force was
surrounded by 600 Caliiornians under
Serbnio Vnrels and Flores, armed with
eScopetas, lances and one fine brass piece
81 ght artillery. Gilespie's men had
found three OH IRON cann"n which had
been aban do ed by Castro. These thew
vita ball and grape snot made from the
10 d Of distil pipes from q vineyard near
by. and hone. made cartridges, they pre-
pared for the defe use, determined to die
ratner than yield to the enemy.
The situation OF Gillespis and his men
was ind ell desper tie. hey were sur.
rounded by an oser~hslmi Ig focre, their
su p.i 1T off and the nearest Aneri-
can or, g from which they could receive
As. sancs was at Francisco, ami the
wn"l- country bel ween in the hands OF
thu enemy. To carry message to Stock
ton 100 miles away, throus h the en-
emy's unry, was an Undertaking that
the brave.t sh'ank from.
1t was at tins emer. ency that JuanFiaoo
volunteered TO undertake the perilous
feat. Captain Gillespie thus narrates tho
occu renee: "On the evening Of the oath
(Septe n ber), little before sunset, Juan
fls.o (oailed so by thu country people IN
consequr nee OF his exceeding leanness
aud the ats of express riding he had
peri rim d-his name il Br'wn) presented
him ELF to me IN the garrison and volan-
tssred to take dispatch to Fan Francisco
for Commodore Stockton. 800 miles dis
tant. Knowing how closely We wera
beseigsd. l considerei tns undertaking
frauRht with danger. He persisted in
gong, and | gave him sevearl packages
cigar of ono package l wrote, Believe the
bearer snu afixei my seal, which was
known to my friends. Flaco started
little after dark on a flee: no Sc, and with
nothing but his RATA (lasso) for his sup.
port and hope of relays. Our rider had
discovered by the vidette, Of the enemy.
A sharp race ensued, and finding they
were gaining on him, FlacO jumped
down ravine OF some thirty feet and
broke one OF the fore legs If mis- horse.
BY this Pr lous experiment the Cal fur
naLs lost his trail, aud after little
search gave up the pursuit and returned
To Los Angeles, when flaco KILLED his
horse, lack d his saddle on his back,
walk d f)Lr m les TO small rancho,
vnere hs obtained another mount ana
assned aht al. He reached Monterey on
He save CT ar to Captain Maddux, COM
manning officer at that p ao-, and one TO
i. q. Larkin. telling them he could not
60 f.irlh r. Captain Maddox gave Flaoo
some coffee a. bra ndy. put him to bed,
ana after sleep IF two hours he was
awakrnei, tie very spare neal, mount
ed the fresh rse supplied by MIR. Lar
kin, and before sunrise Of the 18th he
wac ly ng in the bushes at san Fra cisco
in front OF tn Consress frigate, waiting
for the early m ,rkt b,at CONF asher,
am h. d delivered my dispatches To Com
N 1dore StouSton brfora o'clock. Oil.
ir,pi,'t letter repualisnei IN l. 8 Angeles
Sta May 20, 1855, from Sacramento
Stat, sman
TIE Savannah arr. we'd at Fan Pedro on
October 9th. Captain Mervlne landed Is
35U marines. Tnay we've j1i.ed uy Gil
lespie rife men, sho had not leii the
h.rbor. n united forces took W the
line OF ma Gu to recspture Los Angeles.
Al DoA.ingu q rancn they were met bv
the CaliforniAns under Garlic. A.. en-.
gaetmeat took Iiace. Mervi he, after
losing thirteen men In killed and wound.
ed, sctreated to San Pedro and wet
aboard Ills ship. He buried his dead on u
little island in the narDor of San Pelro.
known to the Americans as u sad Mans
island, but to the natives as isla de Los
Nuertos, tue Isle OF the Dead.
Browns Uwn story OF nis exploit varies
slightly from Gillesple's account. In sub
stance it is as follows He left the gar
risen at 8 q. IN with a bundle ut cigar
cites. the papers Of one package marked
4 r