The herald., 1895-01-25

fADRES them yesterday When L saw
you," said Colonel Hez Pur-
don at the Ramona last evening. when
was out here before the First street hill had a
very different appearance from what it pre-
sented to me today. You know where the es
carpment is? have seen human bodies dang
ling over that preeipice from ropes tied to
beams extended from the summit.
THAT was in 1858, and as told you, I was
setting type on the Star then. 1t was a weekly
paper, seven-column folio, set in long primer
and BREWER There were two other typesetters,
bo.h of whom set up the Spanish part of the
paper. One of them was Francisco Rodqueraz,
a native Californian, the other was Chilean.
man named Wallace, practicing attorney
was the editor. Mark Walsh, the proprietor,
dealt a monte game. There was no telegraphic
communication and our news was brought in
in by pony express. All sorts OF prices were
paid for advertisements. have seen as high
as $50 line paid for a small ad. When man
wanted ad inserted he would bring in the
copy ana through down some gold pieces with
it. There were no regular rates. And wages
were pretty fair considering. 1 didn't work
half the time, and Wallace did all his work in
less than a couple OF hours a day, yet he got
80 a week and got $50.
Cup on the hill where the hangings used to
take place was Stevenson's fort and the camp of
Colonel Stevens. And these hangings were not
lawless affairs-they were legal executions
every one OF them. After awhile they removed
the hanging beam at the brink OF the hill and
put hanging pos down in the hollow OF the
hill, where the execution could be seen from
al parts of the summit And the summit
used to be crowded on these days, There were
oil ~ 4 10 ..f
them were native Californlans. They were a
pastoral people and extremely hospitabie.
Everybody had always enough to eat and a
warm place to sleep, and such thing as a
tramp was an unknown quantity. One OF the
curiosities OF those times that remember now
was the Mission ranch at San Gabriel. IL was
owned and operated by the padres of that mis-
sion and worked by the Indian neophytes. 1t
contained 40 acres of land that was more
highly cultivated, perhaps, than any other
land in Southern California. And it brought
in good round income to the padres.
"But the curious thing about that ranch was
the fence around it. Those 400 acres were as
impregnable as the walled city of Pekin, and
yet there was not a piece of lumber or any
masonry work about it. The wall was COM
posed of giant cactus plants that grew together
foot wide anywhere. The cactus grew high
some as high as 10 feet and they were two and
three abreast. You should have seen the car
pet that this land possessed in those days. All
kinds OF flowers grew wild in the utmost pro-
fusion, and after a few rains in the winter the
hills and fields around Los Angeles looked
like fairy garden There were verbenas and
geraniums and marguerites and poppies-and
oh, hundreds of flowers that l couldn't tell by
name 1t was just before Christmas that ar
rived here and there had been no rains yet.
On the hills the feed was all dried and burned
but the cattle were as fat and sleek looking as
you could wish them. wondered at this till
learned that they were feeding on the roots
OF the burr clover. In those days the saluta
tons were much more affectionate than 1 find
them now. When men met or babe each
other ados they pressed each other in their
arms and laid their cheeks together. 1t was
the same regardless of SEX When l went
away one OF the big ranchers here gave me a
fresh horse for my old one and would not
think of taking pay for it And he vented the
brand-that is repeated it on the shoulder SO
that all would know that l had not stolen the
horse Oh, those were daysW
THE KING The king OF tramps was in
OF TRAMPs town today. 1t was his 106th
IS OUT day in town-to tell the truth
OF JAIL. but his first day, in that length
of time, on the streets OF Los An
geles. He has been guest of Chief Glass bas-
tile. On the register the name was written
lobe Wilson. 1t is not an unknown name on
Chief Glass roster, nor an infrequent name on
the books of every jail in California. Yester-
day he was released from dursnce vile-also
from work in the chain gang, which was far
more important consideration to lobe. lobe
has tale of woe to tell now 1t is that the Los
Angeles Jail is less inviting to interior ar
rangements, cuisine, service, bedding and ap-
pointments generally than any other jail in
the state except that of Fresno. And lobe
speaks knowingly on such q matter-knowing
ly and feelingly. '1t's an outrage, the way they
treat the prisoners here" says lobe. "They
haven't enough blankets to go around, and the
medical attendance is very poor and hard to
get. whole lot of men have to pass the night
in a cell where the water runs over the asphalt
pavement, and the stove isn't big enough to
keep them all warm" Tobe's objection, il
must be understood, is mainly to the running
water. Water in even state of stagnant plac-
idity unnerves him, but running water-that
is more than lobe can stand.
And the reason Of Tobe's aversion to che I'M
diluted oxygen and hydrogen compound is
apparent enough to those who remember his
remarkable experiences of seven years ago at
the Temple street fountain Some ladies OF TIE
Woman's Christian Temperance union found q
good subject in lobe for reformation. and they
succeeded in getting his name on the pledge
and a white ribbon in his buttonhole the day
before he left the Jail When he got out into
the sunshine lobe felt thirsty but true to his
white ribbon pledge, he made bee line for
the nearest place where water could be OBJ
tanned. This happened to be the Temple street
fountain Clear sparkling water was running
from the faucet, and the sight and sound of it
gladdened the heart OF lobe Wilson, the e.
formed drunkard. He paused at the fountain,
took down the iron cup and filled it to the brim
with the crystal fluid. He poised the cup as
high as the iron chain would permit, and eyed
its contents with anticipation. Then he put it
to his lips
Crash Bang!
The fountain had exploded. An accumula.
ton OF sewer gas had burst its confines and
blasted forever the fond hopes OF the ladies
who had struggled for Tobe's reformation. in q
single stroke The newspapers spoke OF it a
spontaneous combustion, but lobe remember
it with horror On the spot he swore a solemn
p oath never to touch another drop of water.
Since then lobe has been in many, many
jails and has knowledge OF them that mus
silence mere layman when he begins
to talk about them He pays Il high
compliment to the Modesto jail
and credits Riverside and Bakersfield
with sffording more sumptuous quarters than
Los Angeles, Even Santa Rosa, and all the
northern towns have suited the critical and
discriminating taste of the King of Tramps, In
the matter OF jail accommodations better than
7