The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-04-30

Continued from first page.]

and disorder In the country. From that
time forth no one could dispute the au-
tnority of Col. Mason rs in command of
III the United States forces on shore,
while the senior naval officer had like
control ahoat This was Commodore
James Biddle, who had reached the STA
ton from China in the Columbus, and
he in turn was succeeded by Commodore
TAP Catesby Jones in the line-ofbattle-
ship Ohio. At that time Monterey was
our Headquarters, and the naval com
mander for time remained there, but
subsequently San Francisco Bay became
the chief naval rendezvous.
COL. X. Il. MASON,
1st Dragons, was an officer of great
| experience, of stern character, deemed
| by some harsh and severe, but in all my
intercourse with him he was kind and
agreeable. He had large fund of good
sense, and during our long period ofserv-
ice together | enjoyed his unlimited con-
fidence. He had been in his day splen-
did shot and hunter, and often enter
tanned me with characteristic anecdotes
of Taylor, Twiggs, Worth, Harney, Mar
tin, Scott, etc, who were then in Mexico,
gaining a National fame. California
had settled down to Il condition of alb
solute repose, and we naturally repined
at our fate in being so remote from the
war i'll Mexico, where our comrades were
reaping large honors. Mason dwclt In q
house not far from the Custom-house, with
Capt. Lanman, United States Navy; /
had small adobe house back of Larkin's.
Halleck and DR.. Murray had small log
house not far off. The company of artil-
lery was still on the hill, under the COM
mand of eut.Ord, engaged in building
fort whereon to mount the guns we. had
brought out in the Lexington, and also in
constructing quarters out of hewn pine
logs for the men. Lieut.. Minor, a
very clever young officer, had taken
violently sick and died about the time |
got back from Los Angeles, leaving
Lieuts. Ord and Loser alone with
the company, with Asst Surg. Robert
Murray. Capt. William G. Marcy was
the Quartermaster and Commissary.
Naglees company of Stevenson;s regi-
ment had been mounted and was sent
out against the Indians in the San Joa-
quin Valley, and Shannon's company
occupied the barracks.
civil" VERSUS MILITARY.
Shortly after Gen. Kearney had gone
East, we found an order of his on record, |
removing one Mr.. Nash, the Alcalde of
sonoma, and appointing to his place ex-
Gov. L. w. Boggs. A letter came to
Col. and Gov. Mason from Boggs,
whom he had personally known in
Missouri, complaining that, though he
had been appointed Alcalde, the then in
cumbent NASH utterly denied Kear-
ney's right to remove him, because he
had been elected by the people under
the proclamation of Commodore Sloat,
and refused to surrender his office or
to account for his acts as AlcaIde.
Such a proclamation had been made
by Commodore Sloat shortly after the
first occupation of California, announc-
ing that the people were free and en-
lightened American citizens, entitled |
to all the rights and privileges as
such, and among them the right to elect |
their own officers, ETC. The people of
S5Onoma town and valley, some 40 or 90 |
migrants from the United States, and
very few native Californians, had elected
Mr.. Nash, and, as stated, he refused to
recognize the right of mere military
to eject him and to appoint
another in his place. Neither Gen.
kearney nor Mason had much respect
for this kind of buncombe," but as
sumed the true doctrine that California
was yet a Mexican province, held by
right of conquest that the military COM
mander was held responsible to the coun-
try, and that the province should be
held IN Statu quo until a treaty of peace.
This letter of Boggs was therefore re-
ferred to Capt. Brackett, whose COM
pany was stationed at Sonoma, with
orders to notify Nash that Boggs
was the rightful Alcalde; that he
must quietly surrender his Office, with
,he books and records thereof, and that
ne must account for any moneys received
from the sale of town lots, ETC.; and in
,he event of refusal he Capt. Brackett)
must compel him by the use of force
In due time we got Brackets answer,
saying that the little community of So
noma was in Il dangerous state of efer-