The herald., 1896-11-16
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
some FRONTIER MEE DRIES
AAAA&A4AAeAA&AeA4&AAAA&s

The hymn of praise has ofttimes been
sung In honor of the days of old. the
days of gold, the days of 49," but, save
in exceptional cases. the praise has been
mostly for the men. those who faced
Dame Fortune, with heavy odds against
them. and carved out and added the
golden state to the nation.
But whenever pioneer. by persistent
energy. desperate courage or dogged de-
termination, achieved any measure of
success. there stood behind him a wo-
man. who deserved some share of the
praise for what was done. Whether it
was the mother. who. mid New Eng
lands hills or the grassy slopes of the
Southland, by early training, laid the
foundations of future character, or the
wife. who toiled across the plains with
her husband, the fact was the same In
either case-the mans endeavor was
largely the result of womans inspir-
ing words or presence.
This week lady arrived in Los An
geles, as the guest of friends, from her
home in New Mexico Mrs. W. B. Stone
road, as she used to be known, is no long
er in the heyday of early age, for she
crossed the plains with her parents in
an emigrant train in 1876. Thence on, for
many years, her life was a series of ro-
mantle vicissitudes, dangers and odd
experiences Coming to California by
the northern route, by way of Forts
Laramie and Jackson, the party to
which Mrs. Stoneroad's company was at
tached was only three days in advance
of the celebrated Donner party, whose
narrowing experiences have been told
so often.
TRAVELLING BL PRAIRIE SCHOON-
ERS
Nettie Stoneroad was a mere slip of
a girl IL years old, at that time, but she
played a brave womans part while
crossing the plains. Repeatedly attacks
were made by the Indians, and then
the girl stood by with other children and
helped to reload the rifles that were do
ing deadly work in the hands of the faith
ers and brothers. Then when the deadly
mountain fever wrought havoc among
the emigrants, and in the Stoneroad
family only the father and Nettie re-
tanned their strength, the girl had to do
all the cooking as we'll as attend to the
needs of the sick.
In the winter of 1916 the party reached
Santa Clara, and in the following year
the Stoneroads moved to Monterey. The
father erected the first brick building
there that was put up in the state. and
at that time it was thought wonder.
With the opening of the year of 1919
came the rush for the mines, and the
Stoneroad girls were looked upon in the
several mining camps where their father
operated with a feeling almost approach
ing reverence by the rough miners,
many of whom had not looked upon the
face of woman for years.
After a varied and exciting expert
ence. the family became established in
Mariposa county, and here, in 1856, Net
tie Stoneroad married Charles S. Peck,
a man of splendid physique, and one well
known and remembered by a number of
old timers in Los Angeles. For some
years the newly made wife led life of
comparative peace and quietness, but
eventually the fearless character Of
Peck got him into serious trouble. He
had engaged in some mining deals at
Mormon Bar, where he was then living,
with Doc Scribner one of the best
known men in the state in those days,
and dispute arose between the two
men.
A DUEL TO THE DEATH.
The di erence developed into angry
words, and finally the lie was passed.
Both men owned to the blue grass of
Kentucky as being their native soil, and
so the matter could not be allowed to
end there. Scribner sent a challenge to
fight a duel to Peck, and the latter, moth
ing 10th, accepted. 1t being his right to
name the weapons, he chose shotguns,
and the distance ten PAGES. That
seemed to promise murderous work, but
a brave man did not vince in those days.
At the appointed time both men were
on hand with their seconds. Charley
Blair, who died at San Francisco a
couple of years ago, was Peck's second,
and Herbert Howard, tail, strappins
Missourian, who was coming money by
cattle raising, did the same service for
Scribner. Both men stood back to back
with their shotguns in their hands
Each man then took five PAGES, turned
and blazed away. According to the
code it is to be presumed that honor was
appeased, for neither of the seconds in
sisted on another fire. Peck did not es-
scape scot-free, for quantity of buck
shot found lodgment in his carcass, bu,
Doc" Scribner was literally blown into
kingdom come. Those were tough
times, and people were not generally
concerned refarding the life of an odd
man or two, but this case was eXcep-
tonal. The vigilantes got after Peck
and arrested him. 1t was understood
that the vigilance committee looket
with disfavor upon a ten-pace shotgun
mode of adjusting differences. /,
didn't seem to give a man sufficient
show for his money, and besides IL
caused unnecessary trouble in the
funeral arrangements as one or boti
would have to be gathered up in frag-
ments, and thus outrage the unwritter
law of the mining camp, that a ma
should not Only die with his boots OIL
but be planted with them on. After ar
investigation by the committee. there
being many mitigating circumstances ir
the provocation. Peck was ordered to