The San Francisco call., 1897-02-04
MANY OWE
HER THANKS
Death of Miss Julia Spauld-
ing, Who Recovered
Fortunes.
SHE TRACKED MEIGGS TO
CALLAO.
One of the Most Romantic Char
acters in Early San Fran
cisco History,
WAS ALMOST ONE HUNDRED
YEARS OLD.
Her Savings as a Washer woman En-
abled H:r to Die Wealthy at
That Advanced Age.
WAS ALMOST ONE HUNDRED
YEARS OLD.
Her Savings as a Washer woman En-
abled H:r to Die Wealthy at
That Advanced Age.

OAKLAND, CAL, Feb. 3.-One of the
most interesting women known years ago
to the whole Western coast died at her
residence in East Oakland tonight. She
is Miss Julia Spaulding, who only lacked
three years of completing century of life.
She is known to early CaiIfornians as the
woman who followed Honest Harry
Meiggs to Mexico in 1855 and succeeded in
recovering from him all the money she
had loaned Linn with interest and ex-
penses.
In 1850 Harry Meiggs was in the hey
day of his power in San Francisco. He
was building wharves and halls and was
known to the young city as Honest
Harry" Confidence in him was unlim-
tied and every body held his notes.
Among those from whom Meiegs bor-
rowed all their earnings was Miss Julia
Spaulding. In 1854 she was washer
woman on Steuart street and had been
all her life hard-working industrious
woman. Those were the days when a
laundry bill was about equal to a weeks
salary at this time. Miss Spaulding had
implicit confidence in Meiggs and readily
loaned him all her savings of a lifetime in
return for his note. One night in 1856
Meiggs disappeared. He,had busted him
self tor several days borrowing all the
money he could get and when the bark
America hove up her anchor and sailed
for Callao Henry Meiggs and his victims
money were aboard. Just before leaving
he borrowed the last installment from
Miss Spauldng.
Some time later Miss Spaulding learned
that Meiggs was coming vast fortune in
Peru and she ecded to go and try TO re-
cover her money. She was looked upon
as foolish, as she was then So years OF age,
but she was not to be turned from her pur-
pose.
She persuaded Captain Wakeman of San
Antonio-now East Oakland-to take her
a passenger TO Callao. He was only
going to call there for orders, so he could
no wait to hear the result of Miss Spauld-
ing's mission.
The lady soon found Honest Harry's"
casa and discovered that he was rapidly
adding to his riches. He received his old
washerwoman with open arms and pro-
vlded her with sumptuous quarters. and
without hesitation he refunded her the
amount OF her notes with interest and also
paid the expense of her voyage.
Miss Spaulding returned to Californ ia.
but never admitted to any one that she had
met with such marked success, this having
Do0h SuESesteu W Her Oy MelSSS, VINO QlQ
not want to see too many friends at his
Peruvian casa.
Miss Spaulding. however, commenced
to make some vai1abe investments and
suspicion was aroused and Meiggs received
many visits. He finally paid every cent
he owed and bill was passed by the CALI
fornia Legislature according him i'm
inunity from all criminal proceedings be-
cause OF his actions of 1855 All those who
benefited by the trip 10 Peru used TO
admit that but for Miss Spaulding's ven-
1uresome journey and discovery that
Meiggs was rich they would never have
received cent
Miss Spaulding never married and it is
not known whether any relatives reside
here or not. She has lived in one of her
own houses at Eighth avenue and East
Seventeenth street for several years and it
was there she died.