The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-02
RAMONA'S REAL HOME
paseUTe As TO ITS IDENTITY SET
TIED At LAST.

plsos Immortslissd BY Helen Hunt Jsek-
L~son Ii Forty MDss From Sen Disgo.
why It's Identity Has Been 80 Long and
% Carefully Conosslsd.
The recent death at Guayjoma. San
Diego county, GAL, Of Mrs. Cave Ooutts.
mother Of the beautiful young Spanish
girl whom Mrs. jackson selected AZ her
heroine In Ramona" recalls some In
1eresting facts.
Ever since. Helen Hunt jackson wrote
her famous novel depicting the Spanish
Indian life Of southern California az IL
was before the enterprising New Eng
lander invaded its peaceful domain
1hsre has been world Of speculation
- 10 the identity Of tho heroine and
j1be location Of the homo where the
1ragical romance Of Ramons and her
INDIAN lover. Allesandro, was worked
apt BY the skillful PEN Of the novelist.
The original "homs Of Ramona" IL
- numerous In southern California a.
rho stakes marking out town lots were
during the real estate boom there few
years ago, but the one oftenest referred
20 and popularity supposed TO be the real
home IL at Camulos, q lovely old
sancho located about half way between
Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. This
II invariably pointed out to the inquir-
ing tourist as the exact spot where Mrs.
Jackson drew her local color for the his
torical romance.
The railway train passes directly be-
side the long, low adobe house. and the
conductor calls out a. the station Ia
neared, "Camulos-home Of Ramonap'
and instantly there IL . general crauing
isf necks and murmurs Of wonder and
satisfaction among the passengers.
Many take the trip purposely to soe this
interesting spot. The old ranchhouse
bears such striking resemblance to the
homo Of Ramona, ~ described by Mrs.
jackson, that it easily passes as the
original, but it Is not.
Out Of respect to the sensitive feel
dngs of Mrs. Coutts, however, the public
mas been allowed to believe this inno-
cent fiction, and Camulos has borne
the honors and thus diverted attention
from the real scene Of inspiration,
which was at the old Coutts rancho at
Guayjoma, which is tucked away in the
hills about 10 miles beyond the mission
of San Luis Rey and 40 miles from San
Diego.
! Mrs. Coutts belonged to one of the
many aristocratic families Of the old
Spanish-American set, the Bandinis,
and felt keenly the publicity thrown
upon them by the facile pen of Mrs.
Jackson, who not only laid the scene of
her romance there, but took for her
heroine the daughter Of the household.
| Though Mrs. jackson paid repeated
visits to the Guayjoma rancho, obtain
ing local color for her novel, she never
once hinted as to the nature of her er-
rand and was always received with the
princely hospitality accorded an honored
guest by tho old Spanish American fam
lilies. It was therefore with amazement
and not little consternation that the
proud mistress Of Guayjoma discovered
that her home and her family had been
made the subjects Of the most famous
novel ever written Of southern Cali
fornia. She regarded it not as COM
pliment, but rather as an unwarranted
liberty, desecration Of the sacred pri-
vaoy of the home, and never forgave
Mrs. Jackson.
! Owing to her we'll known sensitive
ness on the subject, the few friends of
the family who knew the facts in the
case were we'll content to allow public
attention to be diverted to another
point. But now that death has claimed
the proud spirit Of the mother of Ramo-
ma it can do no harm to relate the facts
in the case. New York Tribune.