Amador ledger., 1901-01-25
The Men of Affairs in the
Early Fifties.
JACKSON WAS ONCE A FULL PLEDGED CITY
Men Who Lived Here When Jackson
Was In It's Infancy.-Askey
as Story-Teller.
tBY WILL A. NEwcuM. }
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.

E. 81. Williams was elected town
assessor. He had carpentershop on
the lot now occupied by the Garbarini
Bros. blacksmithshop, and was the
builder of the American house which
stood on the lots now occupied by G. q.
Ginocchio as a residence and by the
Oneto cottages, Oh Water street. All
trace of his movement in later days is
lost.
E. C. Webster was elected town mar
slal. He left jackson with Charles
Boynton and with him established a
newspaper in an Illinois town. No
memory of him seems to remain with
the older settlers further than that.
Joseph Winn, a defeated candidate
for town marshal, was constable of the
township and while here followed that
class of business. Later he was elected
town marshal. AT an early day he left
here and returned to his old home in
the States.
B. B. Redhead was also defeated
candidate for marshal at that election.
He was elected sheriff of the county in
1863 but died in Office from thu effects
of a wound received in an election day
riot at Fiddletown His widow married
Mr.. Bliss, prominent citizen of Forest
Home.
Charles Boyuton, the clerk of the
board of trustees, el.a,hsd at their first
meeting, held the same pOsili IN until
some time in 1855 " hen he resigned the
Office Roynton took a decisive stand
on all public questions. and was the
chief mover in the matter OF getting
the county seat for Jackson and that of
getting the county Of Auador set off
from Calaveras territory. W hen Gala
vcras county had its county seat at
Double Springs, at that time stopping
place on the Stockton road between
what arc now San Andreas and Valley
Springs, Boynton was one of two men
who went there and puroined the
archieves of the county from the
County Clerk, brought them to Jack
son and deposited them in a shake
shanty built for the purpose. He was
man OF much energy and ability. 10
1853 and 1854 he occasionally published
a small paper called the 'Owl" filled
with wit and wisdom for the pioneers.
For time he walked to Mokelumne
Hill to have it printed and carried the
entire edition back with him. He es-
tablished the ''Sentinel" soon after the
organization of the county. AS the
reader will remem Der he went to ILL
nois with E. c. Webster to publish d
newspaper in which they were success
full financially. He died many years
ago as the result of exposure while
making business trip in his section of
that state.
Bruce Husband was Justice of the
Peace, here in 1854 and later. From
here he secured position in he State
Library at Sacramento and died in that
city.
A. A. Humphreys was stage line
proprietor, but left here very early and
trace of him is not to be had.
w. D. Skidmore was agent for
Adams Express Co., at Jackson. He
went East and after returning here
again made his residence in San Fran
cisco. He it was who married Miss
Mann, step-daughter of VIM. l.. NC
Kim.
Eric Rossauder mined on Stony
Greek most of the time for year or
more and then left this section of the
State.
On Monday, May l, 1854, a second
election for town officers was held at
which A. G. Brown, E. H. Williams,
Ellis Evans, 7. Hinckley and Hiram
Allen we're elected trustees; Armstrong
Askey was elected assessor; Leon
Sompayrac was elected treasurer and
Joseph VIM was elected marshal.
Those who did not figure in the election
of 1853 were 7. Hinckley, Hiram Allen
and Armstrong Askey. At that time
Mr.. Hinckley was the proprietor of a
''pop'' factory and his product did
much to alleviate the burning sensa-
ton of pioneer whiskey among the
drinking people of Jackson. He went
East and married, returning here with
his wife. Mrs. Hinckley died many
years ago: Their only child is the wife
of George A. Gordon, County Superin-
tendent of Schools of Amador County.
Mr.. Hinckley died here at his own
property few years ago.
Hiram Allen was miner and came
here with his wife and her sister, who
afterwards became the wife of VIM.
Jennings. Mr.. and Mrs. Allen left
Amador county and went to Lake
county early in the sixties. He died
about ten years ago, leaving a surviv-
ing widow and two daughters who are
still living in Lake county.
Armstrong Askey was a trader and
made a speciality OF driving to Sacra-
mento and purchasing loads of goods
which he sold to the miners. He was
also interested in mining until he in
company with Ellis Evans went into
the store and hotel business. Mr..
Askey at times, for few years, held
positions in the State wharfngers Office
in San Francisco, but excepting those
times was resident of Jackson after
his arrival here in 1850. He died at
the hotel in 1894 and left as his surviving
widow daughter of Judge A. c..
Brown, who lives in San Jose. Mr..
Askey was a joker of the most pro-
nounced type. No chance for a good
joke or a good story on his friends ever
escaped him. More than one of his
guests at the hotel have fished for
salmon in the creek back of the hotel,
while many a story about his friends
told by him and published had its
origin in his fertile Imagination. Prob
ably one of the most elaborate stories
he ever told was that with which he
"hHed" newspaper fellow about Hon.
A. Caminetti's wonderful vineyard and
winery at the French Gardens, shortly
after that gentleman had taken up
horticulture and viticulture. He said
Caminetti had pipe line from the
ranch to tide water through which he
delivered his wine to the casks in the
deep sea vessels WITHOUT handling, and
on its way to tide water the wine was
used as water is used to operate the
mines along the mother lode, the saw
mills, the -four mills and the hay presses
and threshing machines in the valleys.
This is but a sample of many other
stories which will be told and retold as
long as the youngest lad who knew
Armstrong Askey lives.
January Ii, 1855, a special election
was held to fill vacancies in the Board
occasioned by the resignation of Messrs.