Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-18

have been the destinies of Los Angeles
and Salt Lake city If there had been a
collision of arms between the forces
of the United States, under Albert Sid
ney Johnston, and the followers Of
Brigham.
Old Time Activity
There was q great interregnum be-
tween those days of active trading be-
tween Los Angeles and Salt Lake and
its resumption, a few weeks ago,
through the agency of Senator Clark's
railway. There was more active inter-
course between Southwestern Utah and
Southern California forty years ago
than there was a year and a half ago.
In those old days one of the things to
take account of was the Colorado
Steam and Navigation company, which
was another name for Captains A. H
Wilcox, Ben Hartshorne and George A.
Johnston. These gentlemen up to the
completion of the Southern Pacifics
Sunset route to Yuma controlled every
thing on the Colorado river They sent
Callville, st. George county, Utah, and
more trade was done in that direction
than now, which indicates that there
has been neglect in commercial chan
nels thereabouts, and that there ought
to be and will be a reawakening.
Everybody in Los Angeles knew these
gentlemen Of the Colorado Steam Navi-
cation company. They were we'll known
all over the coast and the state, and
were in Los Angeles very frequently
in those days. Captain Wilcox was the
husband of the amiable owner Of the
Wilcox building, and was a man of
enormous size and geniality. He left
a son and a number of daughters who
are married to men of note in Los An
geles.
Some Old Timers
Captain Hartshorne made his princi- |
pal habitat in San Francisco in his la
ter days, although his was emphati- |
cally a case of "who knows not Ben
Hartshorne argues himself unknown"
When General Phineas Banning, Ben |
Hartshorne and Col. Ned Hewitt hap
pened to meet in the box of the Bella
Union or at old French Louis's, in the |
Downey block (now at last fully dis
mantle0 everybody thereabouts was
contented to play listener. They were
all men of lively conversat tional powers, |
full of repartee, and what they didn't
know Of what was going on in Califor-
MIA, Arizona and Utah there was no
use for any one else trying to find out.
Capt. Ben invested the wealth he made
in the navigating business in San Fran
cisco, where his family resided.
Capt. George A. Johnston was the
best known and liked of the three. He
spent money like prince and was will
ing to let joy be unconfined; indeed, he
was debonair to the extreme. The
princely income which he drew from
the Colorado Navigation company he
poured out like water He was a great
patron of the turf and his stud Of thor
oughbreds had extensive vogue all over
the coast. For many years he patron
lied Agricultural park and his stables
were always highly welcome there. He
is handsome man of immense physi-
que, and is the only one living of the
trio. He is scarcely able nowadays TO
spend the $4,000 or 100000 year which
he was wont to rattle out in his gala
days; but his friends, who are legion,
wish he had ten times as much.
Capt. George was a brother of the
late Col. Albert Johnston, who was a
deputy under Sheriff Rowland and one
of the captors of Tiburcio vasquez,
and half brother of Charley John
ston, a lawyer who will be remem-
bered by all old timers. The captain
is residing in San Diego county, and of
late years does not come to Los An
geles often.
The old time Salt Lake MERCHANTS