Imperial Valley press., 1913-11-19
When $50 Slug:s
Banked as Change

/
cisco, Mrs. Maggie Cudmore, now a
resident of San Diego, claims to be
one of CALIFORNIA; oldest living ma
tive daughters of American stock.
Hale and hearty, with hardly a
gray hair in her head, after the ups
and downs of life full of romance
and ease and hardship by turn, she
is now employed as a cook in res
/ taurant
Yesterday she talked entertaining
ly of the early days in California, of
the gold rush, of the stock boards and
excitement, of early sporting events,
of social happenings, of booms and
theatrical life in San Francisco many
years ago.
Mrs. Cudmore is the daughter of
Robert Rainey, an army man and a
soldier of fortune, who was killed in
Clusters last charge at the Little Big
Horn.
In 1S49, with his wife, Rainey set
sail from New York in a sailing ves-
sci. They came around the Horn af-
ter six months of all kinds of wealth
er and landed at San Francisco early
in December. 1t was only few days
later that the daughter was born.
Although she has sons and daugh-
ters, Mrs. Cudmore prefers to be in
dependent as long as possible, and is
working in San Diego as means of
support.
Mrs. Cudmore remembers the boom
in San Francisco of 1869, when men
and women almost went crazy over
property, looking at it by lantern
light and signing papers under street
lamps on the corners.
Everybody went wild and every
body made money so fast that they
were almost ashamed" she said.
"There wasn't a poor man in town,
apparently. Everybody had money,
and there was no change smaller than
a quarter. We had $50 gold slugs in
those days, and they were considered
change" she said.
Mrs. Cudmore has vivid recollec-
ton of the gold excitement and the
gambling Of residents.
"Women bought and sold as well as
men, and it was hardly possible to
get near brokers' board. Everyone
bought and sold at random.
"Then there were the days of the
wide-open town and the gambling. My
first husband, Johnny Young, was a
gambler. If he was alive, he could
relate some stirring stories. Women
gambled as we'll as men. Money was
the cheapest thing in the city. Seem
ingly everybody won. In those days
there wasn't a poor man in the city.
Fortunes changed hands over night.
"The prize fights attracted huge
throngs. Women went as well as the
men. / attended one with my hus-
band. 1t was very brutal affair,
and / never want to witness another.
"There isn't an old-time actor or
actress in the early days that | don't
know by his first name. / was in
vaudeville for long time at the old
Bella Union theater. The salary was
not considered; only theater recogni-
ton. The big money came over the
footlights when they liked the actor.
made a barrel of money, just as
everyone else, and ! spent it as free
ly as it was made. I've had backache
from picking up gold pieces. / was
slender then, and they told me /
could sing and dance-but that was
years ago.
"I.ater went to Australia with a
travelling troupe. Oh, yes, j had my
picture in theatrical magazines and
enjoyed the popularity that hundreds
of popular young actresses enjoy to-
day. I'm never sad, though, for !
dream away the days and live the tri-
umphs all over again. It's a long
way back, but love TO go back. Ev-
erything in my memory is most viv-
id-old faces, familiar places can
close my eyes and see It all.
81 knew San Francisco in her swad-
ding clothes; | knew her when the
hills were green and the flowers in
bloom and the palmy days when she
was at her best. Then, knew her
when she was in mourning after the
fire. 1t was awful. | couldn't look
at the city in ruins; so / went away.
San Francisco is not the same, and
never will be again. The great spirit
that predominated those days died
with the fire"