Year: 1874

A Sketch OF Early Times in California


The sketch which l give you, dear


readers. is a true one, the main features


of which will be recognized as more than


q ''mere coinage of the brain" by thou


sands of persons now residing in Califor-
! MIA. OF the death of Frederick Roe at
the hands of tie populace of Sacrament
to in the spring of 1851, the reasons of it.
the reader is still relnindful, for it was
one of the most determined outburstS
| of popular indignation and vengeance
which any single individual had, by his
crimes. brought down upon himself.
since California had become an Ameri.
can possession: nor has it scarcely been
equaled since.


The first time I ever saw Roe was in
the fall of 1850. was travelling through
Bidwell's Bar. village of considerable
note on the Feather river, when | no
ticed large crowd of persons collected
at the upper end of the town, assembled
for the purpose of administering fifty
lashes to an individua! in whose losses
sion had been found couple Of gold
coins which had been identified as be-
longing to another person. In addition
to that punishment. the popular verdict
was that his head should be shaved, and
two hours given him TO take his final
Leave of that section OF the country.
The man was perfect stranger to the
village, having taken up his residence at
that place but two days previous. and
the fact that his accuSer was a gambler.
and that it was at the instigation of
that peculiar class that lie was being
punished, aroused a suspicion in my
mind of the justice of his sentence, which
was much strengthened by the honest
and open bearing of the man, and the
earnest candor with which he avowed
his innocence. His name was Walls
worth, and from different statements |
soon became convinced that the matter
stood thus: That morning Walsworth
was standing in gambling house watch
ing game of monte, when Roe. who
was engaged in betting against it with no
success, managed TO take from the table,
while in the act of cutting" the cards
two Bolivian ounce pieces, upon which
had been scratched, for some reason. a
peculiar mark. These lie handed to
Walsworth, telling him to bet them for
him, merely to change his luck. Know
ing but little about the game, he at first
refused, but, upon being pressed, he
took the coins and threw one upon the
table. The piece was recognized by the
dealer, who asked WalSwOrth how he
came by it. The victim informed him
that it had been given him to try his
luck with, and pointed to Roe, who was
standing at the other side of the room,
as the man from whom he had obtained
them. Roe was called for, bat. seeing
how matters were, denied that he had
given it to the man, or that he had ever
seen him before. WalswOrth was in
stantly searched, and the other piece
was found in his pocket, which he, of
course, accounted for in the same man
ner as the first, but which Roe again de-
MED. Circumstances were against Walls
worth, for it was certainly considered Il
singular transaction for a man TO trust
his money in the hands of a stranger,
and Roe was we'll known on the Bar,
and the other was not; the word of the
former was taken in preference, and the
latter, after hasty trial, was sentenced
to the punishment lie was receiving on
my arrival Owing to the number of
persons surrounding him, was unable
to get sight of him until he had re-
ceived his sentence in full, and was on
his way down the river, after making an
unsuccessful search through the town
for Roe. He left an open note for him,
however, which wis read by myself and
several Others previous TO its reaching
its destination, which read, as near as |
can recollect, thus:


MIR. RoE--Sr: Through your villainy
| have suffered a humiliating disgrace
dishonOr which will render my life one OF
misery to its latest hour ! am innocent,
as you well know, and had not nv time
been limited to two short hours, YOUR dy-
ing breath should have acknowledged it ere
another hour shall now live but for one
thing-receRge Go where you may, ms
eyes shall be uDonyOu; and, SO sure as there
is God above, my satisfaction shall in less
than one year, be complete and dreadful.


JACOB WALswORTH.


The next time | saw Roe was upon
the occasion and at the time mentioneI
in the beginning of this sketch. He was
then French monte-dealeT, and carried
on his operation as such in disreputa-
BILE den on the corner of Front and J.
streets in Sacramento City.


On the morning of the day of his death
he drank pretty freely, and being very
irritable when under the influence OF
liquor, he ordered from the table a
miner who had made remarks to a by
stander in relation to the honesty of the
game. The miner refused and a rough
and tumble fight in front of the house
was the consequence. 4 teamster at
tempted to separate them. when Roe
pulled a revolver from his belt and shot
him, causing a wound which proved
fatal two days after. Roe was arrested
and lodged in the Station-house, then
located in the basement of a brick build
ing on the corner of Second and J.
streets. Thimble riggers aud French
monte sharps were getting into bad
odor, and as soon as the circumstances of
the murderous attempt became known
or rather as soon rs it was noiSed about
the streets that such deed had been
perpetrated by gambler upon an ''hOn
est, Woodworking man" a crowd COM
menced gathering in front of the station
house, which in half an hour swelled to
the number of some two hundred per-
sons. Up to this time but little excite
ment had been manifested by the as
semblage, and have no reason to be-
lieve that the thought of lynching him
had been entertained or even suggested
by single individual present; they had
collected from motives of curiosity-a
desire Ito learn the particulars, and
nothing more. At this moment the
startling cry of Hang him. hang the
murderer burst from single throat in
the crowd, but the tone in which it was
uttered was so loud, firm and decisive,
knA all