Year: 1876

Tho Little Cadet.


We never knew their right names.
They were brothers, and came from Mo-
kelumne Hill, and the French miners
nicknamed them the Cadet brothers. 1t
was in '5S, and there was as lawless set
of roughs around Peoria Bar as ever
disgraced mining camp. Whenever it
was known that a miner had struck it
big, this gang of bulies would drive
him out Of his claim, clean up h!s
sluioes, and take possession of his
ground. It was notorious fact that
Frenchman or an italian was not allow
ed to hold rich claim for miles around
the bar. The roughs ruled the whole
camp.


When the Cadet boys came and began
work on the river just above the bar, 1t
was rumored around town that there
would be some fun. Irish Jack and
Hooknose Andy boasted one morning IN
the corner saloon that they were going
to chuck the Trenches into the river.
But Jack and Andy were so drunk that
they quarreled aoout who should have
the first lick at the big Frenchman, and
in settling the matter two decanters and
q pewter water pitcher got mixed up
with their heads, and the pitcher was
the only thing that wasn't broke. 1t was
several days before either Andy or Jack
got out, and several more before they
made up and resumed their positions as
chief bullies, and turned their attention
to the Frenchmen. The Cadet brothers
were quietly working away at their
claim. They had put up little brush
cabin on the hill side, close to their
work, and were building dam. They
had been warned of their danger, but
only laughed and shook their heids, and
one, the little gray-eyed fellow, said
when the roughs jumped his claim they
might bury him under the tailings.


When the job was finally put mp, Andy
spoiled it all by leaving the. bar little
ahead of the crowd. When he neared
the claim the biggest Cadet brother was
wheeling dirt on the dam. A lcng, mar
row plank led from the bank to the dam,
and Just as he was about midway on
this board with his wheelbarrow of dirt,
Andy caught hold of the plank and turn
ed it over. The wheelbarrow, the dirt,
and the Frenchman were precipitated
into .the prospect hole, but somehow
Andy was with them. With a spring
like panther, the Frenchman had grab
bed the bully, and together they were
writhing, struggling, and fighting like
infuriated demons. Andy had found his
match, but, with the cowardly instinct
of the rough, hs was not willing to. take
even chances, and drew his bowie knife.
Just then the little Cadet appeared in
the cabin door with his rifle. He saw
his brother struggling with the rufian !;
he saw the knife in the hands Of the lat
ter and down toward the bar he saw
the roughs coming on run. Sometimes
Andy was on top, sometimes the French
man, and it was forty yards away. How
ever, there was not moment to con-
slider, aad quick as flash the gray eyes
were sighted along the barrel, and the
big Cadet was struggling with-a corpse.
Hooknosed Andy had bullet in his
brain.


The two brothers took their rifles, and
in five minutes were up in the chapparal
on the mountain. There was too much
CONSERVATION among the roughs to ad
NIT of immediate pursuit, but that after
noon over forty of the dead man s friends
were hunting through the bushes and
along the steep mountain sides, resolved
on vengeance. That night at midnight
the Cadet brothers came into Peoria
Bar, and were supplied with an abuud-
ance of tho best ammunition and pro-
visions by their French friends. For
three DAYS the search was unavailing,
but on the fourth gang of eight or ten
men discovered the hiding place OF the
Cadets. That is, they all discovered it
but the head man, who fell dead in his
tracks Just as he came in sight of the
Jagged cliff where they were concealed.


You may believe it or not, boys, but
every man who lived on the Stanislaus
in those days knows that the Cadets
stayed on the mountains and around to-
ward Yankee Hill for two or threeweeks,
and defied every mau that was sent after
them. Bill Carter, the city marshal of
Columbia, swore he would take them or
die, but somehow Bill never managed to
find them. Others did, however. Nc
Kinney, as bold man rs ever lived, was
very eager in the search until bullet
struck him in the upper part of his
forehead, and glancing upwar gourged
an ugly hole in his scalp. Mckinney
got well and is living now, but he meyer
afterward iudulged in the pleasure OF
hunting Frenchmen. Only the smaller
one did the shooting. The big brother
always loaded the guns. Their pur-
suers often shot at thsm, and sometimes
surrounded their position so as to CON-
pei them to retreat. The little Cadet
would fire shot, hand the empty gun
to his brother, and the latter would load
the musket while retreating up the hill.
By the time it was loaded the little fell
low would fire again, and then hurry up
to his brother and exchange guns. They
killed two men outright and seriously
wounded three others.


If you have ever been on the Stanis-
laus, you know that the granite cliffs
rise almost perpendicularly upward In
many places from the river. On one OF
these cliffs tho Frenchmen found it ut
terly impossible toascend further. Their
enemies were in hot pursuit, and q
change of position became inevitable.
They had to choose between facing
their enemies or jumping perpendicular