The San Francisco call. [volume], February 28, 1909, Page 6, Image 6

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
FROM ALTAR TO STAGE
"Busting" the Wild Horse
Continued from Preceding Page
taoneotarlly with every muscle set.
every nerve, cord and tendon strained
to Its utmost. With a groan of rage
and despair lie relaxes and gives up the
fight.
•' An Indian runs out with a short
piece, of rope, goes to the 6talllon's
withers and reaches down for the front
loot, which ls v uppermost. This foot
Allison has deftly i released, still hav
ing his lariat on the foot that is next
tt> ttfi ground, which he continues to
hold taut.
\u25a0 Forcing: the stud to bend his knee,
the Indian brings the hoof back and
upward, until the fetlock almost
touches, the elbow Joint. With the
leg' bent In this position the rope is
\u25a0quickly wound around the heavy leg
tnuscles and across the rankle joint and
securely fastened. The stallion is now
released.' He jumps up instantly and
trie* to straighten his leg, but can
jiot; desperately he bucks and kicks
about the corral. He Is simply wearing
himself- "out,. He Is not hurt, but he
must travel upon three legs.
• : In. the same manner are all the re
maining horses handled, four minutes
being, the average time taken to throw,
tie and/conquer the wildest of them; 15
an hour. Is the average number han
dled. With every animal tied we are
riQw" ready, to drive to the nearest
ranch or corral." .If there be three men,
two will go ahead; should there be
more men, always that proportion Is
pat in the lead. The jgate is opened.
With a dash the mustangs go outside.
For. the first few hundred yards we
Je-t them run. trying only to keep them
together. Always there are a few
wilder than the rest which "break"
.and- try to leave, and for a quarter
or half a mile they will make a good
caddie horse run his best, but traveling
at pueii "a disadvantage they soon tire
ar.£ £an be driven back to the band.
.In the course of the first mile the
strain- caused by the continuous hop
p'fng- tells upon them. As quickly as one
fliow« % a tendency to lag, one of the
Kd.ors : dashes forward, dexterously
".casting his lariat over the head or
around the hind feet of the mustang.
" teliis; big mount to one side and throws
\u25a0the' wild' horse to the ground. The
rope }s removed and the leg released.
.Twice the wild horse has been violently
..thrown and has used his surplus
•strength. He now acknowledges de
feat/joins the rest of the band* and
can be driven anywhere along with the
other horses.
.In carrying on a wild horse business
everything Is shipped except those
which we desire to keep for saddle,
work or pack animals. Among the
hundreds of horses we catch there are
*c?nie -magnificent ones — these wo keep
f.qr our own use. To break them to
saddle two methods are used — one In
•which we go' at them "rough shod,"
••"iianihrer" and tongs"; the other Is fo
gentle them, and with firmness and
•kindness teach and train them. Each
m.ethod has Its devoted followers, but
the best results are obtained by Judg
ing- the temperament and disposition
of the animal and giving him the treat
ment best suited to his particular case.
/Take a nyan, vicious, aggressive horse
that shows fight from the moment he
\u25a0la caught, and generally the rougher
\u25a0tnethod Is best. He has to be shown
•that man is master, and be shown so
forcibly that he will not forget It
• Let him run around the corral to
.work off a little of his superfluous
energy. Take down your riata,. go in
and "down" him. As he gets up, down
him again, and even a third or fourth
time. Now, as he lies breathing heav
ily, still struggling to get up, the sweat
'moistening his glossy coat, his eye fol
lowing your every movement, bind one
of his hind feet to. the two. front ones,
which are already fastened — "hog tie"
hlin. More struggles ensue, but he 13
.only pulling on himself. Get a short
piece of rope, tie it* around his nose,
knotting It firmly under the jaw like a
hack-amore, else put a snaffle. bit In his
mouth — don't get a curb, ring, gag or
spade bit. for it will only tear his
tongue unnecessarily. No matter what
is put in his mouth for the first time
he will fight it. With either the hacl<a
more Qr. bridle adjusted, ; you are ready
for- the saddle. Attach a rope fir strap
to yeur cinch ring and draw It under
n!s nock and shoulder as he lies upon
the ground. A few jerks and you have
It- back of his shoulders. Now cinch
your saddle— don't bother about a" blan
ket, you will not need it for the first
•ride. Throw: your weight; against that
cinch,- for you, want your rigging to
stay when you're up there. -Put your
left "foot. 2n the stirrup, straddle the
horse and if he isn't lying on your
right stirrup* put your footin that also.
Get your reins so you can handle them.
Have your partner release 'the bronco's
feet. Don't slip your hand through the
wrist loop on the quirt — hold it in your
fingers, for you may# want to let go.
\u25a0 Reach over now and «ting him across
the nose. Up , struggles the horse, and
for an instant he \u25a0 stands' bewildered.
Now is your chance to -"get that right
stirrrp. if you have not already, caught
It- Straighten your saddle by throwing
your weight a little to the- right or. left;
gather the slack In your reins, for
something is about- to happen. '"
A touch of the spur or a Hick of the
quirt will signal the start. 'The cinch
binds the mustang- most uncomfortably;
up back of his ears he sees a big mov
ing, thing that weighs heavily on -his
back — wftat does he do? Just what you
or -I would do — he tries to rid himself
of It In the best way he knows. He
pops down his head, gives a mighty
lurch, at the same time rigidly arching
his back. Both you and the horse are
high in the air now; next moment the
"bronc" hits the ground with his legs
straight and stiff. At this moment your
spinal column feels as though It had
been struck by a pile driver. Imme
diately he again hurls himself upward,
now perhaps. to the right, next time to
the left, possibly "changing ends" and
going In" a direction exactly opposite
that of the moment before." ?
If you are a novice, it's all over — all
but rubbing the, bruised spots, brushing
off the dust and meekly requesting the
boys to catch your horse. But if you
have been there before,- and know how,
just as he. made that first' leap you
raised your heavy quirt and as he de
scended^you brought.it down across his
nose with all your strength, and when
he jumped. the second time you stung
him again and again. The long rows
of parallel scratches across his shoul
ders and flanks and an occasional drop
of blood show that your spurs have riot
been Idle. This is a contest for su
premacy which is now • being fought.
Only one can win— it must soon be de
cided — you or your horse must be the
victor. Whip,- spur and voice have
called for action. That action by its
very violence has brought fatigue. Often
at this point the mustang in an endeav
or to regain his breath or conserve his
strength momentarily, ceases his buck-
Ing and trots a few steps around the
corral. Instantly the. roughness ceases,
the rider's hand lowers and scratches
the withers of the bronco. A few min
utes' riding around at a trot, and the
first lesson is ended. Look out now as
you dismount, for with defeat comes a
certain amount of hate. Gather your
near rein short, grab also a handful of
mane, place your toe so the foot can be
quickly drawn from the stirrup, swing
yourself out and, as far forward -as his
front feet, for he is almost sure to try
to kick you when he sees you dismount.
There has been no attempt to teach
the horse to rein — he" has merely been
shown the uselessness .- of a struggle-
Tomorrow we will puir him around by
the bit, gently or forcibly. The third
day we will take a short" ride. The
mustang Is "bronc" \u25a0\u25a0 no longer; he is
now a "snaffle bit colt." -
. Mustangs vary ; in disposition and
temperament as much as humans. With
those showing intelligence and tracta
bility a less violent method is pursued:
Instead of catching them by the front
feet and throwing them roughly to the
ground they are "lassed" by the neck
and approached with the utmost cau
tion. With extreme care and patience
the "buster" • walks toward" the fright
ened h^rse, who tremblingly awaits the
coming. of his captor. As you gently
touch the extended nose with your.out
stretched hand the 1 horse tugs at the
rope and tries to get ; away.. Firm
ness is now used and he is restrained:
again the' advance is .made; with the
hand, and soon the mustang, will re
ceive instead of reject the I approaches.
Beginning at " the nose, the hand cau
tiously rubs him under the jowls,
where the ' woodticks lodge, and back
ot his cars, in those little places he
himself can not rub. .Now. a halter, is
produced, and, after being allowed to
ismell it, with. a little effort and per
severance it is fastened upon! his head.
Drag him to a post or tree, tic him
firmly, and beat him— not* with a club
or whip, but with a sack or blanket;
beat him over the head,\ around the
legs, across his back and loins— all over.
He will lunge forward,' pull back, kick
at. and try to strike, the cloth; but
continue to flick him with : it; now
across his face, now on his legs. .' He
.Is beginning to find out. that his strug
gles are of no avail, and .that this cloth
he feared so much has riot harmed him,
in fact, it rubs him so gently that he
lik«s it. Untie him from the post, give
a few firm tugs on the lead rope; and
you will find that yourMiorse follows.
Also you will see he, no, longer fears
you; He Is now ready for the saddle.
No horse can be called" broken unless
he will stand perfectly still while\be
ing saddled and mounted. At first this
Is done either with ; thejuse of a" blind,
by hobbling the .front feet, or by tying
up "one hind .'foot." '
\u25a0Naturally we find all sorts of natures
and dispositions amongrthe horses '.we
break. [ , Occasionally one " will", be ; so' in
herently mean that" it Is impossible to
domesticate him; others sulk andsome
times one, win fight to; such. an extent
that he unfits ; himself : for service ' even
if given" a long .'. time to*, recuperate.
However, I find • that ; many . persons • en
terjairi " the .. erroneous iidea , that every
mustang" Is mean and vicious-— bucking
whenever, he" has'-an"' opportunity "or'suf
ficieni; strength. It 1s a well! known
rule among "mustangers',';that the wild
est horses break ". the" easiest.'^ the awo
; and "feaf v they;; have .of > nian^overmas
tering them- to I; such, an extent, that
they give, up quickly: after s; the • ' first
violent battle.- With': proper 'care, arid 'a
little" kind" treatment these sariie wild
ljorses 'not. only beeomo 1 tractable," but
often truly companionable.
Carved Ivories in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO possesses one of the
most remarkable collections of
carved Ivories in America. It is found
in Golden Gate park museum, is esti
mated to be worth J40.000 1 and, contains
476 pieces, about 420 of which are Japa
nese. The.rarity and, beauty of the col
lection can probably be rightly valued J
only \u25a0by the connoisseur, - who knows
what infinite skill and untiring patience
have gone to the production of even one
of these infinitesimal works of art and
who realizes the fact that- the Japanese -
are rated among the most skillful carv
ers of modern times. !
The larger part of the collection is
Japanese, but there are some; fine ex
amples of the. work of other countries
—a vase, for instance, 32 inches high,
carved by a modern French artisan and
valued at $3,000, which ; makes it the
most expensive piece in- the entire; col- ,
lection. This rich and elaborate orna
ment is carved "froima single tusk cf
ivory and, ls acknowledged to be one of
the most perfect' pieces of ivory carving
in existence. A Venus. Bacchante and
Cupids entwine roses into "wreaths on
either, side of the vase, while a beauti
fully carved nude figure surmounts tho
design. Exquisitely cut in bold relief,
It is one of the most charming and no
table pieces -known to collectors.' To
see this vase alone is well worth a visit
to the museum. Another -remarkable '
piece is the one. that received the prize
atthe Japanese national-exposition and
one i that was a prize-winner at;;the.
Paris exposition. There are also a num- \
ber of particularly good Indian, Chinese
and Italian carvings. >.
But the real strength of the collection :
lies in its 'Japanese carvings. It has
been declared- that • travelers in the
orient have "difficulty in finding any
really? good specimens of Japanese
work In this direction because so many
have been sold or. taken to San Fran
cisco. This is accounted, for. by tho .
fact of the nearness of San Francisco
to Japan, and that it lies on the world's
chief highway of travel between 1
America and the east, thus 'making it
a profitable and convenient mart., for ;
the gems from the land of chrysanthe
mums. However, " ; It is true that ex
quisite examples of Japanese ivory
carving may be -picked up in. the curio-..
shops of San. Francisco for "which th"c ""
traveler would; look in" vain* in the
mikado's realm. A / :\u25a0 -\u25a0-..-."
' ; ;;In ;point;' of" effectiveness, . the :most'
'wonderful object in the park collection
is- a Japanese sword ; scabbard over
1.000 years old "and .... of great size. ; .
Carved "with the jutmbst'nicety.-it is
five feet long arid ;bears: evidence 'of
its great age in the richly mellowed ,
tints of its previous ivory whiteness.
This scabbard, worth' $1,000. when, ob
tained by. 1 the museum, has;. greatly in- .;
creased in value since then. A typical
Japanese design, of two men writhing
in the, coils of a towering, scaly, "open
Qi \u25a0«'\u25a0«\u25a0\u25a0»\u25a0\u25a0«\u25a0\u25a0«-»-» -»\u25a0\u25a0»..»-«-«-»-»-»-»-»—»-«-«-»-«-»-«-«
Brief Articles Lifted From Current Magazines
The Queen's Hobbies
" (From "M. A." I^.'.'} -
. "\UEEN ALEXANDRA; lias recently
,v^ madeone or two interesting, addi
tions'to her large .^mber-*-f i .fano of all
ages and nations/ ; ."•. '»',rias now
one of the ,largesrv - "•-' Jn^exist
enoe. One of th"ese^!3; L .i]. ;•\u25a0•\u25a0 .bme lacd
and silk. fan- that at one i'tlme belonged
to 'Marie' Antoinette, while another -is a
magnificent.', 'specimen'^; of ':'- seventeenth
century Low, Gerrnan v work..* , The^.la'st
named was discovered a;short.timo;agb
by, the' German -empress, (Who, knowing
the" queen's partiality" for these i articles,
purchased; it; and it to : her.
.Th'e^fans, : which now,.'.arnount; to.'. about
300 of all . kinds, .' are - mostly,',' kept ;''at
Sandringham."; Another ."great -hobby (of
Queen ; Alexandra', is tthey'collecting.' of
anything that "had belonged' t o the un
happy; Marie 7 Antoinette. *; '
among;these relics are the
shoes she; wore ;when; led to the guillo
tine and' several ."chairs! that, came i'from
the 'Petit Trianon Vand' other; palaces
of Jthe queen. Queen fAlexaridrahby the
way,-- has . often been* approached ' by • her
more ; intimate ". friends ~to V allow y some
of. her, treasures tblbe'displayed'on'be-'
halrof some'charlty f or. another-'Hither-'
to, f he wever,*' she ; has .'. consistently de
clined Ito f do ; this ; 7 but » theVpr iricess ' of
Wales hopes' for .better ; fortune: next
year,' .when 6he purposes : ; to \u25a0',' give 'a
great . bazaar * foV 'a •< charitable •\u25a0 iin"st- r
tution , in; which! both 'she '• and the queen
are", very. greatlyj interested/ '
Wellington^ on Nelson and Na
: \u0084.*. '•\u25a0';.. ' 'pbleon;".':.':^;;^ ,;'';" :
(From the; Cornhlll^Magazine.)
T. AliklNG: of Lord < Nelson, the duke
said that ; they had '\u25a0 met r once. ' : Ha
was at ' ; the .admiralty;, and "in .' the
\u25a0waiting ".room ' ".when "\u25a0;•': Nelson . came
iri^'a', man ot Vabout .his^own size.".
Lord, Wilton/asked, .;"IJoesi" that. : print
give a '\u25a0f correct; " likeness?'- accofdinsr" to
your !, graces,s '', impression?',' "V; The r duke,*
looking at it'^a' full: lengtlO^Tes, I ; about'
my own Uieight-V iLbrd^W.lsald-^I' reV
member/ 1) earinß : 'y'ou! say that iheftalked
only.; ofJ-hirriself.;:VDuke^Weli;i and «so|
lie" did.;* It'was, all about "himself, Vwliat
Lucy Baker Jerome
mouthed, fanged dragon, Is. most char
acteristic", while the 'finish of: the mi-:,
nute details, the rich '\u25a0; yellow ."r tone ,of
the ivory , and the. fact that it. is pro
duced ;In. th' block .from one .solid •
piece, make; this scabbard a splendid '
example of the Japanese ivory! carver's -
art. . . ; '. ;. . . .....'\u25a0. -i.
How to tell ".the; intrinsic' value of a
carving- is what -puzzles many- people
who :- are not adopts. in the'-'hallmar.ks :
of ; the-~ art.' Much; depends upon the .
delicacy and finishof the work and the I
effectiveness of the 'design. ;if old, , too,'
the vslue of the carving is greatly ;en : ;
h'anced. "Here is: whore the ivory faker
gets in his work. Some Japanese cary
ings are faintly! stained to suggest' the"
yellow of age, and some have been
stained with India ink to give what
the" Japanese imagine is^ a more-life
like represcntaton of garments on some
of the native . These, effects. '.
however, are easily discernible. . All :
thesething? are peculiar to the. Japa
nese work, but an artist : producing/a.,
really, fine bit: of carving dependson
the : plain,, natural .color : tonea." o" .a '
fine piece of Ivory. . on the -quality" of
the grain, ' and.. endeavors ; to \u25a0.- carve his '
figure, ; or design, ," whichever; it may be, I
out of 'one solid piece,. thereby;insuring ;
tj:e greatest perfection both in work- 1
riianshlp and design. - '•.;'•"/ \u25a0 '
Second only to the work: of thc.Tapa
nese carvers is "that -"of the Chinese. -
It^is-not so much a matter -bf-^one's
superiority ;bver;the s other as'; of -the •*
difference In their aim.' "The- Japanese
carver; devotes his attention ' almost
wholly t*b ; elaborate designing,' riclf
nessjof ornamentation and :delicacy of
detail, while the' Chinese endeavors to
show his cleverness and ideal of beauty
by" working with --the minutest of .tools
in-an effort . to- carry* out 'some odd'or
bizarre idea. A Chinese! artist .will .
labor, long and. patiently for months to
evolve eight; or nine' small '-'iyory. balls ..
one' within""- the other. ,* There-is, anex-,:
ample; of this kind of \work in the
park; museum in'the shapp of a carved'
ivory billiard ball, which Is-, ornately
wrought on the outside, and then^cut
into; minute - open '.work with- an iorna-;'-^
mented ' round hole -at.' intervals. In- -
side this .. has "..-been at- '".what "
expenditure' of labor .'andrlngerilbu's- de- ;
>-ice nobody cari " tell,": another . ; sphere .
of similar design, inside, of ; which; is '";\u25a0
another, and so on till there^areyeight \u25a0'•
of them, the smallest tlie-size of aY
marble,- showing on; its '.tiny surface
the same richness" of. elaboration as
displayed on the " outer?; andX largest '/
sphere. ' 'These eight balls are.all -cut '
out of ono solidbilliard ball.and repr^- \u25a0;'
sent mrinthsof laborlfduring jWhich the
slightest slip of the«!ca'ryer's> tool, the,
tinjestlerror in calculation, would havey
marred the, fragile, shellwork beyond
he \u25a0did:.in;the. West Indies: ho. had just
cofne :f rom the ' West-Indies. ""\u25a0\u25a0>"•'•>'::
'Talking .ofj tha 'generals assembled: at
Paris ( In J.sl4, .wh«?n the various; Aus
trian and' Prussian "generals', who.; had
been* beaten by ' Napoleon ; earn e crowd- :
ins: round." the ; duke and " '"expressing •-\u25a0
lots of \u25a0••omplirherits .to^hinivfor having ".
never been .beaten >y the; -.J«'renchr the «
duke - pleased ; them immensely by^say-".
ing :./-_• ."Ah; '.but' you-; know.. T ; never".-. met \u25a0
Bonaparte, and. I have -always 'looked ;
on- him as being as* good : , a5.;.40,000 .
men.'%; ; ;\u25a0' ;\V-' .... .-v'. , r \u25a0'\u25a0".-.\u25a0/\u25a0"\u25a0'- '\u25a0 '. '\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0,.' :; .
Andrew. Johnson's Farewell -to "
\u25a0-•/;.;.; '".-.'.-..; ; \u25a0 ; office; : \u25a0ttHg^
(Frorii' the/ Reminiscences of William;:
I- \u25a0 ;\u25a0 H. '\u25a0 Crook, iin < the • Century. ) - ;;\u25a0; ;\u25a0 ,
T ;\u25a0• was -to : the^ partyj of .' Surririer \\ and
Stevens that Andrew Johnson s yielded^
on the 4th of March,- 1869,* .when,' a^ little :
bef ore? noon;vhG?le,ft'the.';Whiter House, : :
and;it;was;tora"ma.ri*,byiwh6m;iie;con^" : ;
sidered v that » he s"had;( been^; betrayed:;
Johnson :had .refu.sed4tb" r ride"ln the;car ; ri
riage .with^President. Grant,; as? has" alf-;
ways?, been thefbustbrnVforUhe \u25a0outgbing"'
president. ,\u25a0: I ;have"iheard'. lusaid v'.that-
General Grant' refused' to 'ridel with* hlrri.v
lido' not know, whether,' that iis strue*or*
not;; it's does mot: seem -like Presidents'
Grant; ; who Cwa's* .: kindliriess i i tsel f .V ; Bu 1 1
I ""do" know -that' Johri'son^refused* to'^rlde,
with'Uhe;- new I president, f^ r 'l ! heard him
say- a thai yhe"" would* not -do"' it:'>-~ : -' - v — '
'••So .-^Johnson 1 : remained^ quletlyf in*. the "
White ;'Hbuse:\whileiXthe<lnauguratlpn|
ceremonies i ,were;lnTprogre.ss,, gathering J
up \u25a0'.his" papers 'i and 'makings finali. prep- : J,
arations. > HeVtqok ] away , with" him>'\all '\u25a0
the -recordsTpf; the 'office^ arid itheTsprap^ |
books '/which (l " h.a"dVc(^mp.iled.>: He' said: r
•; "I found; v nothingihereVwhenSivcarhe. ! i'
and) li, am f going : ; to " leave 'nothing 'here .
wherijl/gO-V VI. '.••-/. --c 1c 1 • J- w'rr^ '» -.'.v \u25a0»j-.
."•'.When? he.fleftV all 'the^employes^of'the;
White I'HouSe^gathe'rea-tori : the, portlcoTtb <
say.'{goodby>.toVhim.*.V;Nq"i onef-. else, was.:
there. .;;• His -'friends .-and t 1 enemies!; alike^
had ffloqked v ; t6, see '\u25a0'• the '• installatlbn ; of
the. new: president.*; The. family; had pre-V.
cededihim.f i-Withalljthe others,; I shook;?
his handfandTsaid:* - .:; \ .";. ."\u25a0? .'-\u25a0.- .; . )
/iVGoodby/j-Mr^Presiderit.'::;*! '• i , V -i \
\u25a0 ;.'Goodby,*Crook,'Vhe"said.: » "And: God:'
bless rybu!";; v '^ ; ;\ ,V f -';.'•'. : : !{ ;'i " ;* : -->!;»..',
repair. '.Think of; the tediousness^ of
s-uch> work .with a single tool,. with'.the
smallest and,mos£' t delicate of openings'
through which* to probe' and the Incon
ceivable care .exercised by the artist
to. produce .this series "of eight hollow,
revolving: balls diminishing in size jas
the | number . progresses,'^ and '..executed
; with such marvelous skill and' fidelity!
The Chinese ; artists in carving : seem '
to have well ; assimilated the axiom
.that' genius is put a capacity, for taking*
tpains.; . ;. : - \u25a0•;\u25a0\u25a0•' .- ; .-...- ~- \u25a0 ~.'.-'-';V.'." 1
.' The . .difference -between 'objects
carved In Ivory -arid those carved in
;bone: l3another thing that puzzles the
casual - observer. ; Tola keen: eye the
grain of the ivory is sufficient evidence
if able to detect it, but there .are many
occasions when, ivory and' bone carv'--
, ings are undlstinguish'able. But in. the
eyes of many bone carvings are eriually
as' 'beautiful' and artistically, as valu
able as those made from.' ivory.. In fact,
there was a periodrin.-Jtaly when ele
phant \u25a0» ivory* being scarce, bone was ;
\u25a0largely" substituted, vith t-oine very
satisfactory results;: The tusk of the
elephant', being 5 the "only : real' ivory its
substitutes are, found in: the teeth of
v the walrus, - the .narwhal/; the sperm,
whale and the hippopotamus,. which are
used- to .a .'large vdegrc^. ' ; In" point" of'
fineness the walrus \u25a0 ivory is quite as
? fine 'and beautiful 'ns that, of, the ele-
phnrit,^. and the difference .-is - scarcely
distfprnible" except by,- a clO3e scrutiny'
/ofthf 4 graining.- Much of th« Russian
carver's- work "is. -wrought -in : what ia
called , fossil 'ivory.; obtained' from
Sibeiii'rb'ut real Ivory -comes only from
Aslaand Africa; "where the elephant is
found. r ;
;, The.Eskimo. during the "long nights
of freezing cold. in the arctic circle has
made crude:- attempts at reproduction
of. queer, distorted Images of men , and
animals In; bone. These - barbaric
carving are. not art; 'they -are s'.nir
ply the.. delineation of grotesque^ freak
ish.-picture's of the dorilzens and
creatures, of ;that: northern region,
.though, . like 'v the. Indian "totem \ poles,'
they,- no. .doubt" -bear -some "meaning in
rude symbolic rdeslgn. s '; Quite recently
the -Eskimo has." displayed both; -in
. gen ui tyj : and ' skill : in line .; work upon
,, walrus tusks, which. is" really.pen draw
lngon.'thesolid'ibono. ''•:>/.'• "
•; -References (' made vto 'ivories.'in .the
\u25a0bible,-'more specifically \u25a0 In jthe; Songs of
Solomon, .' .'lndicate «\u25a0; that' the- carved
ivories of Hhat time were inlaid with
\u25a0 gold iarid' precious istones.'.\lt'., is said
that' in tho 'British -: museum '"are; '.two
daggers fashioned after." this", manrier
• ofHhe dayof Moses,* 3,700 j years ago.
San Francisco -has comparatively few
example's of : old ; European"' ivories, 'but
.the'paVk coUectiorivWith its'bulk of fine:
" Japanese". work,'." its. goodly^represen ta-'
tion.-of ; and -German ;.- ivory;
.carvers,' arid. "a few ; of I taly : and Russia,
is a'.nbtabloTone. "' ' \u25a0'",'\u25a0'. ,'-••:_'-
A Ghost] Eradicator
(From- the- Westminster Gazette.)
THESE are the days of the specialist
in ail things, arid it is not, surprising'
to; read of a .gentleman who describes .
himself -as_ i' "JThc ;t, Original. Haunted '
House Restorer arid Ghost Eradicatbr."
Nor",Ms;<- It, astonishing-. to' 1 "find '•that; ho
complains o.f slackness! 'of: trade. A
ghbst",'lf;'it ! be-alwell^authenticattfd r and
respectable *ghost, ; ,i 'represents ; an * asset.
and, these "are "days when : propertyrown- \u25a0
crs; do. not a willingly; sacrifice ' assets.
Moreover.Y;a;.well; established
ghost" with] a"« history ; of generations i has •
a;title]to;re'gafd'htmself asTa' vested \u25a0 in- :
terestTarid 'entitled ltd. all :
for disturbance: '\u25a0 If there :were[any .real"
prosper! ty ..in \u25a0* this? trade".- of " ghost ; ban
isher i -we;should'; have ;to> counteract* its
destructive ; power, by la. great . league :
and^coveriant; 6f;;aH ;bf
Christmas 1 / stories"; of i the"; amateurs i'ot
ther occult:; and.thei scientific" searchers'
after. aTspirltjworld.7>Forall'jtlfese- the*
ghost ; is? an ; essential- to* continued? ex
istehce".:;; Banish .the -spook" and" their
occupation ij.would : r be' : ; gone,- arid i John';
Burns would; b'eTinvaded^by, an; army: of
psychical] researchers \u25a0 out • of \u0084work > and
demanding \f special^; treatmeritlMn \the
forthcoming^ leglslatlon-of the -soyer'n-''
.Mali's : Inhumanity.; to -Woman \u25a0
\u25a0 (From, the 1 Westmlnster^Revlew.V
I N^all. the ;greats civilized, citles'bf; the;
•• world \u25a0• woman 'is * encouraged ".', to "de-*
moralize*herself and 'hold- herself /cheap
in music rhall; jtheater, and-; even" in opera :
house,} for,whatjnia.h 'pf, prpperiipstlnctg \u25a0
would Jlk'e .to iseejhisjdaughter.'or; sister
InTtnJe*? atti tucles" an d lirij*I irij*. the t drape'ry '; sol
p"opularjfatVsuch*spla6es?s ; l't:jaili;"cbme9"?
from* denying; to* a^wqman; a^ responsible;
YQlce . in j the]bighest3 iff al rsVand't placin"©*
her a on jaMower I planev^'jlt Us • projiosedito'
legally.Vfp'rbid?^h'er \Xoj^erye.i in 'a^'publia
h o u se * b ecau se ~\ 6 f • i t s^b ad*, moral .-"at m bs -*\u25a0•
pb*e'r«7;,whlcJi-:nieH'falorie|haveVgiyVn'>;it7'i
w.hil©jpubllclbpiniori{allows!her!to'inake
reqkjes'sJdJ^pJaysYon^ the;* stage \6( ; the '
tJie.atcr r and;niusic:hall. r Vi;-^><; v; .v%.y,
-The Francisco Sunday Call
Gold in California in 1 842
Marguerite Stabler
'•p HE account of John Marshall's dls
\u25a0'j; ;'covery- of gold in the mlllraco be
, longing to General Sutter In 184S
is to California .what ithe Romulus and
Remus story was to Rome. The Marshall
monument near the . spot of his dis
covery insures' him'/the fame as the
first discoverer and every history of the
state starts off .with Its. "'/In the be
ginning God created' and John Mar
shall .discovered it." •
• But while .leaving the laurels bound
securely about the brow o* John Mar
shalr*as t.'.e olllcial discoverer of gold
in California, inasmuch as his report
ing- to captain Sutter put the fact into
a.ut!ioritative" hands, we are bound to
admit the testimony of .certain indis
putable documents. For instance, in
August, 1543, from the United States
mint at Philadelphia, Abel Steams re
ceived the following report with the
gold he had sent from California: "Be
fore melting 15.34 ounces,- after melt
ing IS.I ounces; fineness. .906; value,
$344.75; .deduct" expenses, , sending , to
Philadelphia and agency . there.- -$4.02;
net, $340.72.'; - '
\u25a0 • Wild 'rumors and picturesque legends
as" to "early discoveries of gold abound
as, a matter of course, but there are
hard and , fast., dates and figures that
tell :' their 'o\Vn story. . Captain -Sutler
was undoubtedly in possession of these
facts because Indians' and Mexl
canajks welTas the trappers who came
down from the Oregon region had been
hearing six or seven years before Mar
shall's discovery about the deposits of
gold In certain parts of Alta Califor
nia. ' Corjequently he had put all his
workmen' on the alert to look out for
it. Any oddity of nature was ,to be
broushtfo. him Whether "of tha animal,
vegetable or "mineral kingdom. Gen
eral Bidwell, speaking o* an experi
ence in California prior to 184 S. tells
Of a trapper who' found a small piece
of gold metal in the: pocket of his coat
in which he had been carrying a stone
to sharpen his knife.upon, but having
no -knowledge of auriferous,, rock, it
remained ;in his^estimation : still noth
ing, more -than a whetstone. |
The Mexican government :recognized
the fact of gold deposits . in~ Calif ornia
to the extent that its laws ; provided
for the taxes of gold mines and the'eon
ditions of. private ownership/while Cal
ifornia.was.still in her possession. The
Mexicans, however, took the fact-calm
ly.' That .there was gold In the moun
tains did not. seem such a stupendous
discovery, that gold was liable to" be in
mountains, their experience had taught
them.. It was arduous work to extract
this- gold from, the rocks and sand, and,
so* far as they were concerned, the
gold; might in the. mountain's
until they were \ forced; to "dig for -it.
It was .very r hot" to work all" day. in
the sun just for a little gold,- but very
easy; to -plan t> a -field vwith seed and
smoke cigarettes in, the shade until the
seeds grew into .grain.: There isrea
son in all thingis.. The Aiexlcan mind
saw no ' reason i why there -.should be" a
great/stampede .'for. the developing of
these . mines.' -"Manana. manana, the
"mountains will always 'be there."
:On the rancho of Ignaciodel Valle.
near : the San mission." a: gold
mine -was -discovered, and • worked j as
early"- a 5.1842. '.Varying accounts of Its
fdiscoveryi '-.'areV told, ,' but in' -substance
'they 'all ' " "agree 'in .' the ' facts -that a
vaquero, l I^anclsco Xopez. "while watch
ingfhis'cattle and 1 idly digging in the
sand noticed', some,.; shining, particles.
.Tucking* the ; specimen of '.what he
'to'be\copper'.into his' coat, he
waited untiUhe returned -to-the. settle
merit'lto,: inquire -into.i ts -value. ; The
people .in:;thei. : .settlement. >with even
their, lirrilted" knowledge' of .mineralogy,
decided -the . grainVwere "more like 'gold
than?copper.-and a party 'was organized
to set ' out Vfor * the V spot.i arid I hunt , for
1 gold. ;• Juan "* Manuel vVaca , carried the
new's^of the* discovery,' of^ gold -to; Gov
ernor Alvarado :at showing
hitnVd. specimen of the dusthe. bad'pre
sery£d inja quill. ,In i 1842 Uhese -mines
,wefe*»worked , a - distance, of ,10, leagues,
. arid *in \u25a0 1844 ' to 'i aistill /greater extent.
\u25a0The^ Mexican " government • was- apprised
of^the 'existence; of ithese mlne3,sbut«in
thf-dbcumentos .". irelativos ,al j depart^
•mento."de. ; ;Californias % one.; Manuel^' M.
Castanares',* opined; I : trfat' "this . branch
[oughtHo^be jcqnsldered^less ;worthy- of
attracting^ attention! than" agrlcuUure.'J
adding, however, it is. of
\u25a0 great rimportance, arid '• I " have ;the^ satls-^
;factio*n;of assufingyqiithat It forms In
\u25a0 Calif orhlav- one- of -the most * valuable
\u25a0 resources .which :\that\ department <con-
\u0084\u25a0;-,!':•• ..' r , . , - '. \u25a0 .. :-. •
" v Th"ere was , an. easy-going J flocking to
jthesefriilnes r at* first', when ithe 1 existence
of 'gold'in^the'San.Fernando'regidnifte.^
;gan \u25a0.to^.bei-kriown.f-apd^inf May,-'.lS44^
•Ignaclp' del^Valleiwas appointed Juez'.'de
;pollpia ? to* keep border,' tq'portlon"out 7 the
landt and t impose^taxes : if, r> ne"cessary.* \u25a0
'. -.- ; Th e; year IS44 "^ rnustihave.ibeen/a* dry
'• season,.. ho wever» for/thetflow' of t water
gave^out/.ver'y^earlyrjrnaklriglwashing
of • the." gold": impossible, 7 " and 'as ithe* : best
Urle^rriitnerstilrad ?been» attleT-^tq* do^for
itheniselyeis iwith-;thelr^priidlUves meth
ods'and jdisinclinationj to iwork .'.was- }2
a day, their enthusiasm was short lived
However, by the end of the following
year several thousand ounces of gold
had been taken out of the San Fer
nando mines. But the vein wa3 soon
worked out to a return of 2S cents a
day.
Governor Alvarado boasted that tht
rings that he used at his wedding In
August. 1529. were of California gold,
and that his daughter owned one fash
ioned in IS4O at Monterey from San
Fernando gold. And in his Historia da
California Alvarado thinks it imperti
nence on the part of Marshall and Sut«
ttr to claim the discovery of gold, and
asserts: "Que el pueblo Americano «
esencialmente egoista cuanclo trata dt
hacer aparecer al Senor Marshall come
primer- descabridor del oro en Califor
nia; que en buena hora la legislatura da
premios y pensior.es a quienes se If
Antoje yo no me rnezelo en esos asuntos,
desde que mi vo: 3eria demasiado debll
para efectuar reformas que la mayoria
d* los legisladores co desean ver Im
plantadas; pero exijo quo no se cina
con laureles que tie justicia pertenecen a
mis compatriotas, la f rente de Sutter,
Marshall, y demas aventureros que la
cada bienio se pre3entan ante la legis
latura.del Esrado reclamancjo recoia
pensas por ssrvlclos que nan cstado
muy lejos de prestar, y por descubri
mientos quo hablan aido hechos mas d«
quince amos antes que los tltuladoa
descubridores del oro Viniesen a Cali
1 fornia." -
..We do not question the fact that
some gold dust was brought into Cali
fornia from the outside, ajid as it fell
into the hands of "traders -wa3 shipped
to eastern ports, thus giving the er
roneous impression of its having been
mined here; but this was a small quan
tity. We have the record of a man
namedParacios. who came to Califor
nia in 1534 as agent for a Guayrnas
merchant, who brought gold dust to be
used. as money. .Others, no doubt, did
the same. This would sooner or later
fall into the hands'. of the a?rer.t3 for
eastern firms and be sent home on the
outgoing vessels. It was possibly ot
such an occurrence a3 this that llich
ard Henry Dana in his "Two l'ear*
Before the Mast" speak 3. Referring t©
the cargo- of the ship, he speaks of
a quantity of gold dust brought
from the interior, by Indians or
Mexicans. -"And- "yet. as he goes
on he says: "Rumors of gold
.discoveries wre -current, but attract
little attention."
. In "The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon
and California," by L. W. Hastings,
printed in Cincinnati in 1543. he who
runs may road: "It is reported in the
City of Mexico that some Mexicans
have recently discovered a section of
country in the extreme interior of
-California which, affords ample evi
dence of the existence of both gold
and silver ore."
Again in May. ISI6, Thomas O. Lar
kin. United States consul at Monterey,
makes the/ following statement: "At
San Fernando, near San Pedro. by
washing the. sand in a, plate any per
son can obtain from $1 to $S a day In
gold that brings $17 per ounce In Bos
ton. The gold has been gathered for two
or three , years, though but few have
the patience, to look for it. There Is
no doubt in my mind that gold, silver,
copper, .quicksilver, lead, sulphur and
coal- mines 'are to be found all over
California.. But I am very certain
that they will under" their present own
ers continue as they are. The Indians
have always said there were mines,
but would not show the,ir location, and
the Calif ornians- do, not choose to look
" for them." Later, in the same month
arid year.'Mr.* Larkln sent the follow
ing, report to the secretary of state at
• Washington .. "By the laws and cus
toms of Mexico respecting mining,
every person or company, foreign or
native, can present themselves to the
nearest authorities and" denounce any
.unworked. mine. , The. aathoritiea will
then.*' after the proper formalities, put
the denouncer in possession of a cer
tain -part> of ?it or all, which is. I be
lleve».according t to its extent. The pos
sessor must hereafter' occupy and work
his "mine.; or sorhe other person may
denounce against him. in all cases
the government claims a certain por
tion of "the product." .
In his message to congress in 13 IS
President Polk stated that at the timo
of Uhe> acquisition of California the
existence, was 'known, of precious met
. als to' a considerable extent.
\u25a0 '\u25a0.-Notwithstanding. all" "of .which, the
figure of -John 'Jlar9hall. " backed by
jCaptaln-Sutter's millrace. stands a3 a
synonym for the discovery of gold In
| r California,- just as the figures of Rom
»ulus ? and "Remus, with" their wolf.* la
inseparable 'from your concept of th«
founding ;O{ Rome. ,
,: There * .may 0 have been ,a, Romulus
. and a Reraus and; there may "not: w«
do/riot 5 "question there' having been a
wolf. any rate, the, fact that Roma
"was; founded ;is.;the maln^ point.- And
by, the same token it waa the discov
ery, *not ' the'-'discoverer, of gold that
• has* 'made* for" the -development and
prosperity -of California, and whether
it dates fr0m. 1842 or 1345, the fact that
itrwas discovered Is .the main point.
* 4 (For; the data the writer la indebted
; to* early -records, disregarded histories
5 and \the ; works on California Quoted.)