IN THE TREASURE HOUSE OF CALIFORNIA'S PIONEERSJke Most Interesting Museum oi\ Earth, Pick ir\ Relics of Events, Wkick ii\ tke

Early Days Gaused tke Blood to JingleWITHIN the space of a few square

feet, in this City, are such inestima-ble historical treasures as the origi-

nal Bear flag; the proclamation wnich,issued by Commodore Jrloat, immediatelypreceded the raising of the American flagai Monterey when the United Statesformally took possession of California andsaved itfrom the English; the bell whichsounded in earlier days to call the Vigi-lance Committee together; the saw, crankand other paraphernalia from Sutter'smill; the battle flag of the "First Califor-nia Regiment," otherwise known as theThirty-second Regiment of New YorkVolunteers; "Captain Jack's" war drumfrom the lava beds; and not les3 inter-esting the cannon which, originally pre-sented by the Czar of Russia to the garri-son of Fort Ross, was afterward used byCommodore Stockton at San Pedro, LosAngeles and San Pasqual.

These are all in a museum, of course,but a museum whicti, in a small compass,embodies more State history than any

other museum in the United States. Theobjects of historical interest alreadyenumerated, and many others, are in thecustody of the Society of California Pio-neers. Securely sheltered in a buildingwnich is in itself historical, as it marksone instance of the broadly manifestedpublic spirit of James Lick, the number ofthese priceless treasures slowly increases.Tragedies and comedies, relics of war andreminders of stern justice meted out in

the spirit of but without the form of law,

provokers of smiles and reminiscences fortears

—these and the magic glitter of

that gold which made California so soona State, are in the keeping of their propercustody, of those who were, in proprisepersona?, S'.ate-makers in every sense of

the term. When the collection is com-plete itwillsuggest the most unique pageof history that has been written in mod-ern times. They willhelp to make up themost unique museum store upon earth.

Upon a pedestal in an an-ile stands asmall iron chest. The lid of it rattleswhenever the chest is jarred. Itonce hada key and until a short time ago, in fact.Then some chance visitor learning of thehistorical value ot the chest stole the key.

The chest very likely would also havebeen stolen by the same visitor if ithadnot been protected by its size and weight.

Small though it is the story runs that itcontained $16,000 when it was stolen by

John Jenkins from the snipping office ofVirgin&Co. on Long wharf on the tenthday of June, 1831. Jenkins had the con-spicuous distinction of being the firstman lynched to secure order by the Com-mittee of Vigilance. Jenkins was dealtwith very promptly and the proceedingswere t'.orouah and energetic. '•Ho wasconvicted," says a veracious chronicler,llthat evening as an example to the law-less characters then infesting the City."The committee brought him to the plazaand there they hung him Irom a beam ofthe old adobe house. He was left untilmorning, relays of men holding the ropeby which he was suspended.

Close to this little iron chsst withwhich Jenkins made away, and which wassaved from the bay after he had thrown itin, is a perfect treasury of objects whichhave histories. A little to the left, notmore than two paces, there is a queerlittle cannon. Itis perhaps 3}4 feet long.

The chamber of it runs to a point at the\ent. Eight ounces of powder wereenough to charee it. On the top are whatlooks like two handles to carry itby. The

. Czar of Russia presented this cannon tothe Russian garrison of Fort Ross and theRussian flag waved over itfor a time.

Captain Sntter afterward received itHe caused itto be mounted upon the wallof his famous fort,a large picture of whichis almost directly over the cannon. Thepiece was one of those which banged asalute when the American flag waa firstraised upon that fort at sunrise on themorning of July 12, 1847. Then it becamea held liece and went with the commandof Commodore Stockton and was used byhim in his advance from San Pedro to LosAngeles; again inthe engagement at SanPasqual, December 6, 1846; again at LosAngeles on the Bth and 'JAi of June, 1847.Itwas then transferred to Colonel Masonof the First United States Dragoons, whoreturned it to Captain Sutter. He pre-sented itto the Society of California Pio-neers.

Just beyond a stout wire partition at

the east end of the museum there is a sec-tion of what looks like an old-fashionedmast. In reality it is a four-foot sectionof that flagstaff upon which CommodoreS'oat ordered Midshipman Toier to raisetbe American fl-igat Monterey, on the 7tuday of July, 1b46. This section was thebase of the pole. A i>iece of the top part

is in another part of the museum; alsoupon the wali, bearing the attestation re-cently placed thereupon by William P.Toier, now of Oakland, is a long manu-

script. This was the proclamation by jwhich the United States took possession Iof California, and Mr. Toier attests that it ',

was written by his hand, at the order of :Commodore Sloat, whose aid he was.

Pianos, like everything else connectedwith the eariy period of California his-tory, seemed to have been built with a jstrong constitution. Almost under theshadow of James iycK's .hatbox, whichrests on the top of the Sioat flagstaff sec-tion before mentioned, is the tirst pianothat ever came to California. Strange asitmay appear, as a fact, this first piano isan upright. Steve Massett had itat someof his entertainments. Along came thebig tire of 1850. The piano could only besaved by throwing it to the ground froma second-story window. Down it wentwith a bang, jingling and tinkling out aprotest from every note included withinthe compass ofits eight octaves.

When the piano struck the ground one |of its legs was broken off. It ought to |have been a generally broken up music-maker according to all reasonable ex-pectation. When it was examined the |discovery was made that, with the excep- jtion of one broken leg, it was all right, jThe cost of replacing the broken leg witha ntw one was $50. After that itresumedits task of furnishing accompaniments forthe early Californians as they sang. Ithad ups and downs. Open the case to-day and run your lingers ovsr its time-

stained ivory keys, and every note willrespond in tune. It has about as goodtone as itever could have possessed. Thesound is practically the same that washeard half a century ago when Californiawas new.

On the west wall, where it should be, isthe original Bear flag. There are threebear flags of different dates on the walls.The original bear is an odd-looking beast.There is no doubt of the authenticity ofthe relit—the original flag. H.L. Fordwillgo down to history as the man whosuggested placing a picture of the bear onthe flag. Mrs. John Sears provided themuslin of which the flag was made. Wil-liam Todd agreed to paint itand placed onit a single star, remembering the "lonestar" of the Texas Republic flag. Toddwas equal to painting the star, but whenhe came to the bear he produced a picto-rial beast of subdued mi»n which can beconsidered a bear only by Doetical license.He would never have been suspected ofbeing a bear without a license. There aretwo other bear flags of different periods.

One of the*e has a bear standing on itsiiindlegs. These three flags are spread outin frames on the side walls. Not far awayfrom them is a flag carried by Walker intoNicaragua. Over the last named is thepicture ot Dr. Tucker, who gave it to thePioneers.

At least one more flag of historical in-terest is in the collection. This was car-

ried through several battles in the CivilWar at the head of the First California orThirty-second Regiment of New YorkVolunteers. Two colonels were killed inbattle incommand of this regiment whileyet the battle-flag was in use, these beingColonel Matheson and Colonel Lemon.The last colonel of the regiment,Francis E. Pinte, gave it tothe Pioneers. It floated at Manassas,

West Point, Vn., Crumpton Gap. An-tietam, Fredericksburg and Salem Height,Va. The wear of actual service is evidentupon its tattered folds.

The San Francisco Vigilance Committeeis represented in various parts of the mu-seum by enduring memorials. The largestsingle object that belonged to that world-famous committee now in the Pioneerbuilding is the bell, which stands on apedestal just beyond the case that sheltersthe California Regiment battle-flag. Mon-umental Fire Company No. 6 owned thebell, and itwas the first one ever erectedin San Francisco. The Vigilance Com-mittee used itin 1856, and to the ears ofoffenders it played weird tunes. The"all-seeing eye" and the seal and policebadge of the committee are in one case.In another case is a very small, old-fash-ioned clock, not more than the span of al;and in diameter. This ticked out theminutes at meetings which were full oflate to certain individuals. Taken to-gether tho bell and the clock are surelygrim reminders of an exciting period andexciting occurrences.

There is one corner of the museum—

asmall jog formed by the junction of awire barricade

—which would provoke the

enthusiasm of any student of history.Here are gathered a piece of the keelsonof the Natalie, the vessel upon whichNapoleon escaped from the island of Elba;upon this wooden relic are pieces of themachinery which went to make up Sut-ter's mill; above these hangs one of thesaws from that mill.

Crossed ina glass case in this same cor-ner are two torches which were presentedby friends in Philadelphia to Pennsyl-vania Fire Company No. 12 of San Fran-cisco in 1854. Somewhat gorgeous withsilver trimmings the handles proudly

claim to have been fabricated from thetree under which William Perm wrote hismemorable treaty witn the Indians,

•'which was never sworn to and neverbroken." Between the torches and Sut-ter's long-disused saw and machinery isthe quarterboard of the Loo Choo, one ofthe vessels which brought to California apart of Stevenson's regiment. G. B.Mellus, who has charge of the PioneerMuseum, once worked on the Loo Choo inBoston as a sailmaker.

Mixed in with the historical treasures ofCalifornia are other objects, but tbecreater part of all is purely Californian.Two stone chairs of the Incas are there.Then in a case are two miniature brasscannons, made from a gun which was onboard of Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar.General Grant's coat, the one which hewore at the capture of VicKsburg, is In

evidence. This came from the Dentfamily. There would have been manysmali cannon balls for the public to havelooked at but, incredible as itmay seem,the Dublic has btolen them. Bulky iron-

mongery was flitted away as easily as ak<*y of an iron box. Baskets or hand-satchels may have been used. No pocket

short of one lined with leather andstitched with stout cord could carry awayeven a small cannon ball. So several per-son?, tourists or others, have taken part

in looting a pile of cannon balls.The Vigilance Committee badge of 1856

is present only inone specimen. This is>on white ribbon and bears only the lol-lowing: I

KINO GUARDS.

-8-

V.C.

A daguerrotype of Kit Carson, thefamous frontiersman, is near neighbor toJames Lick's stone teapot and the diesfrom which n«oney in California werestamped in tha early days. The chainwith whioh Jasper O'Farrell surveyed SanFrancisco in 1844 rests qnietly in a show-case corner. Most characteristic of all,perhaps, is a box containing the remains

of a pioneer's outfit in 1849. The box issmall enough to be turned into a waffle.In it are a small roll of tape, a cake ofsoap, i-mall white buttons, one threadedneedle and two copper cents. Almostjostling against itis a slate bowl used bythe padres to hold holy water.

There are busts and pictures galore.Ona large picture shows odd features ofthe journey over the istnmus. There aremany portraits of well-known pioneers

and views of San Francisco and Sacra-mento at different Vimes; cases of glitter-ing ores, some samples having more orless interesting histories. Odds and endsfrom the South Seas havo space to clingto, bows and arrow?, etc.

Old men haunt the rooms, gray hairedand withother marks of old age visiblycreeping on. They enter through theoffice on the first floor, passing other gray-haired men who occupy official positions.Tli3n they pass along through a wide hall,which is decorated in part with a muraltablet of marble, upon which have beensculptured the names of all the presidentsofthe Society of California Pioneers downto the present time. They climb slowly

up easy flights of stairs, seeing the por-traits of famous Californians on everyside.

When they have reached the third floorthey have no Jurther to climb. Many ofthem walk with canes. Mr.Pinkham, themarshal, does not. Neither does CaptainSwasey, who is as erect and seemingly asalert as when he first saw San Fran-cisco, fifty-one years ago. Around themare more mute records of darineand hero-ism, of wild adv enture, than any othersingle society on earth can justly claimfor their own

—as appertaining directly to

themselves— in which they were the actors.Midway of the museum is a small glit-

tering particle. Never taken from thesoil, itnevertheless is the counterfeit pre-sentment of that which caused thousandsof men to sail around Cape Horn, to jour-ney over deserts and mountains, to crossthe isthmus and to delve through daysfilled with toil and glory in the auriferoussoil of California. Asmall, plush-coveredbox, with a tiny clasp, if> beneath theRparkling trifle. Itis locked up securelyin a showcase. Not of great intrinsicvalue, it is still of great value in the eyesof pioneers, for it is a fac-simile of thefirst nugget connected with the name ofMarshall, the discoverer of Cali forniagold. David H. Walker.

Buying a J-lorse for 70 Cents.A horse for 70 cents !Areal liveanimal, capable of drawing s

peddler's cart and its owner for a priceless than six bits.

McCurrie, special officer for the Preven-tion of Cruelty to Animals in the City andCounty of San Francisco, has foundthe oddest horse trade that has come tonotice in a long time.

'•Iforget who the peddler was," McCur-rie said yesterday, "butIknow about thelowest-priced horse that ever has assistedany man in San Francisco to carry onbusiness."

McCurrie has every day contact withhorses all over the City and, as might besupposed, it is a fact that tbe poorerhorses are those which are the most sub-ject to abuse and so attract his attentionmore closely, the complaints being princi-pally against the owners of such.

"Of course this wa3 a cash trade," saidMcCurrie, with some amusement. "Themoney paid over was two quarters, onedime and two nickels. When the ownerof the nag received this money the ped-dler got the horse sure enough and wasready for business."

"The fact is that peddlers can get all thehorses they want now for $1 each. Iknew of another case where a horse wasbought by a peddier for an old stovewhich was much tbe worse for wear; thestove, Imean, and for $1in cash."

Some inquiry was made on the basis ofMcCurrie's statements. The fact appears tobe that many horses have been bought forless than $5. Sorry-looking nags, ofconrse,these are, but they do to move a load ofbananas or other truck for sale over shortdistances on the level streets of the City,and they are able to stand at street cor-ners indefinitely on anywhere from threeto four legs. But a sharp lookout is keptupon such animals and upon their owneraby the Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals.

There was an example of this watchful-ness one day during the past week. Ahuman brute was driving four horses witha heavy load attached to them and itwasnoticed that one of the leaders could notstep on one fore foot without pain. Thehorses were stopped and it was discoveredthat the ailing horse had just been shodand that a nail had been driven into itsfoot, upon which it had been forced byblows to walk over the cobbles.

The suggestion has often been madethat California is the place for the poorman. There probably is no other placewhere peddlers can get the motive powerfor their wares at the rate of a horse lor7C cents.

Jo Irrigate the Desert.Jones— What do you think of that

pioject of the Enterprise Brewing Com-pany ?

Robinson—

What is it?Jones

—They propose to establish a

branch in the Desert of Sahara and openbeer saloons ac each oasis.

—Boston

Courier."Waterman," "Swan." "Crown" and "Lead-

er" fountain pens, good forChristmas, at San-born &Vails.

•

19THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1898.