Amador County High School - Skip Yearbook (Sutter Creek, CA)

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walked up to the bar and invited all persons present to drown their thirst. The population of the town, or the largest part responded quickly, and the most im' portant person who was present was Colonel Collyer, who was very fond of good whiskey and would drink freely when treated. While one part of the delegation engaged the attention of the Colonel, who was county clerk and keeper of the records of the county, the other part of the delegation gathered up the records, put them in his buggy and left for Jackson. A small shanty at the foot of Court Street in Jackson had been prepared for the return of the delegation and the records. The records were placed in the courthouse and Jackson was now the county seat of Calaveras County. ' -Charles Tyler, '28. A Lynching Party MADOR COUNTY, in its early mining days, had a reputation for being rough. One of the many stirring events that took place in these days is the one I am now going to relate. This event happened about fortyfive years ago, in and around the vicinity of Drytown. Although this town doesn't seem to be very lively now, it was at one time a prosperous mining center. It was not unusual for small nuggets to be picked off the streets of the town. At the time of which I am writing there had been a number of robberies com' mitted in and around Drytown. Finally the daring bandits attempted to rob the hotel, but in some way became frightened and fled. The people followed them as far as possible that night and the next day a posse was formed, and the two bandits were tracked into the Black Hills which lie north of Drytown. After a thorough search of the hills the bandits were found hiding in a pile of rocks. A battle took place in which one bandit was killed and the other captured. There was no jail in which to keep the prisoner, so he was locked in the store for the night. About twelve o'clock that night a number of masked riders came and broke into the store, took the desperado to Plymouth flat, and there, with the aid of a clothes line he was hanged. -Walter Christiansen, i29. The Old Prospector Reminisces AMES CROSBY, a wealthy Los Angeles mining man was entertaining some friends at his country home in Plumas County. Crosby amassed his fortune in California in the 'eighties when he made a rich strike while prospecting in Calaveras County. Since then he had greatly increased his fortune by investing in various enterprises, mostly mining stocks. Crosby was a man about seventy years of ageg he was gray haired, good natured, and loved to tell of his adventures when he was a prospector in his youth. I rufy mo

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Not yet, the sheriff answered. But he will be soon. That's the way to talk, Bob,f' one of the men at the bar said. The sheriff and the stranger came over to the bar, and drank with the other men. One glass followed the other until all the men became quite drunk. In fact, they became so drunk that they did not notice that the stranger did not drink more than one glass. Talk centered on Joaquin Marietta and many were the wishes that he were there then. If I had him here now, one man said, I would tear him limb from limb. Thash nothin' compared to what I'd do, another man proclaimed. Fd take an axe and chop him into little bits. Ho, you're all drunk, the sheriff informed them. The truth was that the sheriff was drunker than the whole crowd put together. If you' saw him you'd all run and leave me alone to contend with him. And I'd certainly show him a thing or two. Oh, would you? The stranger spoke for the first time. I am Joaquin Marietta. Now what are you going to show me? All eyes were focused on him. He had a pistol in each hand. His hat was off and they saw that it was Joaquin. The sheriff started toward him, but Joaquin said, A step nearer and you'll be dead. He shot at the lamp and put it out. A scuffle started but he escaped, and jump- ing on his horse, which was at the side of the building, he escaped the law a second time. It was wondered afterward why he announced to the sheriff and his party that he was Joaquin Marietta. The reason was probably because of his love for ad- venture. And also, the wise woman in Mexico may have been right-that he bore a charmed life. ' -Lillian Fontenrose, '28. J The Capture of the County Seat T seems that when Calaveras County was organized flater it became Amador and Calaveras Countiesj, the county seat was placed at Double Springs, a small town of but one building which answered for courthouse, saloon, hotel, and store. Jackson at that time was a town of about six or seven houses, and the inhabitants of the town wished very much to have the county seat moved to Jackson. ' I The people of Jackson were so eager for the county seat that they formed a plan under the leadership of Mr. Boynton to get it. This plan did not have any- thing to do with Elections and Acts of Legislature fby which means a county seat was usually changed, for that was too slow a method. This plan was to capture it. So one morning bright and early Mr. Boynton, accompanied by another staunch advocate of the county seat movement arrived in Double Springs, 7 1i'l'llf,V-1

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So your son Henry has gone to Weepah to try and stake out some claims, eh, Jim? spoke up Sam Higgins, also a former prospector, though he was now engaged in ranching. Yep, he has gone out to try and make his fortune there, but I doubt whether he will have much success out there, replied jim. You see, these gold rushes nowadays ain't like what they use to be, Sam. These fellows couldn't tell gold when they seen it. Why back in the 'eighties was when the real gold rushes was on. There was not a lot of that fake booming like there is nowadays. There was none of that movie stuff ini them days. We didn't know what a movie was. I'll tell yuh, Sam, when I made my strike in Calaveras, near the little mining town of Angels Camp, times were much different. H Them was the days when everything was wide open, and men fought, gambled and drank heavily. This was when Mark Twain, the writer, was up in this here region. I got this scar on my right hand in that there place. My partner joe Anderson and I were prospecting near Angels then. It happened that one day in June we rode into town to git supplies. Of course the lirst place we visited was the saloon. After getting a few drinks I went to try 'my luck at cards. There were two gamblers from Frisco who were winning all the money. I was losing pretty heavy. I was down to my last few nuggets when I caught one of these fellows, cheating. I pulled out my gun and made him get up. We searched him and found a bunch of extra cards in his pockets. In the meantime this other fellow tried to escape. He had just got to the door when I seen himg I motioned for him to stop. At this he drew his gun and Hred, shooting me in the right hand. He was caught right outside of the door and brought back. The crowd was going to lynch the two crooks but a few of us proposed that we strip them of the money they had cheated us out of and drive them out of camp. So we stripped them of their gold and gave them some supplies and drove them out of camp. Well, Sam, have some more of that ginger ale-that's the best we can get since prohibition was enforced. I'll tell you, .this will serve the purpose, but I'd like to have some of that Scotch we had in the olden days just the same. -William Perovich, '28. ' w 'l'1a'v:lty lln e