America Kelsey 
 
 A Romance of the Great 
 San Joaquin Valley 
 
 
 By 
 DAVE S. MATTHEWS 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 DAVIS 
 
 
 
AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Romance of 
 The Great San Joaquin Valley 
 
 By 
 DAVE S. MATTHEWS 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH REPRODUCTIONS OF SAN 
 JOAQUIN VALLEY SCENES 
 
 Stockton Record Print, Nineteen-fifteen. 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVf 
 
 L.. 
 
 UK1VEIV . DAVIS 
 
To My Wife 
 
Photos by Logan 
 Engravings by Stockton Photo-Engraving Co. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. A Square Mile of Land. 
 
 II. Enter, a Stranger. 
 
 III. Sociability. 
 
 IV. A Tale of a Tail. 
 V. Jose Jesus. 
 
 VI. A Journey Begun. 
 
 VII. As They Witnessed It. 
 
 VIII. From Frying Pan Into the Fire. 
 
 IX. Accompanied Home. 
 
 X. The Best Teacher. 
 
 XI. The Spoils of Conquest. 
 
 XII. Good Samaritans. 
 
 XIII. Something Wrong. 
 
 XIV. A Friend Indeed. 
 XV. Captain Weber. 
 
 XVI. The Yellow Metal. 
 
 XVII. A Mortgage Foreclosed. 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 This is a fictional story of life in the 
 great San Joaquin valley based on actual 
 historical facts. The heroine is America 
 Kelsey, the first white girl to live in the 
 section of the state of California now 
 known as San Joaquin county. 
 
 The names in most instances are those 
 of people who actually lived there during 
 the strenuous days depicted. The Indian 
 tribes, history tells us, were as described. 
 
 The author has used the writer's license 
 in weaving a romance that demands the 
 use of fiction throughout. In fact, it's not 
 a history it's a romantic story of Cali 
 fornia life. To possible heirs of charac 
 ters whose names have been used in this 
 story, I beg their indulgence. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 DAVE S. MATTHEWS. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 A SQUARE: MILE: OF LAND. 
 
 America rushed into the tule hut that 
 constituted the entire "city of French 
 Camp," her golden hair partly screening 
 the look of fear that marked her counte 
 nance. 
 
 Words were not needed to tell her 
 father that it was the Yachekos. Similar 
 experiences had made this fact evident. 
 Then, too, there was no other reason why 
 America would rush breathlessly into her 
 home. True, the country abounded in 
 wild animals whose haunts America's 
 father had dared to penetrate, but they 
 always ran from mankind unless cornered. 
 
 The Yacheko Indians did not receive 
 their white brother and his family as de 
 sirable colonists, even though Thomas 
 Gulnac, who was camped at the Cosumnes 
 river, had the presumption to give Kelsey 
 a square mile of land on the agreement 
 that he would live there one year. Gulnac 
 gave that which belonged to the Yachekos 
 
4 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 and the Indians had taken exceptions to 
 the white man's settling there. His in 
 trusion into their hunting grounds was 
 sufficient, let alone his unmitigated nerve 
 in erecting a tule hut. 
 
 But Gulnac had a long head. He did 
 not send Kelsey to his task unarmed. So 
 far as the result of his "armament" was 
 concerned it might have been a troop of 
 cavalry, so effective did it prove to be. 
 
 The Kelsey family's protector consisted 
 of a cannon mounted on a "swivel" one 
 that Gulnac had obtained from Captain 
 Sutter. Kelsey always had it ready for 
 action. 
 
 He kept it in front of the hut far 
 enough in front to prevent the recoil from 
 working havoc with his palatial abode. 
 
 This pioneer of the San Joaquin was all 
 action. Physical effort had to accompany 
 thoughts in those days. He did not wait 
 for America to tell with words what her 
 countenance and actions explained. Clos 
 ing the heavy door of his hut behind him, 
 his next step brought him to the camp fire, 
 the hot coals of which provided excellent 
 means of putting his "battery" into action. 
 
 The Indians were just beyond the creek, 
 which today is designated as French Camp 
 slough. They were preparing for the last 
 
A SQUARE MILE OF LAND 5 
 
 rush. Kelsey dropped a hot coal on the 
 priming hole, jumped to one side, and in 
 stantly the "battery" went into action. 
 
 The effect was all that could be desired. 
 The Yachekos' ardor to give battle van 
 ished as the sun on a cloudy day. For a 
 moment they stood as though stunned; 
 then mounting their ponies, rode with full 
 speed toward the west. They went 
 straight in the direction of Mt. Diablo, for 
 even the Mount of the Devil was not as 
 much to be feared as this weapon of the 
 Devil that the white settler possessed. 
 
 Kelsey enjoyed the situation and he 
 laughed loud and long as he watched the 
 Indians fleeing westward. The golden 
 rays of a California sunset constituted the 
 searchlight by which Kelsey followed their 
 course until he knew they had gone with 
 no intention of making another attack 
 at least for some days to come. 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey and America had watched 
 the frightened invaders through a peek- 
 hole in the tule wall, similar to the peek- 
 hole in the drop at the theater through 
 which theatrical people size up the house, 
 although they felt more like amateurs on 
 their first night as they get their first peek- 
 hole view of a crowded house. 
 
6 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Kelsey shouted to open the door, which 
 they did, as the Indians were engulfed by 
 the shadows of the oak forest far ofL 
 
 "A fine old cannon this/' said Kelsey. 
 
 This was not the first time that this 
 same cannon had been used to frighten 
 the Indians. If it could have told its story 
 it would have related the experience two 
 printers had with it when bringing it 
 across the prairies. They were attacked 
 by Indians, and having no shot, filled the 
 swivel with the type they were bringing to 
 Yerba Buena (now San Francisco). 
 Waiting until the Indians were within 
 range, they fired the gun, filling them with 
 type, sending many to the happy hunting- 
 grounds and permitting others to carry in 
 their bodies portions of editorials that 
 might have made their author another 
 Horace Greeley. 
 
 But that is a story the first family at 
 French Camp did not know. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 ENTER, A STRANGER. 
 
 Life at the Kelsey mansion was not an 
 idle dream. Existence depended upon 
 hardihood, labor and faith. A man need 
 ed this happy combination in this land in 
 those days 1844. 
 
 When Gulnac gave David Kelsey the 
 square mile of land he did not fence it, 
 neither did he clear it of the wild vegeta 
 tion that grew where the paved county 
 highways now stretch with acres and 
 acres of highly cultivated land and numer 
 ous prosperous homes on either side. 
 Where now whirls the auto then roamed 
 the bear, antelope, wolf and their various 
 fellow creatures. 
 
 David Kelsey was a real pioneer. He 
 trod the grass in the great San Joaquin 
 valley where white man had never stepped 
 before. He forced his way through tules 
 that had been disturbed before by none 
 save the aboriginal natives of the country 
 and the beasts. He was the first farmer 
 of the French Camp section and with dif- 
 
8 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 ficulty cleared a small tract of land, 
 planting it in wheat. The grain grew, 
 rivaling the grass in its growth. When 
 it began to ripen, birds of rare plumage 
 threatened its destruction and a source of 
 great worry for David Kelsey was this 
 field of grain. 
 
 In due time he harvested it and threshed 
 it after a crude manner. Boiled wheat 
 was often on the bill of fare at the Kelsey 
 home. Mint tea was made from the mint 
 America gathered along the banks of the 
 creek. 
 
 America's life was close to nature. Her 
 mother taught her her A B C's; constant 
 touch with nature taught her the calls of 
 the various birds, the cries of the wild 
 beasts, while an alert eye and keen ear 
 served as protection against the raids of 
 the Indians. 
 
 "Mother/' she often asked, "when will 
 we meet white people who have a young 
 girl? I get so lonesome for a playmate." 
 
 "After we have lived here a year, my 
 dear," the mother generally answered. 
 "We must stay here a year and then the 
 land is ours. After that father says we 
 will make a trip to the settlement." 
 
ENTER A STRANGER 9 
 
 There's little doubt that David Kelsey's 
 faithful wife yearned just as much for the 
 sight of one of her sex as did America for 
 a playmate. Day in and day out on the 
 Kelsey place was not enticing, even 
 though the sky was blue and the sunshine 
 so bright. But she never complained. 
 She had cast her lot with her husband and 
 what he underwent she was willing to 
 experience. 
 
 One day America ran into the hut, her 
 eyes dancing. 
 
 "Mother, mother!" she exclaimed. "I 
 just saw a man on the stream." 
 
 "Here he comes now with father," in 
 terjected Mrs. Kelsey. 
 
 "Mother," said David Kelsey, "this 
 young man is George Wyman. He's been 
 trapping on the creek, so I kinder thought 
 you might like to meet him, being as we 
 have so little company in these parts. He's 
 quite a pleasant chap. Step into our hut, 
 stranger, and make yourself at home." 
 
 Wyman stepped inside, where he met 
 America, whom he formally introduced 
 himself to. She remained close to her 
 mother. David Kelsey offered Wyman a 
 
10 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 seat an oak stump. Mrs. Kelsey brought 
 him a tin cup filled with boiled wheat, 
 fried him a piece of venison and brewed a 
 cup of mint tea, all of which the trapper 
 pronounced the best dinner he had had 
 since he left his mother in the east. 
 
 The Kelsey family was so famished for 
 company that they insisted that Wyman 
 stay over night as their guest. They made 
 him a bed in one corner of the hut, his 
 couch consisting of hides. Wyman proved 
 an interesting visitor and told exciting 
 stories of encounters with the Indians, 
 exhibiting his pack of skins as evidence of 
 his prowess as a trapper and hunter. He 
 said beaver abounded on the creek and 
 explained that he was employed by the 
 Hudson Bay Company, whose California 
 department was at Yerba Buena. 
 
 "What's that book he has?" asked 
 America in whispered tones as Wyman 
 removed it from his pocket. 
 
 But his ears were attuned to female 
 whispers and he smiled as he replied : 
 
 "That's the Good Book. My mother 
 gave it to me when I left home. She told 
 
ENTER A STRANGER 11 
 
 me to read a chapter every night no mat 
 ter where I might be." 
 
 "Then read tonight's chapter out loud, 
 stranger/' suggested David Kelsey, and 
 the suggestion was carried out, making 
 that evening one of the most delightful 
 the Kelseys had experienced in many 
 months. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 SOCIABILITY. 
 
 The trapper enjoyed the best breakfast 
 the Kelsey commissary department was 
 able to serve, fastened his pack on his 
 back and prepared to continue on his way, 
 which was in the direction of the Sacra 
 mento valley. 
 
 "Stranger, ever been in the Sacramento 
 valley before?" asked Kelsey. 
 
 Wyman replied that he had trapped the 
 region two or three times and was as 
 familiar with the country as any other 
 man. He described a great river that 
 coursed down the center of the valley, 
 joining the San Joaquin not far from 
 Yerba Buena. 
 
 "Fine country/' added Wyman. "One 
 has to keep on the lookout for Indians. 
 They haven't guns and keep a respectful 
 distance from mine. From what I can 
 figure out there are different tribes in the 
 valley. They get into some serious mix- 
 ups at times. The Indian villages are 
 numerous, many containing from 50 to 
 100 tepees." 
 
 12 
 
SOCIABILITY 13 
 
 "How are they built?" ventured Amer 
 ica. It was one of the very few questions 
 she had dared ask of the stranger. 
 
 "They build them with poles and rushes. 
 Make cozy homes for the Red Men and 
 their families. These huts present quite a 
 sight in the springtime. The Indians are 
 good fishermen and they dry the salmon 
 on the sides of the tepees. When the sun 
 hits the red fish you can spot 'em for a 
 long ways." 
 
 Wyman shook hands with all the Kel- 
 seys, thanking the family profusely and 
 in an offhand manner remarked that he 
 had left a couple of hides for the young 
 lady, this intelligence apparently meeting 
 with her complete satisfaction, judging 
 from the pleased expression that bright 
 ened her countenance. 
 
 "By the way, stranger," said Kelsey, 
 "if you see a cub bar down the trail 
 a ways, don't shoot it. It belongs to the 
 daughter. Captured it with the old 
 mother in a log trap a few months ago. 
 Set the trap with fish entrails after they 
 had got good and strong. Lord, man, you 
 could smell them a mile. Next morning I 
 went down to the trap and thar was a 
 whopping big bar inside it. 'Twas early 
 
14 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 in the morning and not very light. Sez I 
 to myself, 'thar's something on top that 
 trap/ Taking aim, I fired. Lawsy, wish 
 you could of seen that animal leap into the 
 air ! But I had hit him in a vital spot and 
 he fell on the ground dead as a doornail. 
 I ludded my old trusty before proceedin' 
 any further as I ain't taking any chances 
 with a wounded critter. As I got closer I 
 seez that I had shot the biggest wildcat 
 I ever saw in this country. That's his 
 hide on the floor of the cabin. 
 
 "Inside that trap was the old mother 
 bar furious as the wildcat had been before 
 he collided with the bullet. I put the gun 
 between the bars and ended her career. 
 Peering inside, I saw something move. It 
 was the cub I just spoke about. I cap 
 tured the little fellow and have it corraled 
 down the trail a ways. It's getting tamer 
 every day. Won't let anyone feed it, 'cept 
 daughter, so we call it her bar, which it is. 
 Good-by, stranger. Glad you stopped 
 over. Company is so scarce in these 
 parts." 
 
 "Good-by, you all," replied Wyman as 
 he proceeded on his journey from the San 
 Joaquin to the Sacramento valley, won 
 dering whether he would meet the KelseyvS 
 again. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A TALE OF A TAIL. 
 
 David Kelsey had had no little experi 
 ence with Indians himself. He had 
 learned many of their peculiarities, partly 
 by observation and partly from stories 
 just such as Wyman had narrated. He 
 enjoyed telling stories of the hunt and 
 tales of adventure with the Red Men, and 
 had entertained both his faithful wife and 
 pretty daughter on the long winter nights 
 with his narratives. There was one he 
 always enjoyed and he no doubt regretted 
 that he had not unwound it on the 
 stranger. It struck his vein of humor and 
 many was the hearty laugh he had as he 
 told this story a tale tough on the par 
 ticular creature involved, a tale of a tail. 
 
 It seems a trapper had a dog that had 
 a reputation as a hunter. This canine, a 
 stub-tailed dog, caught more squirrels, 
 mink and other small animals in a week 
 than the average dog did in a month. He 
 was a natural-born hunter and his master 
 prided him much for his ability along 
 those lines. 
 
 15 
 
16 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 There was an Indian, one who had been 
 tamed by the good Fathers who first pene 
 trated into their haunts, who also had a 
 dog. This particular dog had a long tail. 
 The Indian had seen the stub-tail dog 
 bring in his game and had tried to teach 
 his dog to do likewise, but with little 
 success. 
 
 In despair he approached the white 
 man, and in poor English asked him why 
 his dog was such a good hunter. 
 
 "That's because he has a short tail," 
 replied the white man. 
 
 "Make em mine hunt?" asked the 
 Indian. 
 
 "Sure," replied the white man. 
 
 The latter procured an ax and gave it 
 to the Indian, explaining that he would 
 hold the dog over a stump. He held the 
 dog's tail over the stump and signaled to 
 the Indian to drop his guillotine. Just as 
 the owner of the dog started to perform 
 the operation, the white man gave the dog 
 a shove and the poor brute was chopped 
 in two. 
 
 "Huh," grunted the Indian. "Heap cut 
 em too much short." With a look of dis 
 gust he walked away. 
 
A TALE OF A TAIL 17 
 
 Kelsey had seen the Indians when they 
 were stricken with a fever that killed them 
 by the score. Their treatment for the sick 
 was almost sure death. They dug a hole 
 large enough to accommodate a number 
 of the afflicted and covered it over with 
 soil, leaving a small aperture at the top 
 through which the sick were crowded. A 
 hot fire was then built within and the aper 
 ture closed, leaving the sufferers to roast. 
 Immediately after being baked, the sick 
 were taken out and dropped into a cold 
 stream. This sudden shock sent many on 
 their way to the happy hunting grounds. 
 
 Indian tradition ran that during the 
 summer the valleys experienced periodical 
 showers of rain, accompanied by thunder 
 and lightning, prior to the time the white 
 man intruded upon their domain. After 
 that the Great Spirit showed his displeas 
 ure at the coming of the white men by 
 withholding the rains, his plan being to 
 drive them out because of the lack of the 
 moisture. When the whites left he would 
 bring the rain again. Another tradition 
 was that a great flood once swept the val 
 ley, being further evidence of the Great 
 Spirit's displeasure. 
 
18 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Indeed, the Kelseys knew by practical 
 experience what floods meant. While the 
 great valley in which they lived was a 
 paradise in spring, delightful in summer 
 and heaven compared with blizzards and 
 cyclonic storms they had experienced with 
 winters in the states, one particular winter 
 season had proved most distasteful from 
 the standpoint of water. It rained hard in 
 December, January and half of February 
 not every day, but sufficient to keep the 
 ground water-soaked. In the beautiful 
 hills in the east hills that had a hidden 
 secret to be exposed a few years later that 
 would draw men from all points of the 
 globe as a magnet draws fine pieces of 
 steel snow had fallen heavily. On the 
 few clear days the Kelseys experienced 
 that winter they could see the peaks of the 
 hills snowcapped and set in a background 
 of azure blue. America climbed the tall 
 est oak and for hours gazed at the won 
 derful sight. She loved nature and none 
 of nature's beauties escaped her quick 
 eyes, even to Wyman's curly locks. 
 
 A warm spell followed these weeks of 
 rain and one morning America, while 
 walking along the bank of the creek, ob 
 served the water more than usual. It was 
 
A TALE OF A TAIL 19 
 
 of a muddy color, much like clay, and 
 pieces of driftwood, branches of trees, etc., 
 floated down. She called them her boats. 
 In places the water had spread beyond the 
 banks of the stream, forming miniature 
 lakes. 
 
 Upon her return home she told her par 
 ents of her observations. 
 
 "You don't think, father," asked Mrs. 
 Kelsey, "that there could be any danger 
 of the water reaching our cabin?" 
 
 David Kelsey spoke reassuringly, but 
 said he thought he would take a look at 
 the stream himself. He soon returned. 
 
 "Mother, we better be moving to that 
 high ground yonder. I don't like the looks 
 of things here. The water is rising rap 
 idly and I'm afraid this warm spell is 
 melting the snow." 
 
 So the three Kelseys packed their few 
 belongings to the highland, piled up what 
 wood they were able to gather and waited 
 the oncoming of the waters. They waited 
 but a short time, as the waters rose with 
 wonderful rapidity, stretching out over 
 the land in all directions. As far as their 
 
20 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 eyes could see in the east was water one 
 great sea. It was a terrifying sight, yet 
 fascinating. As the water crept closer to 
 the highland America lost her interest in 
 the sight, and cuddled close to her mother. 
 David Kelsey, accustomed as he was to 
 trials and dangers, could not refrain from 
 showing his worry. He did not fear for 
 himself, but all he had in the world his 
 faithful wife and daughter were in 
 grave danger. He knew not how high the 
 water would come, nor how long it would 
 remain on the land. 
 
 He stuck a small branch at the edge of 
 the water and kept close watch on the 
 same. Finally he told his wife that the 
 water was at a standstill. He said he felt 
 the worst had passed and that they would 
 be safe. 
 
 It was a long night they spent on their 
 enforced island home and anything but 
 an agreeable one. The wind came up and 
 blew cold blasts across this newly made 
 sea. The three huddled around the camp- 
 fire, wrapping themselves in their hides. 
 
 The break of day rang up the curtain 
 on a scene of desolation. The water had 
 subsided to a point below the sad remains 
 
A TALE OF A TAIL 21 
 
 of their tule hut and everywhere was 
 debris, while the ground was covered with 
 yellow slime. 
 
 But David Kelsey was undaunted and 
 was soon at his task of rebuilding his 
 home. It was discouraging work, but by 
 evening he had a home that kept out the 
 wind and afforded some shelter to his 
 wornout wife and daughter. It was an 
 experience that tried their nerves, one that 
 brought home the ordeals of pioneering 
 in a land that today has everything civil 
 ized man could desire. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 JOSE: JESUS. 
 
 While the majority of the Indians re 
 sisted the attempts of the Spanish Fathers 
 to civilize them, having desired to follow 
 their natural inclinations from the time 
 the good Father Crespi, the first white 
 man to behold the waters of San Fran 
 cisco Bay, attempted to do so, Jose Jesus, 
 being a leader among his people, sub 
 mitted to the teachings of the mission 
 fathers. He developed a remarkable con 
 ception of the ideas and ideals of the white 
 man. He even went so far the white 
 man's way as to become an alcalde at San 
 Jose. 
 
 Some of the fathers used forcible means 
 of making the Indians adopt civilized 
 ways. They threw military forces into 
 the Indians' quarters, captured a number 
 of them and took them to the missions for 
 the good of their souls. One of the ex 
 peditions lost 34 men in a battle on the 
 Stanislaus river. They made a second 
 
 22 
 
JOSE JESUS 23 
 
 attempt, losing 41 more, but succeeded in 
 capturing two score and four Indians, 
 mostly women and children. Chief Es- 
 tanislao, in whose honor the Stanislaus 
 river obtained its name, defeated the 
 Spanish forces, but died shortly after. 
 
 It was Estanislao whom Jose Jesus suc 
 ceeded. Jose could not resist the call of his 
 youth, and, like the college bred Indian 
 who discarded his tailor-made suit for a 
 blanket, went back to his people. He was 
 received with open arms, declared their 
 chief and became the hero of the hour. 
 For three days the tribe feasted and made 
 merry, their Indian dances having been 
 rare exhibitions of the terpsichorean art. 
 The Maxixe and bunny hug would have 
 been compelled to take back stage for the 
 performances the Red Men gave. Their 
 stage setting consisted of a green pasture, 
 sprinkled with the most beautiful golden 
 flowers, a flower which later became the 
 symbol of state, stately oaks whose 
 branches shaded the greater portion of an 
 acre forming the background. Their 
 dancing costumes were wonderful crea 
 tions, there being absolutely no question 
 as to the fact that they were made in 
 U. S. A. They were distinctly American 
 
24 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 products as they were manufactured by 
 the original American himself. And the 
 most elaborately painted actress of the 
 present-day vaudeville stage would have 
 been put to shame with the coloring 
 scheme these natives of California adopt 
 ed. There were no delicate shades the 
 bright crimson, stern black and glaring 
 yellow having been used without any 
 softening. The effect was marked (the 
 marking being principally over their faces 
 and arms). 
 
 Jose told his people that they had been 
 mistreated and that the padres had 
 wronged them when they deprived them 
 of the herds they had assisted the fathers 
 to accumulate. He proposed that they 
 raid the missions and drive back to their 
 rancheria, which marked the present site 
 of Knights Ferry, the herds of cattle. 
 
 The plan met with the hearty approval 
 of the Siyakumna tribesmen and elaborate 
 plans were made for the first of a series of 
 foraging expeditions that raised havoc 
 with the missionaries. 
 
 There was one serious difficulty in the 
 contemplated raids and that was the dan 
 ger of a conflict with the Yachekos. The 
 
JOSE JESUS 25 
 
 Siyakumna's territory extended from the 
 Stanislaus river to the French Camp 
 creek, but they seldom came down as far 
 as the Kelsey place, because there was 
 grave danger of running amuck with the 
 Yachekos. They had had mixups with 
 this tribe and were not looking for further 
 trouble, unless as a matter of absolute 
 necessity. The Yachekos considered the 
 Calaveras river their northern boundary, 
 but came down as far as the Kelsey place, 
 the present site of the city of Stockton 
 marking their southern boundary. 
 
 Jose's education, coupled with his nat 
 ural knowledge, made him a great chief. 
 He took the precaution of sending spies 
 into the Yacheko territory. It was several 
 days before they returned. They told 
 startling stories of the strength of the 
 Calaveras tribe, stating that they were 
 about equal in number to the Siyakumnas 
 and as well armed, judging from their 
 rather distant observations. Once the 
 spies came very nearly being captured, a 
 party of the enemy having passed within 
 a few feet of their hiding place. They 
 had to remain in the brush until dark and 
 then hastily sneak out to where their 
 ponies were hidden. 
 
26 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Jose called the Indian medicine men, 
 and after due religious ceremony, pro 
 ceeded on the march toward the Calaveras 
 stronghold. He realized that in order to 
 carry out his raids successfully he would 
 first have to subdue the Yachekos, and 
 that was what he had decided to do. He 
 had his plans mapped out to the smallest 
 detail. He did not intend to throw his 
 entire forces upon the Yachekos in a 
 massed formation. He had a better plan. 
 He intended to divide his forces when 
 within a few miles of the Yachekos' terri 
 tory, send one north and wait until it 
 had had time to get as far the other side 
 of the enemy's camp as his division was. 
 He estimated the time it would take for 
 the second division to accomplish this feat 
 and set the hour for the attack. At first 
 he decided to make the assault at night, 
 but not knowing the country well enough, 
 deemed it better judgment to do so at 
 break of day. He sent one of his best 
 braves in charge of the second division 
 and made camp, waiting until the hour 
 set for the battle. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A JOURNEY BEGUN. 
 
 The flood that wrecked the Kelsey 
 home made life even harder than before 
 and the battle for existence taxed David 
 Kelsey to the utmost. Boiled wheat is not 
 a rare delicacy and Mrs. Kelsey found the 
 utter lack of household equipment a bur 
 den that made her part of the pioneering 
 anything but interesting. America was 
 growing and her clothing was far from 
 being adequate. With affairs in this con 
 dition, David Kelsey, after turning the 
 question over in his mind time and again, 
 came to the conclusion that he would have 
 to visit Captain Sutter and secure the few 
 necessities of life that drew the line be 
 tween the white man's mode of living and 
 that of the barbarian. 
 
 He did not relish the trip and he dis 
 liked breaking the news to his wife, but 
 one evening made the suggestion that they 
 go. He expected opposition on her part, 
 but to his surprise found that she was 
 quite willing even enthusiastic. America 
 
 27 
 
28 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 grasped the situation in an instant and 
 jumping for joy, cried aloud: "Oh, 
 goodie, goodie. We shall see white peo 
 ple." 
 
 David Kelsey then saw why the "ladies 
 of the house" were enthusiastic over the 
 suggestion he feared they would oppose, 
 the cause of the anticipated opposition 
 being the danger of meeting the Yacheko 
 Indians. The idea of meeting white peo 
 ple, however, loomed up before the mother 
 and her daughter, outweighing any fear 
 they might have had. So anxious they 
 were to see someone that dangers of such 
 a trip were for the moment absolutely for 
 gotten. Month in and month out on the 
 French Camp creek with only one visitor 
 grew mighty monotonous. Robinson 
 Crusoe had little on the Kelseys when it 
 came to lonesomeness. Mother enter 
 tained daughter and at night David 
 Kelsey entertained both, but even at that 
 one yearns for the company of others than 
 the members of his family. 
 
 The plans for the journey were care 
 fully made. They were the all-absorbing 
 topic of the evenings and at meal time. 
 As the trip was quite a distance and would 
 take several days it would be necessary 
 
A JOURNEY BEGUN 29 
 
 for both Mrs. Kelsey and America to 
 carry a portion of the camping equipment, 
 little as it was. Kelsey had an old rifle 
 part of the equipment absolutely neces 
 sary. 
 
 They agreed to start early in the morn 
 ing, enabling them to make good headway 
 before the day grew old. The father of 
 the household made packing sacks out of 
 hides for the purpose of relieving the 
 burden each was to carry. 
 
 All preparations complete, they hid the 
 old cannon and struck out for Captain 
 Butter's headquarters on the Sacramento 
 river. The first few miles of their journey 
 took them over a pretty stretch of country, 
 slight difficulty being experienced in cross 
 ing a stream that gained the name a 
 few years later of Mormon channel be 
 cause of the fact that a party of Mormons 
 camped at its mouth. It was one of the 
 streams that gave a city yet to be, the 
 nickname "Slough City/' a name that the 
 inhabitants did not relish. That there 
 was to be a city there some day, a city 
 that would be the gateway to the great 
 San Joaquin valley, never occurred to the 
 Kelsey family. The part that particular 
 section was to play in the life of the Kel- 
 
30 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 seys was also something they had no 
 knowledge of. Their future had not been 
 prophesied perhaps much the better for 
 them all. 
 
 They experienced a little difficulty cross 
 ing the stream. The water had subsided, 
 leaving sandy islands, which did not sup 
 port their weight without first engulf 
 ing deeply their moccasins. Disagree 
 able as it was, all three had to ford the 
 stream. They proceeded about a mile 
 beyond the waterway, where the father 
 made a campfire in order to dry out their 
 clothing. He thought the surroundings 
 enticing and deemed it advisable to stay 
 overnight there. He didn't put the sug 
 gestion in those words, but expressed him 
 self to that effect. He had a more import 
 ant reason than announced for camping 
 there. He feared he might run amuck 
 with the Yachekos and decided it would 
 be better to pass their neighborhood before 
 daybreak. Kelsey had been told the 
 Indians camped somewhere near the river 
 that was north of the stream he had 
 crossed. They often came down as far as 
 his camp, so he was on the lookout for 
 them at most any part of the journey. 
 
 He did not tell his wife and daughter. 
 The trip was difficult enough and he did 
 
A JOURNEY BEGUN 31 
 
 not care to burden them with worries con 
 cerning a possible collision with the 
 Indians. David Kelsey always gave first 
 thought for the safety of his wife and 
 daughter. Everything he did was for 
 their sake. To give a little happiness, pro 
 vide a little amusement for the two dearest 
 to his heart was the constant aim of this 
 man. His task was at times a difficult one, 
 because there were no "pretties" from the 
 stores that he could buy. A cheerful dis 
 position and a fatherly caress were all he 
 could offer, yet they meant so much for 
 Mrs. Kelsey and America. 
 
 "Father," asked America after they had 
 partaken of their lunch, "will we start 
 before sunrise?" 
 
 "Guess we had better, little un," he re 
 plied. "You'll have to go without your 
 beauty sleep tomorrow. You've got beauty 
 to spare, though. Look just like your 
 mother. Your hair is getting much like 
 the golden flowers that grow around our 
 cabin." 
 
 The first lap of their trip had tired them 
 and the few hours they remained at their 
 camp served to rest them for the trials of 
 the next day. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 AS THEY WITNESSED IT. 
 
 The sun had not yet shown his face in 
 the east when the Kelseys, their packs on 
 their backs, were well on their way 
 northward. At times Kelsey feared he 
 might lose the general direction he was 
 bound for. He had had such experiences, 
 having walked for days only to find that 
 he had executed a complete circle, arriving 
 at the point in the circumference from 
 which he had started. 
 
 They were not far from the river, he 
 judged, when America, who was always 
 seeing some of nature's wonders, called 
 her parents' attention to a monstrous oak, 
 under whose branches they were then 
 passing. 
 
 " 'Tis a whopping big tree," acknowl 
 edged the father as he rested his pack 
 against it and peered into the deep foliage 
 that marked its great branches. 
 
 He had barely made the remark when 
 the tread of horses' hoofs broke the seren- 
 32 
 
AS THEY WITNESSED IT 33 
 
 ity of the scene. Both Mrs. Kelsey and 
 America caught the sound. In an instant 
 Kelsey beckoned to the two to drop upon 
 the ground, doing the same himself. 
 Slowly they crawled around the base of 
 the great oak, endeavoring to keep from 
 view of the approaching horsemen. 
 
 A few minutes brought the riders with 
 in better range of the Kelsey family's 
 vision and it was plain to them that it was 
 a tribe of Indians, all of whom were in 
 their war paint. They were riding at 
 break-neck speed, lying on the ponies' 
 necks. It seemed to America that her 
 heart was going to jump right out, so hard 
 did it beat. She caught a glance from her 
 mother, who was deathly white. A look 
 of horror marked the countenance of her 
 father, whose hands tightly gripped his 
 rifle. 
 
 On came the Indians, until it seemed as 
 though they were riding right at them. 
 When Kelsey had decided that there was 
 absolutely no hope of escaping them, he 
 was relieved to see the leader, a man over 
 six feet tall and of great physique, turn 
 toward the west. Kelsey watched him, 
 then glanced in the direction in which he 
 was going and to his further amazement 
 
34 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 saw by the aid of the sun's first rays, an 
 Indian village. There was no activity at 
 the village. 
 
 "Why are they riding at such a mad 
 pace if they are returning to their tepees ?" 
 asked Kelsey to himself. "They ride like 
 they are after somebody's scalp/' 
 
 The question was answered by the scene 
 that next met his gaze. He observed sud 
 den activity at the camp. Shadows moved 
 here and there, increasing in number until 
 it was clear to Kelsey that the Indians in 
 the village had been apprised of the com 
 ing storm. 
 
 "Gosh," exclaimed Kelsey, "sure as 
 we're here, it's an Injun scrap. I've heard 
 that the Yachekos and that fellow Jose's 
 tribe were deadly enemies. I'll bet that 
 they are at it. Lawsy, it will be some 
 clash. If we were only safe, I'd give a 
 whole lot to see those red devils go to it. 
 Keep still, both of ye. Perhaps the good 
 Lord will save us. If they get interested 
 enough in their own troubles they may 
 overlook us. As long as the invaders win, 
 our chances are good, but if the Yachekos 
 drive them back they are bound to fall on 
 
 us." 
 
AS THEY WITNESSED IT 35 
 
 Kelsey had figured it out right; it was 
 Jose's attack on the Yachekos that he and 
 his wife and daughter were witnessing. 
 What a scene was to follow ! Surely here 
 was something that would remain in the 
 memory of America if she lived a hundred 
 years. How could she forget it ! 
 
 Jose's coup did not mature just as he had 
 planned. He expected to catch the Yache 
 kos napping more properly expressing it 
 we'll say sleeping, but some one had been 
 awake and either heard or saw the enemy. 
 The alarm was quickly given and before 
 Jose's warriors reached the camp the 
 Yachekos were armed and astride their 
 ponies. They did not drive toward the 
 enemy, but stringing out toward the south, 
 attempted to encircle the invaders. Jose 
 was too quick to be caught in such a trap 
 and his men broke from their massed for 
 mation, forming a fairly straight line that 
 made a diameter of the semi-circle they 
 forced the Yachekos to assume. 
 
 The clash came quickly. It seemed like 
 a flash to the Kelseys. As the warriors 
 got within range of one another they filled 
 the air with their yells, sending chills 
 down America's back. Arrows flew and 
 numerous were the marks thev found. 
 
36 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 The Yachekos, however, made a fierce 
 fight. They were stubborn warriors and 
 Jose found he had his hands full. For a 
 time things looked discouraging to him. 
 Something had gone wrong. Plans as he 
 had arranged them called for the arrival 
 of the second division of his forces at this 
 point. Where were they? Why had they 
 failed him? Unless they came soon it 
 meant probable defeat of his forces, as 
 they were outnumbered, and possible an 
 nihilation. His men fought like the sav 
 ages they were. Tomahawks swung right 
 and left, their blows resulting in awful 
 carnage. 
 
 Screams rent the air and poor little 
 America hid her head on her mother's 
 breast, weeping hysterically. 
 
 "Hush/' admonished the father, as 
 though the cries of his frightened off 
 spring could attract the attention of the 
 savages engaged in their deadly combat. 
 
 The Yachekos retreated when the battle 
 was at its height, again trying to encircle 
 the attacking Red Men. This time it was 
 difficult for Jose's warriors to form a bat 
 tle line. Their ranks had been thinned con 
 siderably and it was hard to reform under 
 
AS THEY WITNESSED IT 37 
 
 the circumstances. However, they man 
 aged to prevent the Yachekos from carry 
 ing out their tactics a second time, but it 
 was evident to David Kelsey that Jose's 
 chances of winning or even saving his 
 forces from entire destruction, were grow 
 ing slighter as the fight continued. 
 
 It also appeared to Kelsey that the 
 Yacheko semi-circle was growing and 
 growing in the direction of his refuge. 
 Mrs. Kelsey likewise saw this. 
 
 "David," she cried, "they're coming this 
 way. Oh, what will we do, what will we 
 do?" 
 
 "Lie still," he replied. "Don't move a 
 muscle." 
 
 Jose was being forced back and he was 
 retreating in a southeasterly direction, 
 which was bringing him toward the big 
 oak, behind which the three Kelseys lay, 
 trusting in God. 
 
 Jose rode at breakneck speed to the head 
 of the line and was nearest the big oak 
 tree when one of the Yachekos, who was 
 at the extreme end of the semi-circle, saw 
 the three Kelseys lying at the base of the 
 tree. The Red Man stopped for a second 
 as though stunned. Apparently, he could 
 not realize the sight that met his gaze. 
 
38 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 He shouted to two of his companions and 
 pointed toward the big oak. The trio 
 seemed to forget the enemy was at hand; 
 they seemed to overlook the danger of be 
 ing struck down by an arrow. Kelsey had 
 endeavored to crawl further around the 
 tree and it was his moving that first at 
 tracted the attention of the Indian. 
 
 Jose himself saw the three stop and was 
 puzzled as to the cause of their actions. 
 He wondered what their ruse was. He 
 had ridden so fast he was not more than 
 100 yards from the tree. The three 
 Yachekos soon reached a decision. They 
 intended to dispatch the man and capture 
 the women. Turning their ponies in the 
 direction of the tree, they started on their 
 way again. 
 
 "Lie low," shouted Kelsey as he took 
 a bead on the foremost of the three. 
 "Don't run as they will be bound to shoot 
 you. Don't cry, America; there is still a 
 chance. That's the brave girl you are." 
 
 He waited until they got within good 
 range and then fired. The leader fell off 
 his horse; the bullet had gone true. The 
 two others seemed stupefied. The sound 
 
AS THEY WITNESSED IT 39 
 
 of the gun was audible even over the din 
 of the yelling and the cries of the wound 
 ed. The smoke of the gun added to their 
 fears. They had had experiences with the 
 cannon and, although they did not possess 
 firearms, had a most wholesome respect 
 for the same. Jose was dumfounded, but 
 a scene on the other side of the enemy's 
 line first gave him great cause for alarm. 
 He feared the Yachekos were bringing up 
 reinforcements. This would mean his 
 ruination. He was in a bad fix as it was 
 and fresh warriors would give the Yache 
 kos encouragement and dishearten his 
 men. 
 
 He watched them as they came on, sud 
 denly appreciating his mistaken cause for 
 alarm. It was his own men the delayed 
 division he had expected at the beginning 
 of the battle. 
 
 They struck the Yachekos from the 
 rear, raising havoc with them. The sight 
 inspired Jose's retreating forces and they 
 turned and made a renewed attack. The 
 Yachekos fought gamely, but the odds 
 were against them. They were slaugh 
 tered in great numbers, perhaps the larg 
 est number meeting their death upon the 
 
40 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 banks of the river. Their skulls were 
 unearthed some years later, thereby giv 
 ing the river its name, the name it bears 
 today the Calaveras, meaning skull. 
 
 The Yachekos finally dispersed, the 
 enemy pursuing them far to the north. 
 The day was won. And the Kelseys . 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 FROM FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE. 
 
 As the chase of the Red Men continued, 
 and the distance between them and the 
 Kelseys increased, in like proportion in 
 creased the whispering weeping of Amer 
 ica until finally she was crying aloud. 
 
 "Poor little girl/' said her father. "You 
 are so frightened. Your old dad isn't 
 having any picnic, either." 
 
 Caressing his wife, he said to her, pos 
 sibly wondering whether the little family 
 was together for the last time : 
 
 "A brave mother, ye are, and there's 
 much you have undergone, but this is the 
 worst yet. We put our trust in the good 
 Lord. He has helped us out of other 
 scrapes and we aren't giving up yet." 
 
 "Yes, father," replied Mrs. Kelsey. 
 "What is best for us to do? Hadn't we 
 better try to get away ? They'll not forget 
 our hiding place and when the fight is over 
 they'll come after us." 
 
 41 
 
42 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 "That's true," he admitted. "Yet if we 
 leave we may miss the refuge this tree 
 gives us." 
 
 "Let's go, father," cried America. 
 "Let's go quick." 
 
 Kelsey raised himself to a crouching 
 posture and endeavored to view the situ 
 ation. The Indians were far off. There 
 appeared to be none within close range. 
 He hastily took in the lay of the land. 
 There was a cluster of oaks not far away. 
 Why not make a dash for the forest? 
 
 "Come," he ordered. "Crawl as close 
 to the ground as possible. Follow me." 
 
 The grass grew in abundance and made 
 it quite possible for them to reach the trees 
 without being seen. There were spots 
 where skirmishes had taken place and 
 there the grass was stamped down. Here 
 and there they ran across arrows, evidence 
 of the terrific battle that had been fought. 
 They had made fine progress. Kelsey 
 peered once again in the direction he last 
 saw the Indians. They seemed closer. 
 They were undoubtedly returning. He 
 realized that much depended upon the 
 speed they made in reaching the forest. 
 
 "We must move faster," he said. 
 
FROM FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE 43 
 
 They had gone back to the first method 
 of getting about that of crawling and 
 they had lost none of their efficiency. 
 Force of circumstances sometimes make 
 a man swim, 'tis said, when he never swam 
 before. Not even America had crawled 
 for years, let alone her father and mother. 
 All three were striking a fast pace now. 
 
 They were now less than 100 feet from 
 the edge of the wood. In a few minutes 
 they would be within its embrace and 
 while not absolutely safe, they felt that it 
 was a step toward safety. 
 
 "Just a little more," urged the father, 
 "and we will be out of their sight. Here's 
 hoping they get so interested in celebrat 
 ing their victory that they forget us. If 
 we can remain in the wood until dark the 
 chances of safety are much in our favor." 
 
 Now they were at the very edge. A 
 few more feet and they were there. They 
 did not rise to their feet until well within 
 the thicket and then they stood absolutely 
 motionless, still fearing any movement 
 might disclose their whereabouts. 
 
 They could not even see the Indians, so 
 thick was the wood. Spaces of light 
 showed them where the edge of the forest 
 was. Gaining a feeling of semi-safety 
 
44 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 they proceeded further within the wooded 
 area. The crackling of twigs under their 
 feet caused America to shudder. 
 
 "I'm afraid they might be in here," she 
 whimpered. 
 
 Hardly had she expressed her premo 
 nition when half a dozen Red Men sprang 
 from a thicket of brush, quickly disarming 
 Kelsey, and because of their fear of the 
 weapon he carried, dropped it on the 
 ground. It was but a few minutes' effort 
 to bind the three. 
 
 The Indians conducted Kelsey and his 
 family to the Yacheko village. There they 
 found the victors and there they met Jose, 
 who had just returned with his jubilant 
 warriors. It was to Kelsey's amazement 
 that Jose addressed him in Spanish. He 
 told him not to fear and ordered his men 
 to release the Kelseys. 
 
 "I saw you protect them when you were 
 behind the big oak," said Jose. "My 
 braves tell me they found you in the for 
 est. They had been stationed there to 
 catch any of the bad Yachekos who might 
 try to get away. We will not hurt you. 
 We are after the Yachekos and our stock, 
 which the Spaniards took. They have no 
 right to them. Where you live?" 
 
FROM FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE 45 
 
 It was sometime before David Kelsey 
 realized that this was the real situation. 
 He looked at his wife and America, who 
 was still sobbing. She clung to her 
 mother. In due time Kelsey's tongue re 
 covered its power of speech, and he replied 
 in broken Spanish that he lived in the val 
 ley near the stream. 
 
 "That way we go," said Jose. "You go 
 with us." 
 
 Not desiring to cross the resolute leader 
 of the Siyakumnas, he consented, gladly 
 giving up his plans for the trip to Captain 
 Sutter's. 
 
 "Where your bang?" asked Jose. 
 
 Kelsey explained that it was in the for 
 est, and the Chief asked him to get it. The 
 Red Men retired gracefully as Kelsey re 
 turned with his weapon. Jose examined 
 it carefully, returning it to Kelsey, appar 
 ently content to allow him to keep it. That 
 night the Kelseys slept in a wigwam, one 
 formerly occupied by a Yacheko family. 
 
 "I told you, mother," said David Kel 
 sey, "that He would help us." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 ACCOMPANIED HOME:. 
 
 America never dreamed she would ever 
 take a walk with Indians and live to tell 
 the tale. Her experiences, augmented by 
 stories her father had told, had caused her 
 to feel that association with Red Men as a 
 pastime was quite beyond possibility, let 
 alone probability. 
 
 But strange things happen in this world. 
 Conditions often alter cases and circum 
 stances have peculiar effects upon some 
 people. Kelsey's act in protecting his 
 family from the attack of the Yachekos 
 had, to use parlance of the present day and 
 decidedly not of the early forties, "made a 
 hit with Jose." Then again Jose admired 
 fair play. It was because he believed his 
 people had not been treated fairly by the 
 Spaniards that he had given up the life of 
 an alcalde and had gone back to the tribe. 
 It was for this same reason that he was 
 now on his way to take from the mission 
 aries the cattle which he declared they had 
 buncoed the Siyakumnas out of. How 
 
 46 
 
ACCOMPANIED HOME 47 
 
 fortunate for the Kelseys it was that they 
 were first discovered in their hiding place 
 by the Yachekos instead of the Siyakumas. 
 Had it been one of Jose's men he had shot, 
 things might have been vastly different. 
 Thus we see what part circumstance some 
 times play in the affairs of life. 
 
 Jose endeavored to make it clear to Kel- 
 sey that nothing would befall him. He 
 said he had no grudge against him nor his 
 family; that they might live in peace the 
 rest of their years so far as he was con 
 cerned. This was typical of Jose and this 
 characteristic had much to do with the de 
 velopment of a certain city yet to be. Jose 
 had future dealings with a man of keen 
 insight and his reputation for fair dealing- 
 made this possible. 
 
 The Siyakumna warriors searched the 
 deserted village and assembled what spoils 
 they found. They obtained a supply of 
 foodstuffs, some hides and baskets. Like 
 the Indian of later years who was given a 
 stove, which he placed on his squaw's 
 back, relieving her for a few minutes of 
 the burden of the papoose only to place it 
 on top of the stove, these brave warriors 
 cached their booty until some future time 
 when they would send their squaws after 
 it. 
 
48 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 A few of the baskets Jose gave to Amer 
 ica. She accepted them with reluctance, 
 having been told about Indian givers. 
 
 "Take them, America," said her mother. 
 "The Chief wants you to have them." 
 
 Arrangements complete, the tribe pro 
 ceeded on its way, which was over the 
 ground the Kelseys had traveled a few 
 days before. As they passed the place 
 where the white family had camped Jose 
 remarked that some one had been there. 
 His quick eye noticed the evidence of the 
 campfire. Kelsey told him that was where 
 he had camped, the information appar 
 ently satisfying the Chieftain. 
 
 The sight of the tribe on the march was 
 quite picturesque. America enjoyed it 
 very much as soon as her fears were suf 
 ficiently allayed. What a scene for a 
 movie! They were finely built specimens 
 of the original Red Men. Nearly all were 
 tall and bore themselves in a stately man 
 ner. They were extremely proud and 
 their recent victory over the Yachekos was 
 responsible for their attitude of being 
 absolutely invincible. 
 
 The day after the great battle was one 
 of those delightful California offerings. 
 The floor of the valley was beautiful to 
 
ACCOMPANIED HOME 49 
 
 behold. Open groves of oaks were nu 
 merous. A grassy sward made a carpet 
 for this floor that the rarest Brussels in 
 the greatest of the world's palaces could 
 not compare with. Near the rivers grew 
 soap plant. The la yerba buena (the 
 good herb) grew on a vine with a small 
 white flower and so abundantly did it 
 grow near the great bay that the village, 
 which today is the greatest city on the 
 coast, was first named after it. The yerba 
 buena grew along the antelope trail, fre 
 quently climbing into trees. The deep 
 green of this natural carpet was relieved 
 here and there with gardens of wild flow 
 ers. Fields of the beautiful flowering 
 lupine, which seemed to prefer the neigh 
 borhood of water, gave evidence of their 
 approaching a stream. There were places 
 where three or four of these plants clus 
 tered together, forming a floral bouquet 
 no florist ever conceived of and filling the 
 air with a rare perfume. Then there were 
 vast fields of the beautiful golden flower 
 heretofore mentioned, which closed its 
 eyes at night and was awakened the next 
 morning by a kiss from the sun. This 
 was America's favorite flower and she 
 never failed to gather armfuls of them. 
 
50 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Bands of elk and antelope were a com 
 mon sight. In fact, the San Joaquin val 
 ley was a paradise so far as its natural 
 beauties were concerned. It was through 
 this beautiful country that the Red Men 
 and the Kelseys traveled until they reached 
 the hut in which the white people lived. 
 David Kelsey pointed to the tule residence. 
 Jose understood. He bade the Kelseys 
 farewell, stating he would send them fresh 
 meat. Perhaps he had a vein of humor as 
 he intended to get the cattle farther down 
 the valley where the missions were. 
 
 "I send one of my braves with it," he 
 said. "Feed em to the little girl and she 
 grow strong." 
 
 The Red Men rode on, leaving David 
 Kelsey, his wife and daughter at their 
 home. The three watched the Indians as 
 they pressed on their way. They were all 
 thinking it over as the past few hours had 
 provided much for them to ponder on. 
 
 ; 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BEST TEACHER. 
 
 We often undertake things in life which 
 we fail to carry out. David Kelsey had 
 undertaken a trip to Captain Sutler's 
 camp, but conditions previously described 
 had interfered and thus, after undergoing 
 hardships and experiences few men of 
 even his day knew of, he, his wife and 
 daughter were back again at their home. 
 At least, they had come to the conclusion 
 that the tule hut on the edge of the creek, 
 now known as French Camp slough, was 
 their home. It was there they existed; it 
 was there they secured shelter from the 
 elements; it was there they ate and slept. 
 So that was why it was home. No pic 
 tures graced the walls. Reception room, 
 living room, library, kitchen and boudoir 
 were all in one. You saw them at a glance. 
 
 But Kelsey was pioneering. He was to 
 have a section of land a mile square, pro 
 viding he remained there the allotted time, 
 and he was one of those men who did not 
 know what it was to give up, nor did his 
 
 51 
 
52 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 wife urge him to. If she thought differ 
 ently about it, she kept it to herself. It 
 was impossible at times to prevent the 
 countenance from indicating the feelings 
 existing within the heart. David Kelsey 
 read these looks and he knew without be 
 ing told when his wife was tired of it all, 
 yet she would never verbally acknowledge 
 it. Probably the next day found her with 
 her spirits brightened and her hopes 
 raised. 
 
 She had much to do even though her 
 housework was light. She had a daughter 
 to rear. The Kelsey home was also the 
 district school and it was there America 
 learned her A B Cs. That was the least 
 of her lessons, however, as the greatest 
 instruction she received was the art of be 
 ing a good woman. No teacher in the 
 land, no matter what her college degrees 
 may be, can instruct the student in this art 
 like a good mother can. A fitting example 
 to begin with, Mrs. Kelsey found her task 
 anything but difficult. True, there were 
 no snares nor pitfalls in their immediate 
 neighborhood, and the good work once 
 done was not destroyed by agents of op 
 posing forces. It was all construction 
 without destruction. America Kelsey was 
 
THE BEST TEACHER 53 
 
 furnished a foundation that would support 
 the weight of burdens life had in store for 
 her, the first American girl to trod the 
 level land of the great San Joaquin valley 
 pastures for wild animals those days, 
 streets of a growing city today. 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey was her instructor in Eng 
 lish, in mathematics and in domestic sci 
 ence. America was an apt pupil and 
 learned quickly. She was a postgraduate 
 in natural science and, as before mentioned 
 knew the birds, their habits and haunts. 
 She loved the flowers and always found it 
 a source of great pleasure to pluck them 
 by the armful. Her mother and father 
 encouraged her in these pleasant pursuits, 
 so there was good reason for the character 
 she displayed in later life. Both her father 
 and mother set her good examples and 
 taught her those things that tended for the 
 betterment of her character. The rough 
 existence she experienced taught her not 
 to expect pleasures in life, nor to complain 
 because of the hardships that befall man 
 kind. It had fallen her lot to be the first 
 white girl to live in that locality and she 
 assumed the role with all the bravery one 
 could ask for. She was thoroughly a girl, 
 yet she had seen enough at her tender age 
 
54 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 of the stern realities of life and especially 
 of the life of a pioneer, that she was able 
 to withstand trials many a grown woman 
 would have failed to. Surroundings have 
 much to do with one's characteristics. 
 America Kelsey lived in the open. Every 
 thing was natural, nothing artificial. The 
 red on her cheeks nature placed there and 
 the golden hair had no peroxide tinge. 
 She mingled with nature's works. She 
 lived outdoors whenever the weather per 
 mitted, and the climate of the great valley 
 made it habitable outside the walls of the 
 tule hut the greater part of the time. 
 There were times when the rains made life 
 under the shelter of tules and hides any 
 thing but pleasant, and there were also 
 times when great clouds rolled up the 
 rivers and out on the level stretches. We 
 call them land fogs. America called them 
 clouds that had been thrown out of the 
 heavens because they were naughty. She 
 had a solution for all of nature's problems. 
 
 "I wonder, mother," said David Kelsey 
 a few days after Jose and his warriors had 
 passed on down the valley, "whether he 
 intends to send us fresh meat. Would 
 taste tolerable good, wouldn't it?" 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey admitted beef would be 
 most acceptable but, as was often her way, 
 
THE BEST TEACHER 55 
 
 raised the question of their right to accept 
 stolen property. She argued that the 
 Indians were going to steal the cattle from 
 the missions and their acceptance of the 
 fresh meat might not be exactly proper. 
 
 "I don't believe in hoss stealin' as you 
 know, mother, and hangin' is none too 
 good for cattle thieves, but it 'pears to me 
 that this Injun Jose has some grounds for 
 his foraging. He was an alcalde at San 
 Jose and he is an educated feller. He be 
 lieves his people have been deprived of that 
 which is theirn. He is some fightin' Injun, 
 as we all three know- 
 Then with a twinkle in his eye, he 
 added : 
 
 "And I ain't goin' to insult him by re- 
 fusin' to accept his gifts if he decides to 
 present any. Jose and I are friends and 
 in this lonely country he might prove to be 
 a pretty valuable friend to have." 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey did not carry the argument 
 any further. She was satisfied with her 
 husband's logic. Her admiration for him 
 was of the quality that made pioneering in 
 California in the forties possible for some 
 women. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 THE: SPOILS OF CONQUEST. 
 
 Kelsey was an early riser. He was a 
 firm believer in the adage that runs : 
 
 "Early to bed, early to rise 
 Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." 
 
 He had often recited it to America when 
 she did not care to retire at the hour her 
 parents wished her to. 
 
 Several days had passed since the Kel 
 sey family had resumed their life at the 
 "ranch," as David Kelsey liked to call his 
 square mile. The Indians had monopol 
 ized less of the discussion and the horrors 
 of their experience with the Red Men, 
 while not forgotten by any means, did not 
 continually loom up in their minds. 
 Every-day life was still a hard task. 
 David Kelsey endeavored to make good 
 his agreement to stay on the land, and 
 spent his time improving it. He and his 
 wife talked it all over again and resolved 
 more firmly than ever to "stick it out." 
 
 56 
 
THE SPOILS OF CONQUEST 57 
 
 The head of the house arose at dawn the 
 morning after he and his wife had re 
 newed their decision to carry out their 
 original plans. Peering outside, he saw 
 someone coming toward the hut. Kelsey 
 watched the traveler, endeavoring to make 
 out through the dim light whether he was 
 white man or Indian. The stranger ap 
 proached to within almost hailing distance 
 when Kelsey concluded he was an Indian, 
 and without further ado, reached for his 
 gun. He stood ready for action, expecting 
 the Indian to drop to a crouching position 
 as was their way of stealing upon an 
 enemy. This Indian did not, however. 
 As he came closer it became evident that 
 he was carrying something. 
 
 Kelsey couldn't figure it out. What was 
 he up to, he asked himself. The Indian 
 did not slacken his pace. It was observ 
 able that he was burdened with a heavy 
 load as he was bent over under the weight 
 of whatever he was carrying. Kelsey was 
 still trying to figure out what the native 
 was doing when it suddenly dawned upon 
 him. 
 
58 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 "By golly/' he exclaimed. "I'll bet Jose 
 sent him with beef." 
 
 The early-morning visitor was now very 
 near the hut and he shouted in poor Span 
 ish to Kelsey, apparently in order to 
 awaken him. He aroused Mrs. Kelsey, 
 who inquired of her husband what wa^ 
 the matter. 
 
 "An Injun outside," replied the latter. 
 Then quickly as though to assure her there 
 was no danger, added, -"I think he's 
 bringin' us some beef. Jose told us he 
 was goin' to remember us, don't you recol 
 lect?" 
 
 Kelsey returned the messenger's saluta 
 tion and stepped outside, gun in hand. 
 
 The shape of the object he had on his 
 shoulders indicated it was a shoulder of 
 beef. To use the parlance of the present 
 day, it sure looked good to Kelsey. 
 
 The Indian now stopped before the 
 Kelsey mansion. He handed the white 
 man the beef, explaining as best he could, 
 which was difficult for Kelsey to under 
 stand, that Jose had sent the beef for him 
 and his family. Then Jose had carried 
 out his plans and had raided the missions' 
 
THE SPOILS OF CONQUEST 59 
 
 herds of cattle The beef made this quite 
 clear. 
 
 Kelsey thanked the Indian and told him 
 to wait until he could get him something 
 to eat. The messenger shook his head, 
 stating that he must return to Jose without 
 delay. He said Jose had sent him because 
 he could talk Spanish. He had been at 
 San Jose when Jose was an alcalde and had 
 there learned the white man's language. 
 Kelsey insisted, but the Red Man refused 
 and started on his way back. 
 
 The beef proved a rare treat and the 
 entire family felt no conscientious scru 
 ples over partaking of it. Mrs. Kelsey 
 spoke of Jose's thoughtfulness and re 
 marked that he was one Indian in a thou 
 sand. She was not an admirer of the 
 native Californian. Her experiences with 
 him had not been conducive to bringing 
 about friendly relations. She saw in Jose, 
 however, a man of higher type than his 
 tribesmen and this little act of kindness 
 increased the Kelseys' regard for him. 
 Other white men later had experiences 
 with Jose that caused them to hold him 
 in their high estimation. 
 
 The change in diet was highly satisfac 
 tory and Mrs. Kelsey found much pleas- 
 
60 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 ure in the increased appetite her husband 
 developed. One afternoon when the beef 
 supply had run low, something far off 
 down the valley caught America's alert 
 eye. She hurried to where her father 
 was and called his attention to the sight. 
 He took hold of America's hand and hur 
 ried with her to the hut. 
 
 "Don't want to alarm you, mother," he 
 said, "but tell me what do you think of 
 that?" and he pointed to the approaching 
 something. 
 
 "It can't be that we are going to be at 
 tacked by the Indians again, David?" she 
 asked with a show of nervousness. 
 
 Kelsey did not know how to answer the 
 question. He was trying to think of 
 something that would be rather reassur 
 ing, when his daughter did it for him. 
 
 "I think that's Jose and his Indians," 
 she said. "Maybe they are coming back 
 with their cattle." 
 
 David Kelsey's countenance brightened. 
 
 "I'll bet the little lady's right," said her 
 father. 
 
 The three strained their eyes watching 
 the great dark object, until in due time 
 there was no doubt as to what it was a 
 
THE SPOILS OF CONQUEST 61 
 
 tribe of Indians. It was America's quick 
 eyes that saw the cattle the Indians were 
 driving. Any fears that either Kelsey or 
 his wife might have still entertained, van 
 ished with America's announcement. 
 
 "Can't you see the cattle?" she asked. 
 
 Both David Kelsey and his wife held 
 their hands as a shade for their eyes and 
 saw that their daughter was right. Jose 
 and his Siyakumnas did not pass within 
 very close range of the hut, but Jose took 
 occasion to pay the Kelseys a short visit. 
 He pointed with pride to the cattle, saying 
 he had not stolen them, but had simply 
 taken what belonged to his people. 
 
 Kelsey thanked Jose for the beef. The 
 Chief, reminded by this of a matter he 
 desired to speak of, told Kelsey that the 
 Indian who had brought him the beef had 
 been taken ill and was left in company 
 with a couple of the tribesmen a few miles 
 further down the valley, designating the 
 location by stating it was straight down 
 the trail to the river. He said he was very 
 sick, but that as soon as he got better he 
 would come on with his companions. 
 
 "Tell Jose we will visit the sick man," 
 said Mrs. Kelsey. 
 
62 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 The remark was imparted to Jose, who 
 replied that the white lady was very kind 
 and that maybe her medicine might help 
 the unfortunate brave. 
 
 Jose, considering his visit over, bade all 
 farewell and returned to his warriors, re 
 newing their journey to their stronghold 
 in the region of the present town of 
 Knights Ferry. The Kelseys watched 
 them until they were so far away that it 
 was impossible to designate the cattle from 
 the Indians. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GOOD SAMARITANS. 
 
 Big hearted people sometimes rush into 
 places in an effort to do some one a service 
 that cost them dearly. Had the Kelsey 
 family known what the contemplated visit 
 to the sick Indian was going to cost them, 
 they would undoubtedly have given the 
 matter second thought. It played a very 
 important part in their life. Caution is 
 essential for the welfare of anyone. In 
 protecting his family against attacks by 
 Indians or beasts, Kelsey adopted every 
 possible precaution. In this particular 
 instance he did not figure on possibilities 
 which resulted most seriously for himself 
 and those dependent upon him. 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey spoke of the proposed visit 
 to the unfortunate Red Man the day after 
 Jose had left. She suggested they go as 
 soon as possible, as immediate attention 
 might prove of great benefit to the Siyak- 
 umna. Her husband agreed, and America 
 
 63 
 
64 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 was anxious to go anywhere that offered 
 a diversion from the daily routine on the 
 Kelsey ranch. 
 
 The third day after the Indians* de 
 parture found the trio on their way to the 
 San Joaquin river at the particular loca 
 tion designated by Jose. It was a delightful 
 trip. The level country and its adornment 
 of flowers and shrubs proved most entic 
 ing and made the journey a pleasure. 
 Then, again, they were doing something 
 for one who had been kind to them and 
 who had suffered misfortune. That made 
 the trip doubly pleasant. One always 
 finds pure pleasure and real satisfaction 
 in any undertaking that he knows may re 
 sult to the benefit of a person in need of 
 help. That's true charity. The charity 
 of alms sometimes falls far below the 
 mark set by that charity which springs 
 straight from the heart. The Kelseys 
 knew the Indian was sick and they knew 
 that the treatment offered him by his own 
 people would not tend to make him any 
 better. Perhaps he suffered from a severe 
 fever. If so, Mrs. Kelsey knew just what 
 would help him. Anyway, she was anx 
 ious to do what little she could, and that 
 was why she, her husband and daughter 
 
GOOD SAMARITANS 65 
 
 were on their way toward the great river 
 which coursed from the extreme southern 
 end of the wonderful valley to the bay at 
 Yerba Buena. The Kelsey family was 
 enjoying the very best of health, which 
 caused them to desire all the more to aid 
 the sick man. 
 
 The trip was not arduous. It was really 
 most delightful. Upon their arrival at the 
 river they at first failed to locate the camp. 
 There were places along the stream that 
 were passable to the very edge of the 
 water, while much of the bank was 
 covered with a rank growth of willow and 
 blackberry vines. They knew the Indian 
 camp was on the edge of the water, so they 
 hunted for the places where the growth 
 was so sparse that one could reach the 
 stream. They found several of these 
 places and were about to give up when 
 America, who had run ahead a short dis 
 tance, returned to her father and mother 
 and between breaths informed them that 
 she had found the camp. It was but a 
 short distance below. 
 
 There the Kelseys found the three 
 Indians, the sick man and his two faithful 
 companions. Kelsey recognized the Siyak- 
 umna as the one Jose had sent with the 
 
66 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 beef. He addressed him in Spanish and the 
 fndian replied that he was very sick. 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey made inquiry as to the na 
 ture of his illness, but gained little infor 
 mation as the Red Man gave no further 
 intimation than he was sick all over. His 
 appearance made it clear that his tempera 
 ture was high. He drank much water and 
 Mrs. Kelsey, observing this, promptly 
 gave his nurses instructions quite to the 
 contrary. They did not understand what 
 she said, but when she prevented them 
 from giving the Indian a drink, it dawned 
 upon them. 
 
 The Kelseys remained with the Indians 
 practically the entire day, doing all they 
 could for the patient. Their kindness was 
 appreciated, although it was with difficulty 
 and considerable dubiousness that the sick 
 man submitted to Mrs. Kelsey's instruc 
 tions for his care. Through her husband, 
 she gave the Indians strict instructions 
 what - to do. They promised to obey, but, 
 as was their nature, no doubt had more 
 faith in their own treatment than the white 
 woman's. 
 
 Remaining as late as they dared, the 
 Kelseys finally started on their way home. 
 
GOOD SAMARITANS 67 
 
 Kelsey informed the sick man that if he 
 did not get better in a few days he would 
 call again. He told him to be sure and 
 stop at the Kelsey home if he recovered 
 sufficiently to renew his trip to the Siyak- 
 umna village. 
 
 The sun was getting low and the little 
 family found it necessary to travel rapidly. 
 The day had been long and all three were 
 worn out when they reached their home, 
 yet they were satisfied with their effort, 
 even though Mrs. Kelsey expressed grave 
 doubts as to the faith the Indians had in 
 her treatment. Nevertheless, their visit 
 had made the day a little brighter for the 
 sick man and that was some satisfaction 
 to these kind-hearted people. 
 
 The day was over, but its effects had 
 not yet been felt. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SOMETHING WRONG. 
 
 The duties of the Kelsey ranch again 
 took the time of the pioneers. A few days 
 after the trip to the Indians' temporary 
 camp, the father complained of feeling 
 poorly. It was one of the very few times 
 he had expressed himself as "bein' out J er 
 sorts." 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey was not at first seriously 
 alarmed. 
 
 "David/' she said, "you have probably 
 a bilious attack. Better dose up." 
 
 "I'll be all right in the mornin'," he re 
 plied. "Must admit, my dear, that I don't 
 feel just right. 'Taint exactly like bilious 
 ness. Kinder funny feeling all over." 
 
 That night he slept but little, and when 
 the next morning broke Mrs. Kelsey was 
 considerably worried about her husband's 
 condition. Sickness she feared in that 
 lonesome country more than anything else. 
 She saw her husband was not a well man. 
 While able to get around, he could not ac- 
 
 68 
 
SOMETHING WRONG 69 
 
 complish much, and although his wife in 
 sisted that he remain in the hut, he refused 
 to obey her. 
 
 "I'll be in tip-top shape soon," he said. 
 "A little exercise will do me good." 
 
 But exercise did not do him good. His 
 strength lessened with the hours. 
 
 That afternoon America, who had been 
 playing in front of the Kelsey home, saw 
 two Indians a short distance down the 
 trail. She called to her parents and both 
 came outside. The Indians continued on 
 their way to the hut. They were the com 
 panions of the sick man. Neither could 
 talk Spanish, but after considerable diffi 
 culty made it clear that their charge had 
 passed away and they were returning to 
 their camp. Their actions indicated that 
 they, too, were not well. 
 
 "Father," said Mrs. Kelsey, "do you re 
 member Gulnac said there was a man liv 
 ing on the point where the river and creek 
 join?" 
 
 "Yes. I think he directed us to visit 
 him, but we didn't take time. I think he 
 lives about a mile or so above the river. 
 Has a cabin on the point, which he calls 
 let me see, what was his name?" 
 
70 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 "Lindsay/' volunteered America. 
 
 "That's it Lindsay," remarked the 
 father. 
 
 "Well," continued the good woman, 
 "Fm afraid you may get worse. Maybe 
 it would have been better had we not vis 
 ited the sick Indian. That man Lindsay 
 probably has medicine we need. Won't 
 you go with us to his cabin ?" 
 
 At first he refused, dismissing the sub 
 ject with the statement that he would soon 
 be in regular trim. His wife insisted, 
 however, and as generally is the case, the 
 husband gave in to her wishes, and within 
 a few minutes the Indians and three Kel- 
 seys were on their way to Lindsay point, 
 now the peninsula that separates McLeod's 
 lake from Stockton channel, the present 
 harbor of a flourishing city, then the only 
 sign of the white man's invasion of that 
 section. Lindsay point played an impor 
 tant part in the careers of these three. It 
 was there they learned what true sorrow 
 was; it was there America first faced the 
 bitterness of life. Tragedies are often 
 enacted on short duration. The stage may 
 be within a palace or amid the wilds of a 
 land that has not felt the touch of civili 
 zation. 
 
SOMETHING WRONG 71 
 
 It was a tedious trip, the distance being 
 about four miles. Each step found the 
 sick man weaker. Late that evening they 
 reached the point of land where stood the 
 cabin built by Thomas Lindsay. The 
 owner of the premises was "at home." 
 
 "We are the Kelseys," explained the 
 father. "I have been taken sick, so my 
 good wife induced me to see you. She 
 thinks you might have medicine of some 
 kind 'er other that will help me. Kind of 
 presuming stranger Lindsay, but in these 
 parts we can't wait on ceremony. That's 
 how'n we are here. Hope you'll excuse 
 
 us." 
 
 "You are welcome, stranger," said 
 Lindsay. "You sure don't look well. 
 Thought I saw some one with you." 
 
 "Couple of Injuns. They're on their 
 way to their village." 
 
 "Wouldn't trust those fellers," said 
 Lindsay. "I haven't any love for 'em and 
 they haven't for me. Sometime I fear 
 they are going to get me right in my house. 
 The good lady and her daughter look tired 
 and worn out. You all make yourself 
 comfortable while I prepare something to 
 eat. Say, Jim, you better give Kelsey 
 some of that medicine of yourn." 
 
72 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Jim was James Williams, a trapper who 
 happened to be at Lindsay's cabin. He 
 produced a bottle of medicine, which he 
 declared was good for all ailments. No 
 matter what your trouble was, the direc 
 tions read "Take a dose/' A string of 
 twenty ailments was followed with the 
 brief instructions "Take a dose." 
 
 So David Kelsey "took a dose." He 
 took several of them that night. The 
 effects of the medicine were noticed the 
 next day and with them vanished Lind 
 say's hospitality. 
 
HILLS THAT DREW MEN FROM ALL PARTS 
 OF THE WORLD 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 A FRIEND INDEED. 
 
 The medicine given David Kelsey 
 brought to light his ailment, as the next 
 morning his countenance bore every indi 
 cation of the dreaded disease, smallpox. 
 The marks broke out over his body. Mrs. 
 Kelsey was also taken ill during the night 
 and, although physically unable to accom 
 plish much of anything, insisted on nurs 
 ing her husband. 
 
 America began to realize what had be 
 fallen her parents. Little did she know, 
 however, of the ordeal through which she 
 was to go. 
 
 Her father suffered terribly, the effects 
 of the disease at times making him uncon 
 scious. He talked in a rambling mannner, 
 most of the time speaking of his wife and 
 daughter. His every thought seemed to 
 be concerning the welfare of those so dear 
 to him. Perhaps he had a premonition of 
 what was coming and, realizing the terri 
 ble position his little family would be put 
 
 73 
 
74 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 in, tried to figure out in his delirious mind 
 some plan for their safety. 
 
 And Lindsay! 
 
 The spirit of chivalry died immediately 
 in the heart of Lindsay. One glance at 
 the unfortunate man drove away any 
 charitable instinct he might have had. He 
 knew the danger of smallpox and he did 
 not relish the possibility of being taken 
 down, so he straightway left the cabin. 
 
 The Kelseys had to shift for themselves 
 while in the grip of the disease so far as 
 Lindsay was concerned. He did not in 
 tend to jeopardize his own health. No, 
 not he. 
 
 He located for the time being a short 
 distance away from his cabin, awaiting 
 developments the developments he felt 
 sure were bound to come. He had seen 
 Indians when they had the smallpox and 
 he had seen them fall off like the leaves in 
 autumn. He knew too well how slim the 
 chances for recovery were, and he was 
 not daring fate. It was self preservation 
 first with him. That was his rule and this 
 occasion demanded its strict enforcement. 
 
 That was how David Kelsey, his wife 
 and daughter found themselves practically 
 helpless in the cabin on Lindsay Point. 
 
A FRIEND INDEED 75 
 
 The horror of it all ! It left an impres 
 sion upon the developing mind of the child 
 that time never erased. She had had many 
 bitter experiences during her young years, 
 but this was the bitterest of all. Her 
 mother and father seriously ill and she 
 practically alone! 
 
 Down on her knees she prayed to the 
 good Lord to help her daddy and mother. 
 She mingled her prayers with tears. The 
 day dragged on and the child waited on 
 her parents, offering them what little com 
 fort she could. Her father's delirium in 
 creased and he tossed on his bed of furs, 
 tearing at his face until it was scarred as 
 though he had gone through battle. In 
 reality it was a battle. To him it was the 
 battle for his life; not that he was afraid 
 to meet his Maker, but what was to be 
 come of them ? 
 
 The second night at the Lindsay cabin 
 was one of terrible suffering for both the 
 father and mother. The light of the day 
 was never seen by Mrs. Kelsey as the dis 
 ease had ruined her eyesight. The dark 
 ness of that second night was everlasting 
 so far as she was concerned. 
 
 "Father, father," she cried. "Where 
 are you?" 
 
76 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 There was no answer. 
 "David, my David! Let me see you 
 once again. Where is America?" 
 
 "I'm here, mother," answered the child. 
 
 "Where's father, America?" inquired 
 the mother. "Why doesn't he answer 
 me?" 
 
 "I guess he's asleep. I'll see." 
 
 America stepped quietly to his side. He 
 was asleep. She touched his hand. It 
 was cold. 
 
 "Mother!" she screamed. 
 
 Mrs. Kelsey understood. 
 
 That scream was self explanatory. It 
 expressed the height of grief; the very 
 greatest depth of sorrow. It came from 
 the child's very soul. 
 
 "My David! my David!" wept the 
 mother. "Take me to him, America, take 
 me to him !" 
 
 The daughter led the mother to all that 
 remained of him who had been so dear to 
 her, had been so true. 
 
 "If I could only see him just once," she 
 cried, "just once!" 
 
 But for both David Kelsey and his wife 
 sight was no more for him it was the 
 
A FRIEND INDEED 77 
 
 end on this earth. His pioneering was 
 over. 
 
 It was tragedy in its severest form for 
 America. Her father dead, her mother 
 blind and absolutely no one to lend a help 
 ing hand in this hour of grief and need. 
 
 Lindsay was waiting developments at 
 his temporary camp when he heard the 
 wails of the mourners. He knew what 
 had occurred ; still he did not venture near 
 the cabin. 
 
 This was where George Wyman met 
 him that day. Wyman, the trapper, had 
 stopped at the Lindsay camp on his way 
 to the Sacramento valley. 
 
 "What you doing here, Tom?" he asked 
 of Lindsay. 
 
 "Forced out of my home," replied Lind 
 say. "The Kelseys are occupying it tem 
 porarily." 
 
 "Mighty kind of you," replied Wyman. 
 "Met that family at their 'ranch' as they 
 call it about four miles beyond. Let's go 
 up and visit them. Treated me mighty 
 nice when I was at their place." 
 
 "No, thank you," sneered Lindsay. 
 "I'm not looking for trouble. I've done 
 
78 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 enough for 'em to turn over my cabin to 
 the family. You better look out." 
 
 "Look out for what?" 
 
 "The old man's got the smallpox and 
 his wife is most blind. The gal hasn't 
 shown any signs of the disease. I think 
 one of 'em, probably him, is dead, because 
 I heard the women crying." 
 
 "Dead !" exclaimed Wyman. "What do 
 you intend to do? Haven't you got a 
 heart?" 
 
 "I told you I wasn't looking for the 
 smallpox. All I got to say is to carry the 
 old man out and let the coyotes do the 
 rest" 
 
 Wyman was as much afraid of the 
 dreaded disease as Lindsay, but that did 
 not prevent him from performing his duty 
 as he saw it. He came to Mrs. Kelsey and 
 her daughter's assistance and tenderly laid 
 the father at rest. History tells us that 
 he was buried at a point now near the 
 southwest corner of Fremont and El Do 
 rado streets in the present city of Stockton. 
 
 Wyman did not go to the other valley 
 as he first planned. He retraced his steps 
 as soon as Mrs. Kelsey recovered from the 
 disease, and accompanied the woman and 
 her daughter to Yerba Buena, where they 
 
A FRIEND INDEED 79 
 
 were provided for by pioneers of a char 
 itable disposition. 
 
 The young trapper, after assuring him 
 self that the mother and daughter were in 
 safe hands, resumed his trapping trip over 
 the course he had taken. A week or so 
 found him back to the Lindsay place. 
 
 The point of land was bare of its only 
 sign of habitation, ashes and charred 
 wood giving evidence of a raid by the 
 Indians. No one was at hand, so Wyman 
 for the time had not solved the mystery. 
 Trappers he met further up the country, 
 however, had learned the truth from the 
 Indians. Lindsay had left the place after 
 the death of David Kelsey, giving the 
 cabin time to throw off danger of the 
 epidemic. He returned about two weeks 
 later and was killed by a tribe of Indians 
 called the Luckalumnas, who came from a 
 section later known as the lone valley, 
 Amador county. They fired the house 
 with their victim's body in it. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CAPTAIN WEBER. 
 
 It was 1841, three years before the 
 Kelseys accepted Gulnac's offer to locate 
 at French Camp, that Charles M. Weber 
 arrived in California, a member of a party 
 of thirty-five men and a woman. This 
 party separated, each going his respective 
 way, after reaching the base of Mt. 
 Diablo. Captain Weber and a friend 
 started for Sutter's Fort, passing through 
 the country now known as San Joaquin 
 county. If he had known the future he 
 would have been able to have foretold the 
 growth of a city of 40,000 people on the 
 land he then saw for the first time. Nor 
 did he realize then that he would be instru 
 mental, very much so, in starting this city 
 on her way. 
 
 The winter of 1841 and 1842 found 
 Captain Weber a guest at Sutter's Fort. 
 While there he met Jose Jesus and a last 
 ing friendship grew up between them. 
 Jose found much to admire in Captain 
 Weber and the white man was quick to 
 80 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER tl 
 
 observe the fine qualities that made up the 
 character of this Indian Chief. 
 
 Captain Weber was very favorably im 
 pressed with the land where the Kelseys 
 had lived. During one of his friendly 
 chats with Jose, he unfolded to him his 
 plans of settling on the land, explaining 
 that the Americans were desirous to be 
 his allies. 
 
 Jose advised the building of an Ameri 
 can village at Lindsay Point or there 
 abouts. He argued that this would place 
 his colony beyond the reach of the Span 
 iards. Jose's hatred for the Spaniards was 
 everlasting. 
 
 The Polo Indians lived in the mountains 
 and one bright day crossed the San Joa- 
 quin river and stole stock belonging to Dr. 
 Marshe, a friend of Captain Weber's. 
 The Captain sought Jose and asked his 
 advice. Jose advised an immediate attack 
 against the invaders. An expedition was 
 fitted out and the Polos were located near 
 the headwaters of the Calaveras river. A 
 battle ensued, the Indian camp destroyed 
 and the stock recovered. So effective did 
 Jose operate that the Polo tribe never 
 ventured another excursion beyond the 
 San Joaquin. 
 
82 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Wyman continued his trapping, taking 
 occasion to visit Mrs. Kelsey and her 
 daughter in Yerba Buena. The daughter 
 proved great comfort to her blind mother. 
 Wyman stopped over at the settlement 
 Captain Weber was endeavoring to estab 
 lish and often recalled the terrible ordeal 
 through which the Kelsey family had 
 gone. 
 
 Jose also visited Captain Weber at his 
 settlement and the two talked over the 
 politics of the new country. Often Cap 
 tain Weber gave Jose gifts to present the 
 Indians, increasing the friendship that ex 
 isted among the aboriginals and the "good 
 white man." Jose advised him in many 
 matters pertaining to the Indians and 
 Captain Weber and Jose Jesus became the 
 political leaders of the day, bringing about 
 peace and harmony through their policies 
 and the springing up of a new settlement 
 on lands the Indians at one time declared 
 no white man should live upon. Diplo 
 macy was as important in those days as at 
 present, if not more so, and Jose and Cap 
 tain Weber proved apt diplomats, all of 
 which worked out for the future benefit 
 of a great state. 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 83 
 
 Captain Weber was expecting a visit 
 from his good friend Jose one day when 
 an Indian runner arrived at the settlement, 
 breathlessly informing the Captain that 
 Jose had been shot. He had been wounded 
 by a white man. Whom the assailant was 
 no one knew. The news spread among 
 the Siyakumnas with rapidity and there 
 was great anxiety among the tribesmen. 
 None, however, felt more keenly about the 
 sad occurrence than Captain Weber. The 
 Captain visited Jose and found him in a 
 serious condition. 
 
 "My good friend/' said Jose in Spanish 
 when he beheld the Captain, "I'm afraid I 
 am going to leave you. My time has come 
 and I go to the happy hunting grounds." 
 
 "No, Jose," replied the Captain, "I've 
 dispatched a runner to a medicine man. 
 He's a good friend of mine and will be 
 here in a few hours. He will help you. 
 You must get well." 
 
 Jose grew weaker and was very low 
 when a Dr. W. M. Ryer arrived. Expert 
 attention helped Jose and within a few 
 days he showed signs of improvement. 
 Dr. Ryer remained with him for two 
 weeks when the Indian Chief had recov 
 ered sufficiently to be able to move on. 
 
84 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 Captain Weber paid the doctor $500 for 
 his services. 
 
 Jose visited Captain Weber before he 
 left and it was the last time the two were 
 together. What became of the brave Red 
 Man Captain Weber never learned. It is 
 presumed he never recovered entirely 
 from the injury he had received and that 
 he passed away at the Indian village in the 
 hills. 
 
 Captain Weber continued his labors of 
 upbuilding. He was greatly interested in 
 the stock business and the outlook for 
 securing large tracts of land was most 
 pleasing. 
 
 The hardships that made life so difficult 
 in the days the Kelsey family first located 
 in the valley were greatly lessened. This 
 was the period of the "Spain in Califor 
 nia," when a life of ease was enjoyed by 
 the Spanish residents of the valley. 
 
 Don Pacheto called upon Captain 
 Weber one day and invited the Captain to 
 attend the annual roundup. 
 
 "I will come, Don Pacheto," replied the 
 Captain. "I thank you for your kind invi 
 tation. There is no reason why your peo 
 ple and the Americans cannot enjoy the 
 blessings of this beautiful land. There is 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 85 
 
 plenty for all of us and life offers much 
 for every man." 
 
 "We will welcome you as our guests, 
 sir," replied the dignified Don. "You are 
 a good man, Captain, and I agree with 
 you. We beg you to overlook any lack of 
 courtesy that may be shown by some of 
 our younger men. They are hotheads, sir, 
 and some would drive the Americans out 
 of this country. I have told these sons of 
 Spain that this land is broad enough for 
 us all and peace at any price is much better 
 than war. We cannot fight America. I 
 know too well, sir Captain, that some day 
 this land will be part of your great domain, 
 even though some of the younger men 
 declare they would die first rather than 
 see your flag float over their lands." 
 
 "We simply want to live here with you," 
 replied the Captain. "We take no land we 
 do not pay for and we ask for that which 
 you cannot use. Why should your people 
 act like the dog in the manger?" 
 
 "I do not understand." 
 
 Then Captain Weber unfolded the fable 
 of the dog in the manger. 
 
 "Ah, sir Captain," exclaimed Don 
 Pacheto, "I understand. Again I say you 
 are right. Come to the fiesta and see the 
 
86 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 roundup. I declare you my personal 
 guest. I welcome you as my friend." 
 
 The vast valley bounded by the Sierras 
 on one side and the range of lower moun 
 tains that skirted the ocean on the other, 
 was a playground in those days. It was a 
 garden of sleepy ease, a picnic ground for 
 the Spanish rangers and their ladies. The 
 highest points were marked with adobe 
 houses, the castles of these barons of the 
 valley. The owner overlooked his acres 
 and acres of land from his domicile. 
 These homes were as far as twenty-five 
 miles apart in many instances, yet every 
 family knew every other family and the 
 annual roundup was an attraction that 
 drew all from far and wide. 
 
 A day before the big event began Cap 
 tain Weber started for the scene further 
 down the valley. Don Pacheto's home 
 was near the field selected for the festivi 
 ties. The good Don was at his castle when 
 the Captain called. 
 
 "Welcome, sir," he shouted to the Cap 
 tain. "Come into my humble house. 
 What I have is yours." 
 
 The Captain saluted the Don as was the 
 custom and stepped inside his home. There 
 he met the Don's wife and son. 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 87 
 
 "Come outside, Captain," invited the 
 energetic youth, "and see my mount." 
 
 Captain Weber quickly accepted the in 
 vitation and walked over to the corral. 
 
 "Elegant animal, young man," the Cap 
 tain said in admiration of the horse, which 
 had been washed and brushed until his 
 black coat glistened in the sunlight. "A 
 fine saddle, too. Never before have I seen 
 a saddle so rich in adornments. I believe, 
 young man, that this is the finest mount 
 I ever saw." 
 
 The Don bowed low, and with an elab 
 orate gesture, said in the most polite man 
 ner: 
 
 "At your service, sir. Take this animal. 
 Use him as you will. He is yours." 
 
 But Captain Weber knew too well the 
 customs of the people. He knew the good- 
 hearted generosity which prompted such 
 offers, and he as courteously declined to 
 accept the gift, which the young man ex 
 pected of him. It was the custom of the 
 day, a custom that made those days hal 
 cyon days in early California. 
 
 As the two were returning to the house 
 they saw a man and woman galloping in 
 their direction. 
 
88 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 "Some of the visitors to the roundup," 
 explained the Spaniard. "They look like 
 your people, my friend. We will wait for 
 them." 
 
 In a few minutes the two people were 
 within closer range of vision. 
 
 "Ah," remarked the young man. "An 
 Americano and his lady. They come to 
 learn from us sons of Spain how to ride." 
 
 The remark was made with a tinge of 
 bitterness, but veiled with a meaning smile. 
 
 The Captain watched the two, making 
 no reply. Suddenly he remarked: 
 
 "My good friend Wyman and the Kel- 
 sey girl. A fine couple they are." 
 
 "Then you know them, sir Captain. 
 Invite them to my father's house. Per 
 haps the Americano will try to ride the 
 bucking bronco tomorrow? No son of 
 Spain has yet ridden him." 
 
 "I dare say he has the nerve to attempt 
 it," replied the Captain. 
 
 Greetings were exchanged and Don 
 Pacheto was introduced to Wyman and 
 America Kelsey. Nothing would do but 
 they stay at the Pacheto home. 
 
 America was developing into a beautiful 
 woman. Wyman apparently was exer- 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 89 
 
 cising more than a brotherly care over his 
 charge. Young Pacheto was elaborate in 
 his praises of the girl's beauty and blushes 
 expressed her embarrassment of such 
 compliments. Wyman's expression was 
 not one of satisfaction, and it was clear to 
 the Captain he did not admire the young 
 Spaniard's compliments. The Don's son 
 referred to the big roundup on the morrow 
 and spoke at length of the wild horse no 
 man had yet ridden. 
 
 "Perhaps you will try," he said as a dare 
 to Wyman. 
 
 The Captain and America both looked 
 at Wyman in anticipation of his answer. 
 Would he try? America felt sure he 
 would tackle anything, but she dreaded to 
 think of his attempting this feat. 
 
 "Yes, I'll ride your horse," replied Wy 
 man. "Count me in." 
 
 The Spaniard smiled, remarking that 
 the Americano would be given the oppor 
 tunity to do so. 
 
 The roundup was a wonderful sight. 
 The stock men divided their yearlings and 
 traded cattle and stock. The festivities 
 consisted of dancing and feasting. The 
 tinkle of the guitar was almost continual 
 during the fiesta. One of the favorite 
 
90 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 pastimes was to ride at a gallop and pull 
 off the heads of live chickens buried in the 
 ground. The big event was the riding of 
 the wild horse. There were horses in 
 those days that defied man to ride them. 
 They were just wild. That's all you can 
 say about them. Any man who witnessed 
 a fellow man try to ride one, knew well 
 enough about them. 
 
 "Now we see the Americano ride the 
 wild horse," sneered the Spaniard. 
 
 "First," said Don Pacheto, master of 
 ceremonies, "we permit the others to try." 
 
 One after another of the young Dons 
 attempted to master the beast, a powerful 
 animal, and one after another gave up the 
 task. They succeeded in lassoing him, but 
 could not mount him. Some had been 
 quite seriously hurt. 
 
 "I wish he didn't have to ride that 
 horse," quietly said America to the Cap 
 tain. 
 
 "I'm nervous myself," replied the Cap 
 tain, "but he is too much of a man not to 
 attempt it. He's quick and has the nerve, 
 so I don't think he'll get hurt, even though 
 he doesn't ride the brute." 
 
 Wyman had selected his best lasso. He 
 waited for the horse to leave the small 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 91 
 
 corral in which he was held. As the horse 
 darted out of the passage way Wyman 
 quickly swung his lariat over the animal's 
 neck. The horse jerked his head feroci 
 ously, but Wyman gave him plenty of 
 slack by running toward him. For a mo 
 ment the animal stood still and then 
 dashed toward the American. Wyman 
 stepped to one side and avoided the attack. 
 Now the horse tried another tactic, Wy 
 man at the same time closing in on him by 
 drawing in the lariat. The animal reared 
 on his hind legs, pawing in the air with 
 his fore legs. As he came down he fell to 
 his knees. This was Wyman's oppor 
 tunity, and like a flash he was on the ani 
 mal's back, clasping his feet underneath 
 him as the horse arose. 
 
 The beast seemed amazed and stood as 
 though puzzled at the burden on his back. 
 
 "He has mounted him !" cried the Cap 
 tain. 
 
 "Yes, but he'll never ride him," said 
 young Pacheto. 
 
 Horses, like other animals, need but to 
 be mastered once. This was true with this 
 animal. He tried to shake the American 
 off his back; he kicked; he reared and 
 plunged, but Wyman stuck. Worn out 
 
92 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 and disheartened the horse made one more 
 attempt. He ran at breakneck speed to 
 ward the crowd. By this time Wyman 
 had slipped the other end of his lariat over 
 the horse's nose. The infuriated beast 
 was coming down upon the crowd where 
 the Captain, America and young Pacheto 
 stood. Pacheto grabbed the girl and, in a 
 fit of anger, held her in front of him. 
 
 "He ride the horse, but I fix him," he 
 cried. 
 
 Wyman saw at a glance what the Span 
 iard was doing. Pulling with all his might 
 on the lariat, he succeeded in turning the 
 horse's head and likewise changing his 
 course. The animal swerved to one side, 
 throwing a cloud of dust in the face of the 
 girl, preventing a catastrophe that seemed 
 bound to occur. 
 
 The horse plunged along a hundred 
 yards further, passing a safe distance be 
 yond the line that was set for the success 
 ful rider to cover. Wyman dismounted, 
 turning the beast over to the attendants. 
 He rushed toward the girl and finding her 
 uninjured proceeded to thrash the jealous 
 Spaniard in true American style. 
 
 "Don't, please don't," begged America. 
 "It will do no good and may cause trouble 
 
CAPTAIN WEBER 93 
 
 for us all. We are the Don's guests, you 
 know." 
 
 Reluctantly Wyman refrained from 
 carrying out his plans. The good Don 
 Pacheto, tears in his eyes, begged most 
 humbly that his son be forgiven. 
 
 "He has been punished/' said the old 
 gentleman. "Hot-headed boy. He did 
 not realize what he was doing. We are so 
 sorry. His friends they hiss him. We 
 must go on with the celebration." 
 
 The festivities were continued and the 
 happy throng forgot the regrettable affair. 
 Young Pacheto that night shamefacedly 
 asked forgiveness, which was granted him, 
 but Wyman never lost track of him during 
 the remainder of the fiesta. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE YELLOW METAL. 
 
 Captain Weber returned to his camp, 
 his efforts to establish a city seeming more 
 in vain than ever. He had decided upon 
 a name. It was to be the "City of Stock 
 ton," in honor of Commodore Stockton, 
 who was to bring a vessel to the townsite. 
 
 Incidents occur at times never expected, 
 bringing about things that look impossible 
 to accomplish. Such it was with this good 
 man's plans. His dreams of a city proved 
 a reality. It was a city that grew almost 
 in a night. 
 
 One day while the Captain was attend 
 ing to details that consumed his attention 
 at his camp, a runner bore him the news 
 that gold had been discovered at Sutter's 
 Fort. The Captain got the spirit along 
 with every man in the great valley who 
 heard the wonderful news. 
 
 He and a few other white men obtained 
 the services of a score of Siyakumnas and 
 started on a search for the precious metal 
 
 94 
 
THE YELLOW METAL 95 
 
 in the hills directly east of his holdings. 
 They met with success in locating the 
 alluring metal, but did not mine it profit 
 ably. However, his discovery opened the 
 Southern Mines section, one of the richest 
 gold districts in the world. 
 
 This report reached Yerba Buena and 
 up the river came the first sloop loaded 
 with prospectors. Others came overland, 
 as many as 300 crossing the San Joaquin 
 river at one time below Weber's place. 
 
 "Hello, my good friend Wyman," 
 shouted the Captain one day after the rush 
 began. "Going to the diggings?" 
 
 "I'm on my way to the hills/' replied 
 Wyman. "Trapping is no occupation for 
 an active man like me when there's gold 
 waiting to be dug." 
 
 "Where is she?" inquired Weber. 
 
 "Yerba Buena," was the abrupt reply. 
 
 A few days before, Stockton was a tule 
 hut city of one building and few residents 
 other than the Captain and trappers who 
 passed that way. Now scores of men 
 rushed here and there, removing their bag 
 gage from scows and schooners and leav 
 ing the craft in the channel while they 
 trudged to the hills eastward, hills that 
 
96 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 nodded to them to come and help them 
 selves to gold that had drawn men from all 
 climes. It was a mad rush, this rush of 
 '49. It must have been startling to the 
 deer and elk and other wild animals that 
 lived in the valley. Seldom did they see 
 any one save an occasional Hudson Bay 
 trapper or an Indian. Now men with 
 packs on their backs, men on burros and 
 men pushing carts containing their belong 
 ings, made their way to the diggings. The 
 bright yellow metal proved a magnet that 
 drew men to the enchanted spot. It 
 brought good men and bad men and a few 
 women. Excitement ran high. Every 
 thing was at a fever pitch. 
 
 And thus the natural surroundings of 
 Stockton gave way to the march of what 
 was then called civilization, and in the 
 wink of an eye measured as a part of time 
 itself, hundreds of tents and tule huts 
 grew on the level land where before just 
 Captain Weber's solitary abode stood. A 
 thousand souls resided in this city. 
 
 Some men find wealth where it is dug 
 from the ground; others, like the wise 
 Captain, find it by remaining at the camp 
 that becomes the base of supplies for the 
 miners in the hills. 
 
THE YELLOW METAL 97 
 
 Women were so very much in the minor 
 ity that their influence was not felt to any 
 great extent and men turned in some in 
 stances to a state of almost semi-barbar 
 ism. They drank, gambled, robbed and 
 murdered. This element was found in the 
 new camp. During these earlier days of 
 the gold rush they did just about as they 
 wished, and that was why Captain Weber 
 expressed alarm when he saw pretty 
 America Kelsey step off a sloop one bright 
 morning. 
 
 "My child!" exclaimed the Captain. 
 "What are you doing here? This is no 
 place for you." 
 
 "I lived here before this town grew, be 
 fore it was born," she laughed, "so I don't 
 see why I can't exist here now that the 
 Indians don't annoy us and there is plenty 
 food on hand." 
 
 "Ah, America," smiled Weber, "life in 
 those days had its dangers, but I fear the 
 arrival of these men greedy for gold has 
 made dangers far greater than the terrible 
 hardships you experienced." 
 
 "Captain," she said, "part of my life 
 here was beautiful and part of it " Her 
 eyes filled with tears and thoughts of the 
 ordeal through which she passed those 
 
98 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 few nights and days at the Lindsay cabin 
 were more than she could stand. Woman 
 like, she had her cry, then dried her tears 
 and chased away the clouds with the sun 
 shine of her smile. 
 
 "Have you seen have you seen anyone 
 I might know?" she asked evasively. 
 
 "And I asked you why you came?" 
 laughed the Captain. "Yes, I saw George 
 Wyman upon the arrival of the first gold 
 seekers. He has been down here once 
 since. Says he has struck a good claim 
 and hopes to make a stake. Pretty fine 
 fellow, isn't he?" 
 
 "I'm glad you like him." 
 
 So America Kelsey became the queen of 
 the camp. She was respected by all, and 
 those who might not have done so, dared 
 not do otherwise. 
 
 This scarcity of women made this par 
 ticularly striking young woman a rare 
 attraction. 
 
 "There's a ball at the hall tonight," she 
 overheard one miner tell a group of com 
 panions one day. "Be on hand, boys. It's 
 been many a day since I whirled a gal 
 around." 
 
THE YELLOW METAL 99 
 
 America did not go to the ball, but she 
 enjoyed the account she heard of it later 
 on. According to the story told the Cap 
 tain, there was a fine attendance of men, 
 but only one member of the gentler sex, a 
 Mexican woman. So the ball broke up 
 before it started. The women were im 
 ported by a saloon keeper to deal monte 
 and they proved a big advertisement for 
 the house. 
 
 The lawless element ruled things with 
 a high hand. Bill Tubbs walked into one 
 of the gambling houses, chalked a line 
 across the floor and, in order to make clear 
 how bad he was, declared he would shoot 
 the first man that stepped over it. A poor, 
 stupid, drunken sailor accepted the dare 
 and fell to the floor with a bullet in his 
 heart. No one dared to interfere and Bill 
 Tubbs and his gang walked out unmo 
 lested. 
 
 It was this same Bill Tubbs, whom 
 America Kelsey overheard plotting 
 against one of the miners one day. She 
 was in the Captain's store when she heard 
 their plans. 
 
 "Thar's a young feller due here most 
 any day," said Bill, "and he will come with 
 
100 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 his swag of dust. Pickings is gettin' 
 short, pals, so we've got to get this hand 
 some youngster. We'll pick a fight or 
 something or other and during the mixup 
 one of us will relieve him of his burden. 
 What do you say to this, my hearties?" 
 
 "A fine suggestion," volunteered Shorty 
 Jones. "And about the next day the 
 Vigilantes will send us a note, making us 
 the honored guests at a rope party. I'll 
 tell you how to work the game. Listen to 
 me. He'll undoubtedly cross the ferry. 
 We'll meet him on the way and chuck him 
 into the channel. No one will be the 
 
 wiser." 
 
 All agreed that this would be the ideal 
 method. 
 
 America was greatly worried. She 
 asked the Captain if he knew of any one 
 who was coming from the diggings soon. 
 The Captain replied in the affirmative, 
 believing she had reference to Wyman. 
 
 "Then, Captain," she said, "we must 
 watch out for him. We must see him first. 
 I have something to tell him." 
 
 "That's right, little lady," replied the 
 Captain. "We'll have to see that you meet 
 him first." 
 
THE YELLOW METAL 101 
 
 America pondered over this affair. She 
 wondered who the gangsters' intended 
 victim might be. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A MORTGAGED FORECLOSED. 
 
 As long as food and supplies lasted, the 
 men who were scratching the surface of 
 the earth in the Sierras east of Stockton 
 continued at their task. When supplies 
 were exhausted they made their way to 
 the camp at the head of the inland water 
 way and traded gold dust for additional 
 foodstuffs, paying enormous prices for the 
 same. Demand makes trade, and so great 
 was the demand for the necessities of life, 
 that the price went soaring most as high 
 as the highest mountain peak. 
 
 An Indian dropped into camp a day or 
 so after America had overheard the plans 
 of the schemers and disseminated the news 
 that one of the prospectors had been seen 
 some distance east. He was on his way to 
 the camp undoubtedly to stock up again. 
 
 America got this news as also did 
 Shorty Jones and his gang. It was late 
 in the day when she learned the fact. The 
 Captain was not at his home. She walked 
 down to the point that narrow neck of 
 
 102 
 
A MORTGAGE FORECLOSED 103 
 
 land where she first experienced the sor 
 row of real tragedy in her home. It was 
 almost dusk, the last glare of the sunset 
 dimly falling on the quiet waters of the 
 lake that opened from one side of the 
 channel. 
 
 "Hello, there !" some one shouted from 
 the other side. "Bring your tub across 
 and earn an honest bit of dust," he sang 
 out to the drowsing boatman. The boat 
 man was a character of the camp. He 
 liked to be bantered; he enjoyed saluta 
 tions of that kind much more than a mere 
 request to paddle across ^the water and 
 take on a passenger. 
 
 "As sure as you're standing there," he 
 yelled back. "Don't get in a hurry, mister. 
 You can't walk across, and it's a long way 
 around the lake." 
 
 America was standing in the shadow 
 cast by a great weeping willow. She saw 
 the boatman paddle toward the other 
 shore. He had gotten fairly well on his 
 way when she saw another craft moving 
 from around the point. It contained three 
 men. They propelled their boat slowly, 
 treading water as it were while the boat 
 man's passenger got aboard on the other 
 side. As soon as he started back they pro- 
 
104 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 ceeded in a direct line, apparently carrying 
 out well made plans to meet him in the 
 very center of the lake. 
 
 America's experiences during the earlier 
 days of the country had made her quick to 
 perceive such schemes, and the whole plot 
 flashed through her mind in a second. The 
 one question she asked herself over and 
 over was : What shall I do ? There was 
 no time to run for help. Immediate action 
 was necessary. She ran down to the wa 
 ter's edge, and making her way along the 
 shore a short distance, saw a dark object 
 half in the water and half on the land. A 
 few moments later found her "putting out 
 to sea" in a flat-bottomed boat kind for 
 tune had left there. 
 
 The trio in the boat that had set out for 
 the ferry had met the lone traveler in the 
 middle of the lake just as they had 
 planned. Although the light of day had 
 gone she was close enough to the two boats 
 to make out the forms of the men. She 
 saw the man in the ferry stand up; she 
 saw him hold up his hands, but for a sec 
 ond only as he brought an arm down upon 
 the head of one of the pirates and knocked 
 him into the lake. A skirmish followed. 
 Splash! Some one else went overboard. 
 
A MORTGAGE FORECLOSED 105 
 
 It was either the ferryman or his passen 
 ger America could not tell which. 
 Curses indicated that it was the passenger, 
 so America bent upon the crude oars, 
 swerved from her former course to meet, 
 if possible, the man floundering toward 
 shore. He seemed to find difficulty in 
 keeping above the water and was making 
 slow progress. 
 
 America expected the men in the boat 
 would follow him, but they were pulling 
 toward the opposite shore, leaving the fer 
 ryman alone in his boat, dazed and fright 
 ened half to death. 
 
 It seemed to America she would never 
 reach the swimmer. Perhaps he would 
 go down before she got there! Her 
 strength was taxed to the utmost and she 
 pulled with all her might. The boat drew 
 along the water as though its flat bottom 
 were half stuck in the mud. 
 
 Little by little she closed up the gap 
 that lay between her and the man strug 
 gling in the lake until finally the two met. 
 He reached for the oar and she hauled hirp 
 alongside. It was with difficulty that she 
 got him aboard, in the attempt almost 
 overturning the frail craft. He was 
 plainly exhausted and lay face down while 
 
106 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 she rowed back to the place from whence 
 she started. 
 
 As the boat slid upon the slippery shore, 
 the jar aroused the man. He sat up, shook 
 himself and ran his hand over his face as 
 though to ask "Where am I? What has 
 happened ?" 
 
 "Come," said America, "we must get 
 out of here. You poor Why, it's George ! 
 Now I understand. The Captain thought 
 I knew it was you who were coming to the 
 camp. Oh, how glad I am that I came 
 down here tonight. Something seemed to 
 tell me to. My poor boy !" 
 
 Wyman clambered out of the boat, ac 
 cepted the hand that was outstretched to 
 ward him and trance-like followed her to 
 the other side of Lindsay Point. Suddenly 
 he appeared to understand. He gazed 
 upon the young woman, the golden hair 
 bringing back fond memories. Here these 
 two, the first white woman to experience 
 the beauties as well as the trials and heart 
 breaking sadness of life in the new land, 
 and the man who helped her place her 
 father in his final resting place when the 
 few others had shamefully deserted her, 
 again stood at the setting of this former 
 tragedy. This time it was the girl, 
 
A MORTGAGE FORECLOSED 107 
 
 America Kelsey, the queen of the camp, 
 who assumed the heroic role. 
 
 "I'm so glad it was you," she said to 
 him. "I owe you so much." 
 
 Wyman, irrespective of the fact that he 
 was soaking wet, folded her in his strong 
 arms. "Yes, so much," he smiled, "that 
 you are indebted to me for life. The mort 
 gage is foreclosed and you must be mine 
 for all time." 
 
 The two stood up on Lindsay Point gaz 
 ing toward the tented city. Had they 
 prophetic minds they would have foretold 
 the growth of a city of 40,000 population, 
 the Gateway City to the great San Joaquin 
 valley, with its acres and acres of rich land, 
 welcoming the homeseekers who come this 
 way this year when the wedding of the 
 oceans is celebrated by the exposition at 
 what was then Yerba Buena ; a city where 
 three transcontinental railroads and vari 
 ous electric trains find it most profitable to 
 extend their bands of steel ; where vessels 
 of all kinds find a prosperous trade; a 
 
108 AMERICA KELSEY 
 
 hustling, thriving city in the heart of the 
 greatest state in the Union. 
 
 And had they visions of the future their 
 eyes would have seen from Lindsay Point 
 the picture unfolded to your vision on the 
 next page. 
 
THE END. 
 
Here follow a number of 
 Stockton business institu 
 tions that have played 
 prominent parts in the de 
 velopment of this com 
 munity. 
 
Existence would not have been 
 so hard for San Joaquin's 
 Pioneers had they access to a 
 sporting goods house like 
 
 BRANCH'S, Inc. 
 
 Sporting Goods, Bicycles, Pho 
 nographs, Motorcycles, Etc. 
 309-311 East Weber Ave. 
 
 IMPAIRED OR FAILING 
 EYESIGHT 
 
 is indicated by inability to read easily, squint-* 
 ing, headache, etc., and is due to a physical 
 defect in the eyes. 
 
 Our examination shows what the defect is. 
 
 Our glasses are so made and fitted that de 
 fective eyesight is made effective eyesight. 
 Our glasses are reasonable in price. 
 
 They look well and make you see well. 
 
 CHINN BERETTA OPTICAL CO. 
 Stockton, Cal. 407 E. Main St. 
 
 113 
 
Central California's leading complete house 
 furniture store. Everything for your home 
 except the girl. 
 
 F. A. GUMMER 
 
 429-431-433-435-437-439 East Weber Avenue, 
 STOCKTON, CAL. 
 
 Harold J. Gage 
 Co., Inc. 
 
 Designers and 
 Manufacturers 
 of Art Glass. 
 
 We installed the 
 art glass in many of 
 Stockton's beautiful 
 homes and build 
 ings. 
 
 515 East Main St. 
 
 114 
 
NEW-I-DEA MERCANTILE CO. 
 
 P, one 4567 Market at Stanislaus 
 
 IN THE upbuilding of Stockton, 
 besides the many country sub 
 divisions, the Weber Home 
 Tract, McCloud's and Brown's 
 Additions, Sperry Park and Addi 
 tion, Mossdale, The Oaks, and, 
 notably, Bours Park have played a 
 part. To have had some share in 
 peopling these districts is a source 
 of satisfaction. It is our ambition 
 to be a still greater factor in 
 Stockton's advancement during the 
 next decade. 
 
 DIETRICH & LEISTNER 
 
 26 S. San Joaquin Street 
 
 115 
 
LAUXEN & CATTS. ESTABLISHED 1888. 
 Stockton's Oldest and Foremost Furniture House. 
 
 We believe in Stockton. We 
 feel the future has much in 
 store for our city. We there 
 fore intend to do our share by 
 keeping ahead of the growth 
 of Stockton. 
 
 H. J. Kuechler & Son 
 
 Jewelers and Goldsmiths 
 
 California and Main Streets, 
 
 Stockton, California 
 
 116 
 
YO SEMITE TERRACE 
 
 tells the story of Stockton's 
 growth in its best residence 
 section. 
 
 Hammond, Jones & Williams 
 
 High Class City & Country 
 
 SUBDIVISIONS 
 
 We deal in San Joaquin County 
 lands. No section of California 
 offers better inducements to the 
 settler than San Joaquin County 
 
 Eaton & Buckley 
 
 Real Estate 
 
 238 E. Main St., Stockton. Cal. 
 
 117 
 
The substantiality of Stockton is shown 
 by such institutions as 
 
 1 FHKB 8 MEflUHTS BtHK 
 
 THE BANK OF GOOD SERVICE 
 
 Get the Saving Habit. 
 Open an Account with This Bank. 
 
 D. A. Guernsey, Pres. Wfll E. Morris, Cashier 
 
 John M. Perry, V.-P. C. H. Rothenbush, A. C. 
 
 Chester B. Welch, A. C. 
 
 The name of 
 
 Chas. Haas & Sons 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Jewelry Line has always 
 a& 'stood for Quality && 
 
 Established in Stockton 
 in 1857 
 
 118 
 
OUR business started 15 years 
 ago, has increased steadily 
 each succeeding year and to 
 day we have a fine substantial 
 trade which justifies our motto: 
 "No Misrepresentation." We con 
 duct strictly a Dry Goods Busi 
 ness. Only the best class of Mer 
 chandise at prices always reason 
 able and no higher than elsewhere 
 has gained for us the confidence 
 and esteem of our patrons. 
 
 SMITH & LANG 
 
 124-6-8 East Main Street 
 
 Stockton Is Up-to-Date 
 in every particular, even 
 to a Men 's Hat Store 
 
 BEN F. COOPER 
 
 "Milliner to Men" 
 
 503 E. Main St., 
 
 Stockton, Cal. 
 
 119 
 
IK Ul JMH VJUlfl UK 
 
 STOCKTON, CAL. 
 
 Time can not 
 dim the memory 
 of the founder of 
 our city. 
 
 JOSEPH FYFE, 
 
 President 
 DR. J. D. YOUNG, 
 
 Vice-President 
 R. B. TEEFY, 
 
 Cashier 
 F. W. WURSTEK, 
 
 Ass't Cashier 
 
 J. C. KEYS, 
 Ass't Cashier 
 
 Peerless Milling Co. 
 
 Excels In 
 
 Poultry Supplies 
 and Mill Feeds 
 
 1040 E. Church Street 
 Stockton, Cal. 
 
 120 
 
HE CUir IHMFF lEHEfl 
 
 Will stop itching and relieve 
 any Scalp Ailment. Price 
 Fifty cents, Guaranteed. 
 Sold by any Druggist or 
 
 Eagle Drug Store and 
 Stockton Drug Store, STO C C A K L TON 
 
 Oullahan-Littlehale Co. 
 
 Real Estate 
 
 Representing Estate of 
 the Founder of Stockton 
 
 323 E. Weber Ave., 
 
 Stockton, Cal. 
 
 121 
 
For 23 years we have con 
 ducted Stockton's FINEST Ice 
 Cream and Candy Shop. 
 Quality and Service Our Motto. 
 
 434 E. Main St., Stockton, Cal. 
 
 You will always find 
 suitable entertainment 
 at the 
 
 GARRICK 
 
 THEATRE 
 
 Stockton's Popular 
 . i. SMITH, Prop. Playhouse 
 
 122 
 
Stockton's Finest 
 GARAGE 
 
 Hansel & Ortman's 
 
 Auto Sundries and Supplies 
 Agents for Overland and Cadillac Cars 
 
 211-227 N. Hunter St., 
 
 Stockton, Cal. 
 
 We have helped Stockton get a 
 "Good Footing" by supplying 
 the people 
 
 "WALK-OVER" SHOES 
 
 Hudson & King 
 
 440 E. Main St., Stockton, Cal. 
 
 123 
 
HOT EL STOCKTON 
 
 STOCKTON, CAL. 
 
 "-.' 
 
 European Plan, 200 Rooms Connecting With Bath. 
 
 Reinforced Concrete Construction. 
 
 Absolutely Fireproof 
 
 We have shown our faith 
 in Stockton by affording it 
 the finest Men's and Boys' 
 Outfitting Establishment in 
 && Central California && 
 
 The I X L 
 
 WEBER AVE., AT HUNTER SQUARE 
 
 124 
 
KORAN'S 
 
 Furniture, Carpets and 
 Draperies 
 
 CASH OR CREDIT 
 
 410-418 E. Main St. 
 
 Stockton, <.al. 
 
 Heald's College 
 
 Positions for Graduates and 
 Graduates for Positions 
 
 Shorthand, Typewriting, 
 Bookkeeping 
 
 HEALD'S BUILDING, 
 
 Weber at Sutter, Stockton, Cal. 
 
 125 
 
SIMPSON-GRAY 
 LUMBER CO. 
 
 California's Oldest Retail 
 & Lumber Company 9f 
 
 ESTABLISHED 1853 
 C. G. BIRD, Mgr. 
 
 124 W. Weber Ave., 
 
 Stockton, Cal. 
 
 "The House of House Wares' 
 
 Yost-Dohrmann Co. 
 
 China Hall 
 417-423 E. Main St., Stockton, Cal. 
 
 Crockery, Glassware, 
 Cutlery, Lamps, Kitchen 
 Utensils, Cafe Outfitters. 
 
 126 
 
The RECORD BUILDING ' 6 f 
 
 have in Stockton and San Joaquin County 
 
 RECORD PUBLISHING CO., 
 Irving Martin, President 
 
 This book is but one of hun 
 dreds you'll find at our store. 
 We are helping develop Stock 
 ton by having established Cen 
 tral California's finest book, 
 stationery and office supply 
 house. 
 
 Tredway Bros., Inc. 
 
 5 1 6 E. Main St., Stockton, Cal. 
 
 127 
 
This Tells the Sperry Flour Company's Part 
 In Stockton's Development. 
 
 First 
 
 Sperry 
 
 Mill, 
 
 Stockton ; 
 
 1852. 
 
 Daily 
 
 Output, 
 
 20 bbls. 
 
 Flour 
 
 Union 
 
 Mill, 
 
 Daily 
 
 Output, 
 
 2000 bbls. 
 
 Our 
 
 Entire 
 
 Daily 
 
 Output 
 
 Averages 
 
 6600 bbls. 
 
 Flour, 
 
 40 tons 
 
 Cereals. 
 
 128 
 
iu me circulation aesK or any 
 University of California Library 
 
 or to the 
 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 (510)642-6753 
 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing 
 books to NRLF 
 
 Renewals and recharges may be made 4 
 days prior to due date. 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 MAY 1 2 1997 
 
 MAR 2 1937 
 
 Santa Cruz Jitney 
 
 12,000(11/95) 
 
 MP&Rrh 
 
Matthews, D.S. 
 America Kelsey. 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVIS