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HISTORY
El
Dorado County, California.
LOCAL
HISTORY.
PLACERVILLE
(HANGTOWN, RAVINE CITY)
[section 5 of 5-- 1, 2,
3, 4,
5]
Before leaving the city of Placerville, may it be
allowed to take a retrospective view far back into the time of old
"Hangtown," passing a review of old faces : The very first store
kept here in the fall of 1848, was by one Beaner ; the following winter
season there were, after a rough estimate, between four and five hundred
Oregonians engaged here in mining ; the spring of 1849 bringing the first
Eastern people, and a lively business commenced. Col. A. W. Bee and
brother were the leading storekeepers then, dealing in general provisions,
etc. George Roth and James Bailey forming partnership kept a grocery store
until 1854, when the partnership
 dissolved and George Roth continued
storekeeping alone. Alex. Hunter opened the first Banking House and
Express Office in connection with Wells, Fargo & Co's office at
Sacramento. Mr. R. G. Noyes was the resident agent of Adams and Co's
Express Co., until July, 1855, when after the failure of Adams and Co., he
became President of the Pacific Express Company. H. C.
 Hooker kept the
first hardware store. Drs. Childes and Worthen opened the first drug
store. Livery stable business was first started by George Condee & Co.
and William Stevens & Co. M. R. Elstner kept the first hay hard, as
well as brick yard. William M. Cary kept the Placer hotel, and after 1856,
built the present structure of the Cary House, on Main street, corner of
Quartz
 avenue, which was finished about August 1857. B. Herrick kept the
Union Hotel, Mr. Levan kept the Orleans Hotel. Dud Humphreys was appointed
first Alcalde of the district ; when a Post office was first established;
J. Q. A. Ballard was appointed first Postmaster, his place was t the round
tent. J. B. Buker & Co. opened banking house in Upper
Placerville, and were succeeded some time later by Read & Co. D. G.
Weston, of Upper Placerville, started the first dairy on a larger scale,
milking from 40 to 140 cows. The first white woman of Placerville was Mrs.
Anna Cook, who died here on January 4th, 1879, at the advanced age of
eighty-four years; she had been the first white person of her sex to
arrive at Hangtown : she was married to her husband, whose death antedated
her own just eleven months, on the 4th of June, 1815 ; they consequently
had lived together in wedlock nearly sixty-three years. The first marriage
that was recorded at Placerville was that of W. H. Cooper, who was married
by Rev. Dr. Platt, in November, 1850, to Miss Amy Swift. He not only
raised large family, but became a grandfather to over twenty, and
great-grandfather to some great-grandchildren. But all the old land marks,
the witnesses of those gone-by romantic days of early California life, of
the ups and downs of the first settlers, are gone after another ; the last
one, a kind of a relic in the shape of an old log-cabin, built in the year
of 1848, stood undisturbed just above O'Keefe's toll-house until lately
when it was torn down to be converted into firewood. Mr. Ben. Post bought
it in 1849, from the man who built it, and occupied it for several years,
it was then one one of the most comfortable and nobby residences in town.
This last survivor of the '49er period gone, reminds one how fast the time
disappears, and that it may not be so far hence, when all and every living
witness of that period will be gone also. In those
times came to the courts, of Judges Ross, Howell, Farwell, Ben Myers, and
Jimmy Johnson, and attorneys, S. W. Sanderson, D. K. Newell, Gen. Tom
Williams, John Hume, Thomas H. Hewes, Perkins, Gabe Hall, G. J. Carpenter,
J. Thomas, Jim Green, Joe Douglas, Melancholy McCallum, Tom. Robertson,
Major Ward, Harmon, Geo. G. Blanchard, Mose Tebbs, Old Talmadge, Chas.
Meredith, Chas. Irwin, Patterson, Vince Geiger, P. C. Johnson, Col. Hook.
There was Benj. R. Nickerson, who threw the only law book, which there was
in Hangtown at the Judge's head, because he decided a case against him,
foreswore the practice of law, and gut up a bull and bear fight on Sunday
shortly afterwards, to get even on his client's fee, which was due but
unpaid. Thos. Robertson, W. W. Sanderson and John Hume formed a
partnership firm; but after few years Sanderson departed this
concern and formed partnership with Thos. H. Hewes; while Robertson
& Hume remained copartners. One day during the busy times of the 11th
District Court, a case was on trial in which J. Hume and Silas W.
Sanderson were engaged as attorneys on opposite sides. An angry
controversy arose between these gentlemen, commencing with words, but
ending in a clinch, each seizing the other by the throat, with many wild
demonstrations. Before the mild calm face of Hume or the more pugnacious
countenance of Sanderson was marred, or first blood claimed for either,
the Sheriff, however, sprang between and parted them; each evidently
pleased at this sudden cessation of hostilities, but ashamed of their
display of temper. The cause proceeded s if nothing had occurred. In the
evening, as was then custom, many attorneys were at the Clerk's office
looking over papers or filing cost bills, the belligerents of the morning
being both present, when the silence was broken by the quick but mild
voice of Hume saying, "Sanderson, didn't you think the Sheriff was a
d----d long time coming this morning?" A moment's silence, then a
loud and boisterous laugh, and all was harmonious. Hume, who had a bright
legal mind, surpassed by few, has died since. Sanderson has since been
Chief Justice of the State, and is now attorney for the C. P. R. R.
Co. Judge Ogden Squires, who died in 1880 at Napa,
of consumption, was a prominent lawyer and citizen of Placerville for
nearly 30 years, and has occupied during that time many important offices.
In 1851 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and served in that capacity for
many years; he was elected and served one term as a member of the State
Legislature, being the youngest member of that body. In 1863, he was
elected County Judge for a term of four years, showing ability and
intelligence. Thereafter he filled the office of a Justice of the Peace
and Notary. During the time of the secession war a
cuase being on trial in the County Court, and the Judge had charged the
jury, who had retired to determine upon a verdict. The time being evening,
they were left in the more comfortable court room. To beguile their time
some of them sang and others joined in the chorous. The Judge was a
staunch constitutional Democrat, and when he entered the Clerk's office,
adjoining the court room, about 8 or 9 o'clock, they were lustily singing
"John Brown," in which all had joined, and the old fellow's soul
was boisterously "marching around." He hesitated a moment to
satisfy himself that his sense of hearing did not deceive him, then he
rushed at the intervening door, nearly demolishing it with his thundering
blows, and in a voice stifled with rage cried out: "If you don't stop
singing, I will commit every one of you to the county jail for contempt.
You were not sent there for any such purpose." And they didn't sing
any more that night. The Judge had frightened John Brown's soul and very
nearly the juror's also out of the court room. Major
Abram T. Ward, who died t Placerville in 1855, was born at Frankfort, Ky.,
in 1823. Sprung from a soil prolific of talented, courageous and honorable
men, Major Ward was one of the rarest specimens. Among all her gifted sons
he stood pre-eminent. A graduate of Centre College, Danville, he early
commenced the practice of the legal profession and became a man of note
among his brethren at the bar. A short time after he removed to Missouri,
where he continued the practice of law until he determined to journey to
California. In 1850 he crossed the plains and resided since uninterrupted
in this adopted. State. Originally locating at Sacramento, from which
place he removed to Placerville, where his virtues made him many friends. But
Major Ward was not alone a man of mind, he did not win his host of friends
by mere mental force; he was eminently sound-hearted and true-souled.
Whether pleading the cause of injured innocence, prosecuting the
crime-stained villain, exposing the basis of a legal principle, the ground
work of constitutional right, at the festal board, or in the chance and
varied conversations of daily intercourse, at all times, under all
circumstances, the impress of divine genius was visible upon the
emanations of his mind. The disciples of
Æsculapius were represented by a noble set of kind-hearted men, no time
or age can show a better one. There were Drs. Harvey, Clark, Titus, now of
San Francisco, Rob. Rankin, Marquis, Chamberlin, Hinman, Cruse, Hamm,
Fiske, of Broderick fame, Adams, Taylor, Dolan, Hunters, Ray, McMeans,
Conkling, Th. Hall, L. Ferlong, Turner, Richardson, Keene, Worthen,
Childs, Biron, Sargent, Kunkler, Thomas, Ober and Hook. What has become of
all of them. Most of them are gone, and our memories of them are scattered
to the winds. Hon. B. F. Keene, M. D., died of
paralysis in Placerville on the 5th of September, 1856. Dr. Keene came
here as a pioneer, to reside in El Dorado county at a time when society
was yet quite unsettled and the laws very little observed ; by his own
example and mental influence he helped to find the way out of this sordid
and selfish interest towards the wholesome state of affairs that surrounds
and distinguishes a well governed State. His talents and virtues were
appreciated, and in 1851 he was called away from his active professional
duties and important private enterprise by the vote of a rare unanimity to
fill the office of Senator in the State Legislature. This was a place for
a man to show his ability. The policy of our State government not yet
fixed, and the population filled with prejudice and jealousy toward each
other, caused by different habits of education and association. It was
quite a hazardous experiment to frame and adopt a system of laws to suit
all the different elements of this population ; but the following
prosperity of the people is best evidence of the perfectness and
superiority of the laws as well as of the men who were working hard to
show their patriotism. And Dr. Keene was one of
the most intimate lawmakers in our statute book, he not only followed the
work of the Legislature with ardent zeal, he was a leader. Twice he was
honored by his collegues* with the election to the presidency of the
Senate, and his constituents, to express their pride and contentment with
his representation, that he had been repeatedly sent to the Senate for
four years, and but a short time before his death he was honored with the
nomination to the office of State Treasurer. "Now
every splendid object of ambition
Which lately with their various flosses, passed
Upon his brain--have gone like morning mist,
And all the world is vanished !"
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