er was convenient and portable
carried it out of the house to a distance of about one hundred yards,
where gathered a multitude of people, fleeing before the flames with
all sorts of baggage, trunks, chairs, beds, and utensils of every kind
which they had brought from their houses. I hastily threw the papers
of sundry suits and a dozen law books, recently purchased, into a box,
and with the assistance of the other occupant of my loft, carried it
off. Just as we reached the crowd, a pair of young grizzly bears which
the owner had kept in a cage near by were let loose, and they came
towards us growling in their peculiar way. At their sight, there was
a general _stampede_ of men, women, and children, in all directions.
Boxes and everything else portable were instantly dropped, and such
an indiscriminate flight was never before seen except from a panic in
battle.

THE BARBOUR DIFFICULTY.

When the bill of 1851, dividing the State into new judicial districts,
became a law, there were several candidates for the office of Judge
of the Tenth Judicial District, which comprised the counties of Yuba,
Nevada, and Sutter. Henry P. Haun, the County Judge of Yuba, was one
candidate; John V. Berry, a lawyer of the same county was another;
and Gordon N. Mott, a lawyer of Sutter County, was a third. My first
choice was Berry; but, finding that he had very little chance, I gave
what influence I had in favor of Mr. Mott, and he received from the
Governor the appointment of Judge of the new district.

In the Summer of 1851, the Governor issued his proclamation for the
Fall elections, and, among others, for an election to fill the office
of Judge of the Tenth District. I had supposed--and there were
many others who agreed with me--that Judge Mott's term under his
appointment would continue until the election of 1852. But there
being some doubts about the matter and the Governor having issued
his proclamation for an election, candidates were nominated by the
conventions; and at the ensuing election one of them, William T.
Barbour, a lawyer of Nevada County, received a majority of the votes
cast and was declared elected. When he came, however, to demand
the office, Judge Mott expressed his opinion that there had been no
vacancy to be filled and declined to surrender. This led to a suit
between them. The question involved being exclusively one of law, an
agreed case was made up and presented to the Supreme Court, and that
tribunal d