ff and carried it to his den and
ate it. In corroboration of that fact, another man informed me that he
saw a bear chasing a mule and fired on the bear and hit him, and the
bear turned toward him, and the mule escaped.
[Illustration: THE MINER AND THE GRIZZLY.]
There was a Mr. W., who opened a fashionable hotel on the east side of
the plaza. I was invited to be one of a party of twenty to give a
complimentary dinner to a friend, who was about to return East. The bill
was just $400, which was $20 apiece, the most I ever paid for a
California dinner. The landlord became quite popular and was thought to
be a very responsible person. A great many persons from the long voyages
around Cape Horn arrived, sick with the scurvy, owing to want of
vegetables at sea, most of whose systems underwent a change to become
acclimated to the country; some seriously and others more mildly. It was
thought it would be a good thing to do to erect a hospital for the
benefit of the public and those arriving sick. There was $30,000 raised
at the first meeting called, and Mr. W., the landlord, was elected
treasurer.
[Illustration: THE MAN WHO ESCAPED FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.]
One night he got betting against the game of Faro, lost, and I suppose
got over excited, and in trying to recover his losses, lost every thing,
including $30,000. Of course it was not known that he ever gambled or he
would not have been trusted with the money. As soon as it was known it
created great excitement and indignation, that so sacred a fund should
have been wasted in that way. He fled, and the Mayor offered $3,000
reward for his apprehension. It seems he had escaped on a vessel to the
Sandwich Islands, and had no money, and got in debt there and could not
leave there as long as he owed any thing, according to their laws, and
he was in despair, until one day fortune smiled upon him. Accidentally
he came across a California paper in which was the $3,000 reward offered
by the Mayor of San Francisco for his arrest, and this was his
opportunity and he seized it at once. Then hope dawned upon him. He
found a vessel about to sail for San Francisco. He took the paper and
showed it to the captain and told him if he would advance the money so
he could pay his debts, he would return with him to San Francisco and he
could surrender him and they would divide the reward. The captain
accepted his offer and delivered him up upon his arrival at San
Francisco, and got the re
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