In Los Angeles on Main street a hack drove along and one man directed
another's attention to two girls in it. They were very pretty but like
many others, had their faces covered with white powder, these were
Mexicans. They drove across to Rose and Ferguson's stable (Rose shot
himself later) and then down Commercial street and Los Angeles street
to a hotel with a man (I-- F) they picked up at the stables. One of
the first two men was passing as the hack stopped and made a grab for
the girl, who got out first, because as the man put his foot on the
hack step to get out, she shot him in the eye and he fell forward
onto the sidewalk dead. She only said: "He'll never fool another girl"
and was going to shoot again but changed her mind and walked off with
her sister to the police station to give herself up. She was tried;
she was impudent and said she would shoot anyone that said anything
about her. Some fellows took her bouquets; she got no punishment, of
course, and the day she was free went to get the revolver which she
had borrowed she said. B's daughter shot at a man on Spring street
near First three times front of where the P. O. used to be, but only
shot a bit off the top of his head. He ought to have been killed; his
folks had money though and he was let off. I was summoned as a witness
in this. The father knew me but I knew nothing of the affair. I got
mad in court as usual and Mr. S. W. let me go. There used to be a good
deal of shooting in Los Angeles but it is all changed now. At the same
corner of Commercial Street a man sat at an upstairs window and waited
till the man he wanted went along the other side; then he shot him
with a shot gun.
[Illustration: The End of Don J-- F. Front of White House, Commercial
St., Los Angeles.]
[Illustration:
Man coming in suddenly--"Now I've got you."
Man, looking up--"Oh let up, don't interrupt this game."
First man, paralyzed, walks out again without shooting.
The Good Old Days.]
M and I used to go down Sonora town to Spanish fandangos and things
where there was often trouble. Once they were shooting in the night
around the adobes and a policeman fell down and was carried home but
when they searched they found the ball in his clothes and he was not
hurt a bit.
I was shot in the Pico house and S-- drove me to his funeral, next
week I was at S's funeral; he was shot in his room.
[Illustration: One Adobe--Los Angeles.]
[Illustration: "Empty is the Cradle, Baby's Gone"--San Rafael Ranch.]