versed together in low tones of voice. I stopped Jose Castro, and asked him what was the matter. He replied that he was going to march against the Commandante General Viego, at San Francisco, to depose him from the command of the forces. His two companions made the same assertion. I knew that Alvarado was afraid of Viego, and that Jose Castro was ambitious for his place; and for these reasons, I partly concluded that they spoke the truth.

"A little later in the day, however, the vagabond Garner called at my house, and having drunk freely of whisky became rather boisterous, and said significantly, that the time of some people would be short; that Jose Castro had received orders from the governor to drive the foreigners out of California, or to dispose of them in some other way. He boasted that he himself should have a pleasant participation in the business. I could not persuade him to inform me when or in what manner this was to take place. I had heard the same threat made a number of times within the past year, but it resulted in nothing. Believing, therefore, that Garner's words proceeded from the whisky he had drunk, rather than the truth, I left him in the yard, and in company with my partner, Mr. Niel, went to bed. Messrs. Morris and Barton, as usual, took to their couches in the still-house.

"We slept quietly, until about three o'clock in the morning, when I was awakened by the discharge of a pistol near my head, the ball of which passed through the handkerchief about my neck. I sprang to my feet, and jumped in the direction of the villains, when they discharged six other pistols, so near me that my shirt took fire in several places. Fortunately, the darkness and the trepidation of the cowards prevented their taking good aim; for only one of their shots took effect, and that in my left arm.

"After firing they fell back a few paces and commenced reloading their pieces. I perceive by the light of their pistols that they were too numerous for a single man to contend with, and determined to escape. But I had scarcely got six

paces from the door when I was overtaken and assailed with heavy blows from their swords. These I succeeded in parrying off to such an extent that I was not much injured by them. Being incensed at last by my successful resistance, they grappled with me, and threw me down, when an ensign by the name of Joaquin Terres drew his dirk, and saying with an oath that he would let out my life, made a thrust at my heart. God saved me again. The weapon passing between my body and left arm, sunk deep in the ground! and before he had an opportunity of repeating his blow they dragged me up the hill in the rear of my house, where Jose Castro was standing. They called to him, 'Here he is! here he is!' whereupon Castro rode up and struck me with the back of his sword over the head so severely as to bring me to the ground; and then ordered four balls to be put through me. But this was prevented by a faithful Indian in my service, who threw himself on me, declaring that he would receive the balls in his own heart!

"Unwilling to be thwarted, however, in their design to destroy me, they next fastened a rope to one of my arms, and passed it to a man on horseback, who wound it firmly around the horn of his saddle. Then the rest of them, taking hold of the other arm, endeavored to haul my shoulders out of joint! But the rope broke. Thinking the scoundrels bent on killing me in some way, I begged for liberty to commend my soul to God. To this they replied, 'You shall never pray till you kneel over your grave.' They then conducted me to my house and permitted me to put on my pantaloons. While there they asked where Mr. Morris was. I told them I did not know. They then put their lances to my breast and told me to call him or die. I answered that he had made his escape. While I was saying this, Mr. Niel came to the house, pale from loss of blood and vomiting terribly. He had had a lance thrust through his thigh, and a deep wound in his leg, which nearly separated the cord of the heel.

"They next put Mr. Niel and myself in double irons, car

ried us half a mile into the plain, left us under guard, and returned to plunder the house. After having been absent a short time, they came and conducted us back to our rifled home. As soon as we arrived there, a man by the name of Manuel Larias approached me with a drawn sword, and commanded me to inform him where my money was buried. I told him I had none. He cursed me and turned away. I had some deposited in the ground, but I determined they should never enjoy it. After having robbed me of my books and papers, which were all the evidence I had that these very scoundrels and others were largely indebted to me, and having taken whatever was valuable on my premises, and distributed it among themselves, they proceeded to take an inventory of what was left, as if it were the whole of my property; and then put me on horseback and sent me to this prison. You know the rest. I am chained like a dog, and suffer like one."

Mr. Albert F. Morris, whose name appears in Graham's account of his arrest, gives me some farther particulars. It may be well here to say, that this Morris was a British subject, a descendant of the former Surveyor-General of Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Having strayed from friends and home, he found himself in California destitute of the means of livelihood. In this state of want he hired himself to Graham as a laborer in his distillery; and was living on his premises in that capacity at the time of the events just related.

"On the night of the sixth of April, 1840, when we were about going to bed, two persons arrived who asked for lodgings. Mr. Graham told them they might find quarters with us in the distillery. They dismounted and took bed with me and Mr. Barton; and Messrs. Graham and his partner Neil took their bed in the house, about thirty yards distant from us.

"Nothing occurred to disturb us until about three o'clock in the morning, when, being awakened by a loud knocking at the distillery door, I sprang out of my bed, and asked who

was there? No answer being returned, I repeated the question in a stern voice, when a man outside replied, 'Nicholas Alviso.' He being a near neighbor I answered, 'very well,' and told one of those present to light a candle. But while this was being done, a number of people outside called out, 'Where is Graham? Tear the devil in pieces!' and immediately afterward rushed with great violence against the door. I told them to wait a moment, but they cried out with still greater clamor for Graham, and seemed to rush toward the house where he slept. Quite a number, however, remained at the distillery, beating at the door in a savage manner and threatening death to the inmates. I drew my pistols, and at that instant Nicholas Alviso called aloud for all hands to beat down the door. On they came against it; I fired; and they returned the fire and wounded me in the left side. I then seized my rifle and snapped it at them; they retreated, and I escaped into the swamp in the rear of Graham's house. After concealing myself among the bushes, I saw fifteen or twenty men with drawn swords making most deadly blows at Messrs. Graham and Neil. I heard Ankel Castro give orders to hew them down; Garner urged them to do the same.

"I remained in the swamp till late the next night, when I walked eight miles to the farm of Mr. Littlejohn, where I remained two days. Then, with an Indian to guide me, I rode to the mission of Santa Cruz on the north side of Monterey Bay. Here I called at the houses of Messrs. Dye and Young; told them what had happened, and went up among the hills for safety.

"On the sixteenth, Francisco Young came to me and said, that Captain Burlinen had come after me with a company of riflemen. He assured me that I should not be put to death or manacled if I surrendered myself without resistance. I concluded after some hesitation to do so, and followed him down to Mr. Dye's distillery. There I found Captain Burlinen, with eleven Californians, armed with the rifles which they had taken from the Britons and Americans. After obtaining a

promise from the captain that my life should not be taken and that I should not be put in irons or otherwise bound, I delivered my rifle to him and became his prisoner. I was then marched down to the Mission of Santa Cruz between the soldiers, and put under guard until the next morning. "Soon after sunrise on the seventeenth they began preparations for taking me to Monterey. I had, when escaping from Graham's premises, left most of my clothing, and not knowing in what this affair might end, I desired the captain to take me by that route. To this he consented. But it was of no service to me; for I found both my portmanteaus broken open and all my clothing stolen. Mr. Niel was in the house. He had been badly wounded in the affray of the sixth. A lance been thrust through his thigh, and a deep sabre cut inflicted upon the leg. He told me that the Botany Bay Garner did it. I saw several balls sticking in the walls of the bedroom in which Mr. Niel lay. The floor was much stained with blood. The premises had been plundered. We stayed at Graham's house an hour, and proceeded towards Monterey.

"I arrived in town the next day. It was occupied by soldiers, and the prisons filled with foreigners. They immediately put me in double-irons, and carried me before a body of men who pretended to act as a court of justice. I desired that Mr. Spence, the alcalde, might be sent for as an interpreter. But they would not allow it. They said I must be content with the one they had provided. His name was Nariago. He was by no means capable of the task. But I was compelled to take him or none, and go into the examination. I was sworn; and then the interpreter said it was well known that I had been writing letters against the government. I asked him to produce the letters, that I might see them. He replied, that it is not necessary.' He then said that Mr. Graham was at the head of an attempted revolutionary movement against the government, and that I knew something about it. I replied that I had never heard