Southern California . 3 ^ §£? rambling old Mexican town of the same name, and sur-rounded by tokens of that strange Life which is now socompletely a thing f the past. Back of it is tin- ceme-tery with many a story written over its dilapidatedgraves, and in front, just across the street, is the ditchand remnants f the mill in which the [ndian neophytesground the flour. This old mill was largely built by areformed pirate, the story of whose lift- forms one of the-romances of this romantic region. In 1818, a privateer from Buenos Ayres was plunderingthe coast of California in the vicinity of .San
Southern California . 3 ^ §£? rambling old Mexican town of the same name, and sur-rounded by tokens of that strange Life which is now socompletely a thing f the past. Back of it is tin- ceme-tery with many a story written over its dilapidatedgraves, and in front, just across the street, is the ditchand remnants f the mill in which the [ndian neophytesground the flour. This old mill was largely built by areformed pirate, the story of whose lift- forms one of the-romances of this romantic region. In 1818, a privateer from Buenos Ayres was plunderingthe coast of California in the vicinity of .Santa small boat containing some of the crew was capsizedin the breakers close to the shore when a party of mis-sion soldiers, concealed near at hand, fired eft. upon the men struggling inthe water. Some of themwere shot, some managed toswim to another boat, andtwo, a negro and a Yankee-named Chapman, swamashore. They were capturedby the Mexicans, who casttheir riatas over them after a stout resistance. Despitethe proposal of some of the number to hang them to thenearest tree, their lives were spared through the friendlyintervention of Don Antonio Lugo, who was attracted toChapman by his powerful physique and bravery. Don Antonio lived in Los Angeles, and on his returnhome he took the pirate with him, the two riding on thesame horse. Chapman was set to work in the SierraMadre Mountains with a party of Mexican wood chop-pers, wHo were getting out timber for the church in LosAngeles. So proficient did the stout Yankee prove him-self at this work that he soon won the respect andadmiration of the padres and dons. Other tasks weregiven him to perform, the most conspicuous being the 42 construction of the mill directlysouth of the mission. His neigh
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Keywords: ., bookauthorkeelercharlesaugustus, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
