or that he would have attempted anything against me in his sober moments; but when excited with drink, and particularly when in the presence of the lawless crowds who heard his threats, it would have taken but little to urge him on.  As it turned out, however, he never interfered with me, perhaps because he knew I was armed and believed that, if I were attacked, somebody, and perhaps more than one, would be badly hurt.  I have been often assured by citizens of Marysville that it was only the seeming recklessness of my conduct, and the determination I showed not to avoid him or go out of his way, that saved me.  But at the same time my business was ruined.  Not only was I prevented, by his refusal to obey the mandate of the Supreme Court, from appearing as an advocate, but I could not, on account of the relation I occupied towards him, practice at all; nor could I, under the circumstances, leave Marysville and make my intended visit East.  Having nothing else to do, I went into speculations which failed, and in a short time—­a much shorter time than it took to make my money—­I lost nearly all I had acquired and became involved in debt.

[1] See Exhibit D, in Appendix.

[2] See Exhibit E, in Appendix.

[3] See Exhibit F, in Appendix.

[4] See Exhibit G, in Appendix.

RUNNING FOR THE LEGISLATURE.

One morning about this time I unexpectedly found myself in the newspapers, nominated by my friends as a candidate for the lower house of the Legislature.  Who the friends were that named me I did not know; but the nomination opened a new field and suggested new ideas.  I immediately accepted the candidacy.  Judge Turner had threatened, among other things, to drive me into the Yuba River.  I now turned upon him, and gave out that my object in wishing to go to the Legislature was to reform the judiciary, and, among other things, to remove him from the district.  I canvassed the county thoroughly and was not backward in portraying him in his true colors.  He and his associates spared no efforts to defeat me.  Their great reliance consisted in creating the belief that I was an abolitionist.  If that character could have been fastened upon me it would have been fatal to my hopes, for it was a term of great reproach.  Yuba County then comprised the present county of that name, and also what are now Nevada and Sierra Counties.  It was over a hundred miles in length and about fifty in width, and had a population of twenty-five thousand people, being the most populous mining region in the State.  I visited nearly every precinct and spoke whenever I could get an audience.  An incident of the canvass may not be uninteresting.  I went to the town of Nevada a little more than a week before the election.  As I was riding through its main street a gentleman whom I had long known, General John Anderson, hailed me, and, after passing a few words, said, “Field, you won’t get fifty votes here.”