of without any written proceedings, except in some instances I gave to parties a memorandum of my decision.  Thus on one occasion a dispute arose as to the rate of wages, between several workmen and their employer; the workmen insisting upon twelve dollars a day and the employer refusing to give more than ten.  To settle the dispute they agreed to leave the matter to me.  I heard their respective statements, and after stating that both of them ought to suffer a little for not having made a specific contract at the outset, decided that the workingmen should receive eleven dollars a day, with which both appeared to be well satisfied.  On another occasion parties disputed as to whether freight on a box of crockery should be charged by measurement or by weight, a specific contract having been made that all articles shipped by the owner should be carried at a fixed price per hundred pounds.  They agreed to leave the matter to my determination, and I settled it in five minutes.  Again, on one occasion a woman, apparently about fifty-six, rushed into my office under great excitement, exclaiming that she wanted a divorce from her husband, who had treated her shamefully.  A few moments afterwards the husband followed, and he also wanted relief from the bonds of matrimony.  I heard their respective complaints, and finding that they had children, I persuaded them to make peace, kiss, and forgive; and so they left my office arm-in-arm, each having promised the other never to do so again, amid the applause of the spectators.  In this way I carried out my conception of the good Cadi of the village, from which term (Al Cadi) my own official designation, Alcalde, was derived.

To make a long story short, until I was superseded by officers under the State government, I superintended municipal affairs and administered justice in Marysville with success.  Whilst there was a large number of residents there of high character and culture, who would have done honor to any city, there were also unfortunately many desperate persons, gamblers, black-legs, thieves, and cut-throats; yet the place was as orderly as a New England village.  There were no disturbances at night, no riots, and no lynching.  It was the model town of the whole country for peacefulness and respect for law.

And now a word about my speculations.  In a short time after going to Marysville and writing my name down for sixty-five town lots, property increased ten-fold in value.  Within ninety days I sold over $25,000 worth, and still had most of my lots left.  My frame and zinc houses brought me a rental of over $1,000 a month.  The emoluments of my office of Alcalde were also large.  In criminal cases I received nothing for my services as judge, and in civil cases the fees were small; but as an officer to take acknowledgments and affidavits and record deeds, the fees I received amounted to a large sum.  At one time I had $14,000 in gold dust in my safe, besides the rentals and other property.