An Act of Desperation

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

I'm sharing a couple of my photos and stories of the life in Placerville, California during the gold rush era that began around 1849 and, in some circumstances, is still alive now. These two buildings have quite an interesting history as one gave immediate gratification in the form of a drink, and the second in the form of lust fulfilled. The Soda Works building was constructed in 1852, and is one of the oldest buildings in Placerville.

Soda water was bottled using a carbonation machine, which is still on display, and sold to miners because it has seen many different types of businesses inside its doors. I had the opportunity to enter the tunnel that still remains open at the back of the building. It is narrow and has cold rock along the edges. I had to stoop over to keep from banging my head. There is a cool draft as you proceed deeper into the dark. I can imagine it might have been an unnerving experience for the men who headed to the other end to find the Chinese bordello. Up until a couple of years ago, when there was a rock slide at the bordello end of the tunnel, it was still fully functional. The tunnel started at one end of town and went nearly the entire length of Placerville's Main Street, inside a mountain of rock. If you didn't know about it, you would never suspect it was there.

I stepped inside the bordello several years ago to have a video copied. That was the current business that was operating in the building. The owner showed me their historical holes in the wall. I wish I had taken photos, but at the time didn’t think to do so. Along a hallway there are niches cut into a rock wall that were about five-foot long and maybe 2 ½ to 3 feet deep. Apparently, when the men finished with their drinks, they would walk the length of the tunnel from the Soda Works to visit the bordello. I am not sure how long that walk was, but I'd guess at least a quarter mile. When the gentleman reached the end of his walk, he was expected to shower before spending time with the girl in that small cubbyhole cut int the wall. What can I say except that they had to be tough, and they had to be a bit desperate. The saving grace of visiting the girls in that manner is that nobody knew they were there, if that was something they wanted to keep to themselves.

What Happened to General Santa Anna?

By Celia Yeary

"Captured in Silk Underdrawers" might have been a newspaper headline on April 22, 1836, when Santa Anna and his army had been defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto the day before.

A few weeks earlier, General Santa Anna had taken command of the Mexican army that invaded Texas in 1836. His forces defeated all rebels at the Alamo, and then he had personally ordered the execution of 400 Texan prisoners after the Battle of Goliad.

These two victories planted the seeds for Santa Anna's defeat.

"Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Goliad!" became the call for the Texan army to re-group and march to San Jacinto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gen. Santa Anna brought before Sam Houston

After the San Jacinto defeat, Sam Houston, the leader of the Texas army, had been injured with a musket ball to the ankle. He was reclining under a tree, when two soldiers hauled a Mexican to him and reported that his own men addressed him as "El Presidente, Excelencio Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Perez de LeBron, Presidente de laRepublica y Comandante del Ejercitio de Mejico."

It is said that Santa Anna had been hiding in the bulrushes in his silk underdrawers.

Now Sam Houston had a problem. What should he do with the Mexican general?
Hang him? The army of Texans and the citizens wanted him to swing from the nearest tree. Sam Houston might have been the only man to recognize just how stupid that act would be.

Houston is reported to have said, "Santa Anna alive is the President of Mexico, and we've got him. Santa Anna dead is just another dead Mexican."

The small General Santa Anna found himself alone amidst the very people he'd been bullying, and they were very angry. If the Texans hung the general, Sam Houston knew Mexico would regard the execution as a mortal insult.

Texas won San Jacinto by a fluke, and nobody knew that better than Sam Houston himself. If the Mexican army had been ready for battle instead of being taken by surprise, Houston's small undisciplined "Texas army" would have been decimated.

The execution of Santa Anna also would probably unite all of Mexico, even though Santa Anna was generally disliked. If that happened, Mexico might have waged a vengeful national war against the exhausted, disorganized, undisciplined, and underarmed Texans.

In the end, Santa Anna signed the Treaty of Velasco that gave Texas freedom from Mexico.

Santa Anna was released in Texas and returned to Mexico a powerless man.

However, during the next twenty years, Santa Anna schemed with groups in Mexico to gain, lose, and regain dictatorial power a total of eleven times.

He was a brilliant man with a lust for power, but ultimately Santa Anna was loyal only to himself.

How Santa Anna really looked.

Trivia about Santa Anna:

~*~Upon his return to Mexico, he engaged the French in Veracruz. During the Mexican retreat after a failed assault, Santa Anna was hit in the hand and leg by cannon fire. Much of his leg required amputation. He ordered that his leg be buried with full military honors.

~*~Some say Santa Anna was in his tent on the morning of the San Jacinto battle with a "high yellow" Negress named Emily West aka. Emily Morgan, and that in seducing him, helped facilitate the Texan victory.

~*~Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, Staten Island NY, Colombia, and St. Thomas.

~*~He had two nicknames: The Napoleon of the West, and The Eagle.

~*~ He was married twice.

~*~He had four legitimate children, and at least seven illegitimate children.

~*~He died in poverty at age 82 in Mexico City

Thank you for reading.
Celia Yeary

Sources:
Wikimedia Commons
Wikipedia
Handbook of Texas History On-line.
Texas Tales Your Teacher Never Told You, by C. F. Eckhardt
Disclaimer:
Some statements about Santa Anna may or may not be true. Historians have written some events differently.

Nez Perce Legend

Sorry I'm late!! Life lately has been hectic. So here is a post I wrote promoting the first book in the Spirit series.

This was my first attempt at a paranormal, but to me it felt more historical than paranormal. I did major research into the Nez Perce or Nimiipuu tribe to be able to write this story about the daughter of a chief who is asked for in marriage by a warrior of the Blackfeet(Blackleg) tribe which at the time of the story were according to the words of a current Nimiipuu "considered the same as you all considered the Huns".  I used this fear and hatred throughout the story when the heroine is talking and thinking about living with the Blackleg(the name the Nimiipuu called the Blackfeet).

I not only researched books on their day to day living conditions, their society, and their beliefs, I also read as much as I could in their own words. Myths and legends books and any snippet I could get that was in English but translated directly from their words. It helped me to get a feel for their speaking and cadence to their dialogue.

Here is a Nimiipuu story that I copied from the Nez Perce loop I'm on. As you can see by reading the story all of the stories handed down through the generations were like our fables.

 Nez Perce boy legend

A long time ago there lived in our Blue Mountains a boy who was an only child. His parents had pampered and spoiled him until he was quite selfish and disagreeable.

His parents died and he was obliged to live with the rest of the tribe as an orphan. Because of his selfishness he was not well liked and the other children did not like to play with him. Some of the children learned that the camp was to be moved and made plans to get rid of the spoiled boy.

No one told him that they were moving and that morning they took him out to the high cattails to play hide-and-seek. They would hide and then call, "Who! Who!" Part of the time the boy was following his own echo. The children slipped away and hurried back to the camp in time to go.

The boy wandered about listening to his own echo for some time before he decided that the others had left. When he found his way back to camp it was deserted.

He was hungry and by rummaging about he found some roots that had been left. Still hungry, he decided to try some fishing. With a thorn on an improvised string he made from fibers and hair left at the camp, he placed a worm on the thorn and fished. Thus he secured fish.

Not wishing to eat it raw, his mind turned to fire, and investigation proved that someone had banked a bed of coals and he soon had a camp fire going.

Night was approaching. Where would he sleep? At last he remembered the little stone and mud igloo down by the stream where the people had taken their sweat baths. He crawled into the igloo and slept quite comfortably.

In the morning, he decided to try fishing, but this time a strange thing happened. When he felt something on his line he pulled steady and hard. Slowly it came, but it was not a fish. It was a boat loaded with many provisions and an extremely homely old lady. The old lady spoke to him, "Don't be afraid little boy, I will not hurt you. I am your Grandmother Experience. I have come to help you."

Grandmother Experience lived with him, after that and helped him do many things - make bows and arrows to kill game, gather food, build shelters, and many other things.

Time went on and the boy lived with the grandmother and grew up big and strong, but wondered where his people were. He commenced traveling about in hopes of finding them. One day he did find them and they marveled at the change he had undergone. He was no longer a spoiled selfish boy. Grandmother Experience had made a self-reliant, pleasant young man of him.

If you'd like to read an excerpt from any of the Spirit Trilogy you can visit my website: www.patyjager.net and click on paranormal. While you're there enter my website contest. 

Etiquette for the Victorian Child

While doing research for my new holiday novella, I came across a list of etiquette rules for the Victorian Era child. Since my heroine, Madeline is forced to deal with her brother’s  spoiled children on a daily basis, I thought I’d mix the rules of proper behavior with bits from a scene in the nursery.

Etiquette for the Victorian Child          

Talk in a low even voice.

As she rounded the turn on the third floor landing, the first shrill notes of the children’s

screeching reached her ears. She sighed. This would not be a story-and-a-quick-kiss sort of night.

Always greet members of your family when entering a room.

“Oh Miss,” Molly cried as Madeline pushed open the door. Toys and books lay scattered across the area rug. Alex was jumping on his bed, and little Penelope sat in the middle of the floor screaming.

Never argue with your elders, they know best.

“Alex, you will cease that infernal jumping.”

“No. I want a story.”

“Alex, do not argue with your elders.

Never run up and down stairs or across the room.

“She wants to go to Mother’s party.” Alex explained as he continued to bounce up and down.

Beneath his bare feet, a crater-like indentation had formed in the center of the horsehair mattress.

Never whine or frown when spoken to by your elders.

“Penelope, you are too young to attend the ball, and all the tears in the world will not change that.” The little girl snuffled and looked up, her lower lip protruding in a pout.

Do as you are told in a pleasant and willing way.

Molly steered the little girl away from the dress toward the wash basin on the other side of the room.

Madeline wasn’t sure what happened, but the next moment Molly cried out, and Penelope began shrieking.

“She bit me!” Molly cupped her wounded hand to her breast.

Never talk back to older people, especially your mother and father.

“I never touched the child.” Molly exclaimed.

“Yes, she did.” Alex argued as he jumped. The tails of his nightshirt billowed and sagged above his ankles. “I saw her. She hit Penelope.”

Keep yourself clean and neat looking at all times.

“Alex, please get into bed. There will be no stories tonight. Penelope, you will apologize to Molly, and if there is any more biting, you will lose desserts for a week. Now go with Molly and wash your hands and face.”

Never contradict anyone under any circumstances. It is very impolite.

Alex narrowed his eyes. “Where are you going?”

“I am to be married and will be moving far, far away.”

Alex fell back on the bed laughing. “You’re not getting married. You’re lying. No one wants you. You’re a ’barrasment. Father said so.”

Madeline stiffened as though she’d been slapped. She bit her lip against the pain. They weren’t close, but she never imagined her brother would betray her like that with a child. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her gown and removed her spectacles. Hooking them behind her ears, she pushed aside the hurt and stepped toward the boy, her hands on her hips.

“Get yourself into this bed right now, young man, or I will…”

He glared at her defiantly.

Her mind raced. “I will march outside, cut a switch from the nearest tree, come back here, and apply it directly to your backside.”

“You can’t do that,” he declared though a shadow of doubt crossed his features.

A rapid knocking sounded on the nursery door. Madeline glanced toward Molly, who hurried past her to answer it.

Alex rolled off the bed. “Mother will never let you hurt us.”

“It won’t matter. I am leaving.” She watched Alex wrestle with this logic even as she wondered why she was arguing with a six year old.

“Miss,” Molly called.

Madeline turned.

Waving both hands, Molly urged Madeline to come quickly. Her heart skipped with excitement as she hurried across the room. James had arrived.

Blurb: After a magical waltz in a winter wonderland with the only man who has ever made her believe she is beautiful, Madeline Winthrop doesn't think life could be anymore perfect--until the night of the Christmas ball when she learns everything James Sullivan has told her is a lie.

Revenge against Madeline's brother forces James to do what ever is necessary to get back what was stolen from him, even if he has to use Madeline to do it. But the one thing he doesn't count on is the way she makes him feel.

Coming Soon from The Wild Rose Press

www.kathyotten.com

Source- www.victoriaspast.com