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Volume 001-1 - March 1948 (2 pages)
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Page: of 2
SMILEY OF SAN JUAN
Little is known of Smiley’s beginning. He
was 14 years old when gold was discovered.
He may have entered the United States as a
member of an early Chinese Company.
His Chinese name was Sin Get, but as his
American name denoted, Smiley was a happy.
congenial soul with a smile for everyone, and
he literally knew everyone on the Ridge. In his
early manhood he did outdoor work, but as his
years advanced he spent most of his time doing
house work.
Year in and out, for the better part of 40
years, he worked for the famous National Hotel
owned by Mrs. James Bradbury, the Solaro
Hotel, and the Holland family.
During the many years he resided in a cabin
in North San Juan’s China town, he became a
beloved and familiar figure on the streets. The
following anecdotes are written to preserve forever the memory of a colorful and respected
“Celestial Brethren.”
Christmas is a time for giving, and Kern
Fogarty of North San Juan recalls the many
Yule seasons when Smiley purchased candy and
nuts for the families of the ridge town. His
purchases were always charged, and even though
it sometimes took five months to pay the bill,
the honest old Chinaman’s word could be depended upon.
Smiley, too, was not forgotten. Cast-off clothing, neatly cleaned, mended and pressed, was
sent to the appreciative Chinaman. It was not
unusual for Smiley to appear in town on a cold
winter morning wearing two or more suits of
underwear, three or four shirts and sweaters,
and a coat or two. His shoes were the marvel
of most of the inhabitants. They were always
three or four sizes too large, and how Smiley
managed to shuffle along in them and still retain his equilibrium was a mystery to all.
Most of the early Chinese sold lottery tickets,
and Smiley too made weekly trips to Birchville,
French Corral, the Colgate Power House and
its flume, where ready sales were made of his
tickets.
For a while the big boys of the Birchville
school teased the little Chinaman as he attempted to pass. With willow switches. they
beat the ground in front of him, and as his
big shoes were difficult to manipulate anyway,
this added annoyance left him helpless and he
was unable to move. The ringing of the bell
would bring relief and he went on his way
after the boys went in to school. It wasn’t long
before Smiley contrived a method of passing
the school house safely. If the children were
playing when he approached, he would sit down
on an obscure stump and wait for the bell to
ring. When Smiley could hear the low hum of
the children busy with their studies, he would
make his way past the schoo! house, only after
peering into the window, grinning and making
faces at his imprisoned tormentors.
Once when Smiley was returning home after
a lottery ticket sale, a tall man emerged from
the bushes and relieved him of $80. It was a
terrified Smiley who stumbled into town with
the cry of “Lobberman, lobberman!” Ever after
he carried a knife, and interested spectators of
the town often watched Smiley's dramatization
ef his next encoynter with the “lobberman.”’ It
always ended with, “'I talk nice him, I cut himin two,” and Smiley's demonstration of knifewielding would bring gasps from his friends.
His desperate intentions must have penetrated
into the woods, and to the ears of the ‘‘lobberman,” for Smiley was never molested again.
North San Juan at one time had a Chinese
cemetery, and as one by one his brother Chinese departed this life, they were buried there
On day Smiley was seen digging in the Chinese
cemetery, and the following conversation ensued: ‘What you do, Smiley?’ Smiley speaking
in a slow monotone voice answered: “Oh me
digga up a dead Chinaman; pretty soon whita
man, he come, Nevada City; two horses, wagon,
ketch ‘em dead man; ship ’em back China.”
For all Smiley's attention to the funeral customs of his race, he none the less liked to
emulate the funeral manners of his Caucasian
friends, and so every burial had Smiley in attendance. A solemn Smiley wearing his tall
black hat which hid his éars, black broadcloth
coat and carrying the inevitable bunch of
flowers.
During Smiley's final illness he was brought
to the Nevada County Hospital in Nevada City.
Whenever Mrs. Jim Bradbury or other Ridge
friends called, he was determined to accompany them home. He died October 17, 1933,
at the age of 98 years, 6 months. He was buried
on Friday, October 20 ,in the North San Juan
cemetery, and most of the townspeople followed
his body to its final resting place. Many indee«
were the floral offerings. He is the only Chinese
buried in the cemetery, and the reason he is
the only one is because he was the last.
oUF pia, 2
NEVADA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY