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Volume 002-1 - January 1949 (2 pages)
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Page: of 2
bals and gong of the band may have
been alright in so far as scaring the
devil but it was certainly as tough on
the nerves of the horses drawing the
“hearse”. And Old Jim Wah’s last
ride came very close to being a wild
one in so far as the horses were concerned.
Then the grave—A whole roast
pork—not small ecither—several roast
ducks, Chinese pastry, candies, nuts,
bowls ful of rice. Yes, Old Jim was
sent on well provided. Either he was
supposed to have a long journey ahead
or else was created with a prodigious
appetite, I wouldn’t know. But I do
know that the town dogs increased in
weight.
Sing, the son, took over the China
Garden and ran it for years, When he
retired and returned to the land of
his ancestors finally to repose through
eternity in the sacred soil, word had
it that he had been killed by bandits
in this land of turmoil, sadness and
political corruption.
The chief gardener for both Jim
Yet Wah and son Sing, known to us
as Old Baugh or Bow, a lanky old man
of quaint humor with scraggly chin
whiskers and a corresponding moustache, was somewhat of.a character as
well. In the course of years he too retired to the lend of his ancestors with
his life savines of several thousands
of dollars. (Inst how Old Bow was
able to save $7,000.00 on his very
small pittance as China gardener and
where ten cents would buy a basket
of vegetables. is somewhat of a mysterv). Evidentlv that land had its
“Gold Diggers’ as well as our land.
Tt was reported that the ‘‘gals’” had
“due” the $7000.00 from Old Bow
and Jeft him stranded.
Another character of the China Garden was old Louie. known as the San
Tuan Chicken Thief. He was a tall
lanky Chinaman easily teased and the
use of the above term applied to him
in derision caused many a foot race
to the nearest fence to escape the fury
of Louie and his shovel or hoe.
And still another caller and sometime boarder at the China Garden was
“Old Bedrock’. If he had another
name we never knew it. He was a
hard working, bedrock cleaning Chinese, now-a-days would be known as a
“sniper”, Always shod in rubber boots
at least three or four sizes too large
for his feet (following the oriental
custom of getting the most for his
money regardless of the comfort involved.) How his old feet and legs
fairly rattled in his boots when he
traveled with his peculiar rapid half
trot gait. An inveterate gambler he
was always broke. He never learned
many American terms, being content
with a few grunts and jabberings and
heightened with sign language. He
was one of a few dozen or so living in
their humble cabins scratching away
for a bare living on some creek or diggings. Rarely however living alone,
always two or more to the cabin.
Before leaving the China Garden
settlement one must mention Sue Kee.
He was also a sort of tycoon. He mined, ran a store, bought gold dust. His
diggings were formerly in Moores
Flat, a mining camp a few miles away
with a considerable population of
Chinese. He was considered affluent
in a moderate sense. When the time
came for Sue Kee to return to the land
of his ancestors, gossip had it much
gold dust savings of the old prospectors or miners entrusted to his care for
deposit in the homeland for relatives
or for the proper care of their bones
for interment in the home soil if they
happened to die in this country, gossip, I sey, had it nothing further was
heard of the savings entrusted to Sue
Kee. This is the same Sue Kee mentioned in the ‘Seventy Five Years Ago
Today” column of a local paper in the
subsequent murder of banker Cummings of Moore's Flat. Rumor has it
that had Sue Kee the backing of the
white gentry aboard he was ready to
tackle the highwayman or the one who
was not grappling with Cumings.
To be continued.
a
NEVADA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY