Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 281
GRASS VALLEY UNION FEBRUARY 9, 1872 31
(COMMUNICATED.)
“The Deacon’s Folly.”
EDITOR GRASS VALLEY UNION: Your local, in a recent issue, in regard to “Rose Hill”
and its unfinished structures, was doubtless prompted by information from certain wise
ones—and every community is blessed with some such—who are always fully competent
to judge of the motives which prompt his neighbors’ actions. Perhaps a little history in
regard to what these smart people are disposed to term “The Deacon’s Folly” may not be
uninteresting. It would not be worthy of notice were it not that their style of comment has
a tendency to cast an unbecoming slur upon the good sense of two of the most intelligent
and kindest-hearted citizens this city ever had, or ever will have, viz: Mr. and Mrs. W. P.
Goldsmith. A long time before any developments of the Lucky mine occurred, these good
people concluded that this region needed a suitable place for the education of young ladies,
and they set themselves to work upon Rose Hill as a spot upon which to endow a female
seminary, with a view to have it ultimately become the property of the city, as the Grass
Valley Female Seminary. Was not this a motive to be commended?
To consummate this purpose they commenced to clear the grounds, which consisted
of several acres, put good fences, planted trees, put down a well, dug a foundation for the
structure, quarried the stone and had the building well under way, without any reference to
what the Lucky or any other mine might do in regard to funds with which to complete the
work. True, a small amount of money derived from the Lucky mine was expended upon the
work, and there were hopes that the mine might enable them to finish the edifice, without
the necessity of such constant hard work upon their part to accomplish the purpose. But the
failure of the Lucky mine would not have affected the final result, had not the Deacon, as
an act of kindness—kind acts were the normal impulses of these people—put his name to a
note for the sum of five hundred dollars. Not dreaming but that the note would be promptly
paid; but it was not paid, and Rose Hill with all its improvements was taken out of their
hands. So, all their years of labor, designed to benefit others, and which would have been
an ornament to the city, had they completed the work, was taken from them, and is why
the town of Grass Valley has not to-day a flourishing female seminary. And it seems, Mr.
Editor, that some appellation other than ‘Deacon’s Folly” should be applied to the labors and
motives of such people.
Kidnapping Slaves and Murder.
We find in the Nevada Transcript of yesterday morning the subjoined. We called attention a few
days ago to the slavery system; and the abducting habits of the Chinese residing in this State, and the
Transcript’s item helps to show the necessity of legislation on such subjects. That paper says:
It is well known that the Chinese women are slaves. Yesterday morning about 4 o'clock a
row occurred in [Nevada City’s] Chinatown, in which one Chinaman received five wounds,
some of which are serious, and another was cut in the side and will probably die. The row
resulted from the attempt of Lee Sing to kidnap a Chinawoman whose husband is in China.
The friends of the Chinaman who is absent, heard that the attempt would be made and
collected to prevent it.
Hank Dawley arrived at the house in time to send Ling Lee back with the woman, and
shortly after, some of the Chinese were allowed to go in and talk the matter over. They were
talking quietly, when one of them said Ling Lee had a pistol. This Dawley caught and took
away after it had been discharged. [Ling Lee] then pulled a second pistol with the left hand,
which Dawley caught, and was compelled to strike Lee’s hand with a hatchet before he could
secure it. Immediately after Ling Lee drew a large knife which was caught by Ah Gin, whose