Collection: Newspapers > Nevada County Nugget

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Title: August 16, 1972 Collection Type: Newspapers Collection Name: Nevada County Nugget Published: August 16, 1972 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Physical Format: Newspaper # of Pages: 12 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Printed or handwritten: All printed text Date Scanned: 2023-04-11 20:01:38 Scanning Equipment: Professionally Scanned OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: JPGs First Created: 2025-03-17 04:09:41 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:09:41

Original Held At: Doris Foley Library Location: 211 North Pine Street, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 12  

Heme ~ b= wu Nii Bz oun 0 ° Several other robberies of this nature were committed in Nevada County inthe early days; but enough has been written to characterize the daring and reckless outlawry of the time. It is not the author's purpose, nor indeed his wish, to darken the pages of this history with a full recital of the horrible deeds the county witnessed in the first twenty-nine years of its existence. CHAPTER VII THE NEVADA COUNTY BAR It is purposed, in this chapter, to give an account of the attorneys who constituted the bar of Nevada County, together with many interesting anecdotes in regard to tnem, and to the legal and illegal proceedings in the county. From the earliest settlement of Nevada County, its bar contained men of learning and ability. Rich mines hereabouts instantly attracted large numbers of people, who originated all kinds of mining enterprises and engaged in general business, The former undertakings were fertile in causes of litigation, giving abundant and profitable employment to the legal profession. Conflicting locations and boundaries of mining claims and disputed water-rights, were the abounding incentives to legal strife for many years; and many of the leading cases to be found in the California Supreme Court Reports originated in Nevada County. EARLY—-DAY MEMBERS Among the earliest lawyers in this vicinity were E. F. W. Ellis, Niles Searls, Stanton Buckner, James F. Hubbard, Hiram C. Hodge, John T, Crenshaw, John R. McConnell, John Anderson, J. B. ‘townsend, Lorenzo Sawyer, Thomas Freeman, Thomas H, Caswell, T. G, Williams, William T. Barbour, T. J. Bowers, and William 1. Lyons, all of whom came here in 1850, and James Irwin and R. M, Wood, who came in 1851, or early in 1852. Ellis was a clear-headed, popular man, and an excellent lawyer. He would probably have made his mark had he remained in this state. He represented this section in the legis!a ure in 1851, and, returning to Dlinois in 1852, wasa member soon after of the legislature of the State. He was first lieutenant colonel of the 15th Illinois regiment, the first regiment in the war from that State, and afterwards its colonel, which grade he ‘held when he was killed at the battle of Shiloh. His last words, as he fell shot from his horse, were, "Catch me, boys!" Ellis was a bold, fearless man, of powerful frame; and many stories are preserved of his personal exploits. In the summer of 1851, C. A, Frisbie had a saloon that stood on Main Street, just above the present site of the South Yuba Company's office. Ellis’ office, in which he also slept, was just at the forks of the road. He was accustomed to wear a red flannel shirt, red drawers and red stockings, and at night to divest himself of his outer garments and sleep in his red under-apparel, to which he added a round, red, conical night cap, tapering to a point and hanging over backwards. The "boys" used torun late at night at Frisbie's, and W, T. Barbour, then district judge, liked to keep them company. One night Judge Barbour got into an altercation with History of Nev Published i W.B. Lardner a gambler, and words rang high. The row waked up Ellis, and he rushed over without waiting to dress, to see who was being murdered, picking up as he ran a stout pine root, As he rushed into the saloon he saw the gambler with Barbour's head in chancery, and pistol drawn, just about to kill him. Down came the root in Ellis’ hand on the head of the gambler, who fell like a bullock, when Ellis whirled around ‘and ran back to bed. He appeared and vanished so suddenly that nobody kriew who it was, and it was not found out for some time after; but his interposition probably saved Barbour's life. HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY Ellis was once trying a case in the old court room at Broad Street, opposite the National Hotel. In this trial he commented with great severity on the testimony of Dr. W. The doctor was a Tennesseean, an airy man, very punctilious on the point of honor. As Ellis addressed the jury, a long bar table stood between him and the body of the court room. Looking round, at some exclamation in the auditorium, he saw W. draw a pistol and make toward him. Ellis at once drew