82 HIvSTORY OF PASADENA. 



United States.* August 28th, Stockton sent Kit Carson as bearer of des- 

 patches to Washington, reporting all his proceedings here, and Carson 

 started on horseback across the country to Santa Fe. Ivieutenant A. H. 

 Gillespie with about fifty men was left in command at Los Angeles ; Fre- 

 mont marched north overland to Sacramento, and Stockton returned 

 to his ship and sailed north. But before leaving. Commodore 

 Stockton had commissioned B. D. Wilson as a Captain in the U. S. Army, 

 and authorized hira to raise a company to guard the frontier. At this time 

 Wilson owned the great Jurupa ranch which he had bought from Don Juan 

 Bandini, and his ranch house, with gardens, orchards, etc. , was located near 

 where the City of Riverside now stands, f Gillespie proved entirely in- 

 competent for the position he was placed in. He exercised his authority in 

 a way to exasperate the intelligent Spanish citizens who were peacefully 

 disposed. He arrested some of the Spanish "Dons" and held them re- 

 sponsible for a drunken mob attack on his quarters on the night of Sep- 

 tember 16, Mexican " Independence Day," when in fact his own men were 

 as much to blame for the carouse as the Mexican revelers, and over half of 

 his soldiers were lying locked up in the guard-house for drunkenness at 

 the very moment when the drunken Mexicans assailed the barracks. His 

 unwise course in the matter so outraged and incensed the better class of 

 citizens that they raised a revolt to drive him out of the country. He 

 then sent a courier to Captain Wilson for help. 



THE BATTIvE OF CHINO. 



Wilson got twelve of his company together as quickly as possible and 

 started for lyos Angeles. They went to the Chino ranch house, a large 

 adobe structure, in hope to find a supply of powder there for them, and 

 while there they were surrounded and attacked by a body of Mexicans in 

 command of Serbulo Barelas of Los Angeles, and Jose del Carmen Lugo of 

 San Bernardino. A sharp battle ensued here at daylight of September 27, 

 1846. The Americans were sheltered in the adobe house of Isaac Williams; 



*Governor Pio Pico and Gen. Castro fled the country, and have been accused of cowardice for it. 

 That is a mistake. Pico had issued a patriotic address appealing to the Mexicans to rise in arms and 

 repel the American invaders. But Gen. Castro reported to the Governor, and to the Legislative Assem- 

 bly then in session at Los Angeles, that from lack of powder and firearms he was utterly unable to cope 

 with the well armed, well equipped and disciplined American troops. Governor Pico then advised that 

 the legislature adjourn sine die, and that he and the commanding general should get away, so that the 

 Americans should not find any man or body of men in aulhoritj' to transfer the government to them. 

 This was " good politics " on their part and the plan was followed out ; and this was why he fled. Fre- 

 mont tried hard to entice Pico back but he was too shrewd to come, still hoping that either Mexico or 

 Kngland would yet overturn the American occupancy. Don Juan Bandini and his brother-in-law, San- 

 tiago E. Arguello were members of this legislative a'ssemblv, though not present at the adjournment. 

 They were anti-Pico men. Governor Pico died at Los Angeles, September ii, 1894, aged 93. 



fFrom Robinson's "Life in California," pp. 203, 204, I quote a few passages that have a Pasadena 

 interest. They were written in early spring time of 1842. 



" We resumed our saddles and soon reached Santa Ana. * * At sunset entered upon the 



plains of the Ranchode San Juan del Rio, the dwelling place of Sen or Bandini. We found our friend 

 Yorba [grandfather of Mrs. J. de Barth Shorb I here. * * We visited the planting grounds of 



Bandini, which were beautifully laid out on the side of the river. [Hence the name. Riverside.] On our 

 route back to the Pueblo |Los Angele.s] we passed through a long valley [San Gabriel Valley] which was 

 the scene of destruction during the slaughter of the Mission cattle in 1835. Its devastation was still 

 visible, for skulls and bones were lying about in every direction." 



