84 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



finally agreed to, on his promising to restore the guns to them at San Pedro. 

 [John Marshall, he of gold discovery fame, who was one of Gillespie's sol- 

 diers in Los Angeles, had unspiked one of the cannon and used it against 

 the Mexicans on Fort Hill, after their unsuccessful assault on the barracks 

 below.] But when Gillespie reached San Pedro, instead of restoring these 

 guns as he had promised to do, he broke off all their breech knobs, had them 

 packed tight with small gravel stones, and then rolled into the surf at low 

 tide.* 



This act of bad faith and over-smart strategy further incensed the Mex- 

 icans against him, and greatly increased the peril of B. D. Wilson and his 

 fellow-prisoners ; and they would have been killed but for the faithful watch 

 kept over them by Serbulo Barelas, who had at the battle of Chino given 

 his word of honor to protect them as prisoners of war, which he repeatedly 

 did at the risk of his own life. The next January B. D. Wilson learned 

 from Gen. Andres Pico just where these cannon were ; and as they were of 

 no use to the government. Commodore Stockton gave him permission to se- 

 cure them as relics. Three of them were old Mexican guns which Gov, 

 Micheltorena had hauled down from Monterey and used against the Los 

 Angeles revolutionists at the battle of Cahuenga, February 20-21, 1845. 

 Micheltorena sent them back to Los Angeles by Mauricio Gonzalez, after his 

 embarkation at San Pedro to return to Mexico. 



Wilson eventually hired some 

 Mexican cartmen [in 1849 or 

 '50] to haul them up from San 

 Pedro, where tbey had lain in 

 the salt water until that time 

 and were badly "pock-marked." 

 He planted them, muzzles down, 

 in front of his store on corner of 

 Main and Commercial streets, and 

 two of them remain there yet, 

 just as he put them ; but at the 

 centennial celebration of the 

 "^ - founding of Los Angeles city 



The historic cauuou at corner of Main and Comiuercial 



streets. -Photo 1S95. (1881) two oi them Were placed 



on corners at the old court house ; and in 1892 these two were removed 

 to west front of the new court house, where they may now be seen. 



As soon as Gillespie had been driven out, as above noted, Don Manuel 

 Garfias (our Pasadena first patentee) was sent with a small troop of mount- 

 ed menf to retake Santa Barbara, where a garrison of ten men had been 



*" There is a Reneral agreement that Gillespie promised to deliver his field pieces at San Tedro, 

 but broke his promise."— //^«/. Cal., Vol. 5^ p. 31$. 



t" Manuel Garfias, one of the Californiau leaders, marched with two hundred men to Santa Bar- 

 bara," eic — HitlcU's Hist. Cal.. Vol. ^. p. hoo. This is a big exaggeration, for Garfias had not to exceed 

 fifty men — but nearly all our Americau writers magnify the Mexican numbers. 



