DIVISION ONE — PRE-PASADENIAN. 89 



This placed him in a very unpleasant condition, for to enter the town with 

 no colors flying, would seem to denote that he dared to carry none ; and a 

 still more distressing consideration was that Commodore Stockton, upon see- 

 ing a heav}' column entering the town with such an array, and displaying 

 no flag, might very naturallj' take them as a band of the enemy, and open 

 his broadsides on them. 



"In his distress. Major Hensly made known his mortifying condition 

 to Don Juan, and very naturally that gentleman communicated the fact to 

 his devoted wife. And now occurred a wonderful display of woman's wit, 

 and but for the attending circumstances, it might also be denominated 

 humor. Approaching the crest-fallen Major, the smiling lady said : 



" 'Why, Major, I will furnish you with a flag.' 



' ' ' You will furnish me with a flag ? Pray tell me how ! ' replied the 

 surprised ofiicer. 



"'Oh, leave that to me,' rejoined the lady. 'When the column is 

 ready to move there shall be a United States flag at its head, to guide and 

 herald our entree to San Diego, mj^ hoine by the sea.' 



" Dona Refugio immediately called to her side her three children, Do- 

 lorosa, aged ten, who was dressed in red satin; little Margarite, aged eight, 

 clad in spotless white ; and tiny Juan de la Cruz, seven years of age, who 

 wore a suit of navy blue. The three suits were exchanged for others ; and 

 while the stock was feeding and breakfast being served, the garments from 

 her little ones were cut into stripes and stars, and by the mother's cunning 

 fingers formed into as perfect a star-spangled banner as ever was kissed by 

 the breath of heaven sweeping in from the broad Pacific ; and when Major 

 Hensly was ready to take up his line of march. Dona Refugio presented to 

 him the first starry flag that ever floated over lower California, or the city 

 of San Diego, and with it at the head of the column, they marched proudly 

 and safely into the town, while the vessels at anchor roared their hearty 

 salutes of welcome. 



' ' That same evening the bands of the frigates Congress and Savannah 

 came on shore and gave the beautiful Dona Refugio a grand serenade in 

 honor of her kind devotion to the glorious flag ; and the following evening 

 Commodore Stockton, attended by his officers, waited upon the fair Dona to 

 tender his thanks in person for her marked attention to his command. And 

 when the gallant Commodore was presented to Dona Refugio, he took her 

 right hand into both of his, saying with deep emotion : 'And this is the 

 hand that made that flag. In the name of my country and my government, 

 I say to you, madam, that whatever the owner of this hand shall ever ask 

 of them shall promptly be granted. I shall take that flag to Washington, 

 and tell my Government that it was the first American flag to wave over 

 California and was made by a native lady.' 



" When the war was over, and peace between Mexico and the United 

 States restored, Don Juan Bandini found himself deprived of his five ranchos 

 in lyower California, because he was listed as a traitor to Mexico. And to- 

 day his widow and children are deprived of them because of the kindness 

 of himself and family to our officers. 



" During all that war, and long after, the house of Don Juan, in San 

 Diego was a constant hotel and hospital for our naval and military officers, 

 where his beautiful wife and lovely daughters* served and ministered unto 



*" The ladies were mostly quite haudsome, particularly those of the families of our friends. Ban- 

 dini and Carrillo. The daughters of the former were, though very j'oung, yet very beautiful " — Life in 

 Cali/orni, p. 20, by A. Robinson, March, 1829. 



