98 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



Dona Encarncion Abila (Mrs. Garfias's mother,) who had fled with her 

 family to the home of the old Frenchman, Ivouis Vignes, for safety. 



FRKMONT'S NEGOTIATIONS. 



Colonel Fremont, after a stormy winter march of extraordinary hard- 

 ship down the mountainous coast from Monterey,* arrived at old Mission 

 San Fernando, on the evening of January ii.f With him was Don Jesus 

 Pico, [a cousin of Governor Pio Pico and Gen. Andres Pico] whose life 

 Fremont had saved after he was condemned by a court-martial to be shot for 

 violating his parole. Don Jesus immediately rode down to the Mexican 

 camp at Raymond hill, and reached it a little before midnight, having been 

 detained awhile at the picket camp on Verdugo ranch. He informed them 

 of Fremont's arrival and of his fighting strength, which made their cause 

 evidently hopeless ; and he urged them to seek terms of capitulation or sur- 

 render from Fremont. A council was at once called, of such leading men 

 as Gen. Flores, Andres Pico, Carrillo, Garfias, Olvera, La Guerra, Manuel 

 Castro, etc., and the surrender plan was agreed upon. Gen. Flores and 

 Lieut. Col., Garfias approved of it, though they would not themselves re- 

 main but would depart for Mexico, as they were commissioned officers in the 

 regular Mexican army. Flores had been elected Governor and commander-in- 

 chief of California by the Legislature in special session at Los Angeles in 

 the October previous ; and he now formally appointed Don Andres Pico to 

 the chief command. Gen. Pico then appointed Francisco de la Guerra and 

 Francisco Rico (two more of the Dons whom Gillespie had imprisoned) to 

 go with Don Jesus and see what terms, if any, Fremont would make. By 

 daylight they set off on this errand. And about the same time Flores and 

 Garfias, with forty or fifty men, started for Mexico by way of San Gabriel, 

 San Bernardino, San Gorgonio pass and Sonora. The two men who had 

 been sent as a preliminary committee to see Fremont returned about noon 

 with a favorable report. Fremont had ordered a suspension of hostilities 

 foi the day, and given the Mexicans permission to bring their wounded to 

 San Fernando Mission for care and treatment. Upon this. Gen. Pico ap- 

 pointed Captain J. A. Carrillo, who had defeated Mervine at the battle of 

 Dominguez ranch, and Hon. Agvjstin Olvera who was a member and sec- 

 retary of the last legislative session, to be commissioners representing the 

 people of California, and who would meet a similar commission to be ap- 



*The start was made in the winter. The weather being very severe, manv hardships were suffered 

 by the troops on the march, and when they arrived at Santa Barbara many of them were in a very weak 

 condition. * * I told Col Fremont I could si'pplv them with flour, tea, coffee, sugar, and clothing. 

 * * Upon order of his quartermaster and commissarv, goods amounting to about |6,ooo were land- 

 ed for them from my vessel the next day."— K^m. Heath Davis, " Si-vly years in Califoi nia." pp. 7/5-/6. 



" The passage was made with great difficulty. Both men and horses suffered exceedingly. Be- 

 tween 150 and 200 horses were lo.st. The men were obliged to pull the cannon over the roughest 

 places by hand."— //zV/W/'j A^?j/. Cal., yol. 2, p. 6oj. Our B. f" K. Kellogg was one of these men. This 

 was the same severe winter in which the terrible Donuer Lake disaster occurred. 



tWhile Fremont was encamped in the willows just acro.ss the creek west of Ventura, after march- 

 ing down the beach road from Carpeuteria which is only passable at low tide, he was met bv a messen- 

 ger with despatches from Stockton; and this messenger, who had reached Fremont's camp through 

 hardship and peril was Dan Sexton. [See Article " Dan Sexton's Old Adobe Mill," in Chap. 3. J 



