32 RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA. 



of White Men, the American Protestant Association, the Order 

 of the Crescent, and the Grand Army of the Republic, have 

 political and benevolent purposes. 



The B'nai B'rith, and the Ancient Jewish Order of K. S. B., 

 are societies of mutual benevolence, open to Jews. 



The Patrons of Husbandry, recently organized, has about 

 7,000 members. Its avowed purpose is to advance the inter- 

 ests of the agricultural community. 



34. Deeds of JBlood. Twenty years ago, California had 

 a sad notoriety for deeds of blood, and for lynch executions; 

 but as society has become more settled, murders and illegal 

 punishments have become rarer, and are perhaps not more 

 common now than in some States east of the Rocky Mountains. 

 The abundance of treasure, the necessity of transporting it for 

 long distances over mountainous roads, and the sparseness of 

 the population, offer opportunities for robbery seldom found 

 elsewhere, and they are not entirely neglected. The stage rob- 

 bers are usually gentlemen in their way ; and they generally 

 content themselves with taking the box of treasure sent by 

 the express company, neither robbing nor insulting the passen- 

 gers when they find that the express box is empty, and 

 that they have risked their lives for nothing. Even when 

 homicides were most frequent, the great majority of the peo- 

 ple were secure in their lives and property ; but the percent- 

 age of deaths was large among the gamblers, drunkards, hold- 

 ers of disputed land claims, thieves, and borderers. Public 

 gambling was tolerated by law until 1854, and by custom in 

 the mining towns ten years later. Dueling was common. 

 The Indians were a degraded and drunken race, and caused 

 much bloodshed. The great injustice done by the govern- 

 ment, in preventing the people from getting secure titles to 

 either the agricultural or mining lands, led to numerous quar- 

 rels, and many fatal affrays. The scarcity of women was 

 another source of trouble. In all these respects there has been 

 great improvement, and our larger towns are little inferior to 



