TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
89 
solute. The American pushed his way through the crowd 
of officers and citizens, seated himself within twelve feet of 
the prisoners, and manifested to them by the sincerest com¬ 
passion and most resolute acts, that if they died he died with 
them. He had agreed with them to appear before the prison 
at the middle hour of night, on the twenty-fourth, and go 
with them to freedom or a brave death, if they were not fairly 
tried and on evidence condemned, or released before the fol¬ 
lowing midnight. This promise they felt would be kept. 
The trial, as it was called, soon commenced. Each man 
was summoned singly from his seat to a lower room in the 
governor’s house, and called upon to produce his passport. 
Most of them replied, that they were arrested in their fields 
or workshops, and were not permitted to go to their resi¬ 
dences for papers or anything else. 
To this the Alcalde who sat in judgment said, “ I have 
no evidence before me of your lawful right to remain in 
California.” 
The next question was, u What do you know of a revo¬ 
lutionary movement under Graham V 9 
The reply was, u I know nothing of any such movement 
or intention.” 
u What meant that advertisement for a horse-race, put 
forth by Graham V 9 
u It meant what such advertisements have meant for the 
last five years: a wish on the part of Graham to run his 
American horse in California.” 
u Nothing more 1 Nothing more V 9 
This was the form of trial in each case. The only favor 
they craved was, that they might have an interpreter who 
understood both languages. This was denied them. A 
miserable tool of the government, who spoke the English 
so badly that he could never make himself understood, 
succeeded, by his manner of translating their answers, in 
making them confess themselves guilty of high treason, and 
other misdemeanors worthy of the bullet. 
