The old negress then lived in St. Louis and hearing of my proposed visit to California, came to my house and asked the privilege of going with me, saying, "I always promised myself that if I ever had money enough to pay my way, I would go to the grave of Mars Emanuel and make a visit to my other young masters and to Miss Sallie in California." She said that she had plenty of money for her fare and wanted to go along with me and "Miss Ann." Of course I said "Yes" to her request and promised to see her safely through.

The day to start came and with a full basket of eatables from each of the houses of Kercheval, Broadhead and myself, the party, including Aunt Rachel, took a train on the Wabash Railroad to Omaha and from there over the Union Pacific to San Francisco. Thousands of persons availed themselves of the opportunities offered and went to California. I secured a berth for Aunt Rachel in the same car with the rest of the party. The roads were taxed to their full capacity in taking the great crowds across the plains and mountains. In passing through the treeless plains and sagebursh deserts, the attention of Aunt Rachel was called to the character of the land. Her only remark was, "I would not give one acre of land on the Bowling Green prairie for all that I see here."

The Blocks knew of the coming of their sister, but did not dream of seeing their old Mammy, Aunt Rachel. When the train late at night pulled into Oakland, Elias, Sallie and Jimmie Block were waiting at the dock and greeted their sister and the rest of the white contingent with great warmth. Aunt Rachel had covered her face with a veil and stood

back while kisses were being showered on others of the party. After a little while, I lifted the veil from the face of the old black Mammy. The scene that followed beggars description, and if any one there ever doubted the affection that existed between the "young masters and young miss" and the old black Mammy, it was speedily dispelled. God holds somewhere in the great unknown a place where such spirits may meet.

Arriving in San Francisco, my wife, son, daughter and myself went straight to the Palace Hotel. The rest of the party was taken in charge by friends. It was about midnight when I registered. The clerk recognized the name and said he, at the instance of General Sherman, had reserved for me two rooms. These were on the parlor floor not far removed from the suites occupied by General Sherman and his daughter. They were large and handsomely furnished. Having had some experience at hotels in Chicago and elsewhere with large crowds, and the prices demanded, I laughingly said to my wife, "We may be able to stay here the rest of the night."

I was

Early the next morning I asked the clerk what rates he was making for these two rooms. perfectly surprised and greatly pleased to hear him say, "two dollars for each person." It has now been thirty-five years since I first went to San Francisco and it is but just to say that the Grand Army was never as well treated at any encampment as it was in that city in 1886.

The two weeks of my stay were filled with interesting events.

The address of welcome to the Grand Army, made

by a lawyer named Stewart, was beautifully eloquent and stirred to its very depths the patriotism of the thousands who heard it. His allusion to Senator Baker of California, who was killed at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, touched the hearts of all Californians as did his allusion to California's most beloved son, Senator Broderick, who was killed in a duel with Judge Terry. The address was indeed a masterpiece. The proceedings of the encampment were interesting and concluded by naming, through the influence of General Sherman, St. Louis as the place of meeting in 1887.

While in California we visited many places of interest including Monterey, Hotel del Monti, the Big Trees, etc. In San Francisco we watched from the Cliff House the great seals as they fought each other for places on the rocks that stood up above the waves of the ocean. In the Quartermaster's Steamer McPherson, we made the rounds of the Bay; saw Alcatraz, the great rock that rises to such height from the bottom of the Bay, and watched the teams and wagons ascend this rock over a road that had been carved out of its side. From Telegraph Hill we had a fine view of the Bay and of the Golden Gate. We also visited and were shown through Chinatown, one of the big sights in that day.

After a two weeks' most delightful visit we started on our way home via Salt Lake City. Here we stopped for a day and night, took a bath in the great lake, visited the Mormon Temple, and in the afternoon drove out to Fort Douglas, an army post that overlooked, and whose guns commanded the city. On our way back to the hotel we called at the residence

of Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle and met him and Mrs. Tuttle for the first time. He had long been a Missionary Bishop in Utah, Montana and Idaho. In May before our visit, Bishop Tuttle had been chosen Bishop of Missouri. The convention was held in St. George's Church in St. Louis. I was one of the delegates from the Church of the Holy Communion and voted for Bishop Tuttle.

In the evening our visit was returned by the Bishop and his wife. The next morning we took the Narrow Gauge Railroad for Denver and passed through the Black Cañon and the Grand Cañon of the Arkansas on the way.

We stopped for a day at Colorado Springs visiting the "Garden of the Gods," the Utah Pass and the springs at Manitou, but did not attempt to climb Pike's Peak. From there we returned to St. Louis via Denver.

At this day the reference to and description of such a trip does not appeal to many. But at that time it was full of interest to those fortunate enough to make it.

My first visit to the Rocky Mountains was in the year 1879. I went there in the interest of a client, to collect for him quite a sum of money from a gentleman who had formerly lived in Missouri but who was then a resident of Colorado and largely interested in the mines at Leadville. I was not only successful in the matter that took me there but was employed by certain persons, including the one from whom the collection was made, to represent them in certain litigations then pending and others that threatened.

This business required me to be quite often in Col

orado. During these visits I became acquainted with some of the noted characters of that day. The most distinguished of the group was Judge Moses Hallet. He was the United States District Judge at the time and prior to the admission of the State into the Union had been territorial judge. After the discovery of silver at Leadville and elsewhere he sat in cases that involved millions of dollars. The State was full of adventurers, men who would not hesitate, if they could, to corrupt men in public position, if by doing so they could reap advantages to themselves. Hallet was brave and incorruptible. From the day he first went upon the bench, until the day he died not a breath of suspicion ever attached to any act of his as judge. He was of a type that present and future administrations should continually have in view. So long as our judges are honest in the discharge of duty, so long will the Government of our fathers endure. When the courts become corrupt, then free government will cease.

In company with Honorable John W. Noble, a distinguished lawyer of St. Louis and subsequently Secretary of the Interior in the Cabinet of President Harrison, I went to Denver to attend a term of the Federal Court. Noble and I were together in quite an important mining case.

On our way out, at Lawerence, Kansas, a car was attached to the train upon which we were travelling. We soon learned that it was the private car of Judge Usher, then the legal representative of Jay Gould in certain railroad properties in Colorado and other States. In the car with Judge Usher was Mr. Justice Miller of the Supreme Court of the United States.