List Ok Biographies
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list ok biographies Biographical Sketches 83 A. E. Morton 83 E. W. Morse 87 Judge O. S. Witherby 9 i M. Schiller 93 Thomas Whaley 96 Hon. James McCoy 102 Andrew Cassidy 104 Robert Kelly 106 Colonel C. P. Noell 109 1 12 J. S. Mannasse Charles A. Wetmore 114 George B. Plensley xi8 William E. High 120 Aaron Pauly 122 D. Choate 125 Judge McNealy 129 Robert Allison 131 Philip Morse 133 R. G. Clark 136 Daniel Cleveland 139 George W. Hazzard 142 William Jorres 145 Charles J. Fox, C. E 147 A. Klauber 150 S. Levi 152 Bryant Howard 154 John S. Harbison.., 156 Col. Chalmers Scott i.S9 Charles Hubbell 162 George William Barnes, M. D, 170 O. S. Hubbell 164 Joseph Faivre . 167 Thomas L. Nesmith 172 Mrs. Mary J. Birdsall 175 D. Cave, D. D. S 176 Dr. W. A. Winder 179 Judge M. A. Luce. ... ...... 181 . LIST OF BIOGRAPHIES. George A. Cowles 184 Dr. P. C. Remondino 187 N. M. Conklin 190 R. A. Thomas 192 Judge John D. Works 194 L. S. McClure 197 Governor Robert W. Waterman 199 Col. W. H. Holabird 203 Col. John A. Helphingstine. 206 Willard N. Fos 208 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES- A. E. HORTON. It was the boast of Augustus Caesar that he found Rome in brick and he should leave it in marble. With more regard to truth might Alonzo E. Horton, speaking in the figurative style adopted by the Roman Emperor, remark that he found San Diego a barren waste, and to-day, as he looks down from the portico of his beautiful mansion on Florence Heights, he sees it a busy, thriving city of 35,000 inhabitants. Probably there is no other instance in the history of our country, where great cities have grown from insignificant beginnings, where the presence of one man, unaided by abundant capital, has accomplished such wonderful results as have been achieved by A. E. Horton in San Diego. To understand and appreciate, however, in its fullest sense, what Mr. Horton has accomplished, it is necessary to inquire into the anteced- ents and examine the characteristics of the man. In the year the good ship Swallow after a long and tempest- 1635 , uous voyage across the Atlantic, dropped her anchor in port at Hampton, Massachusetts. Among the passengers, who were all Puritans, was Barna- bar Horton, a native of Leicestershire, England. From him, in the sev- enth generation, is descended the subject of this sketch. Alonzo Erastus Horton was born in Union, Connecticut, October 24, 1813. When he was two years of age his parents removed to Madison County, New York. Afterwards they took up their residence at Scriba, a few miles from Oswego, on the shore of Lake Ontario. Here his youth and early manhood were passed. During this time he was clerk in a gro- cery, learned the cooperage trade, and was a sailor on the lake, finally owning and commanding a schooner, in which he engaged in the grain trade between Oswego and Canada. When he arrived at man’s estate he was in quite delicate health and his physician pronounced him con- sumptive, and said if he wished to prolong his life he must go West. Accordingly in 1836 he started for Milwaukee, landing there in May of that year. This was an era of speculation in the Western States; it began several years previously, and ended with the great financial crash of 1837. While in Milwaukee, turning his hand to whatever he could find to do, young Horton became possessed of the information that ( 83 ) COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. 8 4 CITY AND would be received at the land the bills of certain Michigan banks would be the equal of gold, office in payment of lands at par, and cent. He had a cash and consequently command a premium of io per information, he hunted out the capital of $300, and acting on his secret a brisk exchange holders of Michigan currency and was soon doing success. He returned to business. This enterprise was a financial A. E. HORTON. New York State soon afterwards, but the year 1840 saw him again in Wisconsin. He bought a home in Oakland and married. After this for three years he was engaged in dealing in cattle and land, steadily adding in St. to his little capital. He bought a large quantity of land warrants Louis about this time and located 1,500 acres in Outagamie County, Wisconsin. Here he founded the village of Hortonville, and at the end of two years he sold out his investments at a profit of nearly $8,000. Califor- It was in 1851 that Mr. Horton made his first journey to BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. «5 nia. He spent a few months in the mines, but he soon found that he could make more money trading in gold-dust than digging for it. In this traffic his profits were quite large, during the last quarter of 1854 reaching as high as $1,000 a month. As the gold-dust business, however, got a little dull he engaged in an ice speculation. Locating some fine fields' in the mountains, he cut and disposed of three hundred and twelve tons, which returned him a profit of $8,000. He now had a comfortable fortune for those days and he determined on going back home to his family.’ Ac- cordingly in the spring of 1856 we find him a passenger on the steamer Cortez for Panama. A few hours after the Cortez landed her passengers , at Panama the terrible riots broke out in which the natives attacked for- eigners wherever found, killing and plundering all who came in their way. Two hundred persons from the steamer were dining in the hotel when that building was attacked by the mob. A general rush was made for the upper story, where they hoped to escape their assailants. Among all the passengers only three had fire-arms and one of these was Horton. By common consent he was selected to command the garrison. The natives, who by this time had become crazy with rage and rum, attempted to carry the staircase leading to the upper story by storm and several of the leaders darted up the narrow passage. At the head of the stairs stood Horton, a revolver in each hand, perfectly cool and collected. In the room behind him were tenscore persons, including women and children; below were a thousand demons thirsting for their blood. It was a trying moment, but Horton did not hesitate. Those behind urged the foremost of the assailants forward; the leader mounted another step; there was a flash, a report, and he fell back dead. Two others took his place, but they dropped lifeless. Now the reports grew quicker and the flashes from the revolvers told of the sharp work being done. Hor- ton had emptied his own weapons and had discharged most of the bar- rels of another that had been handed to him before the rioters fell back. Eight of their number were dead and four were seriously wounded. But the dangers of the besieged were not at an end. Although the mob had been repulsed they were not dispersed, and they were still vowing vengeance upon the passengers. The only place of safety was the steamer. Getting his little band in compact order, Horton distrib- uting the revolvers to those whom he knew would use them judiciously, started on the retreat to the landing. This was reached in safety, though the mob followed them closely, and had it not been for the rare generalship displayed by Horton in getting the party embarked on a lighter instead of allowing them to rush, pell-mell, as they attempted to, on a small tug, many must have lost their lives. As it was, the lighter was towed out to the steamer and all were taken on board in safety. Mr. Horton’s baggage, containing $10,000 in gold-dust, was lost, hav- ing fallen into the hands of the rioters. He saved $5,000, which he had tied around him in a belt. 86 CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. Mr. Horton remained in Wisconsin until 1861, when he again started for the Pacific Coast, going with a party overland to British Columbia. He spent a season in the Cariboo mining district, and at first made money, but their claim, which had been considered a very valuable one, “petered out,’’ and they finally disposed of it for $200 and started south. Mr. Horton then came to San Francisco, where he engaged in business of different kinds with varying degrees of success. In the early part of 1867, at a private literary gathering one evening, San Diego, its climate and harbor, was the topic of discussion. He was greatly impressed with what he heard. Here was the sight of a great city of the future; nature had done her share; all that was want- ing was for man to develop it. The voice of fate seemed to call to Horton that this was his opportunity. He sold out his business in three days’ time, and started on his pilgrimage southward. It was the 6th of April, 1867, that Mr. Horton reached San Diego. The few people that were settled here then lived at Old Town, but Mr. Horton after looking the ground over concluded that the true place for the city of the future, his ideal city, was farther down the bay. He first began the agitation of an election of City Trustees. Candidates were nominated and elected.