Towards the end of May, 1850, William E. Turner, who had been appointed Judge of the Eighth Judicial District of the State by the first Legislature which convened under the Constitution, made his appearance and announced that he intended to open the District Court at Marysville on the first Monday of the next month.  We were all pleased with the prospect of having a regular court and endeavored, as far as lay in our power, to make the stay of the Judge with us agreeable.  I had been in the habit of receiving a package of New York newspapers by every steamer, and among them came copies of the New York “Evening Post,” which was at that time the organ of the so-called Free-soil party.  When Judge Turner arrived, I waited on him to pay my respects, and sent him the various newspapers I had received.  He had lived for years in Texas, and, as it proved, was a man of narrow mind and bitter prejudices.  He seems to have had a special prejudice against New Yorkers and regarded a Free-soiler as an abomination.  I have been told, and I believe such to be the fact, that my sending him these newspapers, and particularly the “Evening Post,” led him to believe that I was an “Abolitionist”—­a person held in special abhorrence in those days by gentlemen from the South.  At any rate he conceived a violent dislike of me, which was destined in a short time to show itself and cause me great annoyance.  What was intended on my part as an act of courtesy, turned out to be the beginning of a long, bitter, and on his part, ferocious quarrel.  At that time my affairs were in a very prosperous condition, as I have already stated.  I had $14,000 in gold dust, a rental of over a thousand dollars a month, and a large amount of city property constantly increasing in value.  Such being the case, I thought I would go East on a visit, and accordingly began making arrangements to leave.  But shortly before the opening of the June term of the District Court, Captain Sutter came to me and told me he had been sued by a man named Cameron, and wished me to appear as his counsel.  I answered that I was making arrangements to go East and he had better retain some one else.  He replied that I ought to remain long enough to appear for him and assist his attorney, and begged of me as an act of friendship to do so.  I finally consented, and deferred my departure.

Soon after the opening of the court, some time during the first week, the case of Captain Sutter was called.  A preliminary motion, made by his attorney, was decided against him.  Mr. Jesse O. Goodwin, a member of the bar, sitting near, said to me that the practice act, passed at the recent session of the Legislature, contained a section bearing upon the question; and at the same time handed me the act.  I immediately rose, and addressing the court, remarked that I was informed there was a statutory provision applicable to the point, and begged permission to read it; and commenced turning over the pages of the act in search