Show THE MM TRIP TO SANTA CRUZ ANCIENT SPANISH LANDMARKS incidents Ea countered from mon lerey to los angeles correspondence of the A visit to monterey and santa cruz the two celebrated watering places of the pacific coast was not altogether devoid of interest judging from the paper booming of these two resorts one would imagine that montery was way ahead and I 1 was greatly surprised to find this a little old deed up place having scarcely any life witha population of about 2500 while santacruz is a lively well balt tanta ThE ormer is southern shores of montorey bay the latter lying directly across this beautiful sheet of pale blue water to the north twenty anve miles monterey is far famed not because of the marvelous attraction of the town proper but on account of its surprisingly enchanting environs it was founded by spaniards in 1770 and numerous half decayed remains are observable crumbling to the earth referring us back for scores of years antique frame and brick structures with filed roofs the ma tanal of which is said to have come fram england and australia together with two missions the latter built years ago are objects of interest I 1 visited oe of thes a quaint old catholic missions churches and among other thing there were of peculiar timeworn time worn hanging on the thick walls the moat striking feature of the ingenuity of u past ago is a life sized representation hailed to the cross the facial expression the graceful falling of hair the folds of the loose robe seem to have been carved or by an inspired hand the flesh wounds appear ter bibly natural and from the gash in the side you imagine you see the warm life blood oozing forth and trickling down the breast staining tha garment with barely an exception land that every town to bios angeles claims that it possesses the on the coast the californians are prone to boasting and whenever you ask for information relative to their locality 01 the state in general everything ib without an equal anywhere will bi the substance of their answer agola deal ot which is true but one must bo a little wary del monte hotel is a gem married I 1 to a miniature it is om mile north of monterey being a new structure replacing the hotel destroyed by fire in 1887 its flowery gar dens and mazy forests are of surpassing beauty the bath house H only a short distance from the hotel most of the bathers prefer the indoor baths to the open bay to the south of Monte royis the well known seventeen milo drive which passes along the bay through pacific grove the grove of cypress trees und other points of interest the pacific grove is a small forest garnished with handsome little cott agea with here and there a row of tourists tents the blood of the indian mexican spaniard and american is pretty well mixed in this region giving some ot the people a swarthy fierce appearance this class look as if they would just as soon scalp or lay you out with a fence rail as chew tobacco and therefore treat them with the great est deference A friend and I 1 took a stroll through town late one and we met of the most fiendish looking fellows my companion suggested that we do not return that way so as to avoid passing them again to which I 1 quickly acquiesced and we took another street finding similar characters who stopped talking as we passed seeming to become too much interested in us for our own good and it made us feel uneasy how did we know but that they wore dogging us and only awaiting a favorable opportunity to plunge 0 keen edged boinard into our hearts to secure our wealth wo turned into a narrow dingy passage keeping in the center to avoid unsown arms which the walls might hide and occasional ally casting an anxious glance behind we moved quickly onward hark said A touching m shoulder with a trembling hand and slightly paling he suddenly stopped you hear a panther like footstep approaching poaching ap pm sure I 1 did oh pshaw A dont try to scare me come on I 1 said forcing a laugh at tho same timo urging him forward I 1 had hardly finished when a shadow was cast along the dusky street and soon a dark figure was seen approaching we ethod spellbound spell bound and it directly glided by as come evil spirit and vanished in a dark alley a rod like some phantom we stood motionless for several seconds then without a on taking the othea of the walk in passing the apparitions exit after a minute of deathlike death like silence wo clasped each other eagerly by the hand and offered congratulations for having escaped without an en connior with half a dozen heartless ruffians eager for our blood glancing ahead my heart bank like so much lead when I 1 saw that during our conversation we had not remarked that our passage was blocked bv an old rickety partly y tumbled down adobe entirely closed up the passage As within ourselves that this was the appointed slaughtering ground we mustered sufficient courage 11 face round and meet death aik heroes everything was dear much to our surprise and improving the moment we noiselessly retraced ofir step and without acquainting the remainder of oar party of how nearly we came to being murdered we heaved many a thankful sigh and retired monterey has taken up Q much space that I 1 will have to refer to santa another letter JAXK MILES TECOMA august |