doc241 - Schoenherr Home Page in Sunny Chula Vista

Ames cast in his lot with the new town (Graytown, or Davis's Folly), which was
then just starting. He had met William Heath Davis before coming, and the latter aided
him to the extent of almost $1,000 in getting his press set up--a debt which was never
discharged. The office of the Herald was over the store of Hooper & Co., at the corner of
Fourth and California Streets. About two years later, when the new town had proven a
temporary failure, the Herald was removed to Old Town, and
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for the greater part of its life occupied the second floor of a building owned by Louis
Rose, at the Northwest corner of the plaza.
Ames's frequent trips to San Francisco, doubtless made for the purpose of looking
after his political fences as well as his advertising patronage, began soon after his
settlement in San Diego. It has been suggested that his readers, as well as himself,
needed an occasional rest. Having no partner, it was his custom to leave the paper in
charge of his foreman or some friend whom he could induce to undertake the burden.
This course led to trouble on more than one occasion. It was quite the usual thing for an
issue or two to be skipped at such a time. While he was away on these and other trips,
it was Ames's custom to write long letters to the Herald, which he signed "Boston," and
hence he became locally known as "Boston."
His first trip to San Francisco seems to have been on October 30, 1851, when he
left his foreman, R. M. Winants, in charge of the paper, "with a good pair of scissors and
a vast pile of exchanges."
On January 24, 1852, he went to San Francisco again, leaving "the amiable trio,
Vaurian & Co.," to occupy the editorial chair. Vaurian was the pen name of a contributor
to the Herald, whose identity is unknown.
In the latter part of August, 1852, Ames left for the Atlantic States, and did not return
until the following March. He left the keys of his office with Judge James W. Robinson,
but in December a man named William N. Walton came to San Diego and, representing
to Judge Robinson that he had arranged with Ames in San Francisco to publish
the paper, was allowed to take possession. He proceeded to publish the paper in his
own name from December 4 until Ames's return, March 19-21, 1853, when he suddenly
disappeared. The only allusion Ames made to this affair upon his return was this:
"During our absence in the Atlantic States, last winter, a friend to whom we
loaned the keys of our office allowed a usurper to enter there, who made such sad
havoc with our working tools, to say nothing of the injury done to the reputation of the
Herald, that it will take some time yet to get things established on the old basis."
Six years later this Walton was arrested in Portland, Oregon, on a charge of robbery,
and the Herald, in commenting on this, says that at the time of the Walton episode
he had closed the office "for the season."
The Herald of August 13, 1853, contained the following announcement:
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"We shall leave on the first steamer for San Francisco, to be absent about two
weeks. A friend of acknowledged ability and literary acquirements will occupy the Old
Arm Chair during our absence."