doc241 - Schoenherr Home Page in Sunny Chula Vista

the five soldiers among other presidios. In May, 1830, a civilian cut a soldier with a knife
and took sanctuary in the church, raising an interesting question of the right of asylum.
He was sentenced to eight years' labor on the chain-gang.
The ranks of the presidial company were not kept full, and by 1830 the total force
had dwindled to 120 men. In this year the armament consisted of 13 cannon, 8 of which
were brass and of iron; 3 eight-pounders, 7 six-pounders, and 3 four-pounders. The fort
and powder magazines were of stone, situated close under the hill at Ballast Point. A
reservoir of stone and mortar was constructed near the fort, but the water soon broke it.
The ruins were visible for many years after. Nothing whatever now remains of the Spanish
works on Ballast Point. The last traces were obliterated in the construction of the
modern fortifications on the spot, in recent years.
A petty uprising of the local military force in 1833 is of some interest. A private of
the presidial company of Loreto, named Antonio Alipás, was placed under arrest and
confined in the guard-house. On the 26th day of March, Corporal Inocensio Arballo, a
comrade of Alipas's, assembled a squad of seven soldiers and, all armed and mounted,
rode up and demanded the release of the prisoner. The sergeant of the guard refusing
this demand, the soldiers broke into the guard-house, released Alipás, and carried him
off. This was an exceptional occurrence, and anything resembling vigilante proceedings
was rare, among either the civil or military population. The soldiers were harshly treated,
but obedience was thoroughly taught.
The Spanish military system was continued under Mexican rule. One of its admirable
features was a provision for retiring veterans and invalids on pensions. Privates
who had served for thirty years could retire on half pay with the honorary rank of sublieutenant,
and those who had served forty years, with the rank of full lieutenant, with
the privilege of wearing a uniform. The conditions seem hard, but many of the men, including
some of the early company of Catalonian volunteers, fulfilled them and lived to
end their days in peaceful industry. Some of the invalids remained at the Presidio, performing
such service as they were able, and were also permitted to settle outside the
Presidio walls. Mention has been made of the fact that all soldiers had a little time of
their own; and thus, with the pressure of slowly increasing numbers and hard-won
knowledge of correct methods of agriculture, the Spanish soldiers began to
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[Capt. Henry D. Fitch]
cultivate successfully their little garden plots at the foot of Presidio Hill.
The pueblo of San Diego was organized by an election of the necessary officials
on December 21, 1834. These officials consisted of an alcalde, or mayor, for which the
successful candidate was Juan María Osuna, who was elected over Pio Pico; a first regidor,
or alderman, Juan Bautista Alvarado; a second regidor, Juan María Marron; and a
syndico procurador, or town attorney, Henry D. Fitch. Thirteen votes in all were cast and
the officers entered upon the discharge of their duties on the first day of January, 1835,
which marks the beginning of
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