CALIFORNIA JACK (John Eugene Hewitt) Arizona Republican Newspaper June 1, 1897 California Jack is on this side of a streak of bad luck twenty one years wide. He was started across it by a breaking bank. California Jack is an well known as any man in Phoenix, though others are more favorably known, for Jack has had a habit of drinking more liquor than was good for him. He has been around the world two or three times and he has been up and down it so much that he has a personal acquaintance with almost every region inhabited by civilized man. For some time Jack's only resting place in the world of which he has seen so much, is an accommodating cot at the city jail, which he occupies as a guest and not as a prisoner. Jack is getting old and until yesterday morning the prospect was bleak, but now it looks as if his old age might be turned green. Twenty one years ago California Jack and a Frenchman owned a rich mine in Idaho. They sold it for $40,000. The Frenchman took his half and returned to Paris where he may now be living in affluence. Jack deposited $17,000 of his share in Mooley and Riall's bank, San Francisco. He took $3000 and started on a tour of well earned recreation up the coast. While he was at Portland he learned that Mooley and Riall's bank had failed. It never occurred to him that anything could be saved and he hastened to complete the wreck of his fortune, his health and his soul by drinking up what was left of his $3000. His chief ambition was to die drunk, but nature had endowed him with a constitution which thwarted that; besides, $3000 was not enough money. Sometimes he was near the goal but he would be out of money and have to work for more. Thus he would get sober, so that when he was ready to renew his campaign of self destruction, he found himself confronted by a discouragingly recuperated and hardened constitution. The job he was engaged on was like that of the frog that climbed two feet up the side of a well in the daytime and slipped back three feet at night. Finally Jack gave up everything, his dream of death of delirium tremens was abandoned and he looked forward to a no more cheerful ending than an ignominious taking off by old age. Yesterday morning everything was changed. A San Francisco paper contained an advertisement by the Hibernia national Bank of San Francisco, making inquiry regarding certain depositors of the old bank of Mooley and Riall. Among the depositors inquired for was John Eugene Hewiss, which is the real name of California Jack. The Hibernia national Bank is said to have come into possession of certain property out of which the depositors of the almost forgotten bank are to be paid. USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist. submitted by burns@asu.edu