 The Romance of the Ranchos San Gabriel 1837 Town upset by Scotsman's romance with Indian girls San Gabriel 1842 Ranchero by ship for trading ventures San Gabriel 1852 Ranchero pleads for Indian reform The title insurance and trust company of Los Angeles presents The Romance of the Ranchos A weekly dramatization of the great personalities and momentous events Which produced our California of today Each week our wandering Vecchero Frank Graham returns with another true story Of the romantic adventurous days of the dawn How long will the war last Is the number one question in all minds In Washington and throughout the country Nobody knows the answer, not even the best informed experts Not even our president But one thing we all do know is that the faster we build planes And tanks and guns and bombs The sooner we can bring the war to a victorious conclusion And the sooner the victory, the fewer American lives will be lost So once again, title insurance and trust company Reminds you to buy defense bonds and stamps All you can afford as often as you can As a business investment and as an investment in America Now here is our wandering Vecchero Frank Graham to tell us the story Buenas noches, señoras y señores Tonight's story is one that touches the heart of everyone For it's the romantic story of a young Scotch adventurer Who fell in love with California And with one of her beautiful daughters The characters are famous For in the fictional story of Ramona Helen Hunt Jackson used these people as a basis for her story This is the true story of Don't Perfecto Hugo Reed And his Indian wife And of their life at San Gabriel and Santa Anita It's a tale rich in the romance of the Ranchos Our story begins far from the sunshine of 7 California In a little town in Scotland about the year 1828 There a young man was talking with the lovely Scotch girl I think it will be best that you do not call again Victoria, you can't mean that You can't mean that you don't want to see me again Aye Hugo, it is for your own good I didn't want to hurt you But it will hurt you less this way But Victoria, I don't understand How can I just go away and not see you again I love you, you know that Aye Hugo, that's why it will be easier for you to get But I didn't love you Oh I know, but in time Victoria Perhaps you'll change your mind Before I love another No, I can't believe it I'm sorry I can't believe it Hugo does not feel too badly Very soon you'll forget me Someday you'll laugh and say I couldn't have thought I loved that silly Victoria Never Aye you shall, you're young What does age to do with it, I'm a man I can no love as deeply as any man Aye Hugo, and I thank you for your love I don't want your thanks But that's all I can give you I'm sorry It's better this way Hugo believes me All right, I believe you I'll go now and you'll never be bothered with me again Hugo wait, don't talk like that What are you going to do? Does it matter now? Of course We can be friends Friends, no Victoria No, this is goodbye forever Hugo, what are you going to do? I'm going away, far away as far as I can go No Hugo dear, you're gonna do that You must get back to college at Cambridge And forget me No, I'll never go back I'm through with everything I'm going away, starting a new life somewhere far away Hugo, you're gonna take it so hard You'll find another girl Far in love with her I'll never speak again of love for a woman Unless that woman is a Victoria And now goodbye An unhappy romance sent young Hugo Reed Out into the world of adventure He shipped aboard a boat bound round the Horn And presently was working for a fellow Englishman In business in Lima, Peru His employer's name was Henry Dalton The same don't Enrique Who was to establish the Rancho Azusa Many years later In the summer of 1832 Hugo was running Dalton's branch store In the mining town of Hermosillo, Mexico But a casual trip to San Pedro Aboard the rig, Ayacucho Opened the young man's eyes to a new and promising land And in 1834 Hugo Reed and his friend Dr. William Key Arrived in the Pueblo of Los Angeles To take up a new life Hugo formed a partnership with Jacob Lease And started a mercantile store Carrying everything from cartwheels to silk shawls Anything the trading vessels that flied the coast Would bring Soon the young Scotsman's business was flourishing He was becoming a man of influence in the community His store was a mecca for the ladies of the best families And so it was that one day A stately old lady in a black lace montilla Visited the shop She was Tonya Eulalia Perez Idamaregne House mother of the Greek mission San Gabriel And this shop See I shall take that too Very well Tonya Eulalia Will there be anything else? Not this time senor I have bought more than I can carry now Oh please allow me to carry them out to your carete Ah si, gracias senor Now here I'll just load up with these bundles and bring them along You don't get into the Pueblo from San Gabriel often Do you senora? Often enough I like San Gabriel better See I don't blame you So do I So San Gabriel senor is? Oh si, I visited Padre Sanchez there on my first journey to California He entertained me splendidly Ah si, he was a good man A great man I agree And it's too bad that he's no longer with us Si, you do not know how bad San Gabriel is not what it once was senor Oh come I couldn't have think of San Gabriel as anything but a paradise Then you have not seen it lately You must come there one day I should be delighted Wait and open the door for you Gracias senor is Ah, my carete is over here All right, and just put these bundles in there Oh Why senor is, what is the matter? Oh, nothing, nothing except a That was a little startle They expected to see an Indian boy driving her carete But instead you say a beautiful woman Eh senor Si, ah ah Ah come, come, come There is no need to be embarrassed Victoria is beautiful Anyone can see that Victoria, did you say Victoria? Victoria Si, what is so strange about that name? It is a name fit for a queen Si, si of course And in this case if I may say so The name fits perfectly It's only that I knew another Si, the name was well chosen For Victoria would be a queen among her people If the Spaniards had not come She is the daughter of a great Indian chief Here, donya Victoria I present to you, senor, who goris It's indeed a privilege, donya Victoria Buenos dias, senor Ah, ah, ah Ah, sorry, I don't look very presentable Ah, ah, nonsense You young people The sight of a pretty face And you lose all praise of self-possession You are quite presentable, senor I am happy to know you Well, thank you, a gracias is my pleasure I assure you Come, come, senor, we must be off You'll have plenty of time To pass the time of day with donya Victoria When you call for tea at San Gabriel Ah, gracias Gracias, donya Eolalia I shall be most happy Very well then, senor Buenos dias Buenos dias, senor, we shall expect Si, si, I shall be there Gracias, buenos dias I'm most happy to have Ha, ha Si, I'll be there all right soon It is you, senor, rich Si, buenos dias, donya Victoria What brings you to San Gabriel? The same thing has brought me twice before this week Can't you guess? Senor That's it, I love to see you smile That slow warm smile of yours May I come in? Si But I am afraid that donya Eolalia Is not receiving just now She is taking siesta Well, that's what I was hoping for I didn't come to see her They'll have made you smile again You're not laughing at me No, senor, I am not laughing at you Won't you sit down? The garden is much nicer at this time of day Yes, that's lovely here Oh, won't you sit down too? Si, gracias And now, what shall we talk about? About you Ah, no, I am not an interesting person Oh, but you are, you're fascinating I've inquired among all my friends But I can find out very little about you There is not much to know I am Indian When my father's village was taken over by the mission I came to live in a church school I was brought up there Donya Eolalia became fond of me And brought me to live with her I have been here ever since You're happy? Si, as I should be I am fortunate Much more so than most of my unfortunate people Si, I know But come, senor Tell me something of yourself Oh, no, no I'm not an interesting fellow at all Oh, but you are fascinating As you said of me Then we're both fascinating to each other But I won't bore you with my life Oh, senor, I'd like to know more about you You really would? Well, I was born and raised in Cardros, Scotland That's a beautiful little town, all fertile and green I was happy there as a boy Then why did you leave? A girl And oddly enough, a girl named Victoria Victoria? Si, she threw me over for another man Oh, senor So, you ran away Well, now, to tell you the truth I wanted to see the world anyway So it was a good excuse Not you, senor You did not feel that way then How do you know? I know, senor For in you, the feeling is deep You do not take such things lightly You see through me easily, don't you? Not see through, senor I understand Yeah, I know Somehow I think I understand you too You know, there's something about you I have easily understood, senor But we were not talking of me, we were talking of you The senorita named Victoria drove you away Si, and I've been a rolling stone ever since But now... But now you are going to settle down Si, I think so It begins to look like another girl But the name of Victoria may do that for me Oh, dear, I almost forgot I must tend to the children's feeding Children? Are the children here? Si, senor, my children Your children? I knew you'd been married once, but... Well, I don't understand I was afraid you did not, senor We have three children, my husband and I I am sorry, senor For a time, Hugo Reed's world was toppled about him And added to this hopeless love came more trouble His partner Jacob Lease was of a quarrelsome nature And things were going badly at the store It finally became necessary to liquidate the business This was a bitter blow to the young Scotsman I thought I was going to make a fortune out of it, Bill At least enough to buy a ranch, huh? Become a ranchero Not this time, Hugo And not at all in this town, if you ask me I think we'd both better head south again So, you mean back to Mexico? Yes, we'll get along better there You know that Not me, I'm staying here This is where I want to live I'll make my way here yet Why do you want to stay, Hugo? Because I like it I like everything about it The climate, the country, the people One person in particular, isn't that it? I don't think so, Bill Then I know you're better than you know yourself, Hugo Why don't you give it up? You're only making yourself unhappy here Come with me to Mexico and forget her Forget her? Well, perhaps you're right I don't know Perhaps I'd better go And so Hugo Reed left the California he loved He went back to Mexico and spent an unhappy year there But one day he received a letter from one of his friends in Los Angeles There has been nothing unusual There has been one of the regular smallpox epidemics among the Indians Many died And oh yes, there was one you may have known His name was Pablo Maria And he lived with Dona Eolalia Perez at the mission He was the husband of the Indian woman Dona Victoria Bill, Bill, where are you? Yes, what is it, Hugo? Bill, I'm going back, back to California Back to California raced Hugo Reed Back to San Gabriel and Dona Victoria To comfort her in her misfortune But as the months went by and her loss was fading into the past Hugo found the courage to speak Victoria, perhaps I should not ask it yet But well, you must know my feeling for you You have been the truest friend I have known, Senor More than a friend, Victoria, I hope I love you Oh, I've loved you since that first day I saw you I want you to marry me Oh, Senor, Hugo But I am not of your race What does that matter? You're the most wonderful question I've ever known And I love you Victoria, hasn't your feeling for me been more than friendship? Sí, mi querido In these last weeks I have come to depend upon you I do not know what I should ever do without you again Oh, Victoria Then you will be my wife Sí, sí, mi querido, I will Recently a woman came to an officer of the Title Insurance and Trust Company of Los Angeles With a problem, which she stated as follows My brother and I, as she said Each owned an undivided half interest in a business life To avoid the cost of probate proceedings In the event one of us died We each executed a deed to the other And placed both deeds in a joint safety deposit box It was understood that when one of us died The survivor would destroy the deed which he gave And record the one in favor of himself My brother died last month, she continued And I want you to record this deed to me And issue a policy of title insurance This, the company declined to do Now, if this woman had consulted her attorney Before making the arrangement with her brother He would have told her that both deeds were void He would have told her that a deed must be delivered During the grand tour's lifetime And that the courts have declared to be invalid Deeds that are given under such arrangements For the purpose of avoiding probate Suppose that this deed had been recorded And that you had purchased the lot from the woman Relying upon the deed is passing title to her Well, suppose further that the heirs of the brother Successfully established an interest in the lot Upon showing that the deed was void You would have no assurance of recovering your investment Unless you would obtain the protection Of a policy of title insurance This is but one of the numerous off-record hazards Against what you're protected by a policy issued By the title insurance and trust company of Los Angeles With his marriage to Dona Victoria Hugo Reed gained not only a wife But a new country for he had to be naturalized A new religion for he had to be baptized a Catholic A new name for he was now called Dona Perfecto, Hugo Reed And three lovely children from Victoria's former marriage In addition, his dreams of becoming a ranchero Were to be realized, for as a dowry Victoria brought him a small 128-acre rancho La Puerta del Quate A short time later, he petitioned for and in 1841 Received the great 13,000-acre rancho Santa Anita Dona Perfecto and his Indian wife Settled down to the life of the typical ranchero With ease and grace And Hugo, who'd once been a school teacher in Mexico Pleafily began the job of teaching Victoria's children But this was to cause the first friction between the pair for Hugo, you kept those children indoors Studying for three hours this morning See, Nicarita, we were reading about the Spanish islands The Sandwich Islands, I should say And they were fascinated But Hugo, it is not right for them to stay cooped up so long Reading, straining their eyes Nonsense, Victoria Don't you want them to be educated To know something about the world? See, but they can learn it other ways I can remember my days cooped up in the nation school I will not have that happen to my children I want them to be free I want them to be out in the air in the blessed sunlight Of course, my dear We'll hold our classes outdoors whenever the weather permits Oh, Hugo, you do not understand what I mean I do not want them to have to study so much It will hurt their health Oh, very well, Victoria I'll cut down on their lessons But I must say I think you're being a little foolish Foolish or not, that is the way I want it Then that's the way it shall be Slowly other troubles beset the Scotsman Gradually he tired of the uneventful life of the ranchero In spite of the lovely domain he managed His thoughts turned to other lands The sea and wanderlust grew One day I've done it, Victoria The deal is made I've bought the Esmeralda It is what you have wanted, isn't it, Hugo? Oh, see, she's a grand boat Just a thing for the Pacific trade I will make a fortune with her, Victoria I am glad for your sake, Hugo When will you send it on a first voyage? Right away, leaving Friday So soon? But who have you gotten to take charge of her? Who will be the captain? The captain, right? I will be, of course You? You do not mean that you intend to save But of course, Victoria, I thought you understood that No, no, Hugo, no You cannot go away But, my dear, it'll only be for a while A few months I'll be back A few months? Hugo, you have grown tired of me, have you not? Victoria, how can you say that, my querida? I'll never grow tired of you I love you, I always will This may be my chance My chance to make my fortune I have to take it But I'll come back to you, my love Come back to you in triumph But Hugo did not come back in triumph His voyages on the Esmeraldo Didn't bring him the fortune he had hoped for Instead, he returned to find more trouble His absence had done no good to the ranchos He needed money to rehabilitate them Then, too, the Indians at San Gabriel Were causing trouble For after the power of the Padres was broken The Indians were pushed aside by the whites Reed, as an official of the district Was called upon to help solve the situation And he spent much time and energy On the plight of his wife's people But in vain Finally, in 1846 He saw a chance to remedy both problems The Indians and his He brought the news to Victoria So, you see, I've decided to sell Rancho Santa Anita to Henry Dalton But Hugo, that would leave us With almost no land except this house No, for Governor Pico has agreed To sell us all of the ex-mission lands They can help the Indians to restore their homes And still have plenty left over for ourselves But how can a governor do this? He has the power And he needs the money I'll pay him For war War? See, with the Americanas It comes close, querida But it's going to be a blessing for us For we'll receive a great rancho Hugo was wrong He sold his rancho Santa Anita But after the Americans took over California He tried to claim his mission lands And found he could not No, Mr. Reed, I'm sorry That grant the Governor Pico made you is not valid He made it when he knew that California was lost And gave it to you just so it wouldn't fall into our hands But it was public lands and it'll stay public lands The United States government will not declare your claim valid Hugo Reed was desperate now He was without lands He had no means of supporting his family Then suddenly came word that seemed like the answer It's gold, Victoria Gold that pounded up north at Sattler's Mills There's millions to be had For those that get there first And I am going to be one of them No, Hugo, do not leave me I must, me querida I must, this is my chance Then, while Hugo was far away in the gold fields The greatest tragedy came Victoria's lovely young daughter Called the flower of the San Gabriel A beautiful Indian girl who was the pattern For Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona Was taping sick with smallpox Far away in the north The loving stepfather got the news Maria Ignacio died this morning No, no, it can't be true No, no, no Victoria I got here as soon as I could, me querida Do not touch Victoria I am glad you got here too late to see her in her grave I am glad Victoria, what are you saying? You killed her, Hugo You made her study and read You kept her cooped up in the house Out of the sunlight You killed her Victoria, me querida I know this thing has been a terrible shock to you But surely you cannot mean what you said I do mean it I hate you, querida I hate you You killed her Her brain affected by grief Victoria madly accused her husband Of murdering her daughter Sadly, Hugo went back to the north Miserable in his double tragedy But happily, the cloud passed And once again, Victoria was the kind And gracious woman she once was So it was to her welcoming arms That Hugo Reed came back from the north Weary and discouraged It's all over, Victoria I'm broke Everything's gone Our lands, our money, everything Not our home here, Hugo And we have each other Me querida Nothing else matters when I hear you say that Oh, I've been such a fool, Victoria I could have been so happy if I just stayed here with you I do not know, Hugo I do not hate you You are new You did what you had to do I haven't been a very good husband, have I? Oh, can you forgive me? There is nothing to forgive, querida You have given me something I would never have had otherwise Love Love for a fine man No, Victoria, not a fine man What have I done with my life But bring you sorrow? I've done nothing worthwhile But, Victoria, now before I die I'm going to do something worthwhile It's something that needs to be done What is it, Hugo? I'm going to do something to help your people The Indians I'm going to write about them And you're going to help me We're going to make people understand What has happened to them and why We're going to make people realize That they were not always degraded And poverty-stricken as they are now That they were once happy and unspoiled That they can be again Help them Please, see me, querida You shall do it and I shall help And then the world will see that my husband Is a great man Feverishly, Hugo Reed worked over his Indian letters Which were published serially in the Los Angeles Star During a little time left At 42, he was an old man It's as his health was failing fast But he finished just a series of 22 letters Which furnish us today With the best picture we have of Indian life Of this section before the coming of the white man And his passionate plea for help for the red man Aroused sympathy and led eventually to action On their behalf But Hugo Reed was not to see his triumph For on December 12, 1852 He passed from this world Great was the morning in Southern California For they knew as did Victoria That Hugo Reed was a great man And in far off San Francisco The newspapers joined in the chorus of phrases And praised foreign excessive actual accomplishments His death is a deep loss to all of California Not only for the great project which he left incomplete His campaign on behalf of the red man But for his great knowledge and humanity Which would have been of inestimable value to California In the long period which lies ahead All California mourns at the grave of Hugo Reed A great pioneer and a great man And at a lonely grave in the Pueblo Cemetery Stood a solitary figure, stately and tall A woman still lovely and unmarked by the years Adios, my husband With you goes my heart Next time that you're in the neighborhood of Santa Anita Rancho Stop and visit the house that the hero Of tonight's story built for his bride and children A hundred years ago Hugo Reed adobe still stands beside a lake On the Rancho property and it's open to the public There are other mementos of the famous Rancho's early days there too Including Lucky Baldwin's famous coach house And horses burial ground Shaded by towering century old eucalyptus And other trees To you who have heard tonight's story These surviving reminders of California's Golden past will hold a fascinating interest Because you know something of their history And the people who originated them The title insurance and trust company Hope that you have listened to all these programs And that each one has in a similar manner Made some part of Southern California more real More interesting and enjoyable to you Now what's the story for next week Frank? Next week we'll recreate the story of the Marshland which was also a great port The story of Rancho La Bayona That's the Rancho which was the domain Of the Machados and the land which is today Palms, Culver City and Venice That's the story you'll enjoy So until then, this is your Wondering Vecchero Frank Graham saying Hasta la vista, señoras y señores The Romance of the Rancho The presentation of the title insurance And trust company of Los Angeles Featuring Frank Graham as the Wondering Vecchero is dramatized by John Dunkel and produced by Ted Bliss With special music arranged by Irwin Yol, Bob Le Mans speaking This is the Columbia Broadcast