An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 243

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 243
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 243
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 243
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 243

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Whereas said outrages above described, as perpetrated by the United States army and its officers, are an intolerable abuse of the right of citizens and a dire menace to the perpe- tuity of free institutions and the liberty of citizens ; Therefore,

Resolved, That the charges herein preferred be referred to the Committee on Military Affairs for a thorough and complete investigation, to determine their truth or falsity; and said committee shall have the power to send for persons and papers and examine witnesses on oath in relation to the subject-matter of this resolution.

After an investigation lasting from! February 20, 1900, to May 8, 1900, in the course of which thirty- five sworn witnesses gave testimony and various docu- ments and exhibits were examined, the committee to which the resolutions were referred prepared an ex- haustive report. It reviewed each charge in the reso- lution, and its findings in brief were that none of the "whereases" were sustained by the evidence. It is but fair to state, however, that a minority report was signed by seven members of the committee, namely : William Sulzer, John L. Lentz, N. N. Cox, James Hay, Thomas M. Jett, James L. Slayden and Robert F. Broussard, condemning the actions of the governor, the president and General Merriam as in violation of the rights of free American citizens, complaining that persons were imprisoned without being charged with any crime, and recommending the adoption of the fol- lowing resolution ·

"Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the conduct of the president and of the military forces of the United States in Shoshone county, Idaho, has been reprehensible, violative of the liberty of the citi- zen, and totally unwarranted by the laws and constitu- tion of the United States."

It is needless to say that the disturbance of condi- . tions incident to the blowing up of the mine and the imprisonment for months of a large number of men had its' deterrent effect upon production, and that the figures of the United States assay office at Boise were not as favorable to Shoshone county as the year be- fore. However, the district recovered itself with rap- idity and enjoyed a goodly measure of prosperity not- withstanding this great misfortune. The leaders of the disturbance were compelled to scatter to different parts of the United States, leaving the Coeur d'Alene coun- try, and as the danger of trouble between employer and employe has been greatly lessened by their departure, the district is in a fair way to speedily make up for losses sustained. It is to be hoped, and perhaps may be reasonably expected, that the present harmonious conditions in the district shall continue, and that never again shall the occasion arise in the Coeur d'Alenes for warfare between labor and capital-warfare which, from the nature of things, must prove disastrous to the interests of both belligerants. The effect of peace was shown in the production of the year 1900, which, ac-

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cording to estimates probably correct, amounted to $II,500,000, as against $6,500,00 the preceding year. The author of this estimate, the Coeur d'Alene Mining Journal, divides credit for this output among the dif- ferent mines, as follows: Bunker Hill, $1,750,000; Standard, $1,600,000; Morning, $1,600,000; Frisco, $1,350,0000 ; Tiger-Poorman, $1,350,000; Empire State, $1,250,000; Mammoth, $1,000,000; Hunter, $525.000 : Hecla, $500,000; Crown Point and Silver King. $300,000 ; Sixteen to One, $150,000 ; north gold belt mines, $125,000.

Speaking of conditions in the north fork country, the Murray Sun of January 5, 1901, says :

"The chief industrial feature of the county during the year 1900 was the absorption of nearly all the placer ground on Prichard creek and its tributaries by the Coeur d'Alene Mining Company, and the full payment for all the claims. Perhaps nowhere else in the his- tory of mining has a deal been perfected which em- - braced sc many owners, or which distributed such large sums to so many persons. Many of the claims had from two to six owners, and these in the aggregate must have footed up several hundred. Barry N. Hillard, the company's manager, accomplished a tremendous under- taking in bringing all of these claim owners to an har- monious understanding, that a sale might be consum- mated, and he did it in an incredibly short time.

"The large payments periodically, there being four payments, and the gradual release of individual owner- ship, changed the entire financial and industrial situa- tion. Old debts were paid, and money became abun- dant, while all those who desired work, secured it at ruling wages.

"The company, with remarkable energy, under the general local management of Mr. Hillard, installed a hydraulie elevator, put surveyors in the field, bought and located water rights, commenced the construction of ditches and flumes, repaired the huge pipe line, built trails and roads, put in a sawmill, started bedrock drains, built a new creek channel and allowed not an hour to go to waste. What would never have been accomplished by individual effort is now being done by the company. The progress already made justifies the belief that placer mining on the most extended scale may soon be expected. This prosperity will be further enhanced by the splendid gold quartz prospects and the developments in our silver-lead and copper districts."

Throughout the entire year 1901 quiet prevailed and steadily the mines of the Coeur d'Alene poured forth their wealth. Political interest this year centered in the southern part of the county, which had con- tinued to work for segregation and the formation of a new county. The people of the north did not oppose their wishes . on the contrary they were favorable to the organization of a new political entity, but there was some opposition from Nez Perces county, a portion of whose territory it was sought to take. Much of the history of the short-lived Clearwater county, the pass- age of the bill intended to create it and the litigation which resulted in this bill's being held unconstitutional has been detailed in connection with the history of Nez Perces county, included in this work. Before the fatal

supreme court decision was rendered the county was organized and a session of the commissioners, lasting fifteen days, was held. The board adjourned May 15th to meet again the 20th of the same month, but the second session was never held on account of the ad- verse decision referred to.

A noteworthy event of the year 1901 was the exe- cution at Boise of Edward Rice, convicted in a Sho- shone county court of murder in the first degree. The crime for which he suffered the supreme penalty was the murder of Matthew Mailley, at Wallace, Septem- ber 30th of the previous year. The motive was a base one, and the evidence, though circumstantial, was so clear that the jury found a verdict in thirteen minutes. By appeals, the condemned man's attorneys delayed his execution more than a year. He was hanged No- vember 30th. There have been numerous homicides in Shoshone county, but this was the first and only in- stance where a man convicted of such crime suffered death. Many of those accused of taking human life have been exonerated on the plea of self-defense, some have been sent to the penitentiary, and one escaped execution because death claimed him before the date set.

The annals of the year were darkened by a foul inurder at Mace on November IIth, when Eugene Klein, time keeper at the Standard, came to his death at the hands of C. E. Shuff, a miner, who had been in the employ of the company but was laid off. Shuff came armed to the office of his victim and demanded a time check. Henry Lippert, who was with Klein at the time of Shuff's entrance, was forced to leave the room. As he retired he heard a shot and a scream. Forthwith Shuff passed him in retreat, using some threatening language. Lippert informed Superinten- dent Moffitt of the shooting ; the latter gathered a posse and set out in pursuit, eventually capturing the fugi- tive.

It was found on investigation that Klein had been shot in the back, the ball striking the lower part of the shoulder blade and emerging under the right nipple. He never regained consciousness, though he survived a short time.

Shuff, who was a Missourian, about twenty-four years old, was tried in April, 1902, convicted of mur- der in the first degree and sentenced to death on June 24th. He took an appeal, however, and by dilatory proceedings has prolonged his life to the present, though he is still in custody.

The second month of the year 1902 brought one of the worst disasters of its kind in the history of the Coeur d'Alene. About three o'clock on the morning of the 25th of February, the large two and a half story frame structure on Canyon creek, belonging to Milton Flohr. H. R. Allen, and the White & Bender Company, and known as the Standard boarding and lodging houses, were destroyed by fire. The resi- cence of William Fletcher was also a total loss, having been blown up by dynamite to prevent the flames from reaching the Standard works. It is thought the fire started in the men's drying roon of the lodging house. It spread with great rapidity, and in thirty minutes

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had done its work of destruction. So swift were the devouring flames that time was not given to arouse all of the forty-seven men and the help asleep in the build- ings, and J. W. Edwards, aged twenty-two; R. D. Mann, twenty-five; Eugene Bangs, twenty-one, and M. T. Moore, forty-five, were burned to death. Dun- can McCallum and John H. D. Bowhay were also so badly burned that they died later at the hospital, mak- ing the death list in this terrible holocaust number six in all. Besides these the following were so badly in- jured as to require hospital treatment : Thomas Yar- brough and L. V. Eberhart, seriously burned; Frank Townsen, K. Mackenzie, Tom Bowers, R. N. Brand, B. J. Bond, John McAuliff, J. C. McConnell, John Eckland and A. H. Adams, slightly. The only means of exit from the building was a second story window, eighteen feet above the ground,-and no doubt some were wounded in the jump.

In industrial circles the year 1902 was quieter than its predecessors, owing to troubles between mine own- ers and the smelter trust. On this account the looked for increase in the production over that of 1901 did not materialize, though the differences were settled in time to keep the output of the mines up to the average. Whether on account of this difficulty or for some other reason, there was some complaint among business men in Mullan, Burke, Gem, Wardner and Wallace during the summer and fall that trade was unusually dull. Some of these men were inclined to blame the permit system, which had been in vogue since the last labor troubles, and which, they claimed, had a tendency to keep married men out of the mines or at least to deter them from bringing their families into the coun- try. The permit system has since been abolished.

In August of the year under review a company of Canyon creek and other mine owners was formed for the purpose of buying out the holdings of farmers on the rich bottom lands along the south fork, and these lands were purchased and leased to their former own- ers for a period of ninety-nine years. The object of this was to avoid the litigation and trouble incident to the fact that every flood carried tailings from the mines over the land, utterly destroying its value for agricultural purposes.

An exciting event of October, 1902, was the hold- up on the second last day of that month, of one of Glen McDonald's livery rigs, while it was conveying Frank Watson, a mining man; William Trout, of Spokane : W. F. Kuder and A. H. Blankerton, of Cleve- land, Ohio, from Wallace to Murray. The scene of the robbery was a point a quarter of a mile toward Murray from Beaver station. The robber was masked with a polka dot handkerchief, and he wore gunny sacks on his feet, while in his hands were two mur- derous, apparently brand new revolvers. Though evi- dently a novice, he succeeded in compelling the men to alight, take off their coats and vests and hand them over. His crime was rewarded by thus securing $75 in money and watches. By hard begging Mr. Wat- son prevailed upon the robber to give him back his watch. The right man was never apprehended, though two arrests on suspicion were made.

Early in the current year an event occurred in the southern part of the county, which aroused the people to a high pitch of excitement. In May John J. McDonough was murdered from ambush in a most brutal manner. His body was found by a young lad lamed Amil Hendrickson, who had gone over to Mc- Donough's farm on a visit, lying in the road in front of the house, by the side of the deceased's wagon and team. Four bullets had entered the body from behind.

Suspicion of having committed the murder attached to Frank Peters, who, it is claimed, had attempted formerly to kill McDonough while the latter was plow- ing in his garden. Jealousy is the supposed cause. Posses have been out in search of Peters, but at this date they have not yet been successful in apprehending him.

So far southern Shoshone county has not yet at- tained the boon of autonomy in local matters, though it made anther effort therefor at the last meeting of the legislature. It is, however, almost universally con- ceded that this region cannot much longer be deprived · of the blessings it covets. It has been forging ahead during the last few years at a rapid rate, and it needs but the convenience of an efficient local government to convert it into a prosperous, happy and contented com- munity.

At this writing conditions in the Coeur d'Alene country are quite favorable. All the mines are at work in full blast ; the relations between the employers of labor and their employees are, perhaps, as pleasant as they have ever been in the district ; the wheels of in- dustry are revolving steadily and the rate of output is greater than ever before. In recent years the list of producers have been swelled by the addition of one fa- mous mine-the Hercules. It is said that new locations of mining properties are being made at the rate of about a thousand a year. Many skillful miners and prospectors are at work developing these claims as rapidly as circumstances and conditions will allow, and it is no more than reasonable to expect that some few of them will take their places with the great mines which have given the district fame throughout the en- tire American Union. With a united people working for the common good and with a common end in view, that of garnering all the wealth of the district, we may expect that the country, already so prominent among the mining regions of the world, will more than double its output, and assume a place of still greater import- ance as a contributor to the wealth of mankind.

In closing this general review of events in Shoshone county, it is fitting to refer to an exceedingly pleasant occurrence of recent date, the reception of President Roosevelt during his two hours' stay in the central city of the Coeur d'Alenes. Special trains brought crowds of people to the scene and it was estimated that by 7:30 o'clock on the morning of the 26th of May, the day of his advent into the town. ten thousand people had assembled to greet him. When the train arrived cvery effort was made to do fitting honor to the dis- tinguished guest, the school children, it is said, strew- ing his pathway with bouquets of flowers.

As fitting souvenirs of the occasion the president

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was presented with a pyramid paper weight made of lead, copper, silver and gold nuggets from the great mines of the district, also a bar of pure gold from the Golden Chest mine at Murray. The large flag floating proudly over the platform on which the president stood as he made his timely speech to the citizens gathered to greet him was said to be the first Union flag un- furled in this county, having floated upon the breezes which blew in 1865. It had been sent to Wallace for the occasion by I. B. Cowen, chairman of the county commissioners.

It is to be hoped that the destiny of this county and this great mining district may be wrought out in future in strict harmony with the sentiments expressed by the closing words of the president's speech. After briefly referring to the qualities of good citizenship, he said :

"There are two attributes of which as a people we need to beware more than any of the others ; the arro- gance which looks down on those not so well off and treats them with brutal and selfish disregard for their interests, and the equally base spirit of envy, hatred and rancor for those that are better off. Either spirit is' utterly un-American, utterly alien to our institutions, utterly alien to the spirit shown alike by the men who founded this republic and the men who under the lead of Abraham Lincoln saved and perpetuated the repub-

lic ; the men who in the Civil war established once for all in this country the principle that we are a union in fact as well as in name, and that this is a govern- ment not of license, but of liberty under and through the law. The worst foe to American institutions, to American life, is the man who seeks to cause hatred and distrust between one body of Americans and any other body of Americans. It is just as base no matter whether the appeal is made to inflame section against section, creed against creed, or class against class ; in any event the appeal is unworthy of American institu- tions and if listened to will hurt none so much as those who pay heed to it.

"Any man who endeavors to make you do wrong under the plea that it is in your interest to follow him in doing wrong will do wrong to you if the oppor- tunity arises. The only safe principle upon which to act is in accordance with the immutable law of de- cency and fair dealing, to give each man a chance, to give one man the same justice that you give to any other, to draw the line not between one class and an- other on artificial grounds, not between rich man and poor man, but between the man who is straight and the man who is crooked, without any reference to whether one be rich or one be poor. That is the only ground upon which you can afford to act."

CHAPTER IV.

POLITICAL.

Although Shoshone county was created as early as 1858, a county government does not appear to have been organized until after the discovery of the Oro Fino mines, and the settlement of that region. As noted elsewhere in this work, the county's population increased from a mere handful of people in 1860 to several thousand in the summer of 1861, necessitating the immediate organization of a local government. Thus, in pursuance of the requirements of law, an election was held July 8, 1861, the only record of which is as follows :

"I, George Galbreath, county auditor within and for Walla Walla county, do hereby certify that the following named citizens were duly elected to the several offices set opposite their respective names, in and for Shoshone county, said territory, by the quali- fied votes thereof, at the annual election held in and for said county, July 8, 1861 :county commissioners, J. Tudor, W. Cardwell, J. C. Griffin ; probate judge, D. M. Jessee ; sheriff, R. L. Gillespie ; auditor, E. L. Bradley : treasurer, L. H. Coon ; assessor, H. M. Bell; coroner, D. Bell ; constable, Vamastram (F. M. Van Nostron). Dated August 20, 1861."

A majority of these men accepted the honor con- ferred upon them, and forthwith entered upon the administration of their duties. However, as might be expected, the quest for gold was far more alluring than office holding, consequently the membership of Shoshone county's official family was constantly changing. Among those who served the county in an official capacity in 1861 and in the spring of 1862, we find, besides those already mentioned, the follow- ing: J. B. Buker, E. Kinsey, E. B. Stone. D. M. Boon, George McCully, William James, Thomas Stringham, Levi Anderson, justices of the peace ; Neil McClinchey, William Atlee, treasurers; D. H. Brown, D. M. Boon, Thomas Stringham, S. Leonard, Charles J. Marviu, Stephen Jewett, county commis- sioners ; J. B. Buker, coroner ; Israel Mitchell, survey- or; J. P. Butler, auditor; J. M. Moore, prosecuting attorney ; Stanford Capps, assessor.

The first regular term of county commissioners' court opened Monday, September 2, 1861, every mem- ber being present. After effecting an organization the board at once proceeded to establish three precincts, Pierce City, Oro Fino and Elkton. The boundaries of

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the first named precinct were fixed as follows: "All of that portion of Shoshone county north of a line running due east and west and crossing the Oro Fino creek about one mile southeast of the town of Pierce City, at a point near the mouth of what is known as the canal gulch on the west side of said Oro Fino creek." The boundaries of Oro Fino precinct were : "On the north by the Pierce City precinct, on the south by the south fork of the Clearwater and on the east by the boundary line of Shoshone county." There is no mention of a western boundary. Elkton pre- cinct was made to include all the territory in the coun- ty bounded "on the south by Snake river, on the north and west by the south fork of the Clearwater and on the east by the boundary line of Shoshone county."

On this same day the board, or court, decided up- on the following official ferry rates for crossing Snake river : wagon, carriage and other vehicle with ani- mals, $1.50; pleasure wagon with two horses, $1.50; additional animals, 25 cents each ; cart, wagon or car- riage with one horse, 75 cents ; man and horse. 50 cents ; each animal and packhorse, 50 cents ; footman, 25 cents ; loose animal, other than sheep, goats or hogs, JO cents ; sheep, hogs and goats, 15 cents. The ferry rates for crossing the Clearwater were made consider- ably lower than those for crossing the Snake.

After fixing the assessment rate at five mills for all purposes and providing that liquor dealers in the county should pay the county license of $300 per annum, the court adjourned to meet in special ses- sion September 10th. Nothing of special importance came before the court at this special session, or at special sessions held on October 7th and 28th.

The discovery of the Forence mines in the south- ern portion of the county, led the county court, on January 3, 1862, to create Florence precinct, to which they gave the following boundaries: "All of that sec- tion of country west of the dividing ridge between the south fork of Clearwater and Snake rivers and run- ning east to the summit of the Rocky mountains." Thomas Stringham was appointed as the first justice of the peace in this precinct. A glance at the map of Idaho will give the reader an excellent idea of the immensity of this precinct and of the dim conception which the commissioners had of the region around then1.

At the May term the county court took up the mat- ter of arranging for a permanent courthouse, a build- ing of great need, as heretofore the county had been paying out considerable money in rent. Sheriff Gil- lespie was appointed to draft the plans and Charles J. Marvin and S. F. Leonard were appointed to se- cure a site in Pierce City, where a majority of the sessions had been held. On June 7th, the commission- ers, Stephen Jewett. S. F. Leonard and Charles I. Marvin, accepted the bid of K. C. Reed and W. Keith to build a courthouse and jail at Pierce City for $3.700 in county scrip. This building was completed in Aug- ust and accepted by the county. It served as a court- house until the removal of the county seat to Murray,

in 1884, when it was sold to Edward Hammond for less than $75.

Through the creation of Idaho and Nez Perces counties in December, 1861, Shoshone county lost two of its largest precincts, leaving only five, Pierce City, Oro Fino, Rhodes creek, Placer Flat and Lone Tree. Election day fell on July 14th. The official returns are as follows: For representatives, S. S. Slater. A. B. Andrews, James Orr, Unionists, 282, 262, and 268 votes respectively, J. M. Murphy, E. P. Bostwick, M. S. Winkle, Democrats, 164, 137 and 170 votes re- spectively ; county commissioners, S. F. Leonard, D. M. Fraser, S. Jewett, Unionists, 231, 268 and 279 votes respectively, A. Fornier, D. Litton and James Bowers, Democrats, 148, 128 and --- votes respec- tively; treasurer, William A. Atlee, Unionist, 292, J. P. Butler, Democrat, 132; auditor, P. S. Black, Unionist, 259, A. Thompson, Democrat, 167 ; assessor, Stanford Capps, Unionist, 331, G. E. Pearson, Demo- crat, 94; probate judge, William James, Unionist, 204, Jesse Bond, Democrat, 180; prosecuting attorney, H. Martin, Unionist, 269, J. H. Parker, Democrat, 162; coroner, G. R. Sheldon, Unionist, 273, John Cain, Democrat. 133. Lone Tree precinct did not cast a single vote for a Democrat. Strangely enough there appears to have been no contest for the office of sheriff, R. L. Gillespie being allowed to retain office without rivalry.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 243

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524