An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 294

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 294
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 294
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 294
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 294

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"This was assented to, and the festivities of the oc- casion were at once entered into by the visitors with heartiness and spirit, sandwiching in with killing reg- ularity the drinks with the dancing and eating. It is to be noted that the enterprising Barney noted down these treats with equal regularity.

"At the end of the two days' and nights' hilarity, the boys from Station prepared to return home. They had indulged in wine suppers and other expensive lux- uries of the kind ; had had a rip-roaring time. They ex- pected that their bar bill would be considerable, but they were not counting the cost as one of the things with which to burden their mind, when a good time was in the other end of the balance. They headed for Bar- ney's place to wipe out the score there and start on the return trip, fortified with a finger of his best. As the bill was against the 'Station,' George Reed was se- lected to act as spokesman for the crowd. He ap- proached Barney with a happy spirit and with self as- strance in his manner.

"'Well, Barney, what have you chalked down against us? We're starting for home now.'

"'Oi tol yez Station boays Oi'd be aisy on yez, an' Oi will.'

"'Well, what is it? I've got the dust and want to get rid of it.'

"'Oi tol yez. Oi'd be aisy on yez, an' Oi'll do it. Bein's as yez frim the Station, it is only ateen hundrid dollars.'

"For a moment even the bold frontier spirit was set back and the free and easy emissary of the Station crowd looked aghast. But is was only a moment ; the rich, red blood surged back from the brain to the heart ; George regained his equilibrium. With a hearty 'al- right' he whirled about, sought his comrades and to- gether they scraped up the dust, although it drained the buckskin wallets of the last one. The $1,800 in chuist was duly turned over to the expert accountant behind the bar and the boys started down the river, cracking jokes and recounting the pleasant incidents of the two-days' lark. Incidentally their pocketbooks were about as light as their hearts, thanks to the nice bookkeeping of their Irish friend.

"Returning to Clearwater Station, they arranged for a return dance, sending out invitations to everyone in the region. A few days later this dance commenced and today holds the record as the longest dance ever held in the state. For eighteen days and nights the fiddle did not cease to squeak nor the heels of the merry dancers to crack against one another and the floor. For the first few hours the fun was enjoyed by all; then some of the dancers thought it time to quit and retired to their cabins. They were allowed a little rest and then a deputation was sent to bring them again to the hall, a request which they obeyed, though not without much grumbling. Once upon the floor, how- ever, the recruits were as jovial as any and were glad to be the means of prying open the eyelids of their weary brothers and walking them back to the hall to keep up the dancing. By this means the original crowd of Station boys who went to Elk City reimbursed their exchequers, besides having another good time. There were but few women present at this great dance, most of the dancing being by the men themselves. The memory of that dance will never fade."

ROBINSON'S LOST MINES.

In its issue of July 16, 1897, the Lewiston Teller gives the following interesting account of the Robin- son affair, which at the time and for many years afterward created much excitement in this section of the west. There have been many different versions of the story, but the following is said to contain the substance matter of this famous excitement :

"Robinson. the Fraud, occasioned the greatest quartz excitement that ever prevailed in north Idaho. This man was first outfitted by certain citizens of Lewiston to prosecute an ordinary prospecting tour in the Bitter Root mountains in 1866. He was a man of shrewdness and he displayed no little knowledge of mineralogy. He had been in the quartz mines of central Idaho and, perhaps, those of California. His practical experience qualified him for the peculiar career of fraud that made him famous.

"On the trip of 1866 he was accompanied by five or six local prospectors, some of whom are still living in the vicinity of Lewiston. The route taken was by way of the head of the Palouse and the Potlatch to Elk creek and the great white pine belt. When the party passed beyond the trails they decided that they were lost and gave more attention to trying to

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discover themselves than to the search for gold. After a few days of hardships the bewildered party arrived at the Clearwater at some point on the north fork. They were confused to such an extent that they did not know what water course they had found. Con- tention arose in the company about the course to be pursued and temporary separation followed. Robin- son took up the stream course. After a little he re- turned and descended the stream. It is now believed that he made the journey up the river in search of a cache of ore which he had deliberately secreted in the mountains for the purpose of imposing upon those who confided in him. But when he arrived in Lewis- ton he did not disclose his quartz. He passed on down the river to Alpowa and packed huis ore on horses to Walla Walla. It is now believed that the ore which caused this rush was assorted from a mine in Idaho City and packed over to the Clearwater for fraudulent purposes. The prospecting tour was made for the purpose of giving weight to the story he told and the apparently aimiess wanderings, while 'lost were planned to afford mysterious surroundings for the false story of a rich strike. Robinson, however, did not attempt to impose upon his friends in Lewis- ton. He wisely planned to go farther away from home to appeal to the credulity of mining men. He began his confidence game in San Francisco. There he sought the richest men in the city, men who should have been proof against the wiles of an adventurer. Men of prominence were victimized. He told them a story of hardships, adventure and deep mystery such as the gold brick swindler tells to his intended victim. "The man who possessed the secret of a hidden fortune was made the hero of a secret coterie. He was a social favorite for a whole happy winter season of fashion. All could secure an interest in the great mysterious mine by the payment in advance of a large sum of money. Robinson accumulated a small fortune by his fradulent representations during the winter. In the spring he started to lead the representatives of the company to the ledge. Among those who be- gan the journey to the Eldorado was Senator Hearst. News of the expedition, peddled secretly, gained wide circulation and an army of spies followed the trail of the gold seekers. Robinson took offense at what he called the betrayal of his secret by members of the company and sought every opportunity to plead lack of faith and a forfeiture of contract on the part of paid-up members of his company. Aside from the plea of justification for the abandonment of the search he feigned sickness and discontinued his leadership. He gave to Senator Hearst and others maps of the route traveled and the pretended location of the mine. The journey was undertaken without Robinson, but it was finally abandoned without results. News of the great discovery spread widely and an army of men was abroad all that fall. Every independent party professed that it knew some secret clew to the exact location of Robinson's ledge, which in fact never ex- isted. The parties who 'grubstaked' Robinson on the occasion of his professed discovery went from Lewis- ton to claim their rights. They went with evidence

of a partnership and with big navy revolvers to enforce their rights, made miners' laws by custom. Lewiston merchants and professional men plunged into the mountains, organized to protect their mutual interests in the claims located by their agent the year before. They never found the claims and Robinson, like the Arab, stole away.

This chief of wildcatters next appeared in the effete east. Among the conservative New Englanders he found as many and as easy victims as in San Fran- cisco. He repeated his success and doubled his for- tune. In the sweet springtime he again entered upon the work of conducting a company to the lost mines of the Bitter Roots. Again he was followed and watched. Even the victims of the previous year were eager to follow their deceiver to a second disappoint- ment. Again Robinson grew morose and threatening over the objectional camp followers. His eastern patrons were more easily controlled than the Califor- nia company. Robinson could scare them into submis- sion by the fear of Indians and even wild beasts. The howl of a lonesome coyote or a lost burro would silence their grumbling like a dark closet will over-awe a cranky infant. Hon. E. B. True was a member of Robinson's New England party. He relates a story of a night of terror. The party was camped one night on a lonely mountain when a frightful noise was heard, It came nearer and nearer. If True's account of his own sensations may be taken as a criterion, the hor- ror of that night could not be depicted. The un- earthly noise lett no doubt in the minds of the men from Boston that a terrible mountain monster was approaching. It came very near and True tried to find his gun, but he was paralyzed with fright and could not move. The beast lingered near all night and terror reigned unabated. In the morning it was dis- covered that a little Mexican mule had joined the pack horses.

"Soon after this incident Robinson disappeared, frightened, probably, not by the voice of the little mule, but by the mutterings of discontent and hints of threats of vengeance. He made two fortunes from one sack of ore and a good story. Hundreds of prospector's have hunted for the Robinson ledge and they are continuing the search to this day. The fact is the ore was taken from a mine near Idaho City and Robinson never discovered the fabled ledge.

MOONLIGHT ON LAKE COEUR D'ALENE.

Slow rose the silver moon o'er Coeur d'Alene, The fairest vision human eye hath seen; When nature sits enthroned, sublinie and grand- The sweetest scene from her artistic hand. Majestic framework bounds the lovely view, Beneath the canopy of Heaven's blue, Clothed in the moonlight's soul-inspiring sheen, And over all, God's ever matchless green.

Slowly, yet higher, rose the full orbed moon Until, serene, she reached her midnight noon; The stellar gems their feebler rays withdrew And left their duty to the brighter few. Entranced, I listened for the voiceless song- That hymn of intense silence which the throng On night's broad plain in concert sing and shine -- "The hand that made us is indeed Divine."

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Sweet lakelet ! o'er thy crystal bosom flies A radiance that dazzling charms our eyes ; For o'er thy mountain framework far and wide Night's glorious queen pours forth her silver tide. Sanctum sanctorum of great nature's fane How sweet to stand within these walls again In night's calm hour and reverently raise A silent song in our Creator's praise. -George Stafford in New York Commercial.

The following little poem, dedicated to the Coeur d'Alene's pioneer miners, appeared in the Coeur d'Alene Sun, published at Murray, December 25, 1886:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Build us a matchless, golden craft ; Rig it with silver sails ; On Fortune's sea we now sail free, Wafted by favoring gales. Build us new lines of travel To quickly cross the plain ; We'll load the cars with golden bars,- The wealth of Coeur d'Alene.

Erect for all a stately hall, Where labor's sons can rest ; The old log hut is now too small To greet each friend and guest. So, when at Christmas time we're found, Old friends to entertain, We'll pass the cheering camp around And toast the Coeur d'Alene.

Faint heart ne'er won fair lady yet,- A proverb never old ; Ambition leads the miner on When searching for his gold. I.abor is good fortune's key, Each nerve and sinew strain. 'Twill soon unlock the golden rock Concealed in Coeur d'Alene.

Our Christmas carol sounds aloud The miner's just reward ; A' mansion now he occupies, Won by his labor hard. Emblems of toil adorn his home, Where peace and plenty reign, 'Tis decked with gold and silver too,- The fruits of Coeur d'Alene. -J. S. L.

Charles Mead, a resident of Murray for a number of years, contributed the following poems to the Mur- ray Sun, in which they appeared at different times during the winter of 1901-02. They are considered of sufficient worth to merit reproduction in this work.

THE MAGIC OF PLACER GOI.D.

What magic was there that reared in a night A city of tents and huts, And gashed the land so fair to the sight With tunnels and shafts and cuts? What magic was there that drew such a crowd, Undeterred by the heat or cold. The rich, the poor, the weak and the proud- But the magic of placer gold ?

What lures men away from friends and home To the perils of land and sea, Makes most of the wanderers ever to roam Where the greatest of dangers may be? What leads men away in the flush of their youth, To be prematurely made old,

But the love of adventure and gain, forsooth, And the magic of placer gold?

What blazed the trail o'er mountain and plain To this beautiful western land, Smoothing the rough of the Rockies' chain For the following pilgrim band? What peopled the West with its sturdy race, But the young, the brave and the bold, Who quickened the world to its greatest pace, Through the magic of placer gold?

SONG OF THE MOUNTAINEER.

A life where the mountains range highest, Close by a snow-crowned peak, Where the earth and the sky approach nighest, And the clouds and the world oft meet ; Where the winds through the pines softly moaning The song of its long unrest,

And the trees reply ever groaning, When swayed at the gale's behest.

Way up where the cool, limpid fountains Gush from the towering crags, The nectar God gives to the mountains, Pure and unsullied by dregs ; Where the odor of balsam and heather Make fragrant the warm summer air, And vine-tangled thickets of cedar Oft hid the fierce congar's lair.

O the joy of the long, summer evening, As the sun sinks down to its rest, The trees all aglow with its gleaming And the crags all gilt to their crest.

The moon proudly soars o'er the summits, The evergreens hask in its light, And night birds warble sweet sonnets, Fit requiem to the night.

A home where the deep, mighty gorges Rend the iron-ribbed cliffs in twain, And the wild, swirling flood ever forges Its way to the hot, reeking plain. Way up where the sky comes the nighest And man to his Maker draws near, Up where the mountains range highest, Is the song of the mountaineer.

SALMON RIVER,-SOUNDS OF THE NIGHT.

Lewiston Teller.

I heard the tones of voices in the night, Nor any lips save mine to utter sound, Beside a river in its flight Through canyons dark, abysmally profound ; But I may not repeat the words they uttered, And I may not repeat their whispers fluttered.

And first said I, "It is the river dashing All fretfully o'er hidden, golden sands, It is the deep-toned sound of sullen lashing, Surely o'er treasure out of reach of hands ; And waters whirling by the deep immersion Of ponderous boulders from some far dispersion."

And among the voices interluding Were the strains of chanting, fine and far, Chiming of sweet bells, and then intruding Came the voices-as a shooting star Draws the attention from the twinkling mazes Of slow, moving stars, of one who gazes.

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Then said I. "It is the pine tree whispers. Swayed by winds from off yon heights of snow," Never fairy chanters, baby lispers, Intonations where great organs blow. Imitate the pines when sighing, sighing, It was not their music dying, dying.

I heard the sound of voices in the night; And others were calling ever near Did make of me their subject; left and right They talked above me, as above a bier. Friends will exchange expressions of regretting, Recalling all good, the good the rest forgetting.

Oh, it was not the wail of Banshee weeping, Nor the wild hunter's hounds high overhead With cager yelpings in their whirlwinds sweeping, Fortelling desolation-from the dead! They were all kindly voices, and the belling, The softened chanting are all past my telling.

Perhaps the friends here lost to me forever, Do gather in this place without a fear Of human interruption, for the river Admits no place of habitation near ; And they have come to tell that over yonder They wait with songs when I cease to wander.

Perhaps it is determined I shall falter And pause to perish in the rugged land : That these were sent to watch from that high altar Whence every soul receiveth its command. And they but wait the time like those unsleeping, Who watch at night and have the dead in keeping.

But, come they hither to receive my spirit, Or to rehearse to me their heavenly song. Part of its ecstasy I shall inherit And while I linger, be it brief or long, And when 'tis bidden, they shall see me dying, Ready and tranquil, not with tears and sighing. -L. A. OSBORNE.

Salmon River, Idaho.

IDAHO.

Tribute from an Unknown Author.

Let others sigh for orange groves, Where warmer sunbeams shine, The lofty mountains freedom loves And freedom's choice is mine. I sigh not for the southern clime Where tropic roses blow, Give me the pine-clad hills sublime, The hills of Idaho.

Here many a crystal streamlet clear, Flows from its mountain home ; And on its banks the peaceful deer Are free and fearless roam; And beautiful in evening still, To mark the sunset glow Rest on some distant snow-crowned hill That towers in Idaho.

Though commerce rears no cities proud, Though wealth has here no shrine, Though fashion draws no servile crowd, A prouder boast is thine. Thy sons are fearless, free and bold, Thy daughters pure as snow ; For honor, truth and beauty hold The homes of Idaho.

And I do love thee, mountain land, Though not a son of thine. For me thy scenes have something grand In every rugged line ; For I was born among the hills And reared where tempests blow. And so my soul with rapture thrills To hail thee, Idaho.

O, may thy children ever be To one another true, And, blessed with peace and harmony, Their upward paths pursue ; Now linked unto thy sister states, Thy star with theirs shall glow And tell what glory yet awaits The youthful Idaho.

PIONEER BAR OF THE COEUR D'ALENES.

In no pioneer mining camp was there ever gathered, perhaps. a brighter coterie of men learned in the law than in the Coeur d'alenes. The pioneer lawyers were men of exceptional experience and ability and not a few among them have won their way . into national prominence because of their unusual abilities. Few new camps were more widely or better advertised, and the result was that scores of exceptional men in almost every walk of life were carried westward by the newly constructed Northern Pacific railroad, drawn to the new gold fields by the irresistible fascination that placer gold possesses.

As is generally the case in such places litigation soon arose, an almost certain indication of a wealthy region, and the services of those who had toiled over sinttous, snow-drifted mountain trails and carefully picked their way through dense forests with perhaps half a dozen law books and a few dozen sheets of fools- cap packed on their backs were called upon to adjust the differences. The Coeur d'Alene Sun says that the first litigant in the camp was Mark Cooney, who brought suit in March, 1884, to recover possession of the Cooney placer, near the King. . He was compelled to leave the camp in search of Judge Norman Buck, then judge of the first judicial district of Idaho Ter- ritory. This officer he found at Lewiston, and finally prevailed upon him to hold a session of court in Sho- shone county, at Eagle City. As soon as the judge could make arrangements he came into the camp and hield the session requested. Many cases were tried. all of them earnestly contested. for legal talent was plentiful. Cooney, it should be said, won his case. United States Senator Weldon B. Heyburn was one of the first lawyers to locate in the camp and none has been a more familiar figure in this section since. He has been actively engaged in the practice of law in Shoshone county for twenty years, and has been identi- fied with all the important litigation concerning min- ing titles in the Coettr d'Alenes.

Speaking of his associates in those early days, inany of whom are still in the Coeur d'Alenes, Sen- ator Heyburn says :

"Hon. William H. Claggett commenced his ex- perience in Virginia City, Nevada, in the earliest days of that mining camp. He was an intimate aequain- tance of Mark Twain, who was at that time a news-

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paper reporter at Virginia City. Mr. Claggett was ambitious for the nomination to congress from Neva- da, but failed in this desire and shortly after his de- feat removed to Montana, then a portion of Idaho. The trip was made in the customary pioneer manner. across the plains and mountains in a rude wagon. With him went his family. In recognition of his re- gard for the new home he named one of his dangh- ters Idaho. He remained in the portion afterward or- ganized into the state of Montana, and represented that territory in congress. Failing of re-election he next moved to the Black Hills in Dakota, where he was a candidate for congress against Judge Bennett. He was unable to receive the party's endorsement, so ran as an independent candidate, with the result that he was defeated. Thence he came to Idaho, having remained a short time in Montana, and visited Colorado and Oregon with a view of investigating the desirability of those places as a home. He reached the Coeur d'Alenes in the early days of 1884 and was identified with all the heavy litigation concerning the mines in this section for about sixteen years. In the early 'nineties he claimed election to the United States senate from Idaho, but was not seated. Again he made the contest. before a legislature composed of Demo- crats, Populists, Silver Republicans and one Republi- can. Henry Heitfeldt defeated him, after which his life was not an active one because of ill health, which resulted in his death, during the year 1902, in the city of Spokane.

"Another distinguished member of the bar in the pioneer days was Frank Ganahl, a man of exceptional learning and natural ability. A graduate of Harvard law school, he went to California in the early days, and was associated with the men and events that made it famous in the annals of mining and frontier life. In the spring of 1884 he came to Murray, Idaho, and was actively engaged as attorney in nearly all of the important litigation in the Coeur d'Alenes almost up to the time of his death, which occurred in Spokane in 1901.

"Another of the more prominent in the legal pro- fession was the Hon. A. E. Mayhew, who came from Montana to Idaho in the spring of 1884. He had a long and active carcer, politically and professionally, in Montana, was a pioneer in Colorado in the Pike's Peak excitement, and an active participant in the troubles during the early days of Kansas. After com- ing to the Coeur d'Alene he immediately took a lead- ing place and for eight years presided on the district bench. He still lives in Walalce, where he is engaged in the practice of law.

"Albert Allen, now a resident of Spokane, was also one of the pioneers of the Coeur d'Alene country. He is a man of keen legal ability and a sound lawyer. "W. W. Woods was another pioneer lawyer. com- ing from Salt Lake City. He is a lawyer of distin- guished ability and high personal character. Mr. Woods still practices law in the Coeur d'Alenes, re- siding at Wallace, the county seat.

"These are not all of the, pioneer lawyers. Other men of ability and high character participated in the

legal events of those times and the litigation concern- ing titles to the mines of the Coeur d'Alenes is among the most famous mining litigation with which the courts could have at any time dealt."

EARLY DAYS IN MOSCOW.

The pioneers of Moscow were a busy people, but an opportunity to "have fun" at anyone's expense was never allowed to go unimproved. When there was a lull in business, diversion in some form was always found. Illustrative of the manner in which spare mo- ments were sometimes occupied, the following inci- dent is related by a pioneer of the 'seventies: An old man named Chapman lived in Moscow, who was a constant drinker. One evening he had an alterca- tion in the office of the hotel with a barber, a recent

arrival, who at this time was somewhat under the in- fluence of liquor. Words came to blows and in the "mill" the barber dealt Chapman a blow on the head which stretched him on the floor. The force of the blow and the effects of the liquor completely paralyzed Chapman, and he lay on the floor, to all appearances. dead. Some one remarked to the barber that he had probably killed the old man. A few moments later it was noticed that the barber had disappeared, and it was supposed that, fearing he had killed Chapman, he had escaped from town and had probably gone to the mountains.

A doctor had been hastily summoned to examine Chapman ; it was found he was breathing, and it was decided that the combined effects of the blow he had received on the head and the liquor he had been drink- ing had put him in a "dead drunk" condition, from which he would in time recover. Chapman was put to bed up-stairs and about this time it was accidentally discovered that the barber was hiding in the garret of the hotel. It was concluded to keep him in ignor- ance of Chapman's condition and a professed friend mnade occasional trips to the garret, reporting the in- jured man's critical conditon, and, thinking for a joke to keep the thoroughly frightened barber all night in the garret, reported his victim gradually growing worse, and, about midnight, reported him dead. At this the barber of course became thoroughly alarmed.

In the meantime others were being made victims of the practical jokers. Chapman was regarded about town as quite a character, and his present startling re- semblance to a corpse made it an easy matter to convince any one that he was really dead. Word was quietly sent out that Chapman had been killed by the barber, whereupon men from the business houses, from the streets, and from various resorts, dropped in to take a look at the corpse. Late in the evening a number of the callers were asked to stay and "sit up" with the body, which they agreed to do. There were several composing the party of watchers and among them a man who was not especially impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, being at the time a little under the influence of liquor himself. About three o'clock in the morning, when all were beginning to get drowsy and were moving about the room to keep

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awake, this man stepped up to the bedside, and, hold- ing a bottle of whiskey toward its occupant, said : "Have a drink, Chap?" The supposedly dead man im- mediately arose to a sitting posture and extended his hand for the bottle. The consternation of the watch- ers can be better imagined than described. The bottle of whisky was dropped from the nerveless grasp of the man who was offering it and fell to the floor with a crash, and at the same time there was a mad rush out of the door and down the stairway. When "the

joke" was discovered, the victims accepted the situa- tion good naturedly and bided their time to "get even."

On repairing to the garret in the morning to re- lease the barber from his prison and "calm his fears," he could not be found, and it was afterwards learned that some time during the night he had slipped down from his hiding place, hastily collected a few per- sonal effects, and fled from town. He never did come back, and no one ever knew how far he ran or where he eventually landed.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 294

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