An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 45

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 45
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 45
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 45

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).

The same paper also tells us that Selah val- . ley, where a year previous there was scarcely any- thing but sage brush, had witnessed a remarkable settlement during the twelvemonth; over thirty- six thousand fruit trees had been set out, and the country was green with grain, alfalfa, hops ard trees; also that the whole country was rapidly settling and developing.

When hop-picking commenced, however, the results of the depression were made apparent in the army of tramps and vagabonds which entered the country and persuaded charitably disposed persons to supply them food until they could obtain employment, then began rioting and inter- fering with those who were more industrious than they. Their hostilities were directed more particularly against the Chinamen, who in several instances were driven from their work. In some cases also the employers of the Chinamen were threatened and their property made the object of outrageous vandalism. Some of the vagabonds attempted to turn a dishonest penny by selling liquor to the hundreds of Indian hop pickers con- gregated on Sundays in North Yakima, but Deputy United States Marshal Frank Maguire and his assistants were too vigilant. Twenty- two of the would-be law-breakers were arrested and twelve of them sent to Walla Walla for trial. Even this did not break up the nefarious traffic, and later in the fall the people became so incensed that some of them talked of organizing a popular tribunal to deal with the offending "bootleggers." It was said that from Yakima City to Zillah the brush and foothills were full of the dastardly law-breakers and their degraded and debanched patrons; also that the latter were becoming a menace to travelers and an annoyance to all lovers of peace and order. The United States officials were active and efficient. As a result of their labors, a novel procession filed down to the depot on December 4th. It consisted of forty- four men accused of selling liquor to Indians, about sixty witnesses and fourteen United States marshals and deputies, all bound for Walla Walla, where the trials were to be had. The departure of the forty-four supposed offenders was hailed with delight by long-suffering citizens.

Of a much more serious nature was the trouble of May, 1894, when the peaceful Yakima valley was made the scene of turmoil and violence, and even bloodshed. It will be remembered that in those troublesome times a considerable army of the unemployed were induced, by the preaching of a demagogue named Coxey, to think that they could in some way better their condition by migrating to Washington, D. C., and appearing in person before the president and members of congress. Being without means to procure trans- portation on the railroads or to subsist themselves while en route, they had no other alternative than to beat their way after the fashion of the tramp and to eat the bread of charity, or the booty of pillaging forays. About the first follow- ers of Coxey to arrive in North Yakima came on May 3d, but they did not come in considerable numbers until the night of the 8th, when a large delegation entered the town and encamped by the city pound. Next morning the freight from the west brought in another delegation, and still others came afoot, on a hand car, and by a raft

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of ties wherewith they managed to descend the Yakima river. They said their intention was to take the eleven o'clock freight for Spokane, whither their brilliant soi disant "general" had gone before them in a Pullman car. There were also a dozen United States deputy marshals in North Yakima that morning, they having been sent to town in response to a requisition by the mayor.

The eleven o'clock freight was very reluctant to furnish free transportation to the regiment of vagabonds. It made one or two feints, but after running a couple of miles or so with the tops of the cars covered by self-styled industrials, it steamed back to the yards. The deputies and Sheriff Simmons urged the men to get off, show- ing them dispatches from headquarters directing that the train should be side-tracked unless they should do so, but they refused.

During the afternoon it became evident that serious trouble was to be anticipated. The Cox- eyites, angered on account of an encounter between a marshal and one of their number, began arming themselves with clubs. More deputies were sent for, and about five o'clock eleven arrived from the east. Two hours later more marshals were brought from Ellensburg and put off at the mill, the freight on which they arrived passing through the city at full speed. Then the train on which the Coxeyites were backed to the place where the deputy marshals had alighted and the latter climbed aboard. Again the train backed. It is said that the real reason for this movement was to get the indus- trials away from the influence of their local sym- pathizers, but the vagabonds on the car tops . thought they were to be taken back to Tacoma, and, being determined not to go westward, they rushed to the brakes. Then the fight commenced. It were vain to attempt detailed narration of what happened during the next few minutes or to try to fix responsibility for the tragedy that followed. The stories of spectators could not be harmo- nized, but it appears that a marshal on one of the cars attempted to force a Coxeyite away from the brake; that the other Coxeyites rushed to his assistance with clubs; that a marshal who was being overcome fired his revolver, and that sev- eral shots followed. Thereupon the train backed again and the Coxeyites jumped off or were clubbed off, leaving the train in possession of the marshals.

When the train was gone and the exctement had cooled, it was found that three "industrials" had received slight flesh wounds and that one other had broken an arm in his leap from the car, and still another an ankle; also that quite a num- ber were battered up with clubs. The casualties suffered by the marshals were a flesh wound in Chidester's leg and a severe wound in the person of Jolly, the bullet in the case of the latter enter- ing at the back and lodging among the intestines.

Deputy Marshal W. C. Chidester has left on record an account of the unfortunate affair in- dited as follows:

On the arrival of Mr. Minsch I explained matters to him, telling him the first thing we should do was to loosen the brakes which the 'wealers had set up in order to carry out our original intentions, namely, to back up the train to the bridge and there clear it. He instructed all the depu- ties to mount the cars and to see that the brakes were all cleared. In the meantime the citizens had congregated and were urging the men to resist the deputies iu loosening the brakes. Deputy Palmer, of South Prairie, assisted by several other deputies, freed three brakes, when one was recaptured and was again set by the 'wealers. About this time fifteen of the deputies were in the midst of the 'weal- ers, and on releasing the fourth brake they attacked Mr. Palmer and knocked him down. At the same time they attacked Mr. Jolly by striking him a vicious blow on the shoulders. I then jumped over on the car and tried to free Mr. Palmer by pulling the men off. I finally succeeded in doing so by striking one or two of them with a cane. 1 was then set upon by three of them, was thrown down and struck twice on the head while they endeavored to choke me. Mr. Palmer in the meantime had gone forward to the next car. At this time I saw several hand-to-hand fights with 'wealers who were using their clubs and slung-shots. Some of the citizens were stoning the deputies on the lower end of the train. In falling I caught one of my antagonists under me. He was a big Swede. The man on top of me caught my cane, at the same time secured my left hand, which enabled the man under me to work loose. As he arose to his knees, he dropped his club and pulled his pistol, seeing which I succeeded in raising upon my right knee with these men still on me. I then drew my pistol with my left hand, knocked up my opponent's gun, but before I could recover myself he had fired. The ball passed to my left and struck Jolly who was behind me. I then tried to shoot the Swede, but as I pulled the trigger the men who were still on top of me pulled my arm, knock- ing my hand down, sending the bullet through my left thigh. The Swede then jumped off the top of the car and the two men who had me down jumped off on the other side. The Swede's shot was not the first fired. He was between me and the citizens who were on the ground, and before he fired I saw the flash of a gun from a party either in a buggy or standing very close to it. There were in the neighborhood of fifteen shots fired, and upon investigation afterward it was found that not more than five shots were fired by the marshals, and I have reason to believe that they followed instructions given them before the engage- ment, which were that "no marshal was to use his pistol under any circumstances except when attacked, and then only when he saw his life was in danger." The whole affair did not last more than five minutes. Immediately on the firing of the first gun the commonwealers commenced dropping off the train in a haphazard manner. At this juncture the train began backing up, followed by the citi- zens and 'wealers, who were stoning the train and firing an occasional shot. But no shots were fired by the marshals from this time on. Mr. Jolly then exclaimed: "I'm shot." and I felt for the first time the blood trickling down my own leg.

On the night of May 10th about one hundred and twenty-five "industrials" took possession of two freight cars at Ellensburg and started down the railway toward North Yakima. They were met by a large force of armed deputies, who brought them to a halt by placing a rail across the track. The "industrials" started to run. They were fired upon by the marshals (who in doing so disobeyed orders), and were soon brought to a stand. The marshals claimed that the Cox-

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eyites also fired, a contention which was substan- tiated by the finding of two revolvers on the arrested men, one of which had evidently been used recently. Two of the men on the cars were wounded and had to be taken to the hospital, while the remainder, one hundred and twenty in number, were locked in the county jail.

These very regrettable encounters between the marshals and the misguided unfortunates and vagabonds who were following Coxey on his meaningless crusade caused great excitement and some bitterness of feeling in Yakima county. As a result of the first conflict forty-nine of the com- monwealers were arrested and locked in the city jail, and warrants were issued for a large num- ber of citizens who were charged with inciting the men to resist the law officers. All the accused were taken to Seattle for trial. After a tedious delay they were at length given a hear- ing, as a result of which the citizens, except two, were discharged. Twenty-nine of the Coxeyites were sentenced to serve sixty days each on the island.

The immediate effects of this trouble had only begun to wear off when misfortune of a radically different nature came to the people of the county. During the latter days of May the waters in the channels of river and stream rose to an unwonted height, causing much apprehension of impending damage on the part of everybody and occasioning considerable loss to those on the lowlands. Old settlers, and even the oldest Indians, claimed that the water had never been so high within the memory of living men. About fifty feet of piling at the north end of the Union Gap bridge was swept away; the Nelson bridge was damaged, and some smaller bridges and culverts were carried away.

"In the Selah valley and farther north," says the Herald, "there was much land submerged, and those living on the lowlands along the Yaki- ma were forced to abandon their homes. Along the Naches the damage to farms and gardens was severe. although the extent cannot now be told. William Lee, Jr., with one of the prettiest market gardens in Yakima, had his hopes for the season blotted out. Some fifteen or eighteen acres of garden at Fruitvale are under water, and there is no telling what damage was done to the young orchard until the waters recede. This is the same story that can be told of all the gardens from the county bridge for some miles up the Naches. It was a hard blow to a number who have been struggling to keep their heads above water, and now to have them ruthlessly pulled under again calls forth the sympathy of the com- munity.

"Freight train No. 54, which passed this point at six o'clock Sunday morning, May 27th, going east, met with an accident near Toppenish station which resulted in the death of Fireman Edward Morrell and injury to Engineer Charles Wirth.

About three miles west of Toppenish is a trestle crossing a slough, and while it appeared perfectly safe to the eye, the piling, which had been undermined by the backwater from the Yakima river, gave way as soon as it felt the weight of the train. Engineer Wirth was standing at the door of the cab, and when he realized that the struc- ture was giving way, he shouted to the fireman and jumped into the slough. How Wirth escaped is a mystery, as he must have struck one of the timbers, his back being seriously injured, and after the first excitement he could not move without great pain. The engine and a couple of cars dropped a distance of fifteen feet, pinning poor Morrell against the boiler head. His death must have been almost instantaneous, but it was several hours before the body was recovered. A wrecking train was brought down from Ellens- burg and is now engaged in clearing the wreck. Wirth is recovering.

During the early hours of the 3Ist of May it seemed that the worst from the freshets was over, but before night word reached North Yakima that the Moxee bridge was in danger. Men and teams were hastily gathered and put to work to save the structure if possible. Night and day they toiled until June 5th, seemingly fighting a losing battle, but at last the river gave up the struggle and the bridge was safe.

A memorable incident of this tronblous time was the terrible storm of June 2d. It was con- temporaneous with an exceedingly destructive cyclone, which swept over several connties of eastern Oregon, cansing the loss of a number of lives. Upon the storm in Yakima county, the Herald commented as follows:

Yakima doesn't mind a little wind; she isn't averse to an occasional shower, and thunder and lightning are nov- elties which are so rarely experienced as to have an attrac- tion ; but the good Lord deliver us from the combination of them all that swept down on us Saturday evening last, June 2d. No great amount of damage was done, but how we escaped so luckily is somewhat puzzling. The day had been warm and pleasant, and the first intimation of the coming storm was an immense whirlwind at the lower end of the Moxee. It gathered up leaves, paper and weeds in its capacious maw. Next a big, black cloud seemed to force itself through Union Gap, and before we were well aware what was coming, it broke upon us in all its virulent fury. It didn't come, as is usual with such storms, in little cupfuls and puffs of wind, but it shot out with a broadside that swayed and strained everything that offered an impedi- ment to its freedom of course. Great brick buildings stag- gered and shook, while some of the wooden houses took on a swaying motion and groaned as if in physical pain, Many of the balm trees, weakened by the boring of grubs. snapped in two like seasoned oat straws, while giant pop- lars of sturdy trunk were torn up by their roots and hurled across the streets. A couple of barns of indifferent con- struction were flattened to the ground, and two or three hop houses were mnoved from their foundations. Other damages were of a minor nature, and, best of all, no one was hurt. A little girl was blown head foremost into an irrigation ditch, but was pulled out by the feet.

After the first fury had been spent, the rain descended in sheets, the thunder sounded like heavy cannonading, and the lightning played all sorts of devilish pranks, mak-

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ing an electrical display as fascinating as it was fearful. Along the Northern Pacific in the vicinity of the Cascade tunnel the engineers were blinded by the almost continu- ous flash of empyrean flame, and every train was stopped for half an hour, not an engineer daring to move his engine, being unable to see and fearing to go sightlessly ahead. It was a grand and awful storm, but enough is as satisfying as a feast.

Any damage sustained by the crops was more than off- set by the benefits of the soaking rain. Some of the fruit, mostly that which was blighted, was blown down, but the thinning process was a good thing, as there is all the fruit left that the trees can well bear up under, and the quality will be better in consequence. In the hop yards the damage was slight. Several barns in the country were blown down and the dwelling ot Ross Mars, in Selah valley, was shifted from its foundation a few feet.

The storm Saturday was followed by one Sunday even- ing which, if not so severe or of so long duration, was cer- tainly a hummer for a time, and it is reported to have done some damage in the orchards along the Naches. Its most disagreeable feature was the accompanying hail which pelted down in a lively manner, cutting the hop leaves and knocking off the fruit. Again, the scare was greater than the harm done. Moxee valley suffered some.

In Yakima considerable work will be required to put the bridges in condition for use. The one across the Naches is the only one that will need extensive repairs, and its safe- tyw as due to the splendid cribbing work performed by the railroad company. The smaller bridges will generally re- quire new approaches. Under the farther span of the Union Gap bridge but two piles remain. The Moxee bridge is practically out of danger, but it vibrates length- wise very perceptibly. The channel of the river has changed materially, and at the bridge it has shifted about two hundred feet to the east. The river is now falling rapidly. The storm was general throughout the Northwest, and millions of dollars' worth of damage has been done along the Columbia river.

One other unfortunate occurrence of the year 1894 must be chronicled in these pages. About one o'clock in the morning of June 18th a das- tardly tragedy was enacted in North Yakima, the victim being Nathan S. Bagwell, a sporting man and gambler, said to have been one of the best of his class. The report of the gun and a groan from the victim brought W. S. Davidson to the scene. Davidson was soon joined by D. E. Smith, Matthew Bartholet and others, who found on investigation that Bagwell had not been robbed and that his revolver had no empty shells in it. The officers present concluded that the man had been murdered, and in this opinion the coroner's jury concurred.

Late in August, Bagwell's concubine, Mrs. Philomene Brassard, also Omar Harvey, Frank La Vergne and son Louis, J. H. King, a colored man, and L. D. Joslyn were arrested and charged with complicity in the murder either as principals or accessories. Louis La Vergne and J. H. King were discharged without trial, but the others were held without bonds to appear at the next term of the superior court.

The case came on in October, La Vergne being first placed in jeopardy. The testimony of one witness at least was quite sensational. Omar Harvey, an inoffensive-looking boy of nineteen, swore that he had himself fired the fatal shot, but had been coerced to do so by La Vergne, who

threatened to kill him if he refused. A portion of this boy's direct testimony was thus outlined in a local paper of the time:

Witness continued: Prior to June 17th he had worked with La Vergne on the Moxee bridge. He had talked with La Vergne regarding the killing of Bagwell. The first conversation was about the middle of May, when he was living on the north side of Third street and the east side of the railroad track. La Vergne then said that he had a plan to make some money ; that he had been watching a man for some time who carried considerable money and jewelry. Afterward at the bridge they had a further talk, and wit- ness then learned that the man was "Tex" Bagwell. La Vergne said that Mrs. Bagwell's former husband had offered him $2,000 if he would put Tex out of the way, and that if witness would do the work he should have half that amount. La Vergne further said that he had done the same kind of work before and could get away with it all right. Afterward La Vergne and witness, with La Vergne's brother-in-law, went hunting, when the same line of conversation was continued. Witness saw La Vergne Sunday afternoon, when the latter said: "Be ready to- night." Witness told him that if he wanted any work of that kind done he had better do it himself. Afterward they talked about a hay contract. He stayed down town a while and then went home. La Vergne came after him about nine o'clock and they went down town. Spent con- siderable time around and took several drinks at Dooley's and Shardlow & McDaniel's. Saw Bagwell at the corner saloon ; he was playing billiards; fifteen or twenty minutes afterwards witness started for home, but was stopped near Luther's store by La Vergne, who had a bottle. They took a drink and then went east in the alley by the side of the Hotel Atherton and Mason's Opera House, coming out on Second street, then going south to Coffin Brothers' store and then to the alley in the rear and entered Lee's gate. They then went to the place of concealment in the shadow next to Lee's store, and La Vergne left and brought back a gun and handed it to witness. La Vergne then left, going north. "When he placed me there in the corner of the lot he told me not to leave. Feared that if Ididn't do as he told me and made a failure of the shooting, I would lose my own life." Witness waited about twenty minutes or half an hour, when Bagwell came along and he fired. Witness then ran away and hid the gun under the sidewalk near Coffin's store. Then went home. Admitted that he was intoxi- cated to some extent on the night of the murder. Never asked La Vergne for any money as promised and was fully aware that he had committed a crime for which he would probably hang.

Of course, the defendant flatly denied the truth of these statements, but the evidence was too strong, and La Vergne was found guilty of man- slaughter. He was sentenced to twenty years, the judge in passing sentence virtually censuring the jury for not finding a verdict of murder in the first degree.

Omar Harvey remained in jail for several weeks, then pleaded guilty of manslaughter. An arrest of judgment in his case being entered, he was granted his liberty and forthwith left the town. The other accused persons were never brought to trial.

But 1894 was not a year of unmixed disaster in Yakima county, notwithstanding hard times and floods and tragedies. A very successful state fair was held, the first of a series; the Wide Hollow ditch was completed by the Yakima Val- ley Canal Company, abundant crops were raised, and altogether the people were better off than

YAKIMA COUNTY PRIZE FRUIT.

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those in most other parts of the Northwest. It must be admitted, however, that the exceedingly dull times obtaining everywhere put a tight brake upon the wheels of progress in the Yakima valley.

A striking illustration of the general financial depression in the state in 1895 was furnished by the action of the fair commissioners in deciding to hold no state fair that year. The appropria- tion was meager, only twenty-five hundred dol- lars, and the dates were in coincidence with those of the Oregon state and Spokane expositions. The commissioners believed that these facts, coupled with the prevailing depression, would render it impossible to hold a creditable exposi- tion.

The sequel to this decision of the commission- ers illustrates the courage of the Yakima people and their determination to conquer the tendency to stagnation then obtaining. They took up at once the matter of holding an agricultural exposi- tion of a more local character and soon had their preparations under way. "The times are very hard," they said, "and money is scarce, but little money is required, and there is all the more rea- son in the depressed condition of business why we should make a mighty effort to show the peo- ple of the state that Yakima is not dead yet." Their labors were abundantly rewarded. The fair was held October 7th to 12th, inclusive, and besides its advertising effect and the pleasure and profit it furnished the people, it paid all expenses and left a balance of eight hundred and fifty dol- lars in the treasury. One of its principal attrac- tions was the Indian celebration of October 9th, at which were present Okanogans, Colvilles, Umatillas, Nez Perces, Cayuses, Yakimas, Puyal- lups, Klickitats, British Columbia Indians, etc., in large numbers. Chiefs Moses, Peo and White Swan were in attendance. Credit for the success of this exhibition is due to all the people, but more especially to the following officers: O. A. Fechter, president; G. G. Brownell, secretary; H. K. Sinclair, treasurer; Edward Whitson, A. B. Wyckoff, J. G. Lawrence, E. F. Benson, W. H. Redman, Frank Horsley, F. E. Thompson, A. L. Aiken, M. Stanton, Nelson Rich and Robert McCook.

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 45

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146