An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 57

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Washington > Skagit County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 57
USA > Washington > Snohomish County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 57

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Those who were accused of the murder were John White, James Robinson, the father of the family, a man over sixty years old, William Rob- inson, George Robinson and John Livingston, an adopted son of the family.

John White, the first one tried, was arraigned on June 19th. He was defended by Junius Rochester and A. D. Warner of Seattle, W. Il. R. MeMartin and W. C. Morris of Snohomish, while the prosecu- tion was in the hands of Prosecuting Attorney L. C. Whitney, and his deputy, A. D. Austin. The trial lasted twenty-two days, resulting at last in a verdict of murder in the first degree. White was sentenced to be hanged on December 22d. A gallows was erected and all preparations made, but a stay of proceedings was granted at the last moment and later another trial was held. The case was not finally concluded until March 1, 1895, when he pleaded guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in the state penitentiary at Walla Walla.

The second trial, which occurred in September, 1893, was that of James Robinson, indicted for the murder of George Schultz. Prosecuting Attorney

Whitney was assisted in this trial by Colonel T. V. Eddy. The prisoner was defended by James Ham- ilton Lewis, who worked on the feelings of the jury so successfully that a verdict acquitting the de- fondant was rendered. Robinson was immediately rearrested, however, for the murder of Frederick Smith. He was tried again in the spring of 1894, being defended this time by Hon. G. A. Allen, and was found guilty of murder in the second degree.

On October 18, 1893. the trial of the two boys George Robinson and John Livingston, was begun. Judge Whitney was again assisted by Colonel T. V. Eddy, and A. D. Warner appeared for the defense. The result was a conviction of manslaughter and a sentence to eighteen years in the penitentiary. The last trial was that of William Robinson, who was also found guilty of manslaughter and sen- tenced to eighteen years in the penitentiary.

The interest manifested in these trials was in- tense, and day after day the court room was crowded to its fullest capacity. Accounts of the proceedings were published far and wide. The time occupied by the series of trials was seventy-eight days. The prosecution was conducted in a very able manner by Prosecuting AAttorney Whitney and his assis- tants, and Judge Denney presided in a manner that was eminently just and highly satisfactory. The strain of these long trials was very severe and it was a great relief to have them concluded.

The subjoined statement of the results of the assessor's estimate will convey an accurate con- ception of the general condition of financial affairs in 1893, the panie year. The report, submitted August 14th, showed the total listed value of land to be $5.028,145, and the improvements $361,590, making the total of lands and improvements $5,389,- :35. The value of all town lots was $2.112,984 and the improvements on them $642,521, making a total of $3,385,508. The value of all personal prop- erty amounted to $1,828,230, of railroad tracks and rights of way, $231.238. Therefore the total value of all property in the county was $11.435,211.

The value of incorporated towns was as follows : Everett had surpassed Snohomish and was now the largest in the county with a total taxable property of the value of $3,031,920. Snohomish came next with $1,138,197. Then followed Edmonds, with $161,496, and Marysville, with $105.212.

The total taxable property for 1893 was $10,- 115,180, while that of the previous year was $9.933,- 822. showing an increase. in spite of the hard times, of $241,258. The increase since 1890 was very great, the valuation at that time being only a trifle over four million dollars.

In addition to the general disturbing conditions the Pacific Northwest suffered specifically from floods. That was the year in which the Columbia and its tributaries passed all previous records for high water and strewed their shores with wreck- age of farms, towns and fortunes. The Columbia

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floods were due to the melting snows of the high mountains and did not come till summer. The Hoods on Puget sound were earlier and we find that the winter of 1893-4 was marked with disasters from an overplus of water. The farmers on the low lands suffered especially, in many cases fences being carried away, debris scattered over the fields, fall seeding spoiled and other damage done. The marsh lands around Snohomish City were over- flowed several times during that winter, causing loss each time.

With the opening of spring there was something of a revival in business in Snohomish county, the irrepressible American instinct of progress evi- dently struggling to assert itself. In February the great concentrator of the United Concentration Company of Monte Cristo and Everett was com- pleted at the former place, and the superintendent of the mill. W. C. Nicholson, rapidly got things into shape so that work could be begun. This enter- prise meant a great deal in the development of the great mines of the Monte Cristo district.

Public improvements also were in progress, among them work on the road across the marsh near Snohomish City, which had been begun before but had been delayed. Messrs. Morgan and Will- iams took the matter in hand and circulated a sub- scription paper, by which quite a sum was raised, the county also appropriating a generous amount. This road had long been a great necessity and its benefits were correspondingly great. Events like these produced a noticeable brightening in condi- tions, though the times continued dull enough.

The steamboat trade on the Snohomish, Sky- komish and Snoqualmie rivers was quite brisk. There were seven steamboats that made regular trips, and though none of them were very large the aggregate business done by them amounted to con- siderable. The largest of the seven was the Mable. run by Captain E. A. Swift between Snohomish and Seattle, capacity something over one hundred tons. The Lilly was towing for the logging firm of Mosher & McDonald. The Clara Brown made three trips a week between Snohomish and Shelton, stopping at Seattle, Tacoma and other points. She was in charge of Captain Hansen. The up-river freight was handled by the Echo, Captain MeMil- lan, and the Mame, Captain Pinkerton, the latter of which had once made a trip to within a mile and a half of the falls of the Snoqualmie, the farthest any steamboat had ever gone on that river. There were two boats plying between Snohomish and Everett, the Katherine, and the Mikado, the former being run by Captain J. C. O'Conner. A steamboat was operated by Great Northern contractors, carrying supplies from Snohomish to Sultan.

Trade was picking up in all directions and the business outlook was brightening very perceptibly. All the shingle mills of the county were starting up, the demand for labor was greater, money was not

so tight, and the prospect in general was very en- couraging.

The year 1894 will go down in history as the year of the "Great Strike," for the entire United States was for months in the throes of the series of commotions radiating from the great earthquake centers of Chicago. The waves from the central area of disturbance began to shake the industries of Puget sound in the summer and we glean from the Tribune of July 7th that the local lodge of the American Railway Union, embracing the section men of Hartford, McMurray, Snoqualmie and Woodinville, went on a strike. They met in Snoho- mish, forty-two members being present. After much discussion, many of the men being reluctant to quit work, the question of striking was put to vote and it was decided to do so by only one ma- jority. T. C. Shields, a bridge tender, immediately withdrew from the union, preferring to hold his job. The strikers were quiet and orderly, no attempt being made to prevent non-union men taking their places.

Among the miscellaneous events worthy of pre- servation during this time was a sad accident which occurred on the evening of July 11th. Miss Jennie Jordan, a teacher at the Lake Stevens school, and Miss Olive Illman. the daughter of W. H. Illman, ex-county commissioner, were bathing in Lake Stevens. Neither of them could swim. Suddenly Miss Illman found herself in deep water, and her companion, Miss Jordan, cried for help and went as fast as possible to assist her. The cry was heard by Professor Sinclair, out rowing with two ladies, who immediately went to the place and man- aged to seize Miss Jordan as she was going down for the third time. The ladies held her while he dove for Miss Illman. It was several minutes before her body was recovered. Miss Jordan fi- nally regained consciousness, but all efforts to revive her unfortunate companion were unsuccessful.

At this period in its history, Snohomish county was in the throes of the county-seat removal strug- gle. Business had tended to center at Everett on account of the wealth of men interested there and its magnificent location-in many ways the finest on Puget sound. not excepting the Queen City and the City of Destiny. Ambitious for all they could get, the people of the new city naturally had aspira- tions to enjoy that priority which results, or is supposed to result, from the location of the county seat. hence the struggle. We shall endeavor to give as succinctly as possible, in what may be called the first chapter of it, that taking place in 1894, the events connected with this long struggle between Everett and Snohomish.

The question began to be discussed early in the spring of the year just mentioned. Many people in the county had in some way conceived the idea that Snohomish took no interest in anything beyond her own limits or in anything that did not advance

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her own ends, and for this reason they became eager to have the county seat changed to the younger town of Everett. Everett also claimed the right to have the county seat because of its being the largest city in the county, and because of its fine location and prospects of becoming an important commercial center. The Snohomish peo- ple, on the other hand, raised many objections to the proposed removal, the most important of them being that Snohomish was situated in the center of population and was more easily accessible than Everett, also that the cost of removal would be a great expense to the county, and that the court house which had been built only a few years before and was valued at over fifty thousand dollars would be lost and another one would have to be built at a large cost. To meet this last objection the people of Everett voted by a large majority to bond the city for thirty thousand dollars which they proposed to apply to the building of a court-house.

In the county election held in November the principal issue was the question of removal. It oc- cupied the minds and thoughts of the voters to a degree that no county question had ever done before, and every phase of it was discussed and rediscussed with the utmost thoroughness. The fight throughout was a very bitter one. Both sides did everything in their power to gain votes, and miany means were employed which in a less bitter campaign would not have been resorted to.

After the election it was claimed that a large number of the votes cast in the Port Gardner pre- cinct in favor of Everett were fraudulent, and D. S. Swerdfiger, the auditor and a member of the canvassing board, refused to deliver the returns for counting. He gave as his reason that he was convinced that the votes were fraudulent and that by allowing them to be counted he would become a party to the fraud, which he did not propose to do. The Everett lawyers appealed to the superior court for a writ of mandamus compelling the votes to be counted, and after the case had been argued very ably and fully on both sides for some time the writ was granted. The Snohomish law- yers immediately gave notice of appeal to the su- preme court from that part of the writ applying to the votes on the county-seat question. They had no objection to other votes being counted.

On November 26th the canvassing board. com- posed of Judge Whitney and Quinton E. Friars of Everett and D. S. Swerdfiger of Snohomish. met for the vote counting. The votes on the county officers were read, but Swerdfiger refused to produce those on the county-seat question, say- ing that the matter had been appealed. He was overruled by the two other members. however, and the work of canvassing was begun, but Judge Sapp of Snohomish soon secured an injunction from the court prohibiting the canvassing of these votes, and the board adjourned.

Early in December the board again met to con- tinne the work of canvassing. At this meeting the Everett lawyers made the same allegations against South Snohomish that had previously been made by the Snohomish lawyers against Port Gardner district. When the returns from South Snohomish were presented by Auditor Swerdfiger, Judge Whitney refused to count them, saying that they were manifestly fraudulent. Friars moved that they be thrown out altogether, but Swerdfiger would not produce any other returns until these should have been counted. The other members of the board refused to do this and Swerdfiger applied for a writ of mandamus requiring them to do so. A writ was issued commanding them to show cause for their refusal to count the returns of South Snohomish, to which Sullivan, for Ever- ett, interposed a demurrer on various grounds but was over-ruled. The Everett lawyers applied for time in which to prepare their affidavits and were given two days, at the expiration of which the case came up for hearing. A number of witnesses were examined, one of whom, Robert Cairns. an election inspector, testified that the duplicate poll book of his precinct had been stolen from his house and also that he had been offered a sum of money to swear that the South Snohomish votes were fraudulent. This was flatly denied, however, by the man who was accused of offering the bribe. After consider- able argument the writ of mandamus was granted by the court and the board was obliged to proceed with the canvass.

Judge J. G. McClinton, of the superior court of Clallam county, who presided over these cases, was much impressed by the legal talent displayed. He said to a representative of the Leader, "I helieve there are no abler lawyers in the state than there were there." Everett was represented by cx-Gov- ernor L. K. Church, Judge A. K. Delaney, F. M. Brownell and N. D. Walling. all of Everett, and Judge Crowley and P. C. Sullivan of Tacoma. Snohomish was represented by Judge Sapp, Fred Lysons and S. Il. Piles, of Seattle.

At this point in the proceedings and after count- ing the returns from South Snohomish, which were unusually large, it seemed as though Snohomish would win, and the people of that town were over- joyed. But it soon developed that their joy was a little premature. Including the votes of South Snohomish, the number cast against removal was 2.151. while the vote for removal was 3,010, leav- ing Everett without the necessary three-fifths ma- jority. But the county commissioners decided to throw out the returns from both South Snohomish and the Port Gardner district, in both of which there had been suspicion of fraud and in both of which the returns had been contested, those of the former by Everett. those of the latter by Snoho- mish. This gave Everett the necessary three-fifths. and consequently the county commissioners ordered

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the county offices removed to that place on the 21st of Jantary of the following year. It was now the turn of Everett people to rejoice and they did so with a vim that certainly spoke well for their municipal patriotism, but which succeeded only in exciting the contempt of the people of Snohomish, who were confident that the commissioners would not be sustained by the court in their decision.

The question of the location of the county seat was by no means settled with the election of 1891. and we find that with the coming on of the year 1895 a new move was made by the party in favor of retaining the government of the county at Sno- homish. This was an appeal filed by County Treasurer Lawry, in which he stated at great length all the objections to the order of the board of commissioners. The chief of these were that the commissioners had not canvassed the returns them- selves but had simply taken the results of the can- vassing done by the canvassing board. that they had not met with the canvassing board on Novem- ber 16th as they claimed to have done. He charged also that they attempted to reject the South Sno- homish returns on the ground that they were fraud- ulent after they had already been pronounced genu- ine by the superior court. This appeal was dis- missed by Judge Ballinger. Immediately afterwards, however, Commissioner Krieschel filed a petition for an injunction restraining the county officers from removing their offices to Everett, which in- junction was granted.

The legal decision of the issue was not reached till July 25, 1895. Everett appealed against the decision of Judge Ballinger and the case was carried to the supreme court. It was heard on May 11th and a decision rendered on the 25th of July, holding in substance as follows: That a county official or a private tax-payer may main- tain suit for the removal of the county seat is deter- mined by reference to the case of Rickey os. Will- iams, which dealt with the removal of the county seat of Stevens county. But in the present case it was proved that the county commissioners did not canvass the returns nor did they receive the poll books, although most of them were present at the canvass by the canvassing board, of which their chairman was an ex-officio member, and they this ascertained the results. Also the commissioners held no meeting while the canvassing board was in session. They had not directly ascertained the number of votes cast, which it was their duty to do ; therefore the election was irregular and of no effect. With these conclusions the opinion of the court sustained the decision of the lower court granting an injunction restraining the county offices from being removed to Everett.

This was a decided victory for Snohomish and was heralded as such. Great celebrations and re- joicings were held, with parades and bands of music and speeches of congratulation and every-

thing that could add to the general jubilee. It ended up with a grand frec ball, which was the most joyous event of the occasion.

But this was not the end. Another action was taken in the fall, which was largely a repetition of what had already been gone over. The com- missioners again, on October 2d, ordered the county offices to be removed, and again suit was brought to restrain them. The case was heard on November 18th. This time Everett rather gained the advantage, and thence on it pressed that advantage to the utmost. The fight was still waged long and bitterly on both sides, and it was many months before the final result was reached, but at last Snohomish acknowledged her- self beaten and in the beginning of 1897 the county offices and records were removed from that city to Everett.

Meanwhile during the year 1895, one of the results of the period of depression was the failure of the Puget Sound National Bank, of Everett, which had been doing a small business ever since the panic of 1893. In July the directors, Messrs. Taylor and Hayward, discontinued business. Some of the county funds were in this bank, but they were eventually recovered without serious loss, and the bank's accounts were settled with little less to the depositors.

In the autumn of 1895 occurred another of those notorious murder cases which so frequently have their origin in saloons and gambling dens and for the proper trial of which the good people of our communities tax themselves more than for schools and churches. Two hours after midnight a man named William Kinney, but more com- monly known as "Texas Jack," was in the Gold Leaf saloon imbibing very freely. Between him and the bartender, William Wroth, or "Omaha Bill." there was a feud of long standing. "Omaha Bill" had also been imbibing considerable and the result was that the feud broke into a hot fight. "Omaha Bill" threatened to shoot "Texas Jack" if he did not depart and he carried out his threat, shooting him three times, once in the heart. Wroth was immediately arrested and placed in the county jail. In December his trial came off. He was pros- ecuted by Prosecuting Attorney Heffner and Deputy A. W. Hawks, and defended by Messrs. Winstock and Allen. The trial resulted in a ver- dict of manslaughter.

The discovery of the body of Alex Beamish in December cleared up a mystery of nine years' standing. He had left his home one afternoon in 1886 and had not been seen since. Foul play was suspected, but no one was accused. The body or rather skeleton was found about two miles from his home near Getchell by a man who was clearing a trail, and was identified by the clothing, which was still preserved, and a number of small articles.

With the beginning of the year 1896 there be-

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gan to be something of a revival of business. Though prices were still at bed-rock, the dullness and lack of hope which had characterized the two previous years began to pass in a measure and the awakening energies of the people began to mani- fest themselves in the long accustomed channels of mining, lumbering. clearing of land, railroading, steamboating and the other ways in which the en- tire sound country is so well adapted to lead. Noth- ing can be seen more typical of our great American democracy than the manner in which the people individually, after loss or disaster, set themselves to work to repair their broken fortunes and enter- prises. The elasticity and resourcefulness of a genuine western community is certainly surprising.

As might be expected the mining industries of Snohomish county were about the first to show the tendency of recuperation. Early in February a meeting was held of all persons interested in mines and mining for the purpose of establishing an as- sociation whose object should be the advertisement and development of the mining industry of Sno- homish county. Most of the mineral districts of the county were represented. The officers clected at the first meeting were : President, A. W. Hawks ; vice-president, F. M. Headlee : secretary. C. L. Clemans ; assistant secretary, George James : treas- urer. A. M. Farrah. The various committees were as follows : Executive committee, Judge J. C. Denney, C. H. Packard, W. R. Booth, A. W. Frater, Oliver McClean; reception committee. A. W. Fra- ter, Judge J. C. Denney, C. W. Graham ; advertis- ing committee. Hon. S. Vestal, C. H. Bakeman, U. B. Loosc. Lot Wilbur. Peter Laque : finance committee. Hon. E. C. Ferguson, William Whit- field, A. D. AAustin, E. E. Lenfest, William Kittell. It was hoped that similar organizations would be formed at other points in the county and that a general organization embracing the entire region would be formed.

By this time the mines were starting up very energetically. A large force of men were at work in the Stillaguamish district, and one Monte Cristo company was taking out over a hundred tons of ore daily, most of which was carried by ponies to the railroad and then taken to Everett or Tacoma, where smelters were located.

On July 2d a large mining transaction was carried through, which involved twelve claims in the Silverton copper district, owned by H. Kennedy, Thomas Johnson, Jack Johnson and Ludwig Lunde- lin. The property was purchased by parties from Trail creek and New York, who united and formed the Deer Creek Gold and Copper Mining Company. The price paid is supposed to have been one million dollars.

This was only one of many such transactions. Outside capitalists were becoming interested in the Snohomish mines ; many investments were made. and the mining districts were enjoying an activity

greater than ever before. Another transaction in the Silverton district was the sale of a number of valuable claims by M. Montan and L. Lundelin to the Clear Creek Copper and Gold Mining Company, the incorporators of which were Dr. Lyons of Seattle, J. J. Smith of New York, L. Lundelin of Silverton and M. Montan.

With the coming on of summer and the oppor- tunity of extensive prospecting some new discoy- eries were made. In the Monte Cristo mine a long tunnel was sunk which struck ore in a ledge several feet wide, which was a continuation of that struck by a tunnel a thousand feet above and also of the ontcropping at the surface about two thousand feet above that. Thus it was proved conclusively that there was an immense amount of ore of excellent grade in the mine and all doubts about its great value were removed. Rich strikes were also re- ported from Martin creek. Some of the mines which were being developed in this region were the Deer Creek Company's claims, the Violet mine, the New York and the Bradford. At Index also and Miller river work was being done, and in some of these places roads, which were very necessary to the development of the properties, were being constructed.

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An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 57

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1906 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172