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 92

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 92
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 92

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 day his scattered, kindly neighbors came to the "honse-raisin'" bee revealed a further incompetence in the young man for the hard, crude life he had undertaken. When the win- dowless, doorless cabin had been slowly raised tier upon tier to a height of several feet prepara- tory to roofing, it was no doubt to the uninitiated a rather forlorn looking excuse for a home, but all were unprepared for the outburst of indigna- tion and suffering that came from the cabin's owner. As he looked over the logs and inspected his future abode, with inexpressible scorn and solemnity he vented his feelings by a single sentence: "Mein fader's hog pen vas better dan dis pen you haf built vor me."

A few days later the discouraged young man deserted his claim for "life on the ocean wave."

A BEAR STORY

Mrs. Charles Villeneuve, of Sedro-Woolley, who came to Skagit county in 1871 and settled in the timber on the east side of the Skagit river just across from where the little town of Fir is now located, tells of many interesting incidents of those early pioneer days. The woods were full of bears and cougars then, as well as Indians, and Mr. Villeneuve, as were most of the men in those days, was absent from home much of the time, from Monday morning until Saturday night, working in the timber. Among the early settlers many hogs were raised and the Villeneuve family also kept quite a number.

One day as Mrs. Villeneuve was at work with her sewing machine at one of the windows (and by the way this sewing machine was the first brought into that section of the county) a fine large sow by which they set much store, passed in front of the window and shortly disappeared in the tall skunk cabbage which grows so pro- lificly in the sound country. The hog went in the direction of the river. As bears had been making great inroads upon the hogs at their place for some time past, it occurred to Mrs. Villeneuve at that moment how fortunate they

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had been to have this, the finest of all their swine, escape the clutches of Bruin, and what a loss it would be if the bears should eventually get her. At that moment a terrific squeal, full of fright and anguish, rent the air some fifty yards distant, and Mrs. Villeneuve, throwing aside the sewing, ran as rapidly as she could through the tall wild cabbage toward the sound, which continued without cessation. Reaching the edge of a ditch some yards from the house, she saw the sow struggling to free herself from a large bear, which had pounced upon her back and fastened its claws into her front shoulders. Mrs. Villeneuve shouted and threw sticks at the bear, in her solicitude for the pet hog, forgetting her fear of the bear and the chances of bodily harm to herself. The hog continued to struggle to free itself, sending forth ear-splitting and hair- raising squeals until at last it succeeded in affect- ing its escape, but at what a cost! The tough hogshide was torn deeply from one shoulder to another and in the fierce struggle was peeled off in a strip a foot wide back to the tail. On escaping, the hog ran to the river, dragging the long strip of hide after her, and jumping in, swam to the other side, where she was found several days later by a hunter. The animal was in a dying condition, so he put it out of its misery by a shot from his gun. The bear, on losing its prey, had disappeared into the woods.

Such scenes as this were of frequent occur- rence in those early days. The pioneer woman had to be a woman of nerve if she protected the children and her home, and operated the ranch in the absence of the husband, who was con- pelled to leave home to win bread and clothes for the family.

ADVENTURES WITH BRUIN

Four hundred Skagit county bears is the game record of the Smith brothers, living near Burlington !

It is small wonder that they are regarded with something akin to awe by the average Nimrod to whom even half a dozen skins seem a mighty accomplishment in arms. If ever the race of Bruins had a clear case against man it is in this instance surely, where whole families of their species have been annihilated.

In the days when the Skagit country was still roamed at will by Bruin, one of these Smith brothers, Reuben, went bee hunting without a gun, not intending to go far or be gone long. Suddenly he heard a loud crash in a nearby thicket and immediately a huge bear issued. The bee hunter thought the bear was alarmed and retreating, but soon discovered that his judg- ment was erroneous, to his discomfiture. Di- rectly toward him came the bear, with a growl and a manner that betokened business. Smith stood his ground, armed only with a long club,

in hopes the enemy would retreat. But he didn't. On he came, becoming more aggressive as he advanced. At last when only a few yards lay between the foes, Smith realized that he must act or say goodbye to the world, so made a furious rush, yelling his loudest. The bear stopped at this demonstration, and stood watching Smith without apparently twitching so much as a single mitiscle. Seconds seemed to lengthen into hours as man and beast fought the battle with their eyes. Then, realizing his advantage, the veteran hunter lunged forward with his club, striking at the bear, actually prodding him with the end of the stick. This was too much for the monstrous animal, something beyond his understanding. Sullenly and slowly the bear gave up the attack, backing off guardedly, but never a chance to retrieve his lost opportunity did the wily man give him, and at last Bruin turned, defeated, into a friendly thicket and disappeared in the forest.

Another adventure that Mr. Smith had with the bear family is worth relating. He and his brother were hunting, this time, when they ran onto an enormous cedar tree in which an old bear and her two cubs were living. The entrance to the den was about thirty feet above the ground. Reuben Smith determined to investigate, so quickly commenced the ascent. When approxi- mately fifteen feet high he came across a large crack in the trunk at which he stopped to take observations of the interior. This indiscretion nearly cost him serious injury for the mother bear was likewise doing some observing, and struck vigorously at him, just missing her mark. A shot or two soon disposed of her, however, after which Smith climbed, or rather slid, down into the tree, capturing the cubs alive. His brother was forced to chop a large hole in the side of the tree to free the imprisoned man, for he had miscalculated the size of the opening. But the dangers of the adventure were offset in the eyes of these hardy men by the satisfaction of getting their game.

A GOOD COUNTRY TO TIE TO

Edgar A. Sisson's grandfather was renowned as the best farmer in the section of Pennsylvania in which he lived. Of course lie asked his grand- son to write him fully concerning Puget sound as soon as he had become settled. This request the young pioneer of 1872 on the Padilla flats granted willingly. Particularly did he impress his eastern kinsman with a description of the luxuriant grasses and foliage of the new home by the sea. Replying, the old gentleman wrote: "If the grass grows as you say it does, it is a good country to tie to. Grass is the foundation of a good country ; it is the basis of agriculture. By all means stay there."

Young Sisson stayed and prospered, becoming one of Skagit's most successful agriculturists.

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He never forgot his grandsire's unerring judg- ment of the country that produced so lavishly of grass, nor have others of his old associates to whom the story is familiar.

PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS

A good story is related by E. C. Ferguson, of Snohomish, that well illustrates the degree of justice frequently meeted out to the real or the alleged criminal, as the case might be, by pioneer justices of the peace, the proficiency of the justices in the knowledge of the law, and the regard that was had for their verdicts. In the pioneer days of this section transportation facilities were of course lacking. Some of the farmers owned boats in which farm products (chiefly potatoes) were taken to Port Gamble, then the principal market for this part of the sound country. John Harvey, whose farm was just across the river from the present city of Snohomish, owned a sloop that would transport at one load about two hundred bushels of pota- toes. In Mr. Harvey's employ was an English sailor named John Murphy who had deserted his ship, and who, after several months of labor on the farm and in the woods, began to long again for "a taste o' the briny deep" and for a breath of salt sea air. This was in the fall of the year 1867. Sailor John persuaded Mr. Harvey to allow him to take a load of potatoes to Port Gam- ble in the sloop. The trip was made in safety, the potatoes sold and delivered and the return voyage begun.

At the mouth of the Snohomish river was located a hotel and saloon owned and operated by Perrin Preston. While steering his home- bound bark through the deepening twilight of the closing day, Sailor John sighted the lights of this hostelry which twinkled much more invit- ingly than did the up-river stars that should have guided the lone mariner to the farm home of his employer. Mr. Murphy cast anchor and went ashore, thinking no doubt to find there some "boon" companions, to take a few social drinks, spin a few sea yarns, and in due time to return to his boat and continue the voyage home. But the ratio of drinks to yarns being disproportion- ate, "Jack" soon became disabled, by no manner of means being able to reach his boat. On awak- ing in the morning he found to his dismay that the sloop had broken from its moorings and dis- appeared. Instead of attempting its recovery he resumed his carousal, suffering no interruption for two whole days, at the end of which time his employer appeared on the scene, some one having in the meantime conveyed to Mr. Harvey information concerning the state of affairs at the Preston place. Finding Murphy dead drunk and the proceeds of the sale of the cargo of potatoes squandered, Mr. Harvey secured assistance and went in search of his boat which he found beached on the island across bay from Preston's,

but which he succeeded in floating at high tide. After reaching home and figuring his loss on the cargo of potatoes, the expense of getting his boat back and the considerable loss of time suffered, he determined to have Murphy arrested and tried on some criminal charge: he therefore repaired to the office of Justice of the Peace Peter Voisard, made his complaint and demanded a warrant for Murphy's arrest. After a careful hearing of Mr. Harvey's story, Justice Voisard was somewhat puzzled to know with just what crime the com- plaint should charge the defendant, John Murphy; but it was eventually decided that "Piracy on the High Seas" would cover the case, the warrant was issued and placed in the hands of a constable who was forthwith ordered to "apprehend the said Murphy and bring him before the justice, dead or alive."

Murphy was located at Preston's place and was in due time brought before Justice Voisard, by whom he was informed that he had been arrested on a complaint charging him with piracy on the high seas. Having entered a plea of "not guilty," made by the defendant, the justice proceeded to try the case, taking the testimony of Mr. Harvey and two or three others concern- ing the taking of the sloop and cargo of potatoes by the defendant to Port Gamble and the event- ual recovery of the sloop by its owner, as well as the squandering of the proceeds of the sale of potatoes at Preston's place. The defendant had no witnesses and when through with the exami- nation of the witnesses for the state, the justice proceeded to sum up the evidence and announce his decision, which was couched in the following language: "I find the prisoner guilty as charged and the decision of this court is that you hang by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead."

When being taken before the justice, Murphy had asked Mr. Ferguson to go with him and see that he had a fair trial. When Justice Voisard announced this remarkable decision, therefore, Mr. Ferguson at once arose and addressed the court. "Your Honor," said Mr. Ferguson, "you have no jurisdiction over a prisoner charged with piracy on the high seas; it is not within your province to try such a case; neither is it within your province as justice of the peace to pass sen- tence of death upon any man. As there has been no particular offense proven against this man, you have no occasion to pass sentence of any kind on him." "Well, what shall I do with him?" asked the justice. "Let him go," replied Mr. Ferguson. "Well," said Justice Voisard, "if I can't hang him, I'll turn him loose."

Thus ended the proceedings.

THE "JUDGE" THROWS THE CASE OUT OF THE WINDOW

The following is related by U. S. Senator Samuel H. Piles:

In the fall of 1883,.I located in Snohomish

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connty, this state, and began the practice of my profession. My office was not as luxuriously fur- nished as one might expect. My desk consisted of an improvised smooth board, one end of which was nailed to the wall, the outer side being sup- ported by two pine slips; this, together with a stove of three legs, one chair and a drug box, constituted the whole of my furniture.

Snngly ensconced in my office, I anxiously awaited a client when, late one afternoon, I was surprised by a knock at my door, and in entered a lean, long, lank individual who inquired if I were a lawyer. Having satisfied him on that score, he informed me that some time previous he had been employed by a neighbor to construct a chimney; that his neighbor had refused to pay him, and in consequence, a deadly enmity had grown up between them; that a few days prior to his visit to my office, his neighbor was driving along a lonely road that penetrated the magnificent forest in that county, and that some one had suddenly leaped up from the forest into his wagon and proceeded to give his neigh- bor a good choking from the rear, after which the unknown mysteriously disappeared into the forest from whence he came. His neighbor was unable to ascertain with any degree of certainty, who the villain was, but suspected the unfortn- nate man who stood before me. He had, in con- sequence, been arrested for assault and battery and would be tried on the following afternoon before a Norwegian justice of the peace who lived some five or six miles from Snohomish City, and desired to know what I would charge him to conduct his defense.

I weighed the subject with great care, as I was badly in need of funds to liquidate a few unsettled demands, and told him I thought ten dollars ought to be cheap in view of the serions- ness of the charge and the long distance from my office, and explained the necessity of closing my office, which of course was a great detriment, in view of the numerous (?) clients I had. The defendant looked at me, and then at my furniture in a somewhat dubious manner and remarked that three dollars and fifty cents was all the money he could afford to pay, and inasmuch as I was a new-comer in the county, I ought to be willing to take the case at a reasonable figure, as it would give me great notoriety, provided I cleared him, owing to the fact that the whole neighborhood was in arms over the affair and would attend the trial en masse. I saw the force of his argument and finally consented to go.

The Hon. Eldridge Morse, the pioneer lawyer of Snohomish, I learned, had been engaged to proseente the prisoner and he, as I subsequently learned, had taken his departure from home that afternoon and remained over night with the jus- tice who was to preside at the trial on the follow- ing day. After the trial of the case I also learned that Brother Morse had told the justice on his visit

to his house, that I had been engaged to conduct the defense; that I was nothing but a bluffer, that I would blow a great deal and explain the law to the justice, but for him to pay no attention to what I said as I knew nothing about the law, except what he had told me, and that he had given me no advice on the manner in which I should conduct the defense, and I would be entirely at sea during the trial.

It seemed that his honor paid a considerable attention to what my friend Morse had said, for when the defendant was arraigned and I arose to make some objection to the information which I discovered the court had drawn, his honor, with great dignity said : "Sit down, sir; you can't run any bluff on this court. "

I tried to explain that I had no intention of so doing, and that I was compelled, in justice to my client, to show that his honor had no jurisdic- tion of the offense, owing to the defective infor- mation. This, however was all in vain, and the court in peremptory tones commanded me to sit down, and down I went, greatly humiliated, as, in truth, all the citizens of the county, as it looked to me, were there and I was very anxious to make a display of my eloquence. I was about to appeal to the justice from another standpoint when I caught Brother Morse's eye which revealed the fact that he had "seen the justice" before the trial, and by chance, I recalled the fact that. a section of the code provided that any attorney admitted to practice in any of the district courts of the territory of Washington should be admitted to practice in all the courts of the terri- tory, and that another section provided that if any officer refused to perform any act enjoined upon him by law, he should forfeit his office and pay a fine. I determined to pay Mr. Morse back in his own coin.

Drawing my chair a little closer to the justice, I began to read these sections in a stage whisper. My interpretation of the fact was that "Any attorney admitted to practice in any of the dis- trict courts of the territory should be allowed to practice before a justice of the peace who was enjoined by law to listen attentively to an attor- ney upon all occasions," that of the second section was "If any justice of the peace, at any time fail or refuse to listen to an attorney, he should be removed from office, his property confiscated and applied to the support of the county's poor."

I had scarcely finished the latter section when the justice exclaimed: "What's that?" I re-read the latter section and he looked somewhat con- fused as I arose and proceeded to make my objections to the information, and I became so eloquent (?) in the course of my remarks that at a proper pause, the justice asked me what I thought he ought to do under the circumstances.

I replied that I did not presume to advise his honor, but the only way I could see out of the

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difficulty, was to throw the case out of the court. At this point, Mr. Morse tried to interrupt me, but the court would not permit it. His honor evidently thought I used the term "throw the case out of court," in its literal sense, for I had not concluded my tirade on the information when in a fit of frenzy, he seized the papers and threw them out of the window, exclaiming : "This case is out of court. I will have nothing to do with it. Mr. Constable, adjourn this court to no par- ticular day.

Brother Morse and the audience were stupi- fied. My client and I left the court room, with his honor and Brother Morse close behind. I took my client to one side, received his congratu- Iations and three dollars and fifty cents and told him from the earnest manner in which Brother Morse was expounding the law to his honor, that I was afraid that the court might reverse itself, and the best thing for him to do was to beat a hasty retreat. The last I saw of my client, on that occasion, he had vaulted into a saddle and was imitating with a degree of satisfaction, Ichabod Crane, fleeing

from the headless horseman.

MOUNT RAINIER

Silent and stern, thou mighty peak, With snowy, frosted crest, Along thy cañons eagles shriek Or soar from crag to nest. Through thy lone wilds the panthers roam In quest of sleeping prey, Or noiseless steal back to their home, As morning heralds day.

Great mount. I see thy towering crest, By moonbeams' straggling light, Like some great guardian in the west Who guards the world by night; Thy glist'ning sides like sparkling dew My gaze untired holds, For beauteous sights, each fair, each new Are in thy mantle folds.

Oh, silent peak, I wondering gaze Upon thy summit grand, I see thee through the moonlight haze As at thy foot I stand. I think upon the many tribes Who've seen thy towering form, Who oft have tempted thee with bribes To stay the mountain's storm.

But now, though clouds below thee spread A mantle dark as night, Thy snowy, white and glistening head Is wreathed with purest light. The stars seem nestling in thy breast, Or gems in thy bright crown, Thou, like some great king, regally dressed, Some monarch of renown.

We're seen the sun in beauty set With brightest heavenly glow, And on thy side he lingered yet As though quite loath to go. We've watched the twilight chase his beams Far up thy shining side From crag to crag o'er frozen streams Till each fair ray has died.

Then, in the quiet hush of day, Again thy watch thou'dst keep, While twinkling stars around thee play. And earth seems all asleep. Oh, silent one, like human grief, Thou'rt present every hour,

Thou watchest on without relief

Despite time's changing power.

Watch over earth, thou mighty peak, Though lightnings round thee play; Or storm gods through thy caverns shriek And clouds shut out the day. Man sees thy feathery pine trees nod By winds thus wildly driven, And learns from thee that nature's God. Rules earth as well as Heaven.

THE SWINOMISH FLATS

Would you know of the sweetest of prairies or plains, Away from the crowded ways?

Then come from the babble and clamor of tongues; Away from the strife for the ladder's rungs, To the glory of summer days.

All things are glad! The lark's song sweet That peals through the morning's air, Is telling the fragrance of new-mown hay, The blessing of God and the smile of the day, And our bliss in a world so fair.

The sunshine sifts through the orchard trees On the nodding clover below;

And the bright-eyed quail, from her nest in the grass, Watches the flickering shadows that pass As the branches sway to and fro.

Sleek cattle wander the meadows wide; Beyond them seas of grain Are dimpling to gold 'neath the touch of the sun Rustling their joy for the victories won Over the winter's rain.

Ah! beautiful fields of the cloth of gold, Laden with wealth you stand- The crowning meed of the farmer's toil, The fruit of his care and the fruit of his soil, Of our sea-wrested Swinomish Land.

For this is a child of the Puget sea, Snatched from the Mother's arms, And kept from her home for years and a day, In the service of those who stole her away, Till grown to a maiden's charms.

A new-world Holland, but girded by hills- By soft blue hills that stand Like guardian angels by kind Heaven sent To keep you in peace and in quiet content, O sun-sweet Swinomish Land.

ELZAN M. WALLACE.

SAILING OF THE WHALEBACK

God speed thee, gallant ship, God speed thee o'er The isle-enchanted sea, from shore to shore; Sail on, DeFuca's giant gateway through, Into the broad expanse of ocean blue; Then outward, onward, ever onward keep, Still hold thy course across the pathless deep To where the Island Empire proudly lies And Cathay's headlands in thy pathway rise.

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Sail on, 'till o'er thee blows the spicy breeze From tropic isles, begirt with thermal seas, Along the world's broad belt, on India's tide- Four thousand miles of waters waste and wide- Still on 'till Africa's hot burning sand Before thee stretches limitless on either hand.

Or, if thy course to northward thou shalt shape, Sail on by rocky isle and frowning cape, Through channels dark, by many a devious way, Nor tide nor calm, nor storm thy course delay. Sail on until for all thy ample store Safe port is found upon Siberia's shore.

Make not thy stay too long on that ungenial strand, But haste again to greet thy native land. Thousands of friends thy safe return await From foreign ports, deep lade with richest freight. Expectant eyes shall scan the isle-set sea The first incoming glimpse to catch of thee, And grand Olympus, from his high estate, Shall give thee royal welcome to our gate.

Great pioneer of commerce just begun, A thousand ships shall o'er thy pathway run. From each masthead our starry flag shall gleam As o'er Pacific's broad highway they steam. Proud Venice "wed the sea" in days of old; The Great Republic, young and wise and bold, Weds now the greater ocean of the West, And all the nations by this bond are blest.

Oh, harbinger of busy days to be- In this fair city by the inland sea- Destined a wondrous enterprise to lead, "City of Everett," sail on, Godspeed! R. K. BEECHAM.

Everett, Wash., February 23, 1893.

PORT GARDNER

Ob! the beautiful bay Of the inland sea That reaches away To the islands' lea; Without may the breeze And breakers war And the billowy seas May roll from afar, But the ships sail in With their stately pride, And a harbor win That is safe and wide.

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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 92

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