USA > Washington > Thurston County > Early history of Thurston County, Washington : together with biographies and reminiscences of those identified with pioneer days > Part 30
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Here the good Fathers found a waiting field of labor. Schools and classes were organized among the natives, who took readily to the teachings of the priests. Land was cleared for vegetable and flower beds, fruit trees were planted, a building for a school room and for holding services was built and before long there were a considerable number of young Indian boys enrolled as students in the classes.
It is a matter of history that the savage mind most readily grasps that religion that is presented them by symbols and pageantry. The black-robed Fathers, with their kindly words, ready sympathy and helpfulness won the confidence and re- spect of the Indians to such an extent that even in later times, when the white settlers were trembling and afraid for their lives from the Indian attacks, the priests of St. Josephs' Mis- sion lived in security and friendliness with the natives.
So intimate were the relations between the priests and the Indians that the former were frequently enabled to give warning to the settlers of danger from contemplated raids of the Indians in time for them to flee to the safety of the stock- ade at Olympia. Several of the pioneers of the early 50's can recall Father Blanchard, who was at that time at the head of the Mission, having taken Rev. Ricard's place when that Father moved on to establish other Catholic Missions. Father Blanchard and his associates had a school of about forty young Indians, who were taught the white man's ways, and to be- come good Catholics. The classes were held in the main building, which stood for many years after the mission was abandoned, on the ground now occupied for a private garden. Dark and gloomy were the rooms, with windows high up in the walls, so high that the light came through but dimly. The attention of the young students were not distracted by gazing out, and in the event of enmity arising between the priests and the Indians there was no opportunity for a bullet to find its mark by aiming through the window. The benches on which the students were seated were the work of their own hands,
LEOPOLD SCHMIDT
Whose Generosity Has Done Much for Priest Point Park
THE NEW YORK PUBLICLIBRARY
AFTER, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDA TIONS
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under the training of the priests, and was the start of the manual training classes or departments now so common in our schools.
One pioneer woman, who as a young girl, lived on a home- stead in the neighborhood, recalls visiting the Mission while school was in session and seeing the dusky young students por- ing over their lessons. This lady also tells about the natives' love for singing. The priests taught them the chants of their services to their great delight. Sometimes, she said, an In- dian would be picking berries back in the underbrush. He would begin to sing or chant, another voice would take up the refrain in another part of the woods and then another and another until the strain would reach the fishermen out on the waters, and the clam diggers along the beach, who would join their voices in swelling the volume of sound until the woods and shore would ring with the wild melody.
As a means of raising funds, the Fathers had a number of their most promising Indian lads organized into a band with a drum and a fife as the principal instruments. Summer evenings this band would be marched up to the settlement and paraded along the streets, discoursing their music on the corners. The cap would then be passed and contributions were freely given the youngsters. The ladies of Olympia, in order to encourage the lads, made them caps of bright red cloth. These caps were the delight of the members of the band and were always worn when the boys came up to town.
On one occasion the Father, who had special training of a class of Indian boys, marched them up to the public school for the purpose of giving an exhibition of their attainments. There were perhaps a dozen boys in the class, ranging from fifteen years down to a little fellow of only about three years of age. The boys had been carefully instructed to answer cer- tain questions which the priest put to them. For instance : "Who is President of the United States?" was asked the first lad. Parrotlike came the answer, "Abraham Lincoln," and so on down the line, each boy answering the question he had been taught. When the priest reached the little fellow at the foot of the class, he said : "Where were you born, Rain-in-the- Face?" Without an instant's pause, the mite chirped : "I
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was born in a canoe when my mother had gone to dig clams. Where, I know not."
After the Indian war and the various tribes had been sent to the reservations, the Squaxons were put on the island down the Sound that now bears the name of that tribe, and the Fathers found their field of usefulness destroyed at the St. Joseph's Mission and it was abandoned, the land passing into possession of private holders.
When the year 1893 arrived, the acres of this former mis- sion, which is now comprised in Priest Point Park, had been allowed to become delinquent or subject to county sale for the payment of unpaid taxes, and became public property through foreclosure.
Theodore Brown, always loyal to his native city, conceived the idea of Olympia acquiring it for a park. He started the sentiment and agitation for city possession by writing an ar- ticle which was published in the Olympia papers, which urged that steps for possession of the land be taken before private parties could get hold of it.
By his writings and talking among his friends Mr. Brown worked up such a strong sentiment in favor of his pet project that a number of citizens went before the Board of County Commissioners to urge that board to defer selling the land un- til the city was in a position to buy it for a public park.
Among these men were Theodore Brown, T. J. Kegley. Elias Payne and others. They presented the case through At- torney P. M. Troy, whom they secured as spokesman. Oppo- sition developed to the project, partly through political reasons and partly because a syndicate of speculators had organized and cast covetous eyes upon this beautiful tract.
The Board of County Commissioners turned a deaf ear to the plea of the citizens and advertised the tract for sale, but before the sale could be consummated an election occurred and a new set of officials were elected. Among these officials was Mr. P. M. Troy, city attorney. Steps were immediately taken to block the advertised sale by instituting an action in the Federal Court to restrain the sale by representing that the city wished to acquire the land for a public park. Mr. Troy's efforts were successful and in May, of 1906, the city became
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possessors of the property. But the people of Olympia should remember that Theodore L. Brown was the first man who con- ceived the idea of obtaining the park and agitated the same until the city finally secured it. It may be truly said that Theodore L. Brown was the father of beautiful Priest Point Park.
The man who has done more than any one other man for the park by his generous gifts has been the late Leopold Schmidt. It was through his munificence that the Swiss chalet which crowns the highest point in the park was placed there. This picturesque building was originally erected for the dis- play of the Olympia Brewery products at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon. At the closing of the expo- sition Mr. Schmidt presented the chalet to the city of Olym- pia and at his own expense had it brought from Portland and set up where it has since remained one of the most attrac- tive and convenient features of the park.
When Mr. Schmidt's will was read a few days after his death it was found that he had added a bequest of $1,000 for the benefit of Priest Point Park.
Leopold Schmidt was a native of Germany, coming to the United States when about twenty years of age. In America he led a varied and generally successful life, engaging in shipping on the Great Lakes for a couple of years. Later he learned the carpenters' trade and assisted in building the first Turnverin hall of the Turner Athletic Society in the United States. This was in Washington, Missouri, where the young man learned his trade.
A few years later Mr. Schmidt went to Montana where he followed his trade in Butte and Deer Lodge for several years. In Butte he entered into a partnership with Daniel Gamer and helped form the partnership of Schmidt & Gamer, of the Centennial Brewery Company. He then went to Germany for the purpose of entering a brewers' school and while there met the lady who was to be his future wife, the marriage taking place before his return to America. Upon his return Mr. Schmidt was County Commissioner of Silver Bow County, Montana, and was final arbitrator in settling the conflict over the townsite of Butte, which was contested by several mining claims. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention
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of Montana, as delegate from Silver Bow County. He was also in the first State Legislatures from that county as a member of the House. Mr. Schmidt was a member of the Capitol Commission of Montana and came to Olympia in 1894 to inspect the Capitol foundation. At this visit he became interested in the possibilities of Tumwater water-power and decided to remove to this State.
In the spring of 1896 Mr. Schmidt started work on the brewery at Tumwater and by October of that year was turn- ing out the finished product. Since then he has established the Bellingham Brewery at that city and the Acme Brewery at San Francisco, and bought and remodeled the old brewery at Salem, Oregon, which later consolidated with the Albany Brewery Company.
Mr. Schmidt, being of an intensely patriotic nature, liber- ally assisted any plan or movement for the public good, as was testified by his liberal bequest to Priests' Point Park.
THE JUDICIARY OF THURSTON COUNTY.
A chapter devoted to the men who have figured in the legal history of Thurston County should be included in an authentic compilation of pioneer reminiscences, accordingly, the following list of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, who re- ceived their appointments in territorial days. are given :
E. Lander, O. B. McFadden, C. C. Hewett, B. W. Dennison, Wm. L. Hill, Orange Jacobs, J. R. Lewis, Roger S. Green, Richard A. Jones. Of the Associate Justices there were: Vic- tor Monroe, F. A. Chenoweth, E. C. Fitzhugh, J. E. Wyche, C. B. Darwin, J. K. Kennedy, C. S. Wingard, J. P. Hoyt, George Turner, L. B. Nash, W. G. Langford, Frank Allyn.
Later on came the Constitutional Convention, the names of the lawyer member of which it may not be inappropriate to mention in this connection :
R. O. Dunbar, M. M. Godman, Francis Henry, J. P. Hoyt, B. L. Sharpstein, R. F. Sturdevant, George Turner, Allen Weir.
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Of the brilliant gallaxy of legal men who served the territory in the early days it is now impossible to give a sketch of every one, only individual reference can be given to a few of the earl- ier ones. Each was an indispensible unit of the foundation be- ing laid in his day of this great commonwealth.
One of the most prominent of the earlier jurists was Judge O. B. McFadden. A former friend of Judge McFadden's pays the following tribute to his memory. "Not every judge is an able practitioner and vice versa as was Judge McFadden. No doubt his reputation for strictest integrity was an important feature of his success with judges and jurors. Judge Mc- Fadden's speech was distinguished by fluency and his de- nouncements of witnesses whom he suspected of perjury were scathing and effective. While he spent much of his time on his farm in Lewis County, Judge McFadden had a comfortable home in Olympia, where he spent most of the winter months."
Hon. C. C. Hewett was appointed third territorial chief justice by President Lincoln, who was a warm personal friend, and was distinguished by a high sense of justice, a plain, un- assuming manner and a Lincoln-like simplicity, which won for him the friendship and esteem of all who knew him.
As an illustration of force of habit, the following good story is told of Judge Hewett, while conducting a case one day :
The Chinook jargon was so much in use in early days that many of the most expressive phrases had become so common that they were frequently employed in every day speech.
On this particular occasion, two attorneys clashed in animated dispute over one of the important points of the trial, and in the heat of the moment, voiced some expressions in Chinook, not complimentary to each other. Judge Hewett. thinking to rebuke the wranglers for their disregard of de- corum, laid down the following rule: "Gentlemen of the Bar, you will hereafter confine yourself to the English language. I don't purpose to permit any more of this cultus wawa in court." The judge himself joined in the laugh which followed.
Elwood Evans was known throughout the territory as a man of high literary attainments, he having been a historian of note as well as one of the foremost jurists of his day. Judge Evans was one of the first attorneys to locate in Olympia, where he resided for many years with his family. When Ta-
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coma was on the boom, he went to live there and it was in the City of Destiny that death came to him.
Among the conspicuous figures of the Pacific Coast was Selucius Garfielde. In physique, he was noticeable wherever he was seen. and his ability as a lawyer and statesman placed him among the prominent men of the Territory. Prob- ably the two campaigns when Garfielde was a candidate for the office of Delegate in Congress were the most exciting of any campaign of Territorial days. and after his election, while speaking on the floor of the House, his silvery tongued elo- quence was remarked and admired by his colleagues to such an extent that Garfielde became known as "The Eloquent Member from the Pacific." While in Congress. Garfielde de- livered an address before the Y. M. C. A. on the "Resourecs and Climate of the Northwest." which attracted so much at- tention that Jay Cook, then financial agent for the Northern Pacific Company, published it in several of the foreign lan- guages for distribution in Europe.
Of the Judges of the Superior Court of Thurston County since Washington became a state, the following biographical sketches are given :
JUDGE MASON IRWIN
The first Judge of the Superior Court of Thurston County was Mason Irwin, who was elected to that honor at the time the Territory of Washington was admitted as a State in 1889. At that time there were four counties in the district-Thurston. Chehalis, Lewis and Mason. Judge Irwin held court in all four of these counties. until the Legislature took Thurston out of the district and gave that county a separate Judge. J. W. Rob- inson, now of Seattle. being appointed by Lieutenant-Governor Lawton. who was acting Governor at the time. Governor E. P. Ferry was out of the State for some months on account of his health.
Judge Irwin made his home in Lewis County. and has been Judge of the Superior Court there for several successive terms.
His first wife was a daughter of Governor Newell. and among the Judge's pleasant remembrances are his official visits
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to the Capitol City to attend court. The first wife died in 1891 and several years later Judge Irwin remarried and his family now consists of his wife and six children. In referring to his early Olympia experiences. Judge Irwin said :
"There is little to be said about my experiences on the bench in that county; they were the usual experiences of a judge on the bench. They had an agreeable Bar there at that time, and I had many acquaintances in the city and made many acquaintances throughout the county, through the jurors coming in to attend court."
MERRITT J. GORDON
M. J. Gordon was the third Judge of Thurston County after Washington was admitted to statehood. Upon the resignation of Mr. Joe Robinson in the summer of 1892, Gov. ernor E. P. Ferry appointed Mr. Gordon to fill the vacancy thus occasioned.
At the general election in November. 1892. Judge Gordor was elected by the vote of the people for a four year term serving on the bench until January, 1895, when he resigned to go on the Supreme Bench of the State. This position he held for the succeeding three years when he was made cor poration counsel for the Northern Pacific Company and re signed to move to Spokane where he made his home for several years.
Judge Gordon is now senior member of the law firm of Gordon and Easterday of Tacoma.
Ile was born in Sherbrooke in the Province of Quebec March 17, 1859; began the practice of law in Dakota Territory in 1880, residing at Aberdeen; was district attorney of that district and city attorney of the city; president of the Bar Association of the Fifth Judicial District, and member of the first State Legislature of South Dakota; came to Olympia Washington, in the spring of 1890.
THOMAS MILBURNE REED, JR.
Mr. T. M. Reed, fourth Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Washington, was born in Coloma. California,
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about the year 1856, coming to Olympia with his parents at an early age. When but 14 years of age, he had graduated from the University of California and from there spent five years taking the normal course at Princeton College. After graduation at the latter institution, Mr. Reed returned for a year to take a post-graduate course in the law department.
He was a junior member of the law firm of Brown, Ten Eyke & Reed, in the early '80's, this firm having offices in a building near the site of the old Episcopal Church, where now stands the Mitchell Hotel.
Later Reed moved to Seattle, where he was engaged in a successful law practice until the fire of 1889 destroyed his library and office furniture.
In the year of 1886 Mr. Reed was married to Miss Ida MeKenny and a few years later returned to Olympia to make his home.
He was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Thurston County by the late Governor John McGraw upon the resigna- tion of J. W. Robinson from that position.
At the expiration of his term of office Judge Reed and his family went to Nome, Alaska, to make their home. He is still practicing his profession of law in that place, enjoying an extensive practice. Judge Reed was appointed United States Commissioner for Alaska and has been City Attorney of Nome for several years.
Judge and Mrs. Reed have two children, Irving M. and Constance Elizabeth.
CHARLES HENRY AYER
Charles Henry Ayer was born in Saybrook. Connecticut, April 25, 1862. He studied in the public and private schools of the town. and completed the law course in Yale University. In 1884 he came to Olympia. Washington, and entered the law office of J. C. McFadden. He later went in business for him- self and also formed several different partnerships, being asso- ciated for several years with the late T. N. Allen. He served one term as county attorney of Thurston County, and one term as mayor of Olympia. In 1896 he was elected superior judge of Thurston County, and filled that office at the time of
O V. LINN (Deceased.)
CHARLES AYER (Deceased.)
JOHN R. MITCHELL (Incumbent.)
SUPERIOR JUDGES-PAST AND PRESENT
PUBLICLIBRARY
ASTOR, LEFOX AND TILEEN FOUNDATIONE.
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his death March 9, 1898. In 1891 he married Miss Cora Ellis. who together with their five children, survives him.
JUDGE BYRON MILLETT
Judge Byron Millett was born in 1849. He came to Wis- consin when a child, with his parents and was educated at Ra- vine College. He was admitted to the practice of law in 1872, and located at Columbus, Nebraska. He was elected mayor of that thriving little city in 1876. In 1883 he moved to Colo- rado, and practiced law at Denver until 1889, then moved to Washington. Located at Olympia in the spring of 1890, where he has since resided. In the early part of 1898 he was ap- pointed Superior Judge of Thurston County by Governor John R. Rogers, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Chas. H. Aver. Since locating at Olympia, he has served as a member of the City Council of that city, also as Assistant State Law Librarian and as a member of the State Board of Law Examiners.
OLIVER V. LINN
The able attorney, who for six years occupied the position of judge of the districts comprised by Thurston and Mason Counties-Oliver V. Linn, came to Washington from his boy- hood home in Pennsylvania in the year 1889. After spending a short time on Grays Harbor, he removed to Olympia, where he made his home continuously until the time of his death in 1908.
O. V. Linn received his education at Wilmington, and was admitted to the bar shortly before coming to the West. Upon his settling in Olympia he formed a law partnership with Joe MI. Robinson, contining the successful practise of his profession until the year 1900, when he was elected Judge of the Superior Court on the Republican ticket. In 1906 he was re-elected, and in 1908 was an active candidate for nomination to the Supreme bench under the direct primary law. His death, how . ever. occurred in the fall of the same year, valvular heart trouble being the cause of his death. His wife. Margaret, and one son, Donald, comprised his immediate family.
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Judge Linn was an honorable, genial man, loved by his many friends, and respected and honored by his legal associates.
His widow, Margaret, died in December, 1913, at the Linn home, in Olympia.
JOHN R. MITCHELL
John R. Mitchell was born in Halifax County, Virginia January 31, 1861. From six to seventeen years of age he at tended private school. From 1878 to 1888 engaged in farm- ing and mercantile pursuits (mostly hunting) at his old home, the last three years of which he read law under a practicing lawyer. Mr. Mitchell came to Olympia, Washington Territory April 28, 1888, and formed a partnership with M. A. Root at that time Probate Judge. He was admitted to the bar by the Superior Court (Mason Irwin, Judge) of Thurston County on November 23, 1889. In 1890 the young man studied law at the University of Virginia. He dissolved partnership with M A. Root in January, 1893, upon his qualifying as Prosecuting Attorney.
Mr. Mitchell was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court, May 24, 1894. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney in 1896 and served 1897-9, and in January, 1901, formed a law partnership with Thos. M. Vance, Esq., which continued until Mitchell was chosen to the bench. Elected Judge of the Superior Court for Thurston and Mason Counties in 1908 for four years and re-elected without opposition, in 1912- the position which he now occupies. In politics he is a democrat.
J. R. Mitchell was married to Hallie Price, of Clarksville, Tenn .. on April 22, 1891, while she was on a visit with rela- tives in Olympia; to which union one child, Richard S., was born May 15, 1894; the son is now a student at the State University.
CHARLES E. CLAYPOOL
Charles Ethelbert Claypool, at present Judge of Depart ment 2 of the Superior Court for Thurston County, was born in Indiana in 1861. He came to Puget Sound in the late terri- torial days, and was one of the prominent younger men in the
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days of early statehood.' He was for many years with the Na- tional Guard, and served on the personal staffs of the last Ter- ritorial and first State Governors, was State Senator from Pierce County in the second and third legislatures, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and Assistant U. S. Attorney. For a long time he was the head of the law firm of Claypool, Cush man & Cushman, at Tacoma. He went to Alaska in 1900, re- signing his government post for that purpose, returning to make his home at Olympia several years ago. Judge Claypool served two years and a half as City Attorney of Olympia, re- signing that office to accept an appointment to the bench by Governor Lister in 1913. He was opposed by three other as pirants at the late primary and did not receive the nomina- tion. He married an Olympia girl, Miss Annie B. Cowles twenty-four years ago, and they have two children, a son and a daughter. The family live in their own home at 1617 Syl vester Street.
4th Street OLYMPIA 1867
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CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
Events as recorded successively by the "Columbian" (1852-3) ; "Washington Pioneer" (1853-4) ; "Pioneer & Demo- erat" (1854-1860) ; "Washington Standard" (1860-1873).
1852
September 11 --- The Columbian, a weekly newspaper, com- menced publication.
September 14 -- Nelson Barnes, Jr .. was instantly killed. on Newaukum River, by falling of a tree.
September 23-Brig James Marshall arrived at Olympia, thirty days from San Francisco.
October 23-Brig G. W. Kendall arrived, seventeen days from San Francisco.
November 6-A new coal mine was reported discovered on the Skookumchuck. by S. S. Ford, Jr.
November 13-A call for a meeting of citizens of North- ern Oregon was made, to discuss advisability of memorializ- ing Congress for Territorial division.
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