USA > Washington > History of Washington the evergreen state : from early dawn to daylight with portraits and biographies Vol. II > Part 19
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loaded with produce or merchandise, and all alive with the activities of busy labor. Like its sisters, Olympia and Tacoma, it is surrounded with every source of wealth known to Western Washington. More fortunate than either of these, Seattle pos- sesses "a water front," to speak paradoxically, in her rear ; for Lake Washington, with its sister, Lake Union, two of the most beautiful sheets of fresh water upon the Pacific coast, are behind her, semicircling her borders to the eastward for more than thirty miles ; a canal is now being built which will connect the two, and thus afford water communication from the city far inland. Though disappointed in the hope that the United States Government would select it as a naval station, yet the time is not far distant when Lake Union will be united with the sound, and thus furnish a safe retreat, even for the largest ves- sels, from the ravages of the terrible " teredo," so destructive to all that it invades. This " teredo" is a barnacle which bores into piling and ships, and whose power of inflicting injury is almost incredible. Six years is the limit of durability for tim- bers subjected to their assaults ; they then become completely honeycombed, but it cannot exist in fresh water. These lakes will, therefore, furnish a thorough defence against all such molluscous destroyers. The three great specialties of Seattle's commerce and trade are coal, lumber, and shipping. Space would fail us were we to attempt an enumeration of minor in- dustries. As for her realty sales, to say nothing of the vast in- crease in values, they are simply enormous. Washington might well be called the land of astonishment, for her cities spring up and flourish like Jonah's gourd, but, unlike that celebrated and oft-quoted vegetable, do not wither with the sunrise. There is one peculiarity about the people of Seattle which accounts for much of their prosperity-a unity of purpose and public-spirited- ness that enabled them to hold their own even against the rivalry of her fair sister of Tacoma, a city whose infant progress, though it has long ago laid aside childish things, was not a little aided by those twin crutches the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Tacoma Land Company. A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether has been the motto of the Seattleites, and with all due regard for Tacoma, we think she might find something worthy of emulation in so laudable an example. To return : Seattle has every advantage, convenience and facility that tend
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to render a city delightful and desirable as a place of residence. Miles of double-track electric and cable roads overcome time and space and make the ascent of her steep grades a pleasure ; water-works, gas and electric light plants perfectly fulfil their important missions. In educational matters, from the primary public school to the University of Washington, she is not to be excelled throughout the bounds of the Evergreen State. Every religious denomination has its place of worship, every secret society its lodge. And now, having thus treated the "Queen City's" charms not only generically, but, we trust, gener- ously, as they deserve, we will attempt a more specific descrip- tion of certain prominent events in her history to which we already have alluded in laying down the outline of incidents we intended to chronicle.
THE KLIKETATS BESIEGE SEATTLE.
The connection, not always an agreeable one, of Seattle's early history with the Indians dates back to its birth, for its very name is derived from that of a chief-Seattle-who was greatly enraged when he first heard of the honor done him, for he feared that it might injure the future welfare of his spirit ; but he was finally not only reconciled, but proud of the distinc- tion so unexpectedly accorded him. As it was, Seattle nar- rowly escaped being called Elliott, after the English admiral who gave his name to the noble bay on which it stands. The chief, Seattle, lived across the inlet on Bainbridge Island, at Port Madison, in the great lodge known as the " Old Man's House," prounounced " ol-e-man." This singular name is ex- plained by the fact that the Chinook conceives all inanimate things to be either masculine or feminine, but their language has no way of expressing it except by using the prefix " ole-man" or " ole-woman." This house, being both big and strong, was classed with a superior chief, and took the " ole-man," or mascu- line appellation, accordingly. We cannot pause to describe the personal characteristics of this savage, who was a chief of im- portance and constant friend of the whites. He was thick-set, round-shouldered, and was thought to bear a striking resem- blance to the late Senator Benton of Missouri. He professed to remember Vancouver, was neat in dress, and died a Catholic, at the estimated age of eighty years, in 1866. His grave is marked
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by a memorial shaft erected by the citizens of Seattle. His name, as pronounced by the Indians, was " Sealth."
A correspondent, writing recently from Seattle, calls atten- tion to a native-born American princess, a direct descendant of the forest kings who for so many centuries roamed undisturbed through the wilds of Western Washington. She is probably a centenarian, having been born nearly or quite a hundred years ago upon the shores of Puget Sound. She is well known to the dwellers in the " Queen City" as the Princess Angeline, a daugh- ter of old Chief Seattle, from whom, as we have already stated, the city of to-day takes its name. Though withered and de- crepit, she is still a living link between the old times and the new, and is most kindly regarded by the citizens, having the privilege accorded her of purchasing what she fancies without paying for it. However large the bill, it is sent to and defrayed by certain wealthy Seattleites, who have not yet forgotten the time, moons and moons ago, when she hastened through the forest paths to warn the feeble colony of an intended surprise. She had overheard the Indians plotting a general massacre of the settlers, crept from her wigwam, and thinking nothing of the miles to be traversed, accomplished her object, returning with torn hands and bleeding feet from her successful mission. The attack was made, but found the people prepared ; and though the Indians outnumbered the pale faces two to one, they were sig- nally defeated. The red men vowed vengeance against the traitor, but Angeline was never suspected. The habits of her race prevent the exhibition of gratitude in the ordinary way. She prefers the freedom of the tent and full liberty to wander ; but whatever form her fancy takes when she goes shopping her order is filled, and though her wishes are almost invariably eccen- tric, they are sure to be gratified. She is liberal, too, in the ex- tent of her purchases, and regards herself as the almoner of her people, by whom she is held in high esteem. As may well be supposed, her life in a small way is a continual " potlatch party."
The natives knew lakes Washington and Union only by the names of " Tenas Chuck" and "Hias Chuck"-" little water" and " big water." A public meeting was called by the citizens to bestow some more distinctive appellations, and a Mr. Mercer very happily suggested those by which they are now designated.
It is impossible to trace the causes and sequence of events
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which converted the Indians into enemies and led to the siege of Seattle-one of the boldest attacks ever made upon a town of consequence by savages west of the Rocky Mountains-which, had it not been for the presence, most opportunely, in the har- bor of a United States man-of-war (the Decatur), would in all probability have been successful-a result which would have so encouraged the Indians that every wavering or friendly tribe would have joined the hostiles and annihilated the whites throughout the whole of Northern Oregon. January 25th, 1866, was a memorable day in the history of Seattle, for it brought the intelligence to its alarmed inhabitants, through an Indian spy-who barely escaped with his life, being pursued and fired on to the very edge of the town-that the hostile Kliketats had been ferried across by the Lake Indians to the number of a thousand warriors, and were preparing to attack the town. Captain Gansevoort, the commander of the Decatur, who had already disembarked ninety-six of his men, both sailors and marines, under the command of lieutenants Phelps, Drake, Hughes, and Morris, upon receiving this intelligence imme- diately increased the number of marines on guard in and about the town, and advised all the families on shore to sleep in the block-houses. Meanwhile, the hostile chiefs, Leschi and Clay- cum, held a conference with a Duwamish Indian named Curley, whom they supposed to be favorable to their cause, but who was in reality attached to that of the whites ; they confided to him their plan, which was to attack the town at ten o'clock the next morning-this time being selected because it was argued that the marines, weary with their night watch, would then have re- turned to their ship and the families who had slept in the block-houses to their respective homes. This scheme was imme- diately revealed to Lieutenant Phelps, who communicated it to his commander. In accordance with this plan, the hostiles crept up to the borders of the town and grouped their advanced guards into concealed squads around each house outside the line of stockades, and prepared at a given signal to rush in and slaugh- ter their inmates-a plan well conceived, but destined, as the sequel will show, to be rudely interrupted. A sudden commo- tion among the friendly Indians, who were observed to be rapid- ly removing their effects to the canoes, revealed the fact that a number of the enemy were massed in Tom Pepper's cabin, a de-
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serted dwelling directly east of the south end of the town and within range of the block-house howitzer. Calling his men hur- riedly from their unfinished breakfast, Captain Gansevoort ordered Lieutenant Morris to fire a shell directly into the house where the Indians were supposed to be concealed. "The boom of the gun," says Grant, in his exhaustive " History of Seattle,"' " had hardly died away before it was followed by a terrific whoop from a thousand throats and a volley from the rifles of the savages along the whole line ;" and well they might, for the aim was accurate, and the shell not only struck the cabin, but demolished it; and here we may remark that these explosive shells, wherever they have been used against the savages, have proved themselves not only destructive but appalling weapons. As far back as the days of the Seminole War, the Indians of the Everglades learned to respect them. We think it was Alligator, the famous Seminole chief, who, in describing some conflict in which his people were badly defeated, said : "Warriors fight good till Captain Jackson's men fire wagon at 'em, and then warriors run away." The mountain howitzer taught these marauders a similar lesson on the plains, and in this instance the defeat of the Indians was largely owing to their terror of such missiles ; they could not understand a ball that " fired twice," the original shot entering into their calculations, but the explo- sion afterward being an entire and most destructive surprise. What wonder that the ignorant Kliketats concluded that the evil spirits fought against them and grew discouraged at methods so novel and alarming ! To return : Then on the part of the whites followed a general stampede of men, women, and children for the block-houses ; and, says Grant, " had it not been for the fact that the rifles in the hands of the Indians had been gener- ally emptied by the first volley many of the inhabitants would have fallen on their way to a place of safety. Fortunately all escaped without difficulty." Until high noon the battle thus commenced raged without cessation ; the crack of the rifle of the concealed savage alternated with the explosion of the marine's musket, the cheer of the sailor and the con- stant whoop of the foe ; while over all roared the guns of the Decatur as they tore up .the ground beyond Third Street with their exploding shells. Bancroft tells us that "above all the other noise of battle the cries of the Indian women could be
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heard urging their warriors to greater efforts ; but though they continued to yell and fire with great persistency, the range was too long from the point to which the Decatur's guns soon drove them to permit of their shots doing execution." It was a fortunate circumstance, moreover, that Captain Hewitt's Volunteer com- pany had returned to Seattle the day before, its term of enlist- ment having expired ; as it was, it did gallant service and great- ly aided in the defence. At noon the Indians ceased firing while they feasted on the beef of the settlers, which their women had killed and roasted, a lull taken advantage of by the whites to convey their women and children on board of the Decatur and the bark Brontes, then lying in port. We will tell the rest of the story in the words of Grant :
" At the same time, an effort was made to gather from the suddenly deserted houses the provisions, guns, and other valu- ables left in the hasty flight, before the Indians, under the cover of night, would have an opportunity to rob and burn them. The savages, perceiving the men rushing into the houses for this pur- pose, immediately commenced firing upon them, some of the dwellings within range being pierced by as many as fifty bullets. Before this vigorous assault the whites were forced to retire within the line of the stockades. The attack was now renewed with increased vigor, a fierce charge being made upon fourteen men of the Decatur stationed near the opening of the woods which marked the beginning of the lake trail."
This little band, however, met the charge with such energy that the Indians retreated. "Had they not flinched," says Bancroft, " had they thrown themselves upon these few men with ardor they would have blotted them out of existence by sheer force of numbers ; but such was not to be, and Seattle was saved by the recoil."
To resume Grant's narrative : " All the afternoon a desultory firing continued on both sides. At times when a bombshell ex- ploded in the midst of the Indians a hideous yell would be raised, but still the savages showed no signs of retreat. Toward evening, scouts sent out by Captain Gansevoort reported that the Indians were placing inflammable material under and around the deserted houses preparatory to a grand conflagration in the even- ing, which it was believed was to have been the signal for all the Indians on the beach and across the sound to join in the attack.
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To prevent the carrying out of this plan a vigorous shelling of the town was resorted to, which resulted in dispersing the incen- diaries before they had an opportunity to enter upon their work of destruction. Upon the return of the night the fire on both sides gradually ceased, and by ten o'clock was discontinued altogether. When the morning of the 27th dawned the hostile force had disappeared, taking what cattle they could find, and plundering every house within the line of their 'retreat.' "
It was a happy termination and a narrow escape from utter annihilation, for had the assault succeeded, there is no doubt that every inhabitant of Seattle would have succumbed to the scalp- ing-knife of the savage. The shells of the Decatur saved the town, and the Indians for many a day spoke with reverence of the Bostons as a tribe who fired wagons at their enemies. On the part of the whites but two men were positively known to have been killed-Milton G. Holgate, shot while standing in the door of the Cherry Street block-house early in the action, and a young man named Robert Wilson, killed by an Indian sharp- shooter on the porch of a hotel near the site now occupied by the Standard Theatre. Two houses were burned and several plun- dered. As usual in such affairs, the loss of the Indians could never be ascertained-they conceal their wounded and carry off their dead. The hostile chief Claycum had a narrow escape, a bullet from a white man's rifle cutting off a lock of his shaggy gray hair.
THE LYNCHING OF HOWARD, SULLIVAN AND PAYNE.
Lynch law seems to be inseparable from the rough, lawless life on every unsettled frontier, and even of a more advanced civilization whenever, through a miscarriage of justice, the com- munity, to escape some reign of ruffianism, takes the law into its own hands and becomes at once its judge and executioner. It is not within our province to argue for or against its summary methods and self-appointed tribunals. It must be approved or condemned by the circumstances which engender it, but it can- not be denied that, judged by its results, its general effect is beneficial-desperate diseases require desperate remedies-and vigilance committees, as in the case of San Francisco, are cyclonic agents, destructive to individuals, but nevertheless purifying to the moral atmosphere of the neighborhood at large.
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The condition of affairs in Seattle when the three men whose names head this paragraph were taken from the protection of the officers of the law and summarilydealt with by an excited and indignant populace was, to say the least of it, peculiar. Crime had gone unpunished-robbery and threatened murders upon the streets ; public patience was exhausted ; the ordinary course of legal procedure seemed powerless and its officers of no avail ; the whole town was in a state of agitation ; the recent murder of President Garfield had evoked a still deeper feeling against assassination. It was such a condition of affairs that led to the lynchings perpetrated by the people of Seattle on January 17th, 1882. The crime, as related by Grant, was as follows : " At six o'clock on the evening of that day, George B. Reynolds, a well- known and popular citizen, was returning from his home to his place of business ; he was met near the corner of Third and Marion streets by two men, one of whom, with a pistol in his hand, ordered him to throw up his hands. This Reynolds re- fused to do. Realizing his danger, he attempted to draw his revolver. His assailant, perceiving his intention, at once fired, the ball taking effect in Reynolds' breast. As the wounded man fell he fired at the assassins, but his aim was not accurate, and both of them escaped in the darkness. As Reynolds sank to the ground he called for help, and several persons who had heard his cry, as well as the reports of the pistols, were soon on the scene. The sufferer was carried to his home, where, two hours later, after enduring the most intense agony, he died. The news of the shooting spread rapidly, and popular indignation called loudly for summary action. The ringing of the fire-bell caused two hundred enraged and resolute citizens to congregate at the engine house. A vigilance committee was formed, and squads of men were selected to patrol the streets, watch every means of egress and ingress to the city, and if possible detect the authors of the crime. About ten o'clock, four hours after the shooting, two men were found secreted under some hay which was stored on Harrington & Smith's wharf. One of these, a one-armed man, had a revolver on his person with four loaded cartridges and one empty, the latter plainly showing that it had been but recently fired. The other had in his pocket about a hundred cartridges which fitted his comrade's pistol. The committee, some of whose members had discovered them,
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delivered their prisoners to a police officer, by whom they were taken to the county jail. Later in the evening, as public excite- ment intensified and the belief became general that the guilty parties had been secured, two hundred members of the vigilance committee visited the jail, guarded by L. V. Wyckoff, Van Wyckoff, his son, J. H. McGraw, then chief of police, and James H. Woolery, a member of the police force. The hall lead- ing to the sheriff's office was soon filled with angry and excited men bent on vengeance. To forcibly break down the door which separated the prisoners from them was the work of a moment, and then the surging crowd, almost within reach of the quiver- ing and frightened wretches, demanded that they be surren- dered. There was now no barrier between the wild and furious throng of enraged men save the sheriff and his party. With drawn pistol, the sheriff implored the crowd to desist from vio- lence, and announced his determination to protect at all hazards the men committed to his charge. Before the determined stand taken by this brave man the crowd hesitated, and finally, upon a solemn promise being given by the sheriff that the prisoners would be produced in court at nine o'clock the next morning, the attacking party retired, taking with them the prisoners' shoes, in order to compare them with tracks in the vicinity in which the murder was committed. At half-past nine on the following morning Justice S. F. Coombs opened court in Yesler's Hall, and . a few minutes later the officers appeared with their prisoners. Every foot of standing room was occupied, but the gathering was strangely quiet, and nothing in the appearance or demeanor of the immense crowd indicated the stern resolve so soon to mete out summary justice to thé criminals, who gave the names of James Sullivan and William Howard. The circumstantial evidence adduced was overwhelming-the prisoners were in hid- ing ; their pistol recently fired ; the ball found in the body of their victim fitted it, and was made at the same factory with those still undischarged. No doubt of their guilt remained, and no denial was made by the accused. They were held without bail to await the action of the grand jury and returned to the custody of the officers. Justice Coombs had scarcely rendered his deci- sion when a wild and deafening shout arose. The crowd rushed forward, and as many as were able to get within reach grasped the prisoners. At the same instant the officers were seized and
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overpowered. It was a scene of wild and intense excitement. Resistance was useless. The vast throng was moved by a relent- less purpose ; mad and furious passion seemed to have taken possession of all. The prisoners were hurried through the alley back of the hall to Occidental Square, where two scantlings had been placed between the forks of two trees near Mr. Yesler's resi- dence. One of the prisoners made some resistance while in the alley, but was quickly thrown to the ground and overpowered. In another instant both men were beneath the bar. A rope pre- viously prepared was fastened about the neck of each, and the other end was thrown over the timbers and grasped by many hands, and within one minute of the time that Justice Coombs remanded the prisoners to the custody of the officers they were dangling in the air in the presence of two thousand citizens. A terrible deed, but done with the open approval of an outraged community in inadequate requital of a base and unprovoked assassination. Chief Justice Green alone was conspicuous in his efforts to prevent their execution ; he even went so far as to at- tempt to cut them down while yet alive, and only desisted when forcibly prevented. Neither of the men was heard to utter a word from the moment of their seizure in the court-room. Within a few moments after the act of justice had been per- formed, some one in the crowd suggested that Benjamin Payne, then confined in jail for the murder of police officer David Sires, should suffer the same penalty. The crowd was quite ready to respond. The fire-bell again rang out, calling the committee together. The ominous tapping of the bell three times three carried to the ears of Payne his doom. It was the rallying sig- nal for five hundred men to proceed to the jail. The tall fence on the south side of the building was torn down and the jail yard invaded. The heavy outside wooden doors fell before their axe strokes, and the two iron doors which separated the crowd from the cell where the doomed man was secreted were battered to pieces with sledges. The trembling wretch was then seized, and with an escort of citizens on either side and several in front and behind he was marched down to the gallows, where the former victims were still hanging. For a moment his eyes rested on the ghastly spectacle of two corpses with blackened faces and protruding tongues suspended from the scantling. He realized that he was soon to die, but did not quail ; not a tremor of his
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pallid face betrayed the thoughts which must have surged through his mind. While the rope was being adjusted he was asked to make a confession, but protested his innocence, crying out : " You hang me, and you will hang an innocent man." If he said anything further it was unheard, for the roar of several hundred voices drowned all else, and before the shouts subsided the body of Payne took its place between the murderers of Reynolds. The latter were hung at one o'clock and Payne one half hour later. At two o'clock the bodies were lowered to the ground ; they were buried the same evening by the county undertaker."
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