USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 59
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Four banks-the Exchange, Traders, Old National and Spokane & Eastern Trust had $1,350.321 on deposit. "Rarely has there been a happier holiday sea- son in Spokane," cheerily said the Chronicle,
CHAPTER LII
SPOKANE REVIVED BY MINERAL WEALTH
COEUR D'ALENES, ROSSLAND AND SLOCAN ROLL IN RICH DIVIDENDS-MAKING OF THE GREAT LE ROI - "WILDCATTERS" FLOURISH-REPUBLIC CAMP ATTRACTS ATTENTION- POLITICAL UPHEAVAL OF 1896-INFLUENTIAL REPUBLICANS BOLT-FUSION OF DEMOCRATS, POPULISTS AND SILVER REPUBLICANS-SPECTACULAR CAMPAIGN- FUSION FORCES SWEEP STATE AND COUNTY- CAUSES OF THE UPHEAVAL- MAKING WAR ON GROUND SQUIRRELS-GOOD WORK FOR FORT WRIGHT BY CONGRESSMAN HYDE-L. Il. PLATTOR KILLED BY HENRY SEIFFERT-FRUIT FAIR ENLARGED.
N EW YEAR of 1896 brought renewed hope and confidence. "Spokane" (I wrote in January) "stands on the threshold of a new career. It is not a boast to say that the outlook, as we stand in the dawn of a new year, is better than ever for further progress and substantial development. With the plant- ing here of national government interests, the establishment of new productive in- dustries, and the rapid growth of mining interests. Spokane's future is assured." And again: "New York. Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago have become great cities through the genius of the American people and development of wild re- sources. The same influences will build great eities by these western shores, and those eities will be the places which now possess the railroads, the water power and the harbors."
From the treasure vaults of the Coeur d'Alenes and Rossland, and from snowy. silvery Slocan came swelling streams of new wealth, and everybody caught the infection and fell to dabbling in mines. Under the management of Patrick Clark, the War Eagle led off with the first Rossland dividend, summer of 1895, and in October, 1896. had $187,500 to its credit. The great Le Roi quickly followed suit, and made an even better record: and by the autumn of '96 Byron White's Sloean Star had distributed in dividends an even quarter of a million dollars.
At the annual Le Roi election this year W. W. D. Turner was made president, D. W. Henley vice-president, L. F. Williams secretary, and J. M. Armstrong treasurer. These, with George Turner. W. J. Harris, Frank H. Graves, E. D. Sanders and W. M. Ridpath. constituted the board of directors. George Turner, W. J. Harris and W. M. Ridpath were a managing committee. Under a contraet with the Le Roi people. F. Aug. Heinze was building a smelter at the mouth of Trail ereek, but the company was making heavy and constant shipments to Mon- tana and the coast. From the bottom of the shaft it shipped one lot of forty tons in January that sampled $520 a ton. The stock was selling around $1.50. The fates had deereed that this property should fall into the hands of men of pluck and
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persistence. They hammered away on the hard diorite, assessed themselves to carry on development, kept drilling away through panic times, built roads into the wild mountains, and after four years of persistent effort made a showing that cansed the "experts" to revise their former discouraging judgment. They shipped ore, and the returns began to pay for development and machinery ; and then they worked along for another two years, the marvelous ore bodies disclosed themselves, and the mine began to distribute handsome dividends among its owners.
In March the Bunker Hill and Sullivan, Standard. Hunter. Morning. Helena and Frisco, Emma and Last Chance, Tiger and Poorman, Stemwinder and the Gem, all in the Coeur d'Alenes, were yielding 11,000 tons of silver-lead concen- trates a month.
With all this rich mineral development came the inevitable crop of "wild- catters" and mine "salters." C. P. Oudin had bought the Monitor claim, near Rossland, and when he discovered that deception had been practiced. sued Charles and Mabel Crossman. Special Judge J. R. MeBride sustained the allegations, ordered the contract rescinded and the return of $1,000 to plaintiff.
"It needs to be said, over and over again," remarked the Spokesman Review. "that it is folly to put money into mines or stocks which have not back of them a sound title, good business management and skilled superintendeney. By a mere 'tluke' one might make a profit by disregarding these tests. but the odds are as a hundred to one that money so invested would be worse than wasted. Spokane has no resources to squander in that fashion. It is desired that her marvelous mineral wealth be developed, but loose methods and blind flounderings will not bring development to the industry. nor wealth to the city. They will rather im- poverish individuals, check the rising tide of prosperity, and chill the present de- sirable interest in mining."
The president having signed, on February 20, the bill extending operation of the mineral laws to the north half of the Colville reservation, hundreds of pros- pectors swarmed into that district. Republic camp, then known as Eureka, was attracting attention in May. About 100 locations had been made there. and among the Spokane owners were Patrick Clark, Tommy Ryan, Phil Creasor, John Consi- dine and A. W. Strong.
Up Slocan way that year S. S. Bailey sold the Payne group at a reputed price of $125,000, and Col. S. M. Wharton. J. M. Harris and E. J. Kelly were taking ore of fabulous richness from the Reco. They shipped four carloads in December that netted $20,798. A previous shipment of two carloads returned $18,000 profit.
Politically. 1896 brought a mighty upheaval. The Wilson organization con- trolled the republican county convention in April, and instructed the delegation to the state convention to support Henry L. Wilson for delegate to the national convention. A secret anti-Catholic society. the American Protective association. was now in the heyday of its power, and Cyrus Happy and Alonzo M. Murphey asserted that it had controlled the primaries and convention. Judge Welty, one of the founders of the A. P. A. in Spokane, gave out in an interview the statement that "Senator Jolm L. Wilson's official acts have met with the approval of the order generally, and in recognition of his course in the senate, I account for the action of the order here today in supporting his brother for delegate."
Spokane's public school system had fallen under the sway of this organization.
MOUTH OF THE OKANOGAN RIVER
VIEW OF ROSSLAND, B. C.
REPUBLIC CAMP SCENE IN EARLY DAYS
FIVE-HUNDRED FOOT LEVEL OF THE LE ROI MINE AT ROSSLAND
SHOP
VIEW OF CHEWELALL, WASHINGTON, FIRST SCHOOL NORTH OF SNAKE RIVER WAS STARTED HERE
OJ C LIBRARY
NIJAI UNS
TICI
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and two young ladies, the only Catholic teachers in the public schools, were dis- charged. It was later revealed that the printed application forms included a re- ligious test, one question asking the applicant's church affiliation.
In state convention at Everett, the republicans instrueted for MeKinley and the gold standard and declared against free coinage of silver. Henry L. Wilson was elected one of the delegates to the national convention.
At the republican national convention in St. Louis, a group of silver republi- cans. under leadership of Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado, marched out from convention hall when the platform was adopted. Under date of June 22 this telegram was sent from Spokane:
"Hon. H. M. Teller, or Fred. Dubois, and their associates, St. Louis: The undersigned republicans admire your course and endorse your action, and stand ready to follow your leadership. We pledge you the state of Washington. We state further that the republicans of this state are misrepresented in the national convention on the financial question. Signed: George Turner, W. C. Jones, J. R. Mc Bride, Cyrus Happy, Patrick Clark. B. C. Kingsbury, W. O'Brien, Albert Allen, D. W. Henley. L. F. Williams, Louis Ziegler, Charles H. Wolf, J. H. McBroom, Frank H. Graves, W. M. Ridpath, J. M. Armstrong, C. H. Thompson, Henry M. Hoyt."
Fusion was effected in state and county by populists, demoerats and silver republicans. The fusion state convention at Ellensburg nominated John R. Rogers for governor, W. C. Jones of Spokane, and James Hamilton Lewis of Tacoma, for congress, and Col. Patrick Henry Winston of Spokane for attorney-general.
In state convention the republicans nominated P. C. Sullivan for governor, and S. C. Hyde of Spokane, and Wm. H. Doolittle of Tacoma, for congress.
The campaign was the most spirited and spectacular in the state's history. In Spokane great torchlight processions filled Riverside avenue at night, republicans and fusionists vieing in extraordinary efforts to put their voters in line. The regu- lar republicans made a gallant effort, but it was clearly foreseen that the tide had set hopelessly strong against them. At the election the fusion forees swept county and state. In Spokane they elected every man on the county and legislative tickets, and a similar result was recorded in a number of other east side counties. Bryan carried Spokane county by 3,000 plurality; Rogers, Jones and Lewis by about 2,800.
The Spokesman-Review attributed the result in this state to "a shameful and wholesale control of legislation by corporate influences, wasteful extravagance, the frittering away of the public domain, scandalous scenes attending senatorial elections, want of dignity in high official life, the elevation of mediocrity. peni- tentiary scandals, tide land and harbor land raids, manipulation of state funds in the interest of favored banks, and "gigantie ' overriding of the plain provisions of the constitution fixing a limit to state indebtedness."
A county seat contest in Lincoln county resulted in the removal of the court- house from Sprague to Davenport.
OTHER EVENTS OF 1896
An early day pest in the grain-growing sections of the Inland Empire was the ground squirrel. It bred in incredible numbers, burrowing upon sod lands,
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and coming out in springtime to feed on the tender shoots of the young wheat. Farmers were driven to desperation. and some lost all or nearly all their crops. Numerous were the agencies of destruction then employed-poisoned wheat, deadly fumes generated by dropping chemicals into the burrows. twenty-two caliber rifles and finally the State Agricultural college went at the problem scientifically and worked out a deadly virus, inoculating with it large numbers of the rodents and turning them loose to carry the infection far and near.
Under a state law this year the county commissioners were paying a bounty on ground squirrel tails-one cent in March, half a cent in April and May. In a single month the commissioners paid bounty on 10.000 tails. On March 31 the entire other force was engaged in the fascinating and highly intellectual avocation of counting tails, and when twilight fell had enumerated that day a grand total of 26.510.
Congress made this year the first appropriation for Fort George Wright, and Representative S. C. Hyde came home from the capital with a fine feather in his cap. "Uncle Joe" Cannon, chairman of the committee on appropriations, was try- ing to make a record for economy, and the committee threw out this item. Mr. Hyde appealed to Speaker Reed, won his promise of recognition, and when the sundry civil bill was reached in the house, offered an amendment to appropriate for Fort Wright $75,000 of the $300,000 carried by the bill for new buildings at army posts. He reviewed before the house the story of Spokane's sacrifice for the army post and the flag. but Chairman Cannon was flinty-hearted and carried his opposition to the floor. Grosvenor of Ohio supported Hyde, and despite Mr. Cannon's appeal to the members to stand by their committee's report. Hyde's amendment carried by a good majority. In conference the item was trimmed to $50,000.
1 .. H. Plattor, prominent attorney and democratic politician, was fatally shot by Henry Seiffert, in the corridor of the county courthouse. Angust 2. The two men had come from Judge Arthur's courtroom, where a motion for appointment of a special administrator for the Rudolph Gorkow estate was under considera- tion. Plattor, who represented some of the beneficiaries of the will. had made remarks by Seiffert construed as a reflection on his character. Angry words passed, Plattor struck Seiffert with his cane, and Seiffert drew a revolver and fired the fatal shot. Plattor was the democratic nominee in 1889 for lientenant-governor, and in 1892 for presidential elector on the democratic ticket. Both men were prominent in the order of Elks. Seiffert was tried and acquitted.
A new city directory in August carried 12,500 names, an increase of 10 per cent. The city's population was estimated at 35.280.
Greatly enlarged. with a midway. a rock-drilling contest and a poultry show. this year's Fruit fair was sheltered in a big tent adjacent to the Auditorium, Octo- ber 6 to 18. Total paid admissions, 56,031.
CHAPTER LIII
REVIEW OF HISTORICAL EVENTS OF 1897
GEORGE TURNER ELECTED TO THE SENATE-DR. OLMSTED DEFEATS DR. MAC LEAN FOR MAYOR-H. L. WILSON MINISTER TO CHILE-SALE OF WAR EAGLE MINE-DEVELOP- MENT OF REPUBLIC- GRANBY'S BEGINNINGS-MRS. ARCHER'S PRIZE POEM-DEATII OF "DEATH ON THE TRAIL"-LORD SHOLTO DOUGLAS ARRIVES-TRIBULATIONS OF VERY REV. DR. DEAN RICHMOND BABBITT-TOWN WIDE OPEN AGAIN-ROSE CARNI- VAL AND PARADE-PROSPERITY'S BANNERS WELL ADVANCED.
G EORGE TURNER'S election by a fusion legislature in January, 1897, gave Spokane both United States senators, as Jolin L. Wilson was then a resident of the town. When the legislature convened it was seen that the senatorial contest was in deep doubt. While the fusion forees had a large majority on joint ballot, the populists evineed a disinelination to affiliate with the democrats and the silver republicans. They had senatorial aspirants of their own. and a further complication appeared in the persistent desire of Senator Watson C. Squire to be returned to the senate. After some delays and extensive negotiations, the fusion members were gotten together in caneus, night of January 28, and Turner made the eaueus nominee, in spite of a bolt by twenty supporters of Squire. His election followed on joint ballot the day after the eauens, all the democrats. all the silver republieans and forty of the fifty-eight populists voting for him. Senator Turner was given a non-partisan publie greeting when he returned from Olympia to his home. A large reception committee ineluded J. J. Browne, Judge W. E. Richardson, R. B. Blake, A. W. Doland, General A. P. Curry, George Belt, Sheriff C. C. Dempsey, Mayor H. N. Belt. Cyrus Happy, George Mudgett, Dr. Grubbe, R. W. Nuzum. B. E. Barinds, D. C. Newman, Dr. J. D. MaeLean, L. Bertonneau, Henry Seiffert, C. S. Rutter, E. Dempsie, N. W. Durham, Charles Leary, Louis Ziegler, J. W. Daniel, Dr. N. Fred. Essig. F. P. Hogan, B. N. Carrier, L. H. Prather, A. P. Wolverton, Ben. Norman, J. A. Schiller, M. Oppen- heimer, D. W. Henley. E. T. Steele.
At the municipal election the Citizens' ticket eleeted all its nominees exeept- ing eouneilmen from the Fifth ward, where J. S. Phillips and A. W. MeMorran, people's party nominees, were sueeessful. For mayor, Dr. E. D. Olmsted defeated Dr. J. D. MaeLean by a majority of 744, in a total vote of 3,330. For comp- troller. George Liebes defeated Floyd M. Daggett, and W. S. MeCrea became treas- urer by 190 votes over F. J. J. Quirk. C. S. Rutter and W. F. Mitehem were elected to the eouneil from the First ward, J. N. Glover and J. T. Omo from the Vol. I-31
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Second, J. M. Comstock and J. A. Schiller from the Third, and J. D. Hinkle and W. H. Acuff from the Fourth.
In June Henry L. Wilson, brother of Senator John L. Wilson, was appointed minister to Chile. He came to Spokane in 1886, and was editorial writer for a while on Frank Dallam's Daily Review. Leaving journalism to embark in the real estate business, Mr. Wilson quickly amassed a fortune of $200,000, but it was swept from his grasp in the panie of 1893.
Early in January F. Lewis Clark and Charles Sweeny, then partners, an- nouneed their purpose to tear down the old Commercial hotel building at River- side and Lincoln, and the old frame building adjoining on the west and ercet a modern store and office building. The city had leased a part of the ground scy- eral years before, and erected a cheap two-story city hall and police station. The famous, or infamous, "ham" council met there after the fire of 1889.
By the sale of the War Eagle mine in January, nearly three-quarters of a mil- lion dollars of new capital was poured into Spokane. The sale was negotiated in Toronto by Patrick Clark, president of the company, to the Gooderham-Blackstoek syndicate of Canadian investors. The mine had then paid $187,500 in dividends, so in round numbers that little strip of Red Mountain yielded nearly a million dol- lars towards the enrichment of Spokane.
Ratification of Mr. Clark's deal was vigorously contested by the Corbin inter- ests. The Gooderham syndicate tendered $770,000 cash, but a competing syndi- cate represented by Frank T. Post offered $900,000 for the mine. $200,000 in cash, the remainder in deferred payments. The Clark-Finch party were supported by a majority of the voted shares, over the opposition led by Austin Corbin and E. J. Roberts. Subsequent developments proved the wisdom of the cash sale. The developed ore bodies had been almost exhausted, and the new owners were soon confronted with the necessity of making expensive and extensive search for new reserves.
Eureka ( Republic) developed this year into a lively camp. In October it boasted fifty log and canvas houses, and had five stores, three blacksmith shops, two barber shops, four restaurants, two hotels, two fruit and eigar stores, two meat markets, three livery stables, three bakeries, three assay offices, a tailor, a shoemaker, a doctor, a lawyer, a jeweler who also sold patent medicines two sa- loons- and gambling in full blast. A cemetery was started when a woman was mysteriously strangled by an unknown assassin.
Jay P. Graves returned from Montreal in May, successful organizer of a company of Canadian and Spokane investors to take over and develop the Old Ironsides mine in the Boundary district. S. E. Rigg was president, Mr. Graves vice-president and James Penfield secretary. A. L. White was also identified with the enterprise. Such was the beginning of Granby.
An incident of early summer was the publication by the Review of a number of poems on the Spokane river. To stimulate interest in Spokane's scenie setting. that journal offered a small cash prize, to be awarded by Rev. O. J. Fairfield and J. Kennedy Stout. In their judgment, which was sustained by publie opinion, the honor was clearly won by Mrs. Sara F. Archer, a teacher in the public schools. In beauty of expression. charm of imagery and haunting melody this poem has yet to be equaled by local effort :
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O, beautiful river, sweep into the west,
With the shadow of hemlock and fir on thy breast; With the glint of the green in thy cool, crystal wave,
Thou hast stolen from hills that thy swift waters lave.
In the lake, hill-encircled, thy rushing rills meet, Down, down from the heights come their hurrying feet. From the heart of the mountain thy bright torrent drains, Thy sources are deep in the dim Coeur d'Alenes.
Convulsions voleanie thy stern bed have made, In basalt and granite thy couch has been laid ; "Tis veined with the onyx and broidered with gold, And into its gorges thy liquid life rolled.
High over thy head croons the sentinel pine: Deep into thy bosom the watchful stars shine;
The tamaracks gaze on thy foam-covered face,
And shivering, stand in the breath of thy raec.
Columbia thunders; its echoes invite.
Deep answers to deep in the cataract's might.
Speed on to thy nuptials, exulting in pride, And the peerless Spokane is Columbia's bride.
A picturesque figure, seen often on the city's streets in the '90s was John W. Proetor, more generally known as "Death on the Trail." Proctor stood six feet six, and wore habitually the attire of the frontier. He had drifted to the Spokane country from Dakota, where he was the original locator of the town of Bismarek, and had seen service as a seout with the United States troops in the Black Hills and for General Custer in the Sioux war. His home was on the river bank in Peaceful valley, and as he never posed as a desperado or tough man, he had many friends and admirers. He found occupation as guide to hunting parties and at prospeeting for mineral. He met his death, New Year's day, 1897, by falling from a rocky eliff near Hope, Idaho.
Another remarkable character at this time, though of different type, was Lord Sholto Douglas, a real scion of British nobility, son of the Marquis of Queens- berry, who preferred the lights of lower Howard street to his native heath. While knocking around over the Pacific coast he became enamored of a variety actress, and impulsively led her to the altar and thus conferred upon her the title of Lady Douglas.
Perhaps the most militant parson that ever shook the dust of Spokane from his shoes was the Very Reverend Dr. Dean Richmond Babbitt, who held for a year or so the high position of dean of All Saints Episcopal cathedral. Dr. Bab- bitt was scholarly and possessed many charming personal traits, but the chapter of All Saints found him "temperamentally difficult," as indeed he well knew how to be when erossed in purpose or ruffled in his dignity. In September, this year, the chapter voted to dispense with his services. whereupon he girded up his armor and carried the warfare into the ecclesiastical and legal courts, holding that his
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attempted removal was in violation of his rights. The dean refused to vacate his study in the church, and left there on guard his assistant, the Rev. John Manning. In an effort to regain possession, Vestrymen R. L. Rutter, R. M. Russell, George S. Brooke and W. D. Vincent went there on the night of October 13 and demanded possession, which, refused, they felt justified in resorting to force. The dean's assistant resisted eviction, and afterwards complained that in the seuthe his assail- ants stifled his eries by gagging him with a handkerchief. Dr. Babbitt made much of this incident, but in the end lost his cause before the bishop and in the courts as well. Barred from the cathedral, he held independent services for a while in Elks temple.
This summer the town was wider open than it had been before, since the re- construction period of 1889-90. Emboldened by lax enforcement of the laws, and apparent apathetie publie sentiment, the proprietors of the box-rustling variety theaters, to stimulate attendance, adopted the advertising plan of parading the streets on pleasant afternoons. Behind their bands came the performers and a host of box-rustlers in carriages. a spectacle that aroused much indignation and excited a sharp demand on Mayor Olmsted's administration for reform. "While I am not a puritan." said the mayor, "I am convinced that vice and immorality have put on too brazen a front in Spokane. We have started out to close the dance halls and variety theaters, believing that they are a detriment to the town and a menace to public morals." Regarding gambling, the mayor said: "It is an evil, and I await the verdict of the people and the will of the law-making power. I will say this, however: if the gambling games are to continue in Spokane, they must be run out of sight: there must be no cinch games; they must be under constant police control, and pay a considerable revenue to the city." Enforcement of the law closed the dance halls and variety theaters, but the Coeur d'Alene and the Comique reopened in September. with a promise to abandon box-rustling.
In June we had a rose carnival and parade. Miss Jessie Galusha was crowned queen of roses by the mayor, in public exercises at Natatorium park. Miss Flor- ence Greene was maid of honor, Alice Irvine crown-bearer. and as flower girls came Elsie Crane. Ruth Penfield, and Frances Loring. Ladies in waiting were Marie Luhn, Jessie MeTavish, Garrett Glidden, Blonde Nash, Lucille Nash, Ger- trude Sweeny, Mary Sexton, Kate Marshall, Edna Campbell and Miss Luhn. As outriders on prancing steeds, B. E. Barinds, T. E. Jefferson, Guy Essig, John C. Onderdonk, E. M. Shaw, Harry Vincent, Jirah Moseley, James Penfield. Roy Clark and Howard Dennis galloped here and there.
To carry on the fruit fair a fund of $5,300 was raised by publie subscription by a committee comprising John A. Finch, J. W. Wentworth, O. L. Rankin, J. M. Comstock. J. Goldstein, W. H. Cowles, Howell Peel. R. B. Paterson, Fred. Mason. S. Rosenhaupt. A. W. Doland, Frank Grote. E. Dempsie, and J. A. Sehiller. Under the management of 11. Bolster the fair scored another success, with 68,000 paid admissions at 15 cents, and a balance after all bills were paid of $1.621. John A. Finch was president, and W. H. Cowles. J. M. Comstock and H. M. Rich- ards the board of control.
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