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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1914)
TTtE SUNDAY OltEGONIAX, PORTLAND, V EBItTT All Y 8, 1914. NEWSPAPERMAN WHO HEARD LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG RECOUNTS EVENT H. M. Irwin, of Salem, Or, Present at Historic Ceremony as Reporter for Harrisburg, Pa., Paper, Gives Hereto fore Unprinted Sidelights on Memorable Occasion, November 19, 1863. SALEM. Or.. Feb. 7 (Special.) With recollection clear, of scenes and events of that memorable No vember 19, 1863, when Abraham Lln- coin gave to the world his imperish able address at Gettysburg, H. M. Ir win, of this city, probably the only liv ing newspaper man who reported the ceremonies, has written for The Ore Sbnian his impressions of what trans pired on the battlefield that day. I la vint; naturally the keen repor torial Instinct, Vemarkably developed by the stirring events of his appren ticeship and the training the work gives to perception and memory. Air. Irwin's story of the eventful day and immortal speech deserves a place high among those of other men who are now, at the near approach of the 104th anniversary of the birth of the savior of the Union, searching their brain for details to depict in newspaper and magazine story. It is not to be won dered at that his contribution in some respects differs from those of other men who heard the address, for all of them do as to detail, but his training to remember what he saw and heard, and the fact that he "took notes." which served as a review when he came to write his story,. makes his ar ticle of peculiar significance at this time. Mr. Irwin was with Mr. Lincoln vir tually from the time the President ar rived in Gettysburg late in the morn ing until he left late at night for "Washington. He was with the Great Emancipator at Judge Wills' home be fore the dedication of the cemetery, he was present during- the entire cere mony, and was a guest with Mr. Lin coln at Judge Wills' home in the evening-, thus having had opportunity to see and hear all that was said and done. His story, which is published for the first time, with the exception of what he wrote for his paper at the time, is as follows: "1 feel a curious Interest in the In quiries sent you by W. D. Lyman, of Walla Walla, January 27, concerning Ilncoln's Gettysburg address, and In The Oregonian's comment on the same. "Mr. Lyman cites two largely ac cepted and widely opposite notions or traditions as to Lincoln's state of mind on that occasion one, that he was per turbed and doubtful about the quality of his intended speech, and shrank from delivering It after hearing Ever ett's elaborate oration; the other, that he had read an advance copy of that oration and 'was merely amused, realis ing the superiority of his own simple grandeur.' Hypotheses .Held Wrong-. ' "I do not hesitate in saying that neither of those hypotheses is founded on fact. I pay this on the strength of personal observation, for I was present ut the dedication of the Gettysburg Na tional Cemetery, and sat within 30 feet of President Lincoln while he was speaking. That memorable privilege came to me in this way: The preceding year, on account of debilitating illness, I had been honorably discharged from the army after a 'short enlistment. On my way from Washington to my home In Franklin, Pa., I stopped off at Har risburg, and got a Job at typesetting, and afterward reporting, on the daily puper. ' In due time came the Gettys burg ceremonies, and the editor de tailed me to help round up the doings. Bo it chanced that Lincoln's speech was my first important stunt in reporting. "A great assemblage thronged the prounds at the time of the dedication. The exercises were held in the open air. On the platform were gathered a concourse of the country's prominent men Governors, Cabinet Ministers, military officers, prelates, editors, etc, and the two orators of the day. Gov ernor Curtin presided. I recall that as our Governor, tall and handsome, es corted President Lincoln to the front nnd Introduced him, the latter's spare end angular frame, clad in a black Prince Albert coat, seemed to loom up by contrast. The towering height of his figure seemed to impart a certain awkwardness to the man. He was large-boned, long of arm, large of hand, broad-shouldered and'sinewy; his complexion dark almost the swarthi ness of an Indian. "In his face and dark eyes 'was a trace of the worn look that seldom left him, but there was no sign of self-distrust or trepidation in look, voice or manner. He spoke deliber ately, raising his voice to a somewhat strident pitch that it might carry to the rearmost ranks .of hearers. Just es we were beginning to 'catch on' to his oration, the voice ceased and the orator resumed his seat. Applause IVot Vociferous. "There was not so much volume or vo ciferation In the applause that followed. Why? Well, for one thing, the people there had gathered to hear the 'big talk" from the polished, eloquent, clas sical Edward Everett. They got a gen erous quantity of it. But they were poorly fortified for a siege of it. Most f them had been 'footing it over the battlefield for a good part of the day, and were tired; the air was growing :hilly. while the great orator 'devolved his rounded periods,' and when the peroration came to a final halt, some ot us chilled and irreverent ones quoted the remark of the little kid after his visit to the dentist: 'Just before I died the tooth came out. "The conditions I have indicated will partly account for the very moderate applause accorded Lincoln. But there was another reason. I may as well confess it most .of us didn't realize at the time what a masterpiece he was giving us. It was only on studying it over that we could appraise it at its true worth a supreme utterance, an unmatched gem 'that on the stretched forefinger of all time sparkles for ever." "I have reason to feel sure that the President was not troubled about the delivery or reception of it. When he had arrived that morning he was taken to the residence of Judge Wills, on the principal street of the town, where he was a guest until the departure of his special train, late at night. He and Secretary Seward. Secretary Caleb D. Smith, and numerous other dignitaries, spent the evening in a social and rest ful way in the drawing-room of the Wills' home. It was my further privil ege to be there during the evening. Al though SO years have passed since that evening, my recollection of it Is distinct toousa to warrant the assertion that neither in his talk nor manner was ' there anything to indicate that Mr. Lincoln was depressed or disappointed. There was no 'dejected 'havior of the visage,' and it occasionally lit up at something humorous or diverting in the run of conversation. "When a band outside began a sere nade, Mr. Lincoln said to Seward: 'Gov- rerncr, you'd better step outside and say a word to our friends.' 'I couldn't think of doing that,' replied Seward. The call is for the President, not me.' Well. Governor," rejoined Mr. Lincoln. 1 11 make a bargain with you. I'll step on to the veranda and show myself and say good night. If you'll agree to fol low me with one of your talks. Sew ard assented, and the bargain was hap pily carried out. Lincoln, by the way liked the sound of Seward's voice best of any of his Cabinet, for Seward was a confirmed optimist and persistently lined the clouds with silver. "There are varying conjectures as to when and how Mr. Lincoln prepared that dedicatory address. I am con vinced The Oregonian is correct in saying he 'had, prepared bis remarks Sli ci yJ si :f-xjriu ' (i i f Lr JS 1 17777N a U rf-i-w V W 1 z,zzrr - V M. I I 1 JVT AT? T1 'tibr 1 jest l without long premeditation.' From what I saw at the time or heard after wards, I have an idea of its formative process that is satisfactory to myself. On the run of the train from Washing ton Mr. Lincoln was observed to be looking at the landscape in an ab stracted way, and occasionally pencil ling a note on what seemed to be a large envelope. On the forenoon of his arrival in Gettysburg he held a recep tion in the parlors of the Wills resi dence. Judge Wills was afterwards reported as saying that after getting through with the handshaking the President asked him if he might for a short time have a room to himself, with pen and ink, adding that he was on the programme to say something at the cemetery that afternoon. The Judge showed him into his own little office, adjacent to the reception room. An hour or so afterwards, Mr. Lincoln emerged, placing some sort of paper or document in that customary re ceptacle of the old-time lawyer, his silk hat. "Accepting these details as probablo facts, we may infer that while alone in that office Mr. Lincoln speedly as sembled and uniformed his ideas in due order for public inspection. It was no trying or doubtful task for him, for he had the vital points clear in his mind. How easily and clearly the scheme of that address presented itself to him in the right order: (1) The oc casion. (2) Its caus. (3) Its object. (4) Our debt to the fallen soldiers. (5) Our duty to finish their task. (6) The tremendous issue at etake. Speaker Never In Doubt. "Be sure the speaker never was in doubt or distrust about his utterance that day. Lincoln was a genius, a seer one of the order of the mighty ones of the foreworld original, un degenerate, powerful. He was self contained, self-confident. In all serious problems he knew what ougnt to be said and how to say it. He was one of the few not troubled with a nervous system. He did not know either physi cal fear or moral cowardice. "Was such a man likely to sulk under the Juniper tree, fretting because peo ple might not understand or approve hie work, or shrinking nervously from the dispraise of the 'long-necked geese of the world?. No, being like all higher PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS V aje Designed nd 1 r -i.SF genius, conscious of his power, he could harbor nothing apologetic or depreca tory, and might have taken to himself the rugged 'yawp' of his friend and The Oregonian's No. 1 American poet, Walt Whitman: I am an acme of things accomplUhed, an encloser of things to be. The centuries have waited for me. And now I stand here with my robust soul. "The Gettysburg speech is irt Lin- coin's peculiar style. He had the idea and could exprese it without the tricks of oratory, rising above sesquipedalies into the region of monosyllables and speaking with the direct verbal sim plicity of the Decalogue. The speech though called perfect, is not exactly so when tested" by the rules of rhetoric For instance, in its less than 300 words are six repetitions In mood and tense of the verb 'to dedicate." But beyond all famous utterances is its rich mea sure of thought and idea, tersely set forth. It fills the requirements of elo quence as laid down - by Ingersoll: 'Short sentences, clear thought and lan guage, and in each sentence an idea big enough to lap over the sentence av both ends.' "These qualities make the Gettysburg address immortal and unsurpassed, and justify The Oregonian's. recent charac terization of it as 'a contribution to the world's imperishable and priceless possessions." Mr. Irwin was born in Franklin. Pa., in 1838, and learned the printers' trade in that city. He enlisted with a squad of recruits in Franklin in 1862 and was sent to camp near Washington. He was later honorably diescharged from the Army because of illness. Vivid Picture Is Painted. "The first time I saw Mr. Lincoln," said he. "was the night after the day I arrived in Washington. That was the evening of the disastrous second battle of Bull Run. our soldiers had been driven back to Washington. The cap ital was in excitement and turmoil. 1 went, toward the White House. The grounds there and the parks and grass plats in the city were covered with tired and sleeping soldiers. Many of them wore the uniform of the Zouave. It was a moonlight night and the faces of all the people wore solemn and gloomy expressions. I finally sat down on the topmost step of a flight at a X)UR SCORE AND SEX?m" - our fathers Broulit forth, on tinent a new nation, conceived in Liberty ana aeaicaiedio 4iieropcitiontnai all men are created equal. Now we are enAafted in a reat rroil Toa r. tgftin&xchetker that nation, or any nation $o con ceived ana 40 dedicated, can. long endure. CPe are met on a 5reat battle-field of that -war. We Kave come to dedicate a portion of that field a$ a final renting, place for tkose tcno here gaxe their live$ that that nation miAht live. It i$ altogether fitting, and proper thate Should do this. , . . But, in a larger ensc-we can not dedicate oe can not con$ecrate -we can not Jhallcrw thi$ ground The brave men, living and deadno $tru&e& here have consecrated it far above our poor" power to add or detractlne world -Tvlitua. note, nor lonA remember what "We $ecp here, hut. it can never Jbr&et what thev did here. It i$ for xl$ the living, rather, to he dedicated here to the, unni5hed,wcnrk-which. "thev -who fought here have thus far 50 nobly advanced. It i$ rather for u$ to Be here dedicated to the great task remaining, be fore xl$ that from thee jbonored dead we take increased devotion to that caue for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we- here highly resolve that these dead ihall not have died invam that this nation, under God,$hall have a new birth of freedom- and that government of the people, by the people,fdr the people, shall not perish from the earth. Lettered by F. J. Trezise, la The Inland railing which separated the White House grounds from the War and Navy grounds. While sitting there sick and lonesome and wondering why the terri ble matter could not be ended a shadow was cast on the steps behind me. I looked back and, at once, recognized the figure of Mr. Lincoln. He was striding fast on his way to the War building. As he came to the steps 1 looked up. He stretched up like a son of Anak. He had evidently dressed in a hurry, for he wore a long linen dust er. He was carrying a bundle of pa pers. As he passed he looked down at me and said: 'Well, boy, how are you?' and I replied: 'Good evening, Mr. Pres ident.' He strode on to the War De partment. "Leaving Washington for my home in 1862 I stopped at Harrisburg, Pa., andfl obtained employment as a printer and reporter on The Patriot and Union. It was a daily paper and for it I reported the famous address. "I was employed in Philadelphia when Mr. Lincoln's body was brought there and lay in state in Independence Hall. After that, during the reconstruction period, I reported for the American Press Association the proceedings of the lower House of Congress. Blaine was Speaker and among the great men then Representatives were Samuel J. Randall, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Butler, Sunset Cox, John A. Logan. George F. Hoar, Daniel Voorhees and John A. Bingham. I did this work six years and, of course, some of the men I have mentioned were not in Congress when I began." Mr. Irwin published the Baltimore Weekly, being one of its owners, be fore receiving the assignment in Wash ington. He returned to Franklin in 1875 and engaged in the oil business for a short time, after which he became editor of The Evening News, of that city. He afterward was editor of the Venango Spectator and was correspond ent of the Oil City Dally Derrick. He closed his active career In the newspa. per business in 1908. Mrs. Irwin hav ing died in 1907. he moved to a ranch in Hood River Valley to be with his son, Francis H. Irwin, and his daugh ters. Misses Gertrude and Mary Louis; Irwin. His oldest son, Hiram L. Irwin, is a lieutenant in the Navy. Soon after his son Francis H. Irwin died in Janu ary, 1913, Mr. Irwin and his daughter, Miss Gertrude, moved to this city so she could pursue, her musical studies. His other daughter is a stenographer employed in the ethnological depart ment of the Oregon Agricultural Col lege. Mr. Irwin likes Oregon, and will probably remain here the remainder of his life. ARTIST FREEZES TO DEATH Painter of Unsalable Futurists Dies in Poverty. PARIS. Feo. 5. (Special.) Wences las Felzynnski, a Polish Futurist ar tist, whose exhibits at the Autumn Salon and the Salon des Independents this year attracted some attention, was found frozen to death in his studio in the Rue de Vaugirard recently. He came to Paris some months ago with the hope of making his fortune by the sale of his paintings. His style, which was of the boldest school of Futurism, did not command success in the market and his pictures remained unsold. - Often he went all day without a meal, and little by little he pawned all his available furniture. He was found lying dead on his bed. The room contained .only an empty spirit lamp, an old overcoat and a trunk. Pelzynnski had even sold his blankets. HOG HAS TW0G00D HEARTS AllIiougH Stabbed Through Jugular Vein It Lrfves for Time. GASTONIA, N. C, Feb. 1 When a hog, butchered by L. E. Turner, was dressed it was discovered that the ani mal had two hearts, both perfectly formed, although one was a sort of auxiliary to the other. Although the porker was slabbed through the jugular vein, it did not die for several minutes. YEAR5 this con Printer. BOTH LUCK AND GRIT FIGURE IN ALL SUCCESSFUL SEARCHES FOR GOLD Peter Hume Retells Romantic Stories of Prospectors and Miners in Rich Field of Northwest in the Early Sixties When He Bought Interest in Claim on Williams Creek. BY PETER HUME. President Bank of Sellwood.) ES, gentlemen, the gold Is where you find it, and the lucky man sets it." The writer was one of a number of passengers a few years ago on a Canadian-Pacific steamship .on our way from Vancouver to Victoria, and the talk had run' on for some time about prospecting and mining for gold. The company seemed to be about evenly di vided in their opinions as to whether "luck" or "grit"' was the greatst factor in success in mining for gold. Some insisted that it was only a matter of staying with It .and a man of good hab its would surely strike good pay after a while. Others maintained that "luck" would beat "grit" every time. The man who made the above remark about the gold being where you found tt, and the lucky man getting it, said that if they cared to hear-It. he would Irelate an experience of his own when '""""S m me uariDOO country, Jn the early 60's, as follows: "In the Winter of 1863, with a friend, I purchased an Interest in a claim on the upper part of the celebrated Will lams Creek, Cariboo. It was above and adjoining a very good claim which had been opened up by an old California miner named Major Downie. who had taken out of It a good deal of gold and then had sold It to some Englishmen. The claim in which I had bought into had also been worked for two seasons, and some good nay found in it ihnni the first of May that year, in company witu lour otner young men, I left Vic toria and walked from Yale, the heart of navigation, to the mines, arriving on' the claim the first of June, the date wuen owners ot claims should be on them, or they were liable to be "jumped." First Year's Return lev. "We did not get enough out of the claim that season to pay the expense of wonting it, as wages were then $10 a day, and flour and beans, bacon, sugar, rice, nails and other supplies $1 to $2.50 per pound. At the end of the season 1 was in debt J200. I managed to work my way to Victoria in the Fall, how ever, and went to Nanaimo. where I worked that Winter, and made ennucrh to take me up to the claim the next season, inis bummer we did some bet ter, getting out gold enough to pay off all our debts and something over. The latter part of the season, however, we did not make much, the lead show ing every indication of being worked out. Beside, all the claims above us on the creek were by this time entirely o-uauuuneu. ijurinz tne following- Win ter I sold my interest in the claim to tne other partners and nuit minincr They, however, decided to try the old claim another season as supplies were men very much cheaper, their Mnius ot working would be much less. As soon as the season opened up they ran a drift into a piece of new ground, found the lead again, and ran onto an immense quartz boulder, around which they found thousands of dollars of gold. Yes, gentlemen, the lucky few always Bet me goio. - One of the company then laughed and remarked that if he had only stayed with his claim he would have shared with the others in the lucky find, and the discussion was renewed. One of the company, who had not taken any part in the discussion, was asked his opinion. "Yes," he answered, "I have mined a little, and in 'the Cariboo country too, having had a rather unusual ex perience one season, and I am not so sure but that luck helped me out quite a bit then." He also mined on Williams Creek in 1863 and 1864. He tramped from Yale, on the Fraser, each season, when quite young, and also a genuine tenderfoot, and managed to secure an interest in a claim there, the rest of which was owned by old California miners. Being quite handy with the ax and other tools, he was able to make a pretty good hand at the work of the claim, was chief engineer and head sawyer (whip saw) in getting out lumber for sluice boxes, rigging the Chinese pump, keeping the water out of the claim and doing such work, getting along fairly well with the men. except one of them, an Irishman, named Brady, who, for some reason, took every opportunity to worry him, finding fault nearly all the time with something he would do or failed to do. One morning, when they were getting their breakfast ready at the general fire, Brady slung his fry pan off the fire and put his own in its place, at the same time making some remarks not usually heard In polite so ciety. Matters Come to Head. This brought matters to a crisis, and Mr. Brady was quietly informed that this thing had gone on about as long as it could, and should now stop. Brady was a burly fellow, and seemed pretty tough, and the other much smaller, be sides he was the only American there. The whole camp seemed to be dumb founded for a moment, especially one "Jim," another Irishman, who delighted in malicious mischief, and who now seemed to enjoy the prospect of a scrap very much, as he always was readv to assist at any misunderstanding. What might have happened, there is no telling, he said, for just about the time Brady took in the situation the foreman of the claim, a great big Cor nishman, named Adam, got up, and lay ing his big head on Brady's shoulder, said: "Come now, Brady, I think you have treated the boy rather mean fo some time, and I don't wonder that he has kicked at last. You all know that he has got up out of bed many times and got the water out for us when we were stuck with the old pump, and has kept up his end very well, so you had better drop it. Brady.'' After drawing a deep breath, and looking the com pany over, Brady took his hat and went out. Things, however, were not just as pleasant as they might have been after this, so, as the season for mining was about over, anyway, he decided to join a party, which he learned was Intend ing to start for Victoria, in a few days. After pausing a while he opened a pocket-book and took out an old bill and passed it around among the com pany, asking if any of them hed ever seen any like that. None ' seemed to have until it came To the man who had told about his mining In Cariboo, when he exclaimed: "Well, well. If that ain't one of old Mac's one-dollar bills." Replacing it carefully in his pocket book, he said that in 1864, a company was organized in Victoria,' to put in a bed-rock flume from the canyon below Richfield on Williams Creek, extending it up, and running the dirt yet In the old claims along the creek through the flume, charging a certain per cent of the gold taken out of each claim for running it through. Lot of Money Involved. "A man named McDonald." he said, "who was operating a bank in Victoria, financed the concern and put a lot of money into it- He also opened a branch bank at Camerntown. two miles below Richfield. His paper money was cur rent in the mines that Summer along with the Bank of British Columbia's paper, which also had a branch at Rich field. Well, the evening before I 'start ed for below I had occasion to pay a bill out of his gold dust, and went into McDonald's bank to weigh it out. After doing so I noticed a sign on the wall saying that the bank would buy gold dust and giva exchange on Victoria at f. 1k-V '! m tr- v, KACSIMILIS OK BASIC NOTE ISSUED BY M'DO.VtLD A CO, VICTORIA IN 184. par for it, less B0 cents per ounce, the export duty then in force. As I had about 70 ounces, and would be traveling with strangers, it occurred to me it might be best to take the exchange, besides, though this amount of gold was a very nice thing to have, yet, its weight would be felt in tramping for about 20 or 25 days, and I started to empty his dust into the banker's large scales. But Instead, I tied up his sack and quickly left the bank. "It was a lucky thing for me I did so, as things afterward turned out. The next morning five of us started out with a little grub and our blankets by way of the Antler Creek route, intend ing to go down part of the way over a new trail recently opened up by one Captain Mitchell, crossing over the Quesnelle Lake, and then to strike the Lake La Hashe Valley, thus saving two or three days' travel, as if we went over the usual route via Lightning Creek. We got to the Quesnelle Lake the sec ond day out, but there was a strong wind blowing up the lake, and we were compelled to wait until near dark be-, fore starting with Mitchell In his boat down the lake. All Grow Impatient. "We had all got pretty impatient by this time, and some were in bad humor. However we rowed about half-way down the lake that night and camped until daylight. then went on and reached the other end of the lake early next morning. "On landing, instead of waiting for breakfast there at the house, we fool ishly started out without even buying a supply of grub to last us a few days, as we should have done, thinking there by to spite the man for our delay, which he could not have helped. We thought we would risk getting some thing to eat on the trail, disregarding Mitchell's remark that we might get hungry before we got through. The parties who opened the trail and wished to have travel go that way, said that there were houses along the route where travelers could stop, but it was nearly noon before we came to one. By that time we were ready for a good square meal. The rancher, however, was away out to the Valley for sup plies. His Indian woman said they were out of flour, beans and bacon and had nothing eatable except some turnips growing in a small lot. But she thought they might meet her man coming in with his supplies. She seemed glad to see us go away; on we went, and at the first brook we came to we stopped and cooked what little we had among us, eating a portion of it and dividing the rest among us; we went on, realizing now how foolish we were to start out without buying some grub of Mitchell. "That afternoon one of the party killed a pheasant with a small der ringer pistol which he had, and that made a good mess,of soup. Some of it was saved for the next morning We traveled all the next day until the af ternoon, when, on reaching the top of a ridge, one of the men shouted, 'Here we are!" Sure enough, there lay the Lake-LaHashe Valley below us and a roadhouse in view. "We rested there awhile, and on starting on again a request was made that whoever got to the house firat should order a good meal for all just as soon as they could get it ready. I was the last one of the party to reach the house, and throwing down my pack in a corner of the room, I went out to take a good washing, and found two of the pai;ty much excited, using some pretty strong language. On asking what had gone wrong now, they said that the mail stage from below had lust passed up, bringing the news that McDonald's Bank in Victoria had been broken into recently and robbed of all Its gold. Consequently his paper was about worthless now, and about all the money he had was in bills . on this bank. My first thought was of my own dust, and turning on my heel I went back into the room where I had put my pack, and lifted it up. so 1 could really feel the weight of the gold in it. 'Gentlemen.' I said, 'I got a les son in sound money that I've not yet forgotten." Stnprc Is Taken. "In due time we reached Clinton without further adventure. You know the wagon roads forked there, the reg ular travel going by way of Lytton, where the Canadian Pacific Railway leaves the Fraser River and turns east up the Thompson. Another went via the old Douglas-Lilleoot route There was a stage running then to Lilleoot. As I had never been over that route. 1 took the stage to Lilleoot. near the upper lake on the route. From there three small steamboats took passen gers, over, three small lakes, with port ages 'between from one-half to five or t.ix miles, each across, getting to Doug las Port, at the head of navigation on the Harrison Rilver and lake of the same name on the evening of the sec ond day after leaving Clinton. "On account of low water in Harri son River, steamboats were then un able to get over the Harrison Rapids, though the stage and steamboat people above were careful to say nothing about it. There was another man there who also wanted to go below. We got together and made a trade with an Indian to take us down to New Westminster in his canoe. We had an other one-doilar MacDonald bill, be sides a few dollars in silver, and not wishing to let it be known that I had any gold dust, I offered the Indian the bills in part payment. The Indian said in the Chinook, -Wake klooch klooch man paper chickimun" (no good woman paper money). "The next evening we got to New Westminster, and the next day I got to Victoria, with my 70 ounces of dust. Real Money In Demand. "As Victoria was "somewhat on the boom then, money was in demand and could be readily loaned for 1 per cent per month. I thought I would find a place to lend a thousand dollars. There was a broker there then, who had an office on the west side of Government street. He seemed to be doing a good deal of business, and after carrying my dust for a day or two, I stepped into his place of business. On inquir ing If he could tell me of a good, safe place where a thousand dollars could be placed, Mr. Broker kindly told me he knew a party who would take at once just that amount, and commended my good sense in wanting to place my money -where It would grow bigger every month, etc.. etc. "Well I had the broker weigh the dust and place a value on it, leaving J 1000, and I took the broker's receipt, t 1 i t i 4 i! i! ji I J h 1 1 OF thinking I was quite fortunate in th matter. "The next morning, however, as I was strolling up the street I saw a crowd of men on the sidewalk appar ently where the broker's office was located. Sure enough that was the place. Several persons were in the of fice, some were quite excited and everything was topsy-turvy. I began to feel a little uneasy by this time, and Inquired of the man, who seemed to have the most to say there, what the trouble was. 'Trouble,' one man, who stood near, said, 'that scoun drel Q. has absconded, taking wltH him ail he could lay his hands on, my money with the rest.' I felt about as miserable as a man could for a few moments, and then remarked to the other man I was in the same fix my self, showing him the receipt for my dust. "The Sheriff in the meanwhile had got the safe opened, but it did not con tain anything of value. My sack of gold dust was gone sure enough. Blue Hours Passed. "I spent a few pretty blue hours when I realized how easily my two years' hard earnings had gone. There was a fascination for me about the place, however, and I stayed around with others, and soon discovered there was some scheme on. And on follow ing a few who seemed to be in the Sheriff's confidence, I went down to the Hudson's Bay Company's wharf, where there was a steamer lying with steam up. I think her name was the Enterprise. At any rate, she was a good fast boat. "I learned that this boat was to start soon for Puget Sound. Surmis ing that this move might have some thing to do with the absconding broker. I applied for a passage, think ing something would occur that might help me to get a part of my gold back. As it turned out a few nervy fellows had chartered the steamer, and in tended to go to the Sound hoping to overtake the broker somewhere there, and by some methed make him dis gorge a portion, at least, of his steal ings. "There was no telegraph communica tion those days between "Victoria and the Sound, and we were unable to tele graph his arrest, but again this was of some advantage to us, as he might not hurry off so soon. So not waiting for any extradition papers, we started off, just about dark, and made a swift run across the Straits. "By showing my certificate of depos it and agreeing to stand with them I was allowed to go, too. We reached Port Townsend In the early morning, and there we found the steamer on which, we learned, the broker was sup posed to have left Victoria the day be fore. "Quietly tying up at the wharf the Sheriff, with his captain, went over to the other boat. Getting the watchman to wake up the purser, we learned that our man was on board and in his state room taking his rest in unconscious se curity. Plan of Action Mapped Out. "This boat, having gone through the usual custom house formalities, was ready to go in the morning on to Olym pla. The captain, however, was on shore enjoying himself as seamen usually do. Our captain soon located him, and they being of congenial spir its, it did not take long to come to an understanding and a plan of action. "When the broker had come on his boat, at Victoria, he had with him two stout leather satchels, besides other luggage, so no doubt he had with him the most of the money lately taken in. For a suitable consideration, it was ar ranged that our boat was to swing out at once into the stream, without the formality of entering or clearing. The other boat would get up steam as soon as possible. Our boat would quietly pass a line to her and pull her out too. Then both boats would make a straight run for Victoria. All of which worked to a charm and before 7 o'clock the next morning both vessels were tied up at the Hudson's Bay Company's wharf in Victoria. "All of this was done so quietly that but few of the residents of Victoria knew there was anything being done in teh matter. The Sheriff, however, kept near the broker's stateroom. A short time after the boat tied up our man opened his door and stepped out. On looking around he seemed somewhat surprised, and passing his hand over his face he started for the other side of the boat, and there met the Sheriff, Who arrested him as an absconder. By this time he realized lie was in Victoria again, instead of being on United States territory, as he intended, and he broke down completely. "After talking 'chain gang' to him a while, the Sheriff proposed that we go into his stateroom with him, hinting that a deal might be made. He readily consented, as he was badly scared by this time, and did not seem to be aware that there had not been any pa pers yet served on him. He was then asked to hand out his keys and show up what he had with him. Crit Wins In End. "He did so at once and told the Sher iff to examine the baggage himself. Sure enough there was a tidy lot of gold in buckskin sacks, besides some coin and greenbacks, though not very many as they were much below par then. There was enough in gold and San Francisco exchange to cover fully. Ho declared that what was over be longed to his wife. Which no doubt was correct, as it was reported that she had brought him a tidy sum at the time of their marriage, in San Francisco, a few years before this, and whither she had gone a few weeks before. "The upshot was he agreed to let each take equal to the amount shown in his book, and also to pay all the ex pense incurred in the matter. So there being no legal papers to complicate matters, he was let go free. I got my sack of-dust back then and in a very short time sold it to the Bank of Bri tish Columbia, depositing the money there." The consensus of opinion was that while there was some luck indicated in this story, yet the grit shown was what won out in the end. A milUnic ronceni in St. Johnsburv. Vt.. has been in the possession of the lue family lir an i ven lno years. It w us started In 1sl:t by Timothy Irte, and the pranlte grind ing stoneM ate still preserved, but used only as doorsteps.