The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909, September 04, 1908, Image 2

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    THE PIONEERS
HELD
(By a H peel nl Correspondent )
The thirty-second annual reunion
of Southern Oregon pioneers, held In
Jacksonville yesterday, was an epoch
making event in the history of this
organisation, In that the resolution
passed Ust year, admitting to full
membership the sons und daughters
of pioneers went Into effect. From
an enrollment of 428 members, the
number has been gradually reduced
to 85. thus making an increase In
membership imieratlve to the per
petuation of the organisation.
The additional names of many
younger, men and women who share
the. disep and tender memories of
early Ufa In Oregon and who hold in
bumble reverence the unflinching
courage, heroic sacrifice and undy
ing achievement of those who gave
Oreron to the Union, should go far
to content closely the links uniting
the prevent with the past. The gen
ulno happiness Illuminating every
face does much to dlnpel the sad
ttuu caused by the thought of the
vacant chair, the pathetic sight of
headr each year more hoary, shoul
ders more stooped, faces more
Roamed, and makes the event ap
proacl one of unalloyed Joy. The
relullon existing between the pioneer
and the sons and daughters of his
emtwhfle neighbor Is most paternal
and wrves to accent the universal
bnitlu-rhood of man.
31m Elisabeth Kinney, a pioneer
o' 1845, Is president of the Pioneer
assfMli-tion, and presided as honorary
chairman and called the meeting to
order, while C. C. Beekman, 1853,
was the acting chairman. After the
Invocation by Rev. Mr. Gray of the
Methodist Episcopal church and mu
sic by Gore brothers, assisted by
Clarence Meeker, the secretary,
Judge 811ns J. Day, read touching
memorial sketches of the Uvea of
Mrs. Rebecca McDonough, Mrs. Hul
dah Culver, Samuel R. Taylor, Mrs.
Minnie H. Nell, John B.lfo.ey. Wil
liam Taylor and Frederick Barne
liurg, deceased, during the past year.
In the absence of the mayor. Dr.
J. W. Robinson, the address of wel
come was delivered by Hon. B. F.
Mulkey, who boldly sketched the po
sition of Oregon as a great common
wealth and pointed out her magnifi
cent possibilities. He contrasted the
pioneers with the crusaders of the
middle ages, who went with pomp of
heraldry, In search of the Holy Grail,
returning with withered leaves,
while the pioneer, as the reward of
their courage and initiative, gave to
history a state In which flourishes
every Industry, art, education and a
people typical or the life of the re
public. "These are the last of a
great nice, for the work of the pio
neer Is done."
A telegram of greeting was read
from George T. Hinft'S, president -of
the Bute Historical society.
The annual address was delivered
by Attorney C. L. Reamea of Jack
sonville n ud follows In full.
The Jane Mason McCully Cabin of
Native Daughters, who have the rep
utation of doing nothing by halves,
aerved a most elaborate banquet In
th Oddfellows hall. The table re
served for the pioneers was decorat
ed with sweet peas, while two other
tables, seating 100 guests, were gay
with early autumnal blooms, the
whole witnessing the Industry, taste
and skill of the ladles In charge.
-i ,,-
Wr. President and Pioneers:
once more the men and women
who In the earliest part of the his
tory of our state, followed the long
white road into what was then an
almost unknown country, have met
together to renew friendships and
acquaintances of the past. Once
again these men and women have
left their work and homes, that they
might here assemble and once more
talk ocer the old, familiar stories of
what pluck and work accomplished
In the face of danger, hardship and
privation. It is fitting and right
mat these meetings are held, for, as
during the long and tedious Journey
across the plains, you came upon
camping places and pleasant spots
where you could, for a time, rest
from the strain of the journey, so In
the lung calendar of our year you
have wisely set apart one day In
which you can rest from your labors
and for a time throw aside the or
dinary business cares of life a day
to be devoted entirely to the enjoy
ment of the pioneers. And, as I
look over the faces or the men and
women here today, I am deeply Ira
pressed with the beautiful manner In
which you celebrate your holiday In
comparison with the way in which
our modern celebrations are con
ducted. You have on your program
today none of the events without
which the ordinary celebration
would be a total failure. There has
been no firing of an early sunrise
salute; no pompous morning parade;
no foot races or baseball game; no
balloon ascension, fireworks or
dance, and yet, when the day Is
over and you are once more in your
homea, you will all be conscious that
yon have thoroughly enjoyed It, be
cause you who have worked so long
together, who have shared for so
long each other's trials and pleas
nroBj are simply having one more
fpod old-fashioned visit. And It to
day yon can meet all of your old
friends and stop and talk a little
walla with each, I prophecy that you j
jrltl enjoy It far mora than the cel
ebration of any other holiday that
could be planned for you.
Your meeting was opened with an
Invocation to our Divine Creator and
thanks have been reverently offered
to Him for bis many manifold bless
ings. You have been welcomed here
and the hospitality of our little city
has been extended. You have been
entertained with music and beauti
ful songs. You have listened to the
reading of the obituaries of the
members who have during the past
year answered to the last call, and
as they were read 1 have looked In
to the faces of you all and know
that It Is hard for you to realise that
the life work of these dear friends
Is over and that the time had come
for them to reast from their labors,
hut you, who know them best, know
that they so lived as to Justly merit
the esteem and confidence of their
fellow men, and to establish charac
ters of sterling Integrity, lofty pat
riotism and unswerving loyalty to
duty and Christian principle. Men
and women who have lived such
lives as these have not lived them In
vain. And, an hard as the past part
ings were, I know that you are each
sustained In the belief that "He who
holds In His hand the fate of na
tions, yet sees the sparrow's fall,
had planned It so, and that He
doeth all things well."
If there should be here today
stranger who had never before been
present at your gatherings, he would
at once ask, "Who are these men and
women who devote this, their noli
day, to the renewing of old acquaint
ances? Why Is It such a pleasure
for them to simply meet here today
and go over the old stories of early
pioneer life?" , Why, these are the
pioneers of Oregon, men and women
who, over half a century ago, per
formed one of the most remarkable
feats of transportation ever before
undertaken by men. A Journey that
as we today look back upon It and
realized what it has accomplished
and what its results have been
makes every native son of our grand
state thrill with patriotic pride at
the thought that our fathers and
mothers were among those who set
tled the beautiful Uogue River valley.
In foreign countries men and wo
men each have a distinct rank, and
the favored ones trace their geneol
ogy through generations, whose only
claim to history Is an empty, high-
sounding title; but . you pioneers
have endowed your sons and daugh
ters with the priceless heritage of an
honored life, resplendent with deeds
of charity and love, an dhave trans
mitted to them the beautiful record
of a life well spent. You came and
found a wilderness; you leave ft to
us a prosperous and growing state,
free from the presence of the lurk
ing savages who claimed Its posses
sion against you, and we, as native
sons and daughters, are In the ac
ceptance of the trust, charged with
the grave responsibility of ever
striving to keep' the future story of
our state as spotless and pure as the
pioneers are leaving it.
When our Puritan fathers braved
the dangers of a perilous ocean voy
age that they might be permitted to
dwell In peace In a new and strange
land, they left little, If anything,
behind them that Made the breaking
up of their homes a hard ordeal.
They had been cruelly persecuted by
those from whom they should have
had the right to expect protection.
They had been harrassed by their
own government and denied the
right to worship In accordance with
the dictates of their own consciences.
The treatment they had received for
years was such that they gladly wel
comed the chance to undergo any
hardship or danger If they could on
ly be secure from further unjust per
secution. They were virtually driv
en from their England homes by the
tyranny of the religious fanatics of
their country; their lives had been
threatened and endangered by thoo
In authority, their homes pillaged,
their properly destroyed and confis
cated. Little wonder, then, It was
that when the tales of the New
World were circulated among them,
as they were told of a land, as yet
without a government, a land where
they would be free to live and raise
their children In the manner they
believed to be right, that they wel
comed the chance to court starva
tion and death. If the goal might
be won?
How different the scene In the
eastern home of every pioneer here
today, when the father and the
mother began for the first time to
discuss the advisability of a long,
tedious, dangerous journey across a
country Inhabited by a dangerous
and lurking enemy, by the way of
roads and routes of which little
could be learned, to finally reach a
country of which but little was def
initely known. The government un
der which you were living was at
peace with you and the world and
extending every protection to your
life, property and the full enjoy
ment of religious and political lib-;
erty. There were family and friend
ly ties to sever that made the leav
lng hard. There was property to I
sacrifice, and the risking of all on
perilous venture. Our Puritan
fathers left persecution and tyranny
that they might finally enjoy com
fort and rest, but the men and wo
men who, In the early 50s, turned
their faces toward the west, and un
dertook the most wonderful trip up
on which human beings ever em
barked, left behind them ease, com
fort and happy homes. And this
same marked difference between
the Puritans and pioneers Is respon
sible for the reason why our state to
day enjoys such nn enviable reputa
tion for Its unbounded hospitality.
History records that when the Puri
tans had gained a foothold upon the
eastern shores of our country, none
were welcome within their domain,
saving and except those who
thought, acted and worshipped In ac
cordance with the Puritan Ideas.
But among the pioneers of the west
came men and women from all the
professions and trades and repre
senting all the different religions
and creews: The Catholics and Pro
testant, the Jew and Gentile were
equally welcome visitors to every
cabin home. The latchstrlng of ev
ery cabin was always out to the
stranger, and It mattered nothing
bow scant the supply might be, It
could always be divided once more,
if the wayfarer was hungry.
Sitting here today in ease and
comfort, with the memory of a long
and useful life to recompense you
for Is privation and toll, I want you
to go over today with me the whole
Htory. And that story, although so
familiar to you as to he almost com
monplace, would. If It were Inter
woven with names and dates, be the
history of the state of Oregon, for
the things that you did here make
the history of our state, and the
main reason why our state has In
the past ten years prospered and
thrived so abundantly Is because 50
years ago you laid the foundation
for Its future ' growth so well.
Smooth steel rails now supplant the
old wagon road; palace cars take
the place of the long train of cov
ered wagons; puffing engines race
swiftly over the same road the oxen
toiled so slowly. But before the
first plans for the railway were ever
penciled a train crossed from the
eastern states to Oregon, bringing
with it the men and women whose
noble acts and deeds, whose thrift
and Industry so developed the new
country as to make the railroad pos
sible. Just about 58 years ago stories
were circulated and borne to the
eastern states that told of how an
adventurous man had discovered
gold In the far west. This was long
before the time of the now splen
did telegraph service, and the tales
that reached you had been told and
retold so many times and had Im
proved so much with each subse
quent narration that it Is hardly
possible that the originator of the
btory would have recognized It as the
one which finally reached you. If
these stories should be told today
in the east of what was happening 1
here the eastern man or woman
could, by the use of the telegraph i
UNION STABLE
Formerly located on Seventh and B Streets
have moved one block south on B Street.
Baled Hay and Grain for Sale
General Livery Business
DUNCAN ROONTZ
What s shell we've lied In these
thirty or forty years!
Wonder it hadn't smashed In and
tumbled about our ears;
Wonder It stuck together and ans
wered till today,
But every individual log was put up
there to stay.
Never a handsomer home was seen
beneath the sun;
Kitchen and parlor and bedroom,
we had the mall In one.
And the fat old wooden clock we
brought when we came out west
Was a-tlcklng awqy In the corner
there and doing Its level best.
Yes, a deal has happened to make
this old home dear;
Christenings, funerals, weddings
what haven't we had here?
Not a log In this building but Its
memories has got,
And not a nail in this old floor but
touches a tender spot.
Fare you well, old home; you're not
that can feel or see.
But you seem like a human being
a dear old friend to me.
And we never will have a better
home, If my opinion stands,
Until we commence a-keeping house
In the house not made wi'.h
hands."
Today, as you pioneer men review
the history of the settlement of the
country you have made. It might
seem at first thought that to the men
was due the greatest praise, for they :
it was who cleared the forests Into
fertile fields, built the cabins, M'led
the soil harvested the crops and
mlmtd the gold. But a history of our
Sept. 14-19
Salem, Oregon
Excursion Trains
& Special Rates to
Sept. 14-19
Salem.Oregon
tnto umiM ha fa twnm Mimnlnta
HVBtem, find out the exact truth In a I . ... . .
. whose pages did not pay glow I up
tribute o the wives and mothers of
few hours. But In those days there
was only one way to find out, and
that way was to come and see for
yourself. And so, without any def
inite plan of Just exactly where you
were going, of the road you were
going to take, of the occupation you
were going to follow when you final
ly reached your destination, or the
length of time you were going to be
gone, you became a part of a long
wagon train that for many months
was to push on and on, advancing
but a few miles after a day of hard
travel, but the close of every day
finding you a little further westward.
I the pioneat i. The bravery and acts
of self-denial performed ..y tl-fi wo-
men of early Oregon i.iay never be
lchrou!deil In song or hliUorv, out
every jiulle son of Orey;n who has
made bi.ccess In life, r.o matter in
what vocation, whether his voice has
been heard in the halls of our na
tion's congress, or he has been chos
en as chief executive to rule the des
tinies of the state; his business ven
tures may have netted him a fortune
and he may now be rated as a mer
chant prince, or he may be at the
very head of one of the learned pro-
fafuttnn! vt h owes it all tn th
What wonderful things happened i kind-hearted, brave, noble pioneer
this moat wonderful trip! Chll- i mo,her who8e only dream, of hai-
dren were born and brave, suffering pncgs nave beell for nll! weifare, and
but non-complalnlng women, far re- wnose only nopes , rewilrd have
moved from the benefits of modern been for nls gucceM, aIld no mat.
medicine and surgery, went through ;,er how far ,, anlbt,ou, feet maT
the trying ordeals without flinching. :,read the ladder of faIne or fortune
Heads of families died and father-ihe wl alwaya !f a true natTe ,,
lor and !De prouder to hear that mother say.
raised by friends. Rivers were;..Yoll dld r-ht." than to hear the
crossed where treacherous fords en- wnoIe world and rMCo with
dangered the lives of the whole Uhmits of "Well done!"
train. Mountain ranges were j
climbed where there was neither
This society of pioneers today cel
ebrates its 32d anniversary. Since
its organization, on the 18th day of
November. 1876. 428 pioneers have
enrolled their names as members,
and of this number there remains
tnH.v h an n rn.,..-rirH. .r
faces of the pwple whom nothing i,he enUre nlen,DerBnip w,
nass nor road. Men and women were
being continually murdered by In
dians. But the train was always
headed toward the west and each
day the setting sun shone in the
but death could prevent from finally
reaching the far west. And when
at last the trip was over, when the
oxen had been unyoked for the last
time, when you at last found your
selves in the new country toward
which you had been Journeying so
long with a grim determination to
win, the land was cleared and
fenced, homes were built, crops were
planted, schools and churches estab
lished and the actual settlement of
Ihe country was begun in such a way
that If honest endeavor should ever
be rewarded nothing but success t
could crown your efforts.
What a pity it Is that our state
has only Just begun to collect these
Individual stories so that the record
The following are the names of
may not be entirely lost. For If the
logs In the old cabin homes could
but speak they would tell us the
prettiest story ever written a story
of love, courtship and adventure, a
story of Joy and sorrow, a story of
relentless conflict with nn enemy
that knew neither mercy nor the
rules of honest warfare and whose
chief delight was the massacre of
helpless women and children a
story of waiting, bravery, privation
and pluck. What a grand story It
would be!
Bit tgradually as you began to be
rewarded for your labor and thrift.
the cabin homes began to give way
to modern architecture, and the
parting with the old homea. even
for the new. brought back to mem
ory the dearest and tenderest recol
lections of all that happened there:
"Out of the old house, Nancy moved
Into the new;
All the hurry and worry It Just as
good aa through.
Only a boundeo duty remain, for
you and I,
And that', to stand en the doorsteps
her. ail Ml the old hoi food-eye.
more answer to the calling of the
roll, while If every member of the
society were present they would
comprise but one-fifth of the entire
roll.
"Men drop so fast ere life's mid
stage we tread,
Few know as many friends alive as
dead."
Then to you who have lived to see
the results of your handiwork, may
you be spared to us for many years
yet, that we may be benefited by
your teaching and wisdom, and that
you may enjoy the hard-earned
fruits of your honest labor. May
this day be a pleasant reunion to
you all and may It ever be remem
bered as one of the bright spots tn
your useful lives. May Providence
be kind to your little hand and may
the next reunion find your chain of
membership Intact without another
broken link, and may you all, In
your declining years, be permitted
to see the state you have created
ever live and grow and prosper
among the other states of our na
tion, so that you may ever feel Just
ly proud of having devoted your
lives to Its upbuilding.
Oregon State Fair
Exposition for 1908
The Largest and est Pacific Coast Fair!
Children Free Monday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 19
Reserved Boxes Can Be Had in Advance for the Races
Greatest Exhibit at any Coast Fair
New buildings all completed
Walks and grounds the finest
Free camping for thousands
Agricultural College to hold meetings
Races six days; commence Monday
Free evening entertainments
MeElroy's Band and Orchestra
Prominent men will siwak
Fancy stock shown daily
Complete Program for Six Days; Two Great Shows Day and
Night; Something Doing Every Hour
One Hundred Thousand Oregon People Attend
the Fair and Are Better for It
Low Rates; a Week of Profit for You and Enjoyment for the
Family; summer school for all
COME! COME!
MI'ltDKIIKIt A WOMAN.
A PAVIXM 1NVKSTMKST.
Mr. John White, of 38 Highland
Ave.. Iloulton. Maine, says: "Have
been troubled with a cough every
winter and spring. Last winter 1
tried many advertised remedies, but
the cough continued until I bought
a 00c bottle of Dr. King's New Dis
covery; before that was half gone,
the cough was gone. This winter
the same happy result has followed;
a few doses once more banished the
annual cough. I am now convinced
that Dr. King's New Discovery Is the
best of all cough and lung reme
dies." Sold under guarantee at
Chaa. Btrang'i drug store. 50c and
ll.lt. Trail bottle free.
OAKLAND, Cal Aug. 31. One
link after another Is being added to
the mesh of circumstantial evidence
upon which they charge Gustav Ar
kell with the murder of Mrs. Alice
.ucretia Donahue, the wife of Daniel
Donahue, a motorman. Tonight
Mrs. Kmma Verra, a friend of both
the accused and the murdered wom
an, positively identified a pair of
mud-stained trousers found In Ar
kell's room as the ones be wore the
night of the crime. She also iden-
ifled a spade found concealed under
i factory with Mrs. Donahue' cloth
ing as belonging to the prisoner.
Perhaps the most tangible clue
was given by Mrs. Elir.abeth Smith,
the mother of the boy, Frank Walsh,
who discovered the murdered wom
an's clothing, and a day later dug
up the body. Mrs. Smith saw a man
and woman the night of the murder
lurking In the shadow of a furniture
factory where the body was found.
She remained silent until now on
account of the notoriety, but after
consulting a priest today, made
known the facts.
Arkell, after 24 hours, sweating
and solitary confinement, stolidly
maintains his Innocence, but will tell
nothing of his past nor of his ac
tions on the night of the murder
The police established beyond a
doubt that he frequently was seen in
clandestine meetings with Mrs. Don
ahue: that he owned the apade; that
he bothered her so much she fre
quently complained; that Arkell con
stantly agitated the community with
gossip; that Mrs. Donahue eloped.
and not later than a week ago ie.
clared he saw her In San Franrlao.
Arkell was arrested In San Fran
cisco three years ago on the charge
of attemotl.n the life of his secotd
wife, ""he first wife was drowned
and the last one secured a divorce.
The rllio say that he figure! n s
sensational eastern police rase, but
the d"iall are larking.
The .itlior'ties are confronts
with th tasl: of proving Mrs. IVm
ue Murdered The body Is o le
composed that It Is Impassible o
show strangulation. The chemlml
nnulY.ds of the vlsrera may show ;-ol-
son. The confession from some one
seems the only means of definite'
fining the cj-ise of death.
MKTHODIST XXKKRKXfK.
Considerable Interest Is being tak
en In Methodist circles regarding the
annual session of the Oregon confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal
church, which will be held at Salem
beginning September to. Rev. W. C.
Renter, the pastor of the First M. B.
church of Medford, who will ft pres
ent, says that he does not believe
there will be many changes made in
this, the Klamath mission district.
It Is the time when the ministers
of the denomination are called upon
to give an official account of their
stewardship for the year, and when
the presiding bishop makes the as
signments for the pulpits of the
church throughout the four districts
comprising the conference.
Bishop Edwin H. Hughes, one of
eight new bishops, elected at the re
cent general conference at Baltimore,
will preside at Salem at this session
of the annual conference. He la res
ident bishop of California with head
quarters at San Francisco, and his
chief task is assisting in the rehabil
itation of the Methodist Episcopal
churches which were wrecked in the
earthquake and tire. This la per
haps the most gigantic piece of work
ever undertaken by Methodists.
Many of the largest and moat costly
houses of worship were destroyed.
and hundreds of thousands of dol
lars will be necessary to rebuild.
Being a new member of the epis
copacy, Bishop Hughes la being
watched with great interest In his
first annual conference sessions. His
work Is said to be highly satisfac
tory thus far. He has been very
couservatlve In his conduct of af
fairs, and It Is therefore felt that he
will not care to make a very great
number of pastoral changes.
At Salem, Rev. W. H. Selleck,
pastor of the First Methodist Epis
copal church, is making all prepara
tions for the annual conference ses
sion. It Is expected that It will be
or.e of the itiosc pleasant ever held
In Oregon. rV.em Is a historic spot
In Methodism, It being the seat r.f
Wlllamo"e wu'verslty, the denomin
ational school. The first church la
centrally located and Is spacious, af
fording a fine place for the mutinies
Throughout the districts the rt
perlntendenta are buy holding the
fourth quarterly conferences, which
means the closing np of church af
fairs for th conference year, ate
paratory to the aanual event.
Cut Flowers s-
We are now better prepared than ever to furnish cut flow
ers of all kinds In season. At present we have some fine Comet
Asters. Carnations. Marguerites: also some fine Golden Gate and
Kalserene Roses in bud. Remember that we will carry a full line
of bulba this Fall which will save you the trouble of sending away
Floral remembranci-H.
Medford Greenhouses, Phone 606
RUBBER
GOODS
Complete assortment of
Kubbe Sundries.
Our line is guaranteed.
OwO)0aehKOwOOwOa
H e deliver goods to
any part of the city
MEDFORD
PHARMACY
NEAR P0ST0FFICE
Phone) 1064
f? R. SEELY
PHYSICIAN Is 8URO EON
Modern Eqatpnent; X lay LsbrMery.
lOOes la Jaektoa Uun laak aoio&iaa.
Modtord . Om
I. D. PHIPP8, D. D. 8.
OOoM a adklna Block, sajclilsf aaaa:i
Drugstore MeUora.Orefoa
G. W. STEPHENSON,
PHYSICIAM.StJBOIOH AHDOMICIA.
Oatos : boob . Adklaa' block, calls- praap
atuades day or algkt. 'FboatMS.
Bedford Otoob.
W. M. COLVIO.
Bedford.
OK. . DPRBAW
Oraats raw.
COLVIQ A DURHAM
. . LAWYERS . .
r-navo la tslM-Hedlora )iUml luk
UMMl mmt-