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COUNTY OFFICIAL PAPER FOR CROOK COUNTY
VOL. XIX
PRINEVILLE, CROOK COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, JAN. 7, 1915.
MURDERED IN
COLD BLOOD
Ralph Brown Shot New
Years Morning
WHILE RETURNING from DANCE
Pettis, in a Drunken New Yean
Debauch, Slay Hit
Employer.
Ralph Brown, son of County
Commissioner Brown, was murdered
in cold blood near his home at
Kaskela New Year's morning by
his hired man, named Clarence
Pettis. .After the shooting Pettis
(led to the hills.
A dlnpatch from The Dalles,
dated January 2, says:
Cluronce Pettis, slayer of Ralph
Brown, arrived at The Dulles this
afternoon on the same train which
carried the body of his victim.
Brown was killed as he was return
ing to his home near Kaskela with
his wife New Year's morning, his
asuailant firing: from inside the
Brown home, the bullets going
through a screen door, l'ettis is
21 years old and was employed bv
Brown. He will be arraigned here
Monday for first degree murder.
The authorities say l'ettis is sane
and express belief that the ranch
hand, after drinking heavily,
thought he was" a "bad man" and
killed Brown.
Pettis surrendered to Sheriff
Chrisman at 5:45 o'clock this morn
ing, the sheriff entering the cabin
where l'ettis had taken refuge,
after the slayer had sent a message
that he would surrender if the
sheriff would come for him alone.
Mrs. Brown was fired on by
Pettis after her husband fell dead.
She threw her coat over tho body
of her husband and ran for help,
through a pouring rain to the near
est neighbor, three and one-half
miles away. She stopped once in
the long run to take off her outer
skirt, so that she could run faster.
Pottis first explained the shooting
bv saving he had a grudge against
Brown. Later he told Sheriff
Chrisman he had nothing against
his employer, saying the Browns
had always treated him well. Just
before the train reached The Dalles.
Pettis, who had previously dis
played indifference, said to Deputy
Sheriff Thompson:
I d willingly give my own life
if I could bring back to life the
man I killed."
Pettis says he is of Scotch
descent, but appears to be either a
Mexican or Spaniard. He refused
to tell where his parents live.
Ralph Brown was 38 years old.
He was graduated from the Uni
versity of Oregon. About 12 years
ago he and Miss Edith Percival, a
Willamette valley girl, and a grad
uate of Monmouth Normal School,
were married. There are no chil
dren. Madras, Ore., Jan. 2. Clarence
Pettis, who shot and killed Ralph
Brown yesterday at Brown's home
at Kaskela, appeared at Ralph
Mark's place about 7 p. m., and
after ordering Marks to prepare
supper told him that he had killed
Brown and had intended to kill
Mrs. Brown, too. After keeping
Marks up until the train came in
from tho north, Pettis ordered
Marks to go down to the station,
about four miles away, and bring
the sheriff alone, saying ho would
kill them all if the sheriff formed a
posse to capture him.
Continued on pitjo 5
Members of the New
Council Sworn In
The members of the new council
were sworn In Monday evening im
mediately aftr the adjournment of
the out-going council, and a speciul
meeting was called at once by
Mayor Edwards.
Mayor Chas. S. Edwards, Coun
cilmen Elkins, Still, Reams, Pan
cake, roster and Noble were pres
ent. The first act of the new coun
ell was to urge the enforcement of
the ordinance to keep dogs from
running loose on the streets.
Tho council caused a resolution
asking that the papers of the city
submit bids for the city printing
during the current ycor.
Committees wer appointed by
Mayor Edwards as follows:
Health and Police Pancake,
Noble and Foster.
Street and Public Improvements
Noble, Elkins and Still. -
Fire and Water Foster, Noble
and Reams.
Finance Elkins, Reams and Pan
cake.
License Still, Elkins and Pan
cake.
Judicary Reams, Foster and
Still.
T. E. J. Duffy was appointed
city attorney for the year and H.
A. kellcy will continue his position
of city engineer.
Rules for the Deschutes Power
Company were read and adopted.
The following bills were allowed
Sbinp A Torry 2S 70
Clifton & Coruett I 15
Iferchutes Power Co 159 20
Mrs. Mallng 25 00
CWKIkins 5 00
L M Beclitell , ... 25 00
Clay pool & Co 6 85
It K Gray 34 65
John Curtis 6 00
II D Still 1 25
fc O Hyde 40 00
T L Coon ;, 5 00
C W Klkins 1 35
F. A. Rowell, D. P. Adamson. I
W. Ward. J. F. Cadle. John T),
wewsom and 11. A. Kelley were
paid f3 each as officers of election
O. C. Hyde and S. G. Hinkle each
received f 1 for canvassing election
returns.
The following men were Daid
$1.50 each as witnesses in the re
corder's court: Earlm Omen. Mr
Vasey, Levi Dow, M. Porter
Richard Long, Ed Hyde. Chas. Dow
At a special meeting of the city
council Monday nurht the affairs of
the old council were brought to a
close. Present Mayor Clifton,
Councilmen Elkins, Noble, Foster,
Lafollette and Zevely.
The Committee on Health and
Police reported the spread of rabies
in the vicinity of the city and a
general discussion of the subiect
disclosed the fact that a number of
cases had been discovered during
past few weeks within the city
limits.
The marshal was instructed to
enforce the two ordinances con
cerning dogs in the streets. Country
people will be requested to keen
their dogs tied while in the city.
The petition asking for the vaca
tion of plotted property hear the
water tank in the north end of the
city was allowed.
Tuesday evening council met
in
regular session. Present Mavor
Edwards, Councilmen Elkins, Still,
Noble and Reams. Recorder Hvtln
and Marshal W. R. Pollard.
A petition was presented by Jack
Walker asking for a license to
operate a picture show. It appear
ing that there is an ordinance
limiting these places of amusement
to one for each 1C00 inhabitants,
the matter was left to the license
committee for investigation.
Bonds for Marshal Tollard and
Treasurer Bechtell read and ac
cepted. The matter of the city
Big Stockmen's Meeting
in Prineville Next Month
The Convention Will Be Held Fetruary 9, 10
11 Stockmen from all Over the Northwest
Will Be in Attendance.
The Cattle and Horse
a -a a a .
which will hold its next annual convention in Prineville, Feb
ruary 9, 1915, was organized at Baker May 14, 1913, for the
mutual protection and benefit of its members and the general
promotion of the livestock industry of the Northwest.
Its growth has been phenominal and its membership now
consists ot many ot the leading stockmen of Oregon, Wash
ington and Idaho. It is expected that the meeting in Prineville
will add very materially to its membership as the stockmen of
Dr. Chaa. S. Edward,
Central Oregon feel very keenly
tion and protection in the growing and marketing of their
products.
The association has for
spector at the North Poatland
strumental in returning to its
dollars worth of strayed or stolen property. Several stock
rustlers have also been apprehended and convicted by the co
operation of the members of the
The stockmen of Crook county and the Commercial Club
of Prineville have united to make the annual meeting to be
held here in February- the most
held in Central Oregon.
Live committees have been appointed to look after the
transportation of the delegates
every detail of their entertainment while here.
Stockmen from all the
and expected to attend and help make this association an
instrument for securing better range conditions, better laws
regulating the branding and handling of stock and better
marketing conditions for our finished product.
v
printing was left to the Finance
Committee with instructions to re
port at the February meeting.
Councilmen Noble and Foster
were authorized to act in the mat
ter of loose stock in the city streets.
Bills that were presented for pay
ment were laid on the table until
the February meeting.
Mayor Edwards reported a com
plaint made to him by Mi. Hall,
Indian agent at Warmsprings, con
cerning the apparent ease with
which Indians obtain liquor in
Prineville,
and
Raisers' Association of Oregon
"
Prineville' New Mayor
the need of greater co-opera
more than a year kept an in
Stock Yards who has been in
rightful owner hundreds of
association.
successful of any meeting ever
to and from the railroad and
Northwest are cordially invited
J. F. BLANCHARD.
Banquet for Stockmen.
There will be a meeting of the
wives of the stockgrowers of this
vicinity with the ladies of the
Annex at the Annex parlors of the
Commercial Club on Saturday,
January 16, at 1:30 p. m., at which
lime arrangements will be made for
a banquet to be given during the
state convention which will be held
in Prineville next month. All
ladies who are iaterasted in assist
ing in the success of the convention
are urged to be present.
m
.
Livestock Association
Holds Meeting
There was a meeting of the Mill
Creek Livestock Association Satur
day, at which many matters of im
portance were discussed.
A resolution was passed asking
that an appropriation be made by
the coming legislature giving a
bounty of $5 per head for all
coyotes until the spread of rabies is
checked. In speaking of -this
matter different members men
tioned the effect of this disease
among the cattle and horses. The
rapid and wholesale destruction of
stock throughout the southern part
of the county caused this resolution
to be passed by a unanimous vote.
An effort will be made today by
Prineville delegates before the irri
gation congress in Portland to have
that body urge immediate legisla
tion in this matter. Copies of the
resolution were mailed to our rep
resentatives and all Eastern Oregon
members of the legislature are ex
pected to support and fight for the
passage of a bounty law,
Committees were appointed and
other measures taken for the enter
tainment of the delegates to the
Stockmen's Convention which will
be held here next month.
Officers were elected for the fol -
lowing year. W. I. Dishman is the
new president of the association
and Raymond Calavan was re
elected as secretary. '
This association is an organization
of men who summer cattle in the
Ochoco, Mill Creek, Marks Creek
and McKay ranges which is within
the forest reserve. They have per
mits for more than 52,000 acres of
land which is controlled by drift
fences and line riders. More than
1700 head of cattle are summered
on this range by the association
1914 Tax Rolls in
Hands of Treasurer
Assessor H. A. Foster was prob
ably the first assessor in the state
to complete the work of extending
the 1914 tax rolls and getting them
into the hands of the county treas
urer for collection. Less than three
weeks following the date the levy
nxea py tne state, the books were
in Treasurer R. L. Jordan's office
The total amount of taxable
Drorjertv is nlaeeri r. Si 1 KfiS K37
Taxes to be collected total 1365.254!
Of this amount the different funds
are as follows:
General fund $272,157 60
special school 70,271 21
Citv taxea for all tawnn 1Q 9jii 49
Madras Higij School 2942 90
rire patrol 694 74
Crook County Sends
Strong Delegation
More than 100 delegates from
Crook county are attending the state
irrigation congress in Portland to
day and the remainder of the week.
Strong delegations are in attend
ance from Sisters, Bend, Redmond,
and Laidlaw as well as from Prine
ville. A united effort is being made
to secure for Crook county the $450,
000 appropriation from the federal
government for the reclamation
work.
Malheur countv is stronor also, and
is making the hardest kind of oppo
sition to the Crook riVleiration. Our
boys have their own brass band, and
are pulling off a street parade today.
AH Roads Lead to Prineville.
Roads leading into Prineville
from all parts of the country are in
perfect condition and automobile
service has never slackened during
the fall and ' winter months.
Drivers say that the roads are
smoother than during the summer
and that there is no troublesome
dust and dust holes in the roads.
Last winter cars between this
point and Redmond never missed a
trip.
$50 CASH PRIZE
FOR ORATORY
At .the Crook County
High School
T. M. BALDWIN MAKES GIFT
Contest to Take Place During
Commencement Week
Each Year.
Mr. Baldwin of the First National
Bank has won a permanent place in
the hearts of all Crook County High
School students and friends of the
school by his splendid offer of an
annual cash prize of fifty dollars for
oratory. This cash prize will stim
ulate oratory in the school more
than anything else in late years.
The following is the agreement:
This agreement made and entered
into this 2nd day of November,
1914, by and between the faculty
of the Crook County High School of
Crook county, Oregon, hereafter
known as tflA nartv tif tho Pi rat noi-t
1 an T. M. Bald win, of Crook county.
uregon, hereafter known as the
party of the second part:
Witnesseth that the party of the
the second part hereby voluntarily
agrees to donate fifty (50 00) dol
lars in cash annually to be known as
The Baldwin Crsh Prize for Oratory,
which is to be awarded by the party
of the first part to a student of the
said Crook County High School each
year under the following conditions,
to wit:
At an oratorical contest during
the commencement week of the
Crook County High School each
year, entry to wnich shall be open
to eyery bona fida registered student
of the institution.
A preliminary contest shall be
held eight weeks prior to the com
mencement date of the final contest.
by the two literary societies of tha
school, the Ochoconian and Alpha
societies, at which time three con
testants shall be chosen from each
society to partake in the final com
mencement contest;
Each oration delivered must be
the original production of the stu
dent who has entered tlim'ftW.'.Jt
and shall consist of from 1,000 to
1.500 words, to be so arranged as to
occupy not more than Ten (10) min
utes of time. ro quotations shall be
taken from any author, writer op
speaker unless due acknowledgment
shall be made;
Every contestant shall be graded
on composition and delivery, on a
basis of 100 per cent for each. Tha
judges shall be selected and ap
proved by both the party of the first
part and the party of the second
part; a winner is ineligible to enter
again;
During the life of this agreement
both literary societies of the school
shall continue to be governed as at
present governed and membership
shall continue to embrace every reg
istered bona fida student in the
Crook County High School, chosen
by lot and not arbitrarily,
FACULTY' OF THE CROOK
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. Party of
the First Part,
By II. C Baughman, president.
By J. Wesley Smith, secretary.
T. M. BALDWIN, Party of the
Second Part.
Notice to Dog Owners
Notice Ih hereby given that the do?
ordinance will be strictly enforced In
the future. AIho attention of the
country people la called to the. f;iet
that all docs must be k"ut under
control by being chained or other.
vvwe uonnued while In the city, lly
order of the council.
17 k. u. IIVPE. Uccordcr