I
THE STJXDAT OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND,' APRIL 4, 190D.
9
FATHER OF COMMONWEALTH
REACHES HALE OLD AGE OF 91
F. X. Matthieu Saved Oregon Country to United States by His Vote at Champoeg Convention of 1843, and Is
Finely Preserved Old Man.
ily, so the testimony in the "case showed. I
He -liked Mrs. Noyes very much, as he I.
admitted; - but denied - that he had ever )
been conscious of holding her affections.
It was shown, however, that the woman
ejected her househok. affairs and her
seven children on- Sonera account ana
the Jury, after brief deliberation, gave
Noyes a verdict for SoOw. which was hair
the amount he asked for. If Sollers has
to pay that amount It will take every
thing he has on earth to square the ac
count, he says.
, BY ARTHUR A. GREENE.
IT 18 somewhat startling to hear a man
talking dispassionately oT doing a
man's work as long ago as 1838, espe
cially when that work was pioneering a
trackless wilderness with a large resipon
slhillty on his shoulders. So it happened
that I almost concluded to pinch myself
yesterday afternoon to make sure it was
real while I talked to F. X. Matthieu
and then I remembered that he was born
in and at 20. was a ruKged young
French-Canadian frontiersman It was no
longer a question of wondering if the
span of a human life might be so long.
Yesterday the man whose vote saved
the old Oregon Country to the United
States as against the aggressions of Great
Britain on the Canadian border, cele
brated his 91s birthday.
F. X. Matthieu is the last survivor of
the Champoeg convention of May 2, 1M3,
which definitely decided that the Stars
and Stripes rather than the cross of
Saint CJeorge should float over the Ore
gon Country. Himself a French-Canadian,
of the St. Lawrence Valley, the
present patriarch, then a young man of
SS. hesitated long as to his duty in the
matter and finally voted for the establish
ment of the present boundary line be
tween this country and British Columbia.
That one vote represented the majority
in favor of the L'nited States. In view
of his service to the state and country
no one would question that the enthusias
tic reception tendered him at the home
of his son. 2SS Kugene street, yesterday
was deserved.
In fact It is surprising that the state
lias not done more for this robust old
pioneer. Sometime, let us hop? consider
ably, in the future a grateful people will
erect a monument to F. X. Matthieu
Put more should be done for the brave
old man while he Is alive. ..
He Is remarkably well preserved when
one considers that he was born only three
years after Waterloo. Napoleon was still
a prisoner at St. Helena when he was
toddler of 3 years. Born in the vicinity
of Montreal, he had few advantages and
small hope of advancement, so he came
to the States at an early age and at 20,
in 1S3S. Joined the forces of the Ameri
can Fur Company at St. lxnlis. For
period of four years thereafter hetraptrTd
and traded among the Sioux, Manaans,
Cheyennes and other tribes of plains In
dlans and In 1842 joined the first immtgra
tion to Oregon.
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S oi
FRANCIS XAVIER MATTHIEU.
His distinguished services as a mem
ber of the Champoeg meeting and later
as one of the conspicuous builders of
the state have been many times told so
that all who care are familiar. It is
most of interest now that this splendid
old father of the great commonwealth
in full possession of his mental faculties
and is surprisingly well off physically and
was 91 . years old yesterday.
'VIGILANTES" FOR GOTHAM
Leading Citizens Band Together to
Stop Auto Murders. .
NEW YORK," April 3. Stirred by the
frequency of "automobile- murder" and I
the apparent inability of the police to
curb reckless chauffeurs and "joy rid
ers," prominent New York men have or
ganized, the National Protective Asso
ciation in an endeavor to bring about
the reform.
An important part of the campaign
will be the placingof special officers in
thoroughfares used by automobiles
whose duty it will be to note and re
port at once reckless driving or viola
tions of the speed law. The many small
children who have been either fatally
injured or killed outright in Greater
New York recently by automobiles has
brought the crusade to a head.
The objects of the new associations
are outlined as follows:
"The prosecution of all offenders
against the traffic laws.
" The organization of a detective force
to get evidence of such violations. :,
"The passage of laws making the
owner responsible for injury that may
be inflicted by his automobile, no mat
ter who is running it.
"The keeping of a card Index system
of " all violators, whether arrested or
not, showing the character of each of
fensi reported by the detectives of the
association. - ' -
"The extension of the organization to
all parts of the country."
While they last
a 50c Pkg. of choice
Narcissus Bulbs
Free with every sale
of $1 or more.
That will
Bloomthis Summer
LEFFINGWELL OFF NORTH
Garter Snake Invades
Apartment House
Woman ffhrleka. Falntu, la Revived
hy Janitor, Who Thrown Keptflltr
lnto SIrrrt WoniRn Ptirnuea and
Kills Snake With Shlnstle.
HAS A plague of snakre descended
upon a new apartment-house in one
Of the nobolest parts of Nob Hill?
Thla is what one distressed family is
asking, for a harmless little ophidian
qulrmed Into a lady's parlor there yes
terday afternoon, and the lady of the
house emitted an ear-splitting scream
and promptly fainted. In rushed the jan
itor and revived the frightened lady.
"What la the matter?" he asked.
"There Is a smake in the room, she
said.
"Ton have hern drinking. he retorted.
'No snakes are allowed in this house."
But a search proved the woman's !
words. A tiny striped garter snake was !
found wriggling 6n the carpet as if he
liked hi nw quarters and meant to stay
there forever. As tor the others in the
rooms, he darted out his forked tongue in
warning fashion when they came near
him, but these playful manifestations
did not avail him. He was picked up by
the janitor and hustled out, while the
lady whose apartments the reptile had
invadPd followed. She pursued him when
the janitor threw the wriggling form into
the street, and, armed with a piece of
shingle, attacked him savagely.
A passing pedestrian wondered when he
saw a woman beating something fiercely'
with a bit of shingle. He asked if he
could help any and she said:
"Take this and kill that pesky snake.
He came into my room and frightened
me almost to death. Take that, and that
and .that. this, sentence being addressed
to the snake, accompanied by sundry
savage whacks.
With the aid of the passing pedestrian
the harmless little snake with the ad
venturesome disposition was dispatched,
and his carcass left for the crows. Ever
since the woman has been trying to And
out how the snake came into her rooms.
If some practical joker left him there.
said joker had best beware, for the lady
who found the snake Is looking for him.
SOLLERS TO TAKE APPEAL
Man Fined $5000 for Alienating Af
fections Tries to Evade.
George Sollers" only hope of evading
the payment of J5000 to A. J. Noyes for
stealing the affections of Mrs. Noyes.
now rest with the -Supreme Court. He
was refused a new trial by Circuit Judge
Cleland yesterday. Attorney John Shil
lock, representing Sollers, took 20 days
in which to file a bill of exceptions.
Sollers purloined a few caresses dur
ing the absence of the head of the- fam-
Wlll Spend iTwo Years Exploring the
Alaskan Wilderness.
PASADENA, Cal.. April 3. Ernest
DeKoven Leffingwell left Pasadena last
night for Seattle, where he begins his
preparations for his 'tour of two years
into the Alaskan territory in the inter
est of the University of Chicago and
the hydrographlc office of the United
States Government. He will outfit his
steamer, the Argo, and with four as
sistants, start up the coast May 1 to
Bering Straits, thence go to Point Bar
row and Flaxman Island, the headquar
ters tor ns prospective trips of ex
ploration in the wilds of the northern
coast.
BASES HOPES ON TARIFF
Hill Says New Schedules and Good
Crops Make Prosperity.
WASHINGTON, April 3.-"If the
tariff is given prompt attention and
this year's crops are good, there should
be a return. of the wholesome conditions
of 1905 and 1906." said James J. Hill,
head of the Great Northern Railroad
here last night. "It is best that normal
conditions should be restored surely
rather than swiftly."
Mr. Hill stated that there were 270.-
5000 Choice Rose Bushes
Largest and best stock in the city. Call at our t?ity nursery, comer of Second and
Main streets, and see for yourself, and select your bushes. We have a good supply of
Madam Caroline Testouts and other favorite sorts.
Fruit, Shade and Ornamental Trees. Berry
Vines and Plants, Rhubarb Roots, Etc., Etc.
We make a specialty of supplying large, select stock for city planting. We have some
unusually large, choice cherry and apple trees. Call and see them and reserve what
you want. Don't delay. Bay and plant now
Highest
Quality"
Highest
Quality"
If you -want the finest lawn, flowers and vegetables you ever raised, buy our high-quality
seeds. Flowering and bedding plants by the thousand, now ready. ,
USE "WILGROW" FOR
' Your lawn, jour houseplants, your garden. A highly concentrated
fertilizer.
Makes Green velvety lawns
""TZZZZ! Fine flowers and plants
Makes Better gardens
"ZHZ More roses
Our new 16-pagre booklet tells what
"WilKrow" Is and Just how much to use
trade: with the new seed co.
mm
Store 169 Second St. , near Morrison. Phones Main 5956, Home A 3811
City Nursery S. W. Corner Second and Main Sts.
"5
000 idle t reisht cars in the country.
"Yet there are those who ask why car
shops are not running full force, and
when the railroads are groin? to order
new rolling stock," he continued. "Or
ders for new cars will be put in when
the old ones and idle ones are used.
The expeditious enactment of the tar-
fff legislation will help business, but
It will not be a cure-all."
He explained that much depended
upon the crops
1
Tl J n TT T U TV
Providing Everything Possible to Eat
tie wa:
N
G
TOM
4 H
I!
1U1U
UBLIC MARK
WILL OPEN EASTER SATURDAY
At the Corner of First and Washington Streets
Every stall is fitted with sewer, gas, water,
light and telephones.
20,000 square feet of concrete floor space.
Baskets to suit every purchaser free of charge
on opening day.
, Thousands of souvenirs will be given away.
Public telephones: A 3135, Main 4654.
McElroy's Orchestra of nine pieces will be in
attendance and play from 10 to 12 A. M., 2 to 6 and
6:30 to 8:30 P. M.
Public toilets and water founts, perfect sanitation,
even the telephones are equipped with disinfectants.
Market inspector and policing day and night at
the expense of the management.