VOLUME V.
ALBANY, ORKSOX, tfARCH 7, 1878.
NO. 27.
AN OBKWKS 8KKT4H.
i .JThe world relishes, as a change
from the morbid sentimentality and
tame experience of the every-day
life, vivid picturing of the border,
sketches ot society on the frontier,
and characterization of men and
the ways of men who are taught
by Nature while engaged m taming
her wilds. T hey learn such of her
secrets as arc hidden from sight
where Nature's ways have already
been tamed and trained.
Oregon has lately appointed as
commissioner ot emigration to the
Eastern States and Europe a man
whose life has been full of romances
of the most exciting character;
whose education was effected un
trammeled by schools, and whose
family, taken m the aggregate, pos
sess an uncommon combination of
originality, eccentricity, ami genius
General E. L Apple-gate was born
in Missouri, and went to school
there two days when eight years
old, leaving school suddenly, with
a lock of his teacher's hair, taken
as a memento of a brush-broom
that was used by the pedagogue to
enforce his rulings.
His education was conducted by
his mother, but at fourteen, the
family having long before removed
to Oregon, Lish was again sent to
school, but with no better success.
He declined to learn over the les
sons taught by his mother, and was
the hero of another rencounter.
That was a quarter of a century
since, but he used in those early
days to take long rides through
sparsely settled Oregon to get books,
and greedily devoured all that came
in his way. Thus he was educated
and became a devotee of learning,
pursuing his studies in the wilder
ness, and mingling the wonders of
nature he could see with the wonders
4 art and science of which he read.
It is not strange that he developed
into an original thinker and a mix
ture of crudely cultivated thought
and as crudely uncultivated ways
and words.
When the Lincoln campaign ot
1860 came Applegate was young
and enthusiastic, and plunged into
the fray with gleaming cimetar as a
champion of f reedom. The wit and
the argument were so eccentric that
he drew crowds and wou extrava
gant applause His bmi mots were
quoted as freely by tliose at whose
expense they were uttered as by his
friends.
In Southern Oregon, right abreast
of the California line, which is rep
resented by the frowning crest of
Jihe Siskiyou mountains, is the
Itogue River valley, a region that
comes in fitly between the clouds of
tlie northern valleys and the sunny
.skies of the Golden State where
the rich phtcers and quartz veins are
abundant in the mountains and
along the Ktretins, reminding one
of California, while the most fertile
plains known in 'the line of coast
valleys are to be found bordering
the strcamsand occupied by delight
ful and cultivated homes, where
orcliards and fields arecoiicomijtants
of our most distant civilization.
Bear creek sends its waters
through a delightful little tributary
vale ten miles long and from one
to two miles wide into Rogue
River valley, and its settlers are
among the most prosperous of all
that region, as is testified by their
nice farm houses and improvements.
To this delightful region liad come
a brother of the Hard Shell Baptist
rsuasion, whose powers of per
suasion and assertion had founded
a thrifty chuteh, to which be minis
tered with great force and faith.
Me was a fair specimen of the class
who penetrate the nooks of creation,
carrving the Gospel with them and
making it a living principle among
new scenes of civilization. He
jueached doctrine; and, like every
other Baptist, his voice was heard
crying in the wilderness, and his
text continually was water! water!
He was successful as a controver
sialist So much so that he became
a terror to the advocates of sprink
ling, and placed many of tbem
horn de cotnbat in gallant tourna
ments. It came at last that the
most energetic Methodist avoided
him, aud the circuit was abandoned
to the Hard (Shell champion.
For a while the resident Metho
dists were seen in attendance on his
preaching, for they believed in re
ligion even if had to be taken in a
great deal of water, but they be
came dissatisfied ai.d finally sent
for a champion whose power to sus
tain the efficiency of sprinkling
was proverbial, and then they in
formed Brother Hill that his stand
ing challenge would be accepted,
and that lie might get his lance in
rest for another bout.
The news that there was to be a
debate at the Bear Creek school
house was received with great in
terest far and near. It flew to
Jacksonville, Ashlaud, and Phoenix,
aud every farmer and miner for
twenty miles around heard of it a
week beforehand.
About this time Applegate ar
rived on his electioneering mission
and had a hearing at the school
house. He had been raised in south
ern Oregon, and everybody knew
"Lish," and his quaint wit and
knock-down jokes made even his
abolition logic palatable, for Jack
son county was, and is yet, any.
thing but a Republican stronghold.
The great debate was to come
off soon, and being tired with his
labors and willing to endure a rest,
Applegate concluded to stay over
and attend it The beautiful au-
turun day came that was to see the
discussion, and the interest that had
preceded it bore abundant fruit.
The old farmer came rolling up in
his farm wagon, or hack, and some
of the lucky ones who had become
enriched by orchards when apples
were wonn ten dollars a bushel
came in fine carriages. Fine horses
were the rule, for Jackson county
ever was and is, and will be, proud
of its horses. The gallant miner
who had "struck it rich" was there
in style. He had ridden to some
adjoining town, engaged some belle
of the place and hired a livery
team, utterly regard less ot expense.
and in store clothes and plug hat
was doing his best devoir. The
less prosperous knight of the pick
and shovel was there, on his cay use,
escorting a good-looking country
girl, who giggled as the city belle
and her stylish beau came in. Then,
there were cattle-herders from the
hills around : young men who knew
"all the pints of a critter," and
watched the market to buy beet
steers to drive to California. These
came tike a whirlwind, gallanting
some jrirl who was able to ride
with any cavalier, and especially
faneied one whose broad-brimmed
Panama hat had such a wide rib
bon for a streamer; wIk wore
leather leggings, aud whose spurs
were rigged with tells that broke
the silent echoes and drowned his
confidential whispers in her praise.
1 hey were all there from far and
near, not excepting the old miner,
whose trowsersof stout duck rattled
a he walked, m
The school-house was delightful,
ly situated on a wooded knoll be
side Hear creek, and the black oaks
made a majestic shade around it.
J hey served as support for the
children's swings, ana upheld from
their top branches mighty grajie
vines that had furnished fruit tor
the red men before the "Bostons"
had come to claim the red man's
lands Large granite boulders
cropped out liere and there among
f he oaks like old Druid altars, as if
this spot had bean consecrated to
worship from the earliest time.
The great California and Oregon
stage road went past the school
house to climb the mountains, for
the Siskiyou range was right ahead,
and its lesser spurs came down on
each side, and made the beautiful
valley of which I write, and on the
very summit of the Siskiyou waste
be seen Pilot Koak, rising a thous
and feet prone and precipitous above
the Very mountain summit There
was never a more romantic region
discovered, nor ever a more enter
prising people therein. It was won.
derful how rich was the soil of its
valleys, and very wonderful was
the treasure of gold that caused
the miners to delve and dig in search
of fortune.
Tlie sehool-house loon filled, the
doors and windows were displaced
to give a chance to the crowd with
out, who sat under1 the black oak
boughs or clustered at the openings,
determined to hear a fair share of
the important debate on a subject
that has unsettled fhe minds and
tempers of theoldgpna since bap
tism was preached tip fallen man.
In one corner of fte school-house
sat the combative Baptist, longing
for the tray. Around M were
piled his books and authorities, the
weapons of his Christian chivalry,
with which he had won many a
victory. He was a brawny veteran,
with a red head, a red, freckled
face, and a neck that laid in wrink
les, and he was burly between the
shoulders and the ears.
The meeting organized with
County Judge Tkllmau as chair
man, and the audience chose a jury
to decide the issuemen of judg
ment, some of them looking dila
pidated, miners whi were "down
on their luck "ighftng cm the
underside," but known to be men ot
sense, if not children ot fortune.
All was ready, and the audience
sat in suspense that wrought silence.
This became tearful, and ended in
whispers. The circuit rider had
not come. Sprinkling had no ad
vocate, and the case must go by
default The men looked forlorn ;
the women, who are always the
true church pillera, tat determined
and unyielding. jSbme of them
cast glances toward where, Apple
gate sat. He had come with a
Methodist girl. Wouldn't he lock
horna with brother Hill in defense
of sprinkling? The question was
propounded to him, and he con
sented. Among his books he had
studied the Bible critically, and
gathering several copies of the
sacred word, lie gave one into the
hands of each of the sisters who
taught Sunday school and spoke in
class-meeting, and bade them search
for passages in the Old Testament
of which he had recollection, In
ten minutes his preparation was
made, and he was on the floor.
Claiming rights as the challenged
party he insisted ou dictating the
rules. 7'he only book of reference
was to be the Bible. Brother Hill
was to open and to affirm his prop
osition, and the debate was to con
tinue until the challenger wasiatis.
tied, each to occupy the same length
of time. This was agreed to, and
the judge decided that Hill must
affirm and prove that plunging or
immersion was the true and only
baptism. Then followed a long
aud powerful speech in favor of
baptism by immersion, which great
ly elated the fVluds of that faith,
and wade them quite jubilant.
His opponent, in a ten-minutes
speech, claimed that the New Testa
meut did not define baptism, be- j
cause it had been already defined j
in the previous Scriptures, and he
professed to be able to sIhw by the
old Scriptures that baptism should
be performed by sprinkling s j
This brought from Brother IJill
a pewerfel onslaught, in which he
dared him to show such Scripture,
and after a continuation of the de
bate he became so bold as to de
clare that no such Scripture as Ap
plegate referred to could be found,
and thundered anathemas against
sucn as asserted it His powerful
thundering seemed to sweep away
an opposition He closed with an
assurance that if any such indorse
ment of "sprinkling" could be
found in the Old &ripture he would
own himself wrong and never
preach apin. The effect of his
adjuration was fearful. Baptists
were rejoicing, Methodists were de
jected, and a great sensation per
vaded the whole audience.
Even the stripling's friends feared
be was annihilated, but he rose
with declaration that he could sup
port his words, and, naming chap
ter and verse, he asked the chair
man to read. 7' he Judge opened
the Bible at the place indicated,
and lead the passage which Apple-
gate claimed was the forerunner of
baptism, where the people before
the altar were symbolically purified
and regenerated in spirit by sprink
ling with hyssop. He followed this
up powerfully in his turn, showing
how sprinkling was the symbol of
purification in the ancient customs,
and that baptism in the same form
was the natural sequence under the
teachings of Christ. , ,
I tear he mystified his audience
some when he described baptism as
"either abstract or concrete," and,
by cunning illustration, claimed the
Israelites, who crossed the Red sea
dry shod, moistened only by the
showers of Heaven, as the illustra
tion of the concrete article, while
he held up as the abstract example
the case of the Egyptians who fol
lowed them and were plunged un
der with a vengeance and sent to
perdition.'
T'he tide of feeling began to
turn as the yodng orator went on
with his quaint theology and origi
nal theory, and it was at full flood
when he recited the promise of
Brother Hill never to preach again
if his word was disproved. Bother
Hill perceptibly shuddered as he
warned him that his word was dis
proved, and he must expect to
brave the wrath of God if lie ever
preached agaiu. The warning
sounded almost like an imprecation,
aud he sat down in a silence that
was finally broken by the unani
mous verdict of the jury that the
doctrine of baptism by sprinkling
bad been sustained.
The tournament was over, Broth
er Hill was disarmed and unhorsed
by such a stripling as slew Goliah.
He came around to preach after
ward, but his audience consisted of
only five, and thou none came after
ward to hear him, and his glory
was departed, his prestige gone.
Our OregoniaiiR don't appreciate
defeat any more than do the rest of
the world, and they wrote "loha-
bod"' over their soul-portrait ot
Brother Hill.
Turning from theological argu
ment to practical illustration, the
preacher built a saw-mill on one of
the streams near by, and the time
came when the work was done and
sawing was to commence. It had
rallied heavily in the mountains,
and the stream was high, bnt when
they went to start work it was al
most dry, standing in pools. 7'hey
wondered and waited for three days,
and the third night they heard a
Itooming, crashing sound tliat was
fearfully suggestive of disaster. The
dawn of day showed that the floods
had swept down from the nioun-
tail, torn the mill. from its founda
tioiyt, aud, ground it to pieces among
the nicks lielow. A land-slide
from mac ridge above had choked
the stream until the accumulation
ot flood had swept away the barrier
and all ejre jtlmt was in its way.
Then BrotJieHilJ BWgty Apple-
gate in his home and told him the
story, and, with a humility that
was truly Christian, owned that he
saw in it the hand of God that
punished him for breaking his word,
and attempting to preach after his
defeat, and, with admirable faith
and devotion, he said he loved God
better for having endured his chas-.
tisement and learned that He was.
ever present to assert His troth.
8.A.C,
It Bellttom Aspect,
The following is the closing part
of Mr. Claggetts' speech, delivered
in Congress not long since, on the
Mormon problem. The religious
phase of the question he disposes ot
in a manner both eloqueut and
summary :
Mr. Speaker, I could go on for
an hour speaking on this question,
but I will simply say one thins in
conclusion. I have studiously
avoided, both on yesterday and to.
day, saying anything upon what is
called the religious phase of this
Mormon question, but whenever
you touch it all discussion will in
some manner or other iuseniibly
glide into this so called question of
religion ; therefore, 1 am pot siir.
prised that my friend from Utah
should make his pathetic appeal to
the House upon this ground. Ah
I am, as it were. m into m
consideration, I will merely say
that the plea ot religion is no tea,
son why this matter should not be
investigated, nor why the ordinary
laws which regulate and protect the
rights ot person, property, liberty
and reputation in all oivihaed conn.
tnes upon the face of the earth,
should not lie put into exercise in
Utah, An institution which pro-
finely claims to rule by divine
right; which by affirmative law--,
concocted with deliberate canning,
denies to us all those privileges
which we have been taught to be
lieve are our most precious birth,
right as American citizens ; which
forcibly expels us from the public
domain; which pries into the se
crets of the fireside ; which enforces
its decrees by assassination ; which
tears the crown jewel from the dia
dem of woman's purity, and takes
from her tho holy bond which hon
ors her in all the nations of the
earth ; which has elevated lechery
to the dignity of a religious dogma,
and bums incense upon the altars of
an unhallowed lust ; and above all,
and as a crime against the future,
which ages of forgiveness cannot
condone nor the waters of ocean
wash out, which yearly writes in
letters that blister as they tall, the
word "bastard across the branded
brows of an army ot little children
such an institution is not enti
tled by any right, either human or
divine, to hide the hideous deformi
ty of its nakedness with the mantle
of religion nor seek shelter under
the protecting tegis of the civil law.
Applause
7he white of an egg is said to
be a specific tor fish-bones sticking
in the throat It is to be swallow
ed raw, and will carry down a bom!
easily and certainly. There is an
other fact touching eggs, which it
will be well to remember. When,
as sometimes by accident, corrosive
sublimate is swat owed, the white
of one or two eggs taken will neu
tralize the poison and change the
effect to that of a dose of calomel.
A South Leavenworth, Kansas,
dog rides his tiled with as much vim
aud enjoyment as any boy in town.
He drags his sled up hill, gets on
aud slides down, to the envy of
less accomplished canines,
There are 56 farmers in the Iowa
legislature.' 1 " . f-j"
it..