COFFEE BREAK
Saturday, August 26, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 5C
OUT OF THE VAULT
Pendleton nurse found insane in Portland after disappearance
W
hen Nellie Baker of
Pendleton left for Portland
in June 1912 to serve as
a private nurse, her mother thought
nothing of it. Three weeks later,
Nellie was found in a padded cell
in a Portland jail after she was
discovered wandering the streets in
a state of insanity.
Nellie Baker was a 26-year-old
nurse who periodically performed
private nursing duties for Pendleton
residents. She told her mother
she was approached by a Miss
Huntington to accompany her to
Portland as a nurse and companion.
The two women supposedly left
for the city on June 23 and took
rooms at a Portland boarding house.
Nellie sent several letters to her
mother about their trip, but her
last communication was received
in Pendleton on July 5. At about
the same time, the landlady of the
Portland boarding house noticed
that Nellie had not visited her room
for three days, but had left all her
personal belongings behind. She
immediately called the police.
On July 15, Nellie was identified
as an inmate of a padded cell in
the Multnomah County jail, where
she had been since July 3. She had
been found wandering the streets
of Portland, completely insane, and
was unable, or unwilling, to hear or
speak since her incarceration.
Pendleton police began their
investigation by attempting to locate
the mysterious Miss Huntington, but
could locate no one by that name
in town. Nellie’s mother insisted
that her daughter had received a
call from a woman on the north
hill and had gone to talk to her. A
taxi arrived early the next morning
to take Nellie to the train, but no
one at the station saw the young
nurse in anyone’s company, and the
brakeman of the train testified that
Nellie traveled to Portland alone.
This led investigators to theorize
that “Miss Huntington” was a
figment of Nellie’s imagination,
and that she had already been
suffering from some kind of
mental breakdown before she left
Pendleton. But friends, including
a Pendleton doctor, insisted Nellie
was perfectly rational when they
talked with her prior to her departure
for Portland.
Portland police were criticized
for not identifying Nellie earlier,
as Pendleton police had sent her
description and a photo when she
disappeared in early July. But in
their defense, Portland officers
related that when she was picked up
Nellie was using the name Gertrude
Wilson, and she gave a lurid story of
an attempted abduction into white
slavery. She told officers that she
and her mother had moved from
Minnesota to Stanfield several
weeks prior to her disappearance,
where they had attempted to start a
chicken ranch. Their endeavor had
failed and they lost all their money,
and she had gone to Portland on the
promise of a job. When she arrived,
Nellie said, she had been met at the
train station by the husband of her
alleged employer, who had attacked
her and attempted to drag her into a
taxi. She had escaped from him just
before the police spotted her on July
3, she claimed.
Portland police had taken Nellie
to Stanfield in an attempt to find
her mother. “Gertrude” had told
them her mother dressed like a
man, and lived in a hut there. When
her mother couldn’t be located,
Nellie jumped out a second-story
window of the hotel where she was
staying and hid in the sagebrush, but
was soon found. On her return to
Portland she was put in a straitjacket
and locked in a padded cell at the
jail for her own safety.
Nellie’s mother telegraphed
Portland authorities that she would
travel there to make arrangements
for her daughter’s care. On July 17
a letter from Nellie’s sister said that
Nellie had regained her powers of
speech and had briefly admitted
that the Miss Huntington story was
a complete fabrication, but later
recanted. A piece of clothing known
to have been worn by Nellie when
she left Pendleton was found, badly
torn, but no cause was ever found.
■
Renee Struthers is the
Community Records Editor for the
East Oregonian. See the complete
collection of Out of the Vault
columns at eovault.blogspot.com
DEAR ABBY
Teen doesn’t want to stumble in approach to longtime crush
“shameful” to ask for advice.
Dear Abby: I understand that
Call her and ask how her
a 15-year-old guy writing for
summer has been. If you did
relationship advice is shameful
anything interesting, tell her
and that I’m probably better off
about it. Then ask her if she’s
not worrying about relationships
seeing anybody special. If she
in the first place, but I’m still
says no, ask if she’d like to go
gonna try.
to a movie, a sporting event or
I’m in high school, and I’m
on a hike with you — depending
searching for a relationship with
Jeanne
a certain girl. I’ve known her for Phillips upon her interests. I can’t guar-
antee it will get you the response
eight years, and I always had a
Advice
you’re hoping for, but at least
little-kid crush on her, but it’s
you will know where you —
evolved over time and we’ve
gotten closer. We used to talk a lot. She and she — stand.
Dear Abby: My daughter will turn
was in a relationship then. Even though
we had feelings for each other, she 6 soon, and she is a lovely, wonderful
child. The only thing is, my parents and
stayed loyal to him.
Well, a couple months ago they I have spoiled her a tad.
broke up. As far as I know, she’s single,
Holidays have always been cele-
but we don’t really talk much anymore. brated with lots of gifts. I’m starting
A couple times I’ve started conver- to worry that perhaps she’s becoming
sations with her, but they are usually too materialistic. What’s the proper
short-lived.
etiquette for requesting no gifts on her
She knows I have feelings for her, birthday invitations? And how do I
but nothing has happened. She’s the one respond if they ask why? — Spoiled In
I want and now’s my opportunity, but Washington
I don’t want to ruin the small chance I
Dear Spoiled: I don’t think it’s
have. I’m afraid she won’t be single for necessary to state on the invitation “no
long. — Wants To Try In Ohio
gifts.” There are ways to teach children
Dear Wants To Try: It is not that there are other, less-fortunate
children in this world.
One way would be to volunteer at
an organization that serves the under-
privileged so your daughter can see
for herself how lucky she is. Another
would be to do as some other parents
do: Mention on the birthday invitation
that any gifts will be donated to a cause
you and your daughter agree upon. And
if you are asked why, be honest and
upfront about it.
Dear Abby: I feel uncomfortable
when people end conversations with “I
love you.” It creeps me out when a man
does it. I always thought those words
were reserved for someone you are inti-
mate with, such as a spouse or possibly
one’s children. Am I wrong to think
“I love you” has become meaningless
from overuse? Or am I just a weird
guy? — Uncomfortable In Texas
Dear Uncomfortable: It’s not
uncommon for good friends of both
sexes to say “Love you” or “I love you”
to each other as well as to extended
relatives. In my opinion, it’s healthy for
people to express their feelings, because
there’s never too much love. Our world
could use more expressions of it, not
fewer.
DAYS GONE BY
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 26-27, 1917
Ray McCarroll, well known local
wrestler, was out hunting in the Fly valley
last week with a party of men in search of
bruins. Ray had separated from the others
who had the dogs with them, and rode
down a canyon to find bear sign. All of a
sudden his horse reared and snorted like a
trumpet-call. At the same moment a big,
shaggy black animal reared itself not 25
feet away and whistled defiance through
its nose. Ray says he’s a pretty good
judge of distance and swears that the
animal was nine feet in the air if it was an
inch. With arms outstretched and eager,
old Bruin made for the local champion.
The horse aided Ray in his indecision
by manifesting a desire to leave the bear
behind. The way they traveled down the
canyon would have delighted the soul of
a moving picture operator.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 26-27, 1967
Speeches, Indian war dances,
Round-Up and Happy Canyon royalty,
square dancers and plenty of spectators
were part of the dedication ceremonies
at the Round-Up Pavilion Friday night.
The audience appeared to enjoy master
of ceremonies Fred Hill, who intro-
duced persons instrumental in construc-
tion of the building — although he
occasionally had trouble remembering
their names. At one point he lost his list
of names and turned to the platform
of guest speakers for help. “Tonight I
think I’d have trouble remembering
my own name,” he chuckled. Once
the speech making was over, more
than 100 square dancers stomped the
pavilion floor until midnight. About
500 persons attended the dedication.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 26-27, 1992
An 18-year-old Hermiston woman,
Jill Peterson, will represent Oregon in
the 14th annual Miss TEEN National
Pageant. Peterson was named Oregon
Miss TEEN at the recent state pageant
in Portland. Her parents are Tom and
Jackie Peterson of Hermiston. TEEN
stands for Teens Encouraging Excel-
lence Nationally. Teenage contestants
are judged on scholastic achievement,
volunteer service, talent, personal
interview and formal presentation. At
the state level, Peterson won the talent
and formal presentation categories,
along with the title. The pageant will be
staged from Nov. 21-28 in the eastern
Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Cruise
Line ship “Norway.”
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Today is the 238th day of
2017. There are 127 days left
in the year.
Today’s Highlight in
History:
On August 26, 1920, the
19th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, guaranteeing
American women’s right to
vote, was certified in effect
by Secretary of State Bain-
bridge Colby.
On this date:
In
1789,
France’s
National Assembly adopted
its Declaration of the Rights
of Man and of the Citizen.
In 1817, the University of
Michigan was founded.
In 1939, the first televised
major league baseball games
were shown on experimental
station W2XBS: a double-
header between the Cincin-
nati Reds and the Brooklyn
Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The
Reds won the first game, 5-2,
the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)
In 1944, French Gen.
Charles de Gaulle braved
the threat of German snipers
as he led a victory march in
Paris, which had just been
liberated by the Allies from
Nazi occupation.
In 1957, the Soviet Union
announced it had successfully
tested an intercontinental
ballistic missile.
In 1964, President Lyndon
B. Johnson was nominated
for a term of office in his
own right at the Democratic
National Convention in
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1968, the Democratic
National Convention opened
in Chicago; the four-day
event that resulted in the
nomination of Hubert H.
Humphrey for president
was marked by a bloody
police crackdown on antiwar
protesters in the streets.
In 1972, the summer
Olympics games opened in
Munich, West Germany.
In 1978, Cardinal Albino
Luciani of Venice was elected
pope following the death of
Paul VI; the new pontiff took
the name Pope John Paul I.
(However, he died just over a
month later.)
In 1986, in the so-called
“preppie murder case,”
18-year-old Jennifer Levin
was found strangled in New
York’s Central Park; Robert
Chambers later pleaded
guilty to manslaughter and
served 15 years in prison.
In 1996, Democrats
opened their 42nd national
convention in Chicago.
Today’s
Birthdays:
Former Homeland Security
Secretary Tom Ridge is 72.
Rhythm-and-blues
singer
Valerie Simpson is 72. Pop
singer Bob Cowsill is 68.
Broadcast journalist Bill
Whitaker is 66. Actor Brett
Cullen is 61. NBA coach
Stan Van Gundy is 58. Jazz
musician Branford Marsalis
is 57. Country musician
Jimmy Olander (Diamond
Rio) is 56. Actor Chris Burke
is 52. Actress-singer Shirley
Manson (Garbage) is 51.
Rock musician Dan Vickrey
(Counting Crowes) is 51. TV
writer-actress Riley Weston
is 51. Rock musician Adrian
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