Polk fcmfg
VOL. 27
(THE HOME PAPER)
DALLAS, POLK COUNTY. OREGON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1915.
(TWIOE-A-WBEK)
NO. 63
POLK NAMES FIVE MEN
TOOZE WILL REPRESENT COURT
IN 0. & 0. CONFERENCE.
Question of Manner of Disposing of
Railroad Grant Lands Will Be
Discussed September 16.
In compliance with a request from
Governor Withycombe, the county
court on Wednesday appointed four
delegates to represent the various in
terests of Polk county in the confer
ence called to consider the several
phases of the Oregon & California
land grant case, wlneii wilt be neia at
the state house in Salem on Septem
ber 16. Attorney Walter Tooze will
represent the county court, Mr. Mac
ey of Independence the commercial
organizations of the county, Waldo
Finn of McCoy, Ira Merling of Falls
City and E. E. Paddock of Indepen
dence other interests. The matter of
handling the case in hand is of state
wide concern, and the conference will
be attended by people from the var
ious countries. The supreme court, in
effect, has placed the method of dis
position of the remaining lands in
question in the hands of congress.
Naturally, congress will be interested
in knowing the desires of the people
of Oregon; and if these desires are
expressed after a more or less official
deliberation, it is fair to believe that
such expression will have weight at
Washington.
So believing Governor Withycombe
asked the county courts to appoint
five members trom their respective
counties to be present at a confer
ence which he called for Thursday,
September 16, one to represent the
court, another the taxpayers, and
still another to represent the com
mercial organizations, while two were
to represent all other interests with
in that county. Mr. Finn will be the
tax-payers representative from Polk.
The committee on procedure has been
notified of the appointments.
The committee on procedure an
nounces, after having held a confer
ence at the statehouse on Wednesday,
that the program will include address,
ea by the following: Governor Withy
combe, " Purpose of the Conference ;':
.- Attorney General Brown, ," Legal A
pects of the Land Grant Problem:'
United States Forester Graves,
"Point of View of the Federal Gov
ernment;" E. A. Booth and A. R
Norton, "Point of View of Coun
ties;" representative of the Southern
Pacific company, presenting the rail
road side of the question; Oswald
West, ex-governor, will speak on the
land grant question from his view
point; C. W, Fulton, ex-United States
senator, "Constitutional Questions
Involved." Others who will be re
quested to speak are Senators Lane
and Chamberlain, and representatives
in congress, Hawley, Sinnott and Mc
Arthur. The assessor of Polk county, as
well as assessors of other counties
wherein grant lands lie, will be asked
to furnish the conlerence with a
statement of the character of the land
within this county, its assessed value
and classification of its value for tim
ber, agriculture, grazing, etc.
ing. Pastures are poor and the sup
ply of milk is shrinking. Garden
truck is at a standstill for lack of
rain.
Some fall disc plowing is being
done, but the weather is too dry for
this work to become general, streams
are the lowest they have been in over
20 years and rain is badly needed,
not only for growing crops, but to ex
tinguish the forest fires which are
more numerous and threatening than
at any time before this season.
COUNTY APPROPRIATES MONEY
Two Hundred Dollars for Exhibit at
Land Products Show.
A group of business men from In
dependence, Monmouth and Falls City
stormed the meeting of the board of
county commissioners on Wednesday
with the object or getting financial
aid to transport the Polk county ex
hibit at the state fair to the Manu
facturers' and Land Products show
at Portland this fall. Talks by sev
eral of the attendants at the meeting
may have influenced the county court
to appropriate $200 for the purpose.
This was rather a limit than an ap
priation, and any money not used for
the exhibit will be returned to the
county treasury. Bwt it insures the
creditable participation of Polk coun
ty in the Portland show, which will
be viewed by many thousands of peo
ple. Those who appeared before the
commissioners, in addition to several
Dallas business men, were J. Hirsch
berg, Mr. Macey and J. G. Mcintosh
of Independence; Ira Powell and
Dave M. Hampton of Monmouth; J.
C. Talbott and Walter Nichols of
Falls City.
The exhibit at the Land Products
show will be under the personal su
pervision of Mrs. Winnie Braden, the
court having made the appointment
Wednesday evening.
NEW COURSE IS ISSUED
HIGH SCHOOLS WILL HAVE
SOMETHING MORE DEFINITE
State Superintendent Churchill Intro
daces Course Whoso Aim is Aid
to Inexperienced Teachers.
LANDSCAPE ARTIST IS COMING.
INDIGNITIES IN COMPLAINT.
Mrs. Kathleen Hood Seeks Legal
Separation From Husband.
Alleging cruel and inhuman treat
ment, and the heaping upon her head
of many personal indignities, Katb
leen Hood yesterday filed suit for di
vorce from James Hood, and requests
custody of their minor child, Freder
ick James Hood, age two years, seven
months. Mrs. Hood is living with
her parents at Independence and her
husband is employed in Portland,
where the couple were married April
24, 1912. Mrs. Hood accuses her hus
band of shamefully beating her be
fore "friends, cursing, choking and
slapping her. According to the com
plaint their married life has been from
the beginning an ordeal for the wo
man. The husband was a gambler
and drunkard, it is alleged. He told
his wife at one time, says tbe com
plaint, that he had no further use for
her, and be lett her to shitt tor Her
self, with the result that her own
life and that of her baby were en
dangered. John R. Sibley is attorney
for the plaintiff.
HARVEST IS NEARLY OVER.
Public Park Improvement Attracting
Attention From the Outside.
Mr. J. G. Bacher of the Swiss Flor
ial company of Portland has advised
J. C. Rickli that he will visit Dallas
in the near future for the purpose of
viewing the city park and taking an
inventory of its needs in the contem
plated improvement. Accompanying
him will be the company's landscape
toremau, who formerly had charge ot
very large works in this line in
France, Luxemburg and Belgium Mr.
Rickli took the matter of improve
ment up with Mr. Bacher informally,
and this week received a letter from
him saying that it would afford his
pleasure to visit Dallas without com
pensation and render any possible as
sistance in planning the proposed bet
terment, believing that even among
professionals there are points that
may be suggested for the good of all
concerned.
Mr. Rickli, and probably the com
mittee from the Woman's club, will
go over the matter of improving the
public playground with the Portland
artists when they come to Dallas, the
date of. which has not been announced
as yet. The writer places much con
fidence in the judgment of our towns
man, and in his letter that the pro
ject he has in mind is entirely feas
ible and one of merit.
Prunes Light Near Sheridan.
Prune picking in the orchards about
Sheridan will begin the first of next
week. The unusually light yield is
due to late frosts and the hot weather
last week. Dried fruit is quoted
there at 5 cents and o'A cents. "Con
tracts for two-thirds of the crop is
usually with the Germans," said one
grower there, "so that accounts for
the low price this year. Roy Graves,
a grower south of there, who usually
harvests" 25 tons of dried prunes, does
not expect more than 12 tons this
year. Two growers who have adjoin
ing orchards totaling 100 acres m the
Gopher Valley country, are not pre
dicting more than a fifth crop.
Apple Exhibit for Fair.
Several prominent members of the
rolk County Fruit Growers associa
tion met informally at the office of
President H. C. bakin Wednesday
forenoon to plan for an apple exhibit
at the county and state fairs. Messrs.
Guy and Ewing and Fruit Inspector
rariter were among those who dis
played enthusiasm over the proposed
exhibit, and they will assist in pro
moting the undertaking. Polk pro
duces some splendid apples, and the
best of these will be shown this fall.
Pastures Are Drying Up and Supply
of Milk Is Shrinking.
Following is a summary of the crop
conditions in Oregon for the week as
reported to the Portland office of the
weather bureau by special correspon
dents throughout the state:
Hot and dry weather prevailed dur
inz the week in Oregon, except the
last day. which was much cooler. A
-few light sprinkles of rain fell, in the
western counties on Monday. The
wheat harvest is nearly finished and
the farmers are now busy hauling
grain to the warehouses. Hop picking
has begun and this crop would be
damaged if any great amount of rain
should fall during the next two or
three weeks. Corn is earing nicely
and late potatoes are rapidly matur-j
Who'll Play the Game.
As the football season approaches
there is some speculation as to wheth
er or not Dallas will have a town
team, or again leave representation on
the gridiron to the high school lads.
There is an inclination on the part
of some of the town boys to organize,
but whether or not sufficient interest
can be aroused among former players
remains to be seen.
Plot For the Movies.
Five masked men entered a tent at
the Livesley hopyard at Livesley sta
tion about 10 a. m. yesterday, bound
and gagged Mrs. John Glover of Stay-
ton, who was alone in the tent, and
took $6 in monev, a revolver and some
stickpins and rings, according to a
report made to Sheriff Esch of Mar
ion county. Statesman. j
When the Dallas high school opens
on September 20 for the fall term it
will follow the new course of study
prepared by Superintendent of Pub
lic Instruction Churchill, the intro
duction of which course is aimed to
make somewhat definite the different
subjects offered, with a view to help
ing the inexperienced teacher; Mr.
Churchill explains that in the country
high schools it is often necessary for
teachers to give instruction in sub
jects for which they have made no
special preparation through their col
lege courses, and for such teachers a
definite outline of work of much vU
ue. Consideration has also been giv-8
en for the different aptitudes of pu
pils and for the different preparations
which a high school must give in or
der to fit all of its students tor the
larger spheres of usefulness. Much
freedom in the choice of electives is
given in the larger high schools so
that a student will not be required to
take subjects in which he is not inter
ested or for which he has but little
aptitude.
The minimum requirement for
graduation is 15 units of high Bchool
work with recitation periods of 40
minutes in length ; but pupils are urg
ed to complete the course by taking
four subjects each year for four
years, thereby earning 16 units. The
course of study permits pupils to
earn from one to three units or grad
uation in either vocal or instrumental
music taken outside of the school,
provided the work is given by a com
petent teacher and the pupil spends
at least 80 minutes daily in practice
or instruction. There is also a new
course that is required to be given in
all high schools, upon the completion
of which a student will be permitted
to enter a teachers' examination. This
course is made necessary on account
of a law which became operative on
September 1, requiring all persons
who-haw not hadnt least six months
of successful teaching experience to
complete an elementary teachers'
training course before they are per
mitted to enter an examination for
the teachers' certificate. The elemen
tary teachers' training course is in
addition to the teachers' training
course which has heretofore been giv
en in many of the larger high schools.
New Settler Arrives.
J. D. Anderson, who recently pur
chased a 100-acre farm on the Dallas-
Falls City road near the former place,
from H. G. Campbell, arrived here on
Wednesday from Cottage Grove with
an auto truck load of goods. He re
turned with the truck, and later
drove a team and some stock through
to the ranch.
HISTORIC HOUSE RAZED
PHTL SHERIDAN'S HOME
GRAND RONDE NO MORE.
IN
Removal Recalls to Memory Early
Experiences During Indian War
Days on the Pacific Coast.
BABYSHOWANNOUNCED
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT TO MAKE
SUCCESS OF VENTURE.
Valuable Frizes Offered by Merchant
Davis in Connection With His
Market-Day Plan.
A historic building in the Grand
Ronde reservation, that once occupied
by Phil. Sheridan, who first gained
practical experience as a soldier, has
been razed. It was at the Grand
Ronde Indian reservation, a portion
of which lies in Folk county, that
Phil. Sheridan, one of the civil war's
most notable heroes, after having
graduated trom West roint. made his
mark as an Indian general, the govern
ment establishing a reservation eight
by twelve miles in extent to confine
the Rogue River, the Cow Creeks, the
Umpquas and the Shasta Indians fol
lowing the Rogue river war on the
whites in 1858. Fifteen hundred red
men were gathered at this point for
safe keeping. Of the original num
ber brought to the reservation twenty-three
still survive, the oldest being
Dick Cook, Solomon Riggs and Wid
ow McCauy. Cook is said to be more
than 100 years of age. The old In
dian is totally blind and constantly
reclines upon ins bed, muttering in
the language of earlier days.
Where old Fort Yamhill stood is
now a flourishing farm, the buildings
having been torn down or removed to
the agency soon after the soldiers had
ileparted, the blockhouse serving as a
jail for many years. The only living
person who was intimately connected
with the early history of the Grand
Ronde reservation is John Simpson,
now of Sheridan. The settlers' store
was conducted by his father. Ben
Simpson, who tame to Oregon in 1846.
and who was a member of the house
of representatives from Polk, Benton
and Marion counties at different
times, and who for a number of years
was agent at the Siletz reservation.
Young Simpson and Phil Sheridan
were fast friends during the latter
five years' stay here.
Nearly all the land within the res
ervation has been deeded, only ten
parcels being still field by the govern
ment, and Uncle Sam has but twenty-
three wards at this time. The Indian
school lias been abolished, and three
district schools established in its
place. The descendents are mostly
half and quarter breeds, and as a
rule they are industrious and pros
perous. They work as a community
rather than as individuals, and have
their various forms of amusement
during summer and winter, support
ing a band and playing baseball and
basketball in their respective seasons,
Recently a cheese factory has been
opened two miles south of what is
known as the agency store, and the
Indians are engaging quite largely in
dairying. The first month's report
shows that nearly $500 worth of
cheese had been sold.
will take some time, and Mr. Peter
son does not expect to put the plant
in operation betore tbe time mention
ed. When work is commenced, how
ever, facilities tor handling the fruit
will be greatly improved, as many re
pairs have been made about the plant
within the past few weeks, and others
are under way. A larger boiler is
being installed and trays, tables and
other equipment is being renewed.
the Armsby company has bad its
buyers in the field for some time past,
and as a result most of the season's
crop has been bought up. The com
pany maintains buying stations at
Vancouver, Wash., Dallas, Salem and
Roseburg, and in all but the latter
district the majority of the crop has
been contracted for. The yield will
be uniformly good in this territory.
but the prices will range considerably
below those of last year. Five and
one-half cents will be the top price
for the best grade of fruit, and from
this figure prices go down to three and
tour cents. Ihe average price paid
the grower by the Armsby company
tins year will be about tour and one
half cents a pound.
PROPERTY IS IN TANGLE
PORTLAND PARTIES WOULD
HAVE DEED RE-ESTABLISHED
T. J. Campbell and Others Made De
fendants in Legal Action Brought
in the Circuit Court
COURT TO INVESTIGATE ROAD.
GERMS ACCEPT TERMS
SUBMARINE WARFARE CONTRO
VERSY HAS BEEN ADJUSTED
No More Liners Will Be Sunk With
out Regard for Safety of Lives
of Noncombatants.
A baby show is the newest market
day wrinkle proposed by that indom
itable booster and good fellow, F. E.
Davis, the principel advocate in Polk
county of the "you-furnish-the-bride-I-f
urnish-the-house ' ' movement. Be
cause of the dates of the county fair
Mr. Davis has found it inadvisable
to put on an exhibit of land products
in connection with tbe market day,
of which he is sponsor, and the baby
show will be the attraction. Market
day will bring to the city many coun
try people, and with the fair as an
added attraction the baby show is
ure to ment much support from
proud mothers. Mr. Davis will have
the county fair board select judges
for the show and eugenic contest,
and will offer Hue prizes to the best
babies entered. Each youngster will
receive a to.en of remembrance, and
the first seven prizes will be valuable
enough to make them well worth com
peting for. The date of the first mar
ket day and the baby show is Sep
tember 23, and from tbe way Mr. Da
vis is putting his force and energy
into the venture its success is assured.
Henry Serr of the Gail hotel ad
vanced the suggestion to Mr. Davis
that the hotei be permitted to furnish
the mother and father of the winning
baby at the contest a dinner of honor,
so that something is in store for tbe
entire family of the best baby. Prob
ably Mr. Davis. would not object to
other merchants posting prizes in the
contest of babies, and this would be
an excellent suggestion for some of
them to carry out.
J. S. Fulri of Monmouth was a vis
itor in Dallas on Tuesday.
Germany has officially accepted the
American terms in the controversy
growing out ot the imperial govern
ment's submarine warfare. Ambas
sador von Bernstorff, acting for the
German foreign office, has informed
the state department that henceforth
the Kaiser's "submarine attacks will
conform with the American interpre
tation of international law and the
treaty with Germany. " The reply to
the last Lusitania note will give as
surance that no more liners will be
torpedoed without warning, provided
they do not attempt to resist the
submarine. Neither will liners be
sunk without regard for the safety
or the lives of non-combatants, which
assurance carries with it the impli
cation of visit and search and allow
ance of ample time in which non
combatants may be removed before
the ship is sent to the bottom. The
state department is further informed
that Germany adopted this policy be
fore tbe Arabic was torpedoed and
sunk. This statement amounts to a
practical disavowal of the destruc
tion of the Arabic, which resulted in
the loss of two American lives.
PRUNE PRICE LOW THIS YEAR.
Five and One-Half Cents Top Price
at Present Time.
Prune picking and drying will be
very generally under wsv in Polk
county by Monday and shipments of
dried fruit will be received for pack
ing oy the J. K. Armsby company
here about tbe middle of the month.
according to A. C. Peterson, local
manager. A number of orchards are
already being picked, but the drying
Proposed Highway From Bentley to
Bear uamp Would Serve Many,
Members of the county court, ac
companied by the roadmaster, will to
day visit the proposed new road from
Bentley four and a half miles distant,
the purpose of which is to eliminate
the Leno hill, which has an average
grade of approximately twenty-five
per cent, and to shorten the main
road into the Salmon river country by
about five miles. This is the project
that has been causing considerable
agitation among the residents of the
Bentley section, where some forty
families would be served by the con
struction of the proposed road, and
the one which Surveyor Canfield laid
out early in the spring in connection
with the contemplated improvement
ot a trunk route through Yamhill,
Polk and Tillamook counties to the
coast. It is the purpose of the court
to make a complete investigation of
the merits of the case, and to this end
the commissioners will go to Bentley
by automobile, and then take shank's
horses to Bear Camp, four and a
half miles, from where they will be
returned to the point of beginning by
John Boyer.
CURVE TOO SHORT FOR SPEED.
William Hoisington Capsizes Ford
Near Guthrie Acres..
While driving his Ford automobile
at a high rate of speed around
curve in the highway near Guthrie
acres luesday afternoon, William
Hoisington failed to negotiate the
turn and went over the embankment,
the machine rolling over and over like
a ball. Mrs.. Hoisington was with
her husband at the time, and both
crawled from beneath the automobile
uninjured when it finally came to a
halt. Mr. Kaver, whose temporary
home is at the Imperial hotel, was
approaching the curve with a Buack,
and realizing that trouble would fol-
low if he remained on the highway
turned his machine down an incline
and through a barbed wire fence in
to a field. His machine sustained
slight damages, but the owner con
siders himself fortunate in getting
on so cheaply.
FEEDS FEARS TO THE HOGS.
Polk Farmer Says He Cannot Afford
to Market at Present Price.
John Diehm yesterday brought The
Observer some splendid samples of
truit grown on his place this season,
among them being Hungarian and
Italian prunes, Russett apples, Bart-
lett and Russett pears, and several
varieties of apples. Mr. Diehm says
that he has been feeding pears to
the hogs during the past two months,
the market not warranting him mar
keting them. Between fifty and sixty
bushels were thus disposed of. This is
only another argument for a cannery
at this place. With such an estab
lishment farmers who have fruits in
small quantities would receive remu
neration for their efforts, whereas in
quite a number of eases the fruit is a
dead loss. -
Alleged Thief Taken By Sheriff.
Dana Broadway, wanted by Sheriff
Biesacker of Clarke county, Washing
ton, for grand larceny, was taken in
to, custody yesterday by Sheriff Orr
of Polk county, who, with the as
sistance of deputies, found tbe man
at Horst Brothers' hop yard near In
dependence. The sheriff and District
Attorney bibley went to indepen
dence for the prisoner and lodged him
in the eounty jail here to await ar
rival of a guard from Vancouver,
Wash. The man professed his inno
cence and denied knowledge of any
crime that he could be held for.
Program for Band Concert.
Following is the official program
for the band concert in tbe publie
square tomorrow evening, George
Marsh director: March, Loyalty;
overture, Land of Liberty; popular,
Dublin Bay; morrean. First Heart
Throbs; Berton, On the Shores of
Italv; selection. All btar; waltz, A
Southern Dream; medley, A Lone
Picture; march, Bombasto.
Asking to have an alleged warranty
deed re-established, and also to have
cancelled another deed,-as well as. a
mortgage, Lncilc Curtis and her son,
Harold Vance, of Portland, have filed
a suit in the circuit court of this
county against T. J. Campbell, Orpha
Dashiell, R. L. Dashiell, J. D. Smith
and O. C. Smith, all of Dallas. The
filing of the complaint in this suit
brings to light one of the most inter
esting property entanglements ever
known in this section. An investiga
tion on the part of The Observer as
to the dealings leading up to the filing
of the suit in question has resulted in
the unearthing of a very interesting
story.
It appears that in 1902, T. J.
Campbell, then of Monmouth, execut
ed a warranty deed to his step-son,
W. E. Vance, and the- deed was de
livered to Monroe Mulkey, since de
ceased, for safe-keeping. According
to the complaint of Mrs. Curtis and
her son, it was understood that the
deed was not to be recorded until
after Mr. Campbell's death, and that
the consideration for the deed was the ,
assumption on the part of Mr. Vance
of some claims against Campbell. The
complaint further recites that Mr.
Mulkey has died, and that the deed
cannot be found. It also appears
from the complaint that in the fall of
1914, Mr. Campbell, as apparent own
er of the property, executed, a war
ranty deed to his sister, Mrs. Orpha
Dashiell, this deed covering the same
property named in the deed to Vance.
The property consists of a bouse and
two lots located in Monmouth. As
to the latter deed, it appears that a
collateral contract was made between
Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Dashiell,
whereby as part consideration for the
transfer she agreed to care tor Mr.
Campbell during his natural life-time.
Subsequent to the execution and de
livery of this deed, so the complaint
recites, Mr. Campbell and Mr. and
Mrs. Dashiell executed and delivered
to J. D. and O. C. Smith, a mortgage
covering these premises. The com
plaint further states that this mort
gage was fraudulently given, and that
all the parties knew about the prior
deed to Vance. The complaint prays
a decree setting aside these latter
transfers, and asking the re-establishing
of the Vance deed.
A further investigation of the rec
ords at the court house reveals anoth
er side of the question. In a suit
commenced in the circuit court of
this county in the spring of 1914,
wherein T. J. Campbell is the plain
tiff and William G. Campbell and
Fannie Tatom are the defendants, the
title to this same property is involv
ed. From the records in that suit
it appears that in 1912, Mr. Camp
bell, being then of an advanced age
and desirous that upon his death this
property go to his children, William
Campbell and Fannie Tatom, executed
without the knowledge of said chil
dren, a quit-claim deed to said prem
ises, and had the deed recorded. In
this deed, he reserved a life-estate in
the premises. The deed was never
delivered. In view of this deed being
of record, he was unable to deal with
the land as be wished and it became
necessary for him to have it set aside.
Basing his suit upon the proposition
that there had been no delivery of the
deed, and that he was laboring under
a mistake when executing the same,
he secured a decree of the court can
celling and setting aside this deed
and restoring tbe property to him.
Walter L. I ooze, Jr., represented
Mr. Campbell in his suit to cancel
this quit-claim deed, and is looking
after the interests of the defense in
this later suit filed by Mrs. Curtis.
An effort to learn from him what Mr.
Campbell's defense in this last suit
might be failed to elicit anything
further than that the defense is not
worrying. Mr. -Tooze stated: "Mr.
Campbell has lived in Polk eounty
practically all of his 82 years of life,
and is well known in all sections. It
would not be proper for me to discuss
the merits of this case through the
papers. Owing to the fact that so
many persons will be interested in the
out-come of this proceeding, I pre
sume it would be proper for me to
state that Mr. Campbell has a just
and legal defense to this suit, and
that when bis answer is filed an en-,
tirely different light will be thrown
upon the transaction. Further than
this, I am not now at liberty to
state."
Mr. Campbell is one of the Camp
bell twins, said to be the second oldest
twins in the state, and is related eith
er directly er indirectly to a large
percentage of tbe population of Dallas.
The city council will convene next
Monday evening in regular monthly
session. There will be a considerable
amount of business to come before
the meeting.