m
Vol.I
Monmouth Polk County, Oregon, Friday, Dceember, 4, 1908.
No. 14
RALPH FISHER IS MURDERED
Is Shot Down Without Any
Warning.
BY J. A. FINCH A DiSBAFLRED ATTORNEY
Shot Through the Head and
Dies Instantly Murder
er Caught
The community was shocked
Saturday afternoon by the report
of the news from Portland that
Ralph Fister had been shot down
in his office while attending to
his duties. A telegram was re
ceived by Arthur Haley, who is
a brother-in-law of Fisher, but
did not give any particulars and
it was not until the receipt of
the evening papers that details
of the affair were received.
Mr. Fisher had been the pros
ecutor of the Oregon Bar Asso
ciation and as such has had oc
casion to prosecute disbarment
proceedings against several at
torneys, among them J. A. Finch,
who was suspended for the term
of one year for drunkenness and
unprofessional conduct. This
had the effect of causing Finch
to be very bitter toward him and
on Saturday about two o'clock
he entered Fisher's law office
and shot him be'-ore he had time
to defend himself, He was
caught and is now in jail await
ing the action of the court. The
coroner's jury found that Mr.
Fisher came to his death by gun
shot wounds caused by J. A.
Finch with murderous intent.
It is likely that a plea of in
sanity or something of the kind
will be entered, as Finch claims
to not remember anythiug about
the shooting. Finch was at one
time a newspaper man in Linn
county but his ability in that line
has been of very ordinary degree.
His chief pursuits were in pat
ronizing the various sabons and
in working grafts on politicians
and others.
The victim of this tragedy was
born near Dallas and was a son
of Hon. C. G. Fisher, who at one
time was representative from this
county in the state legislature.
He was a graduate of the Normal
and afterwards took a course in
law at the State University)
practicing for a time in Idaho
and later in Salem, but had been
located in Fortland for several
years, His wife was a daughter
of the late Thomas Kay, of Salem,
who together with a small child,
mourn his untimely end.
Mr. Fisher had many friends
in Polk county who are deeply
pained to learn of his taking off
on the very threshold of a brill
iant career.
Antioch.
G. P. Locke is making some
improvements on his house.
Austin Locke, of Antioch, has
entered school at Buena Vista.
Mr. and Mrs. 0. C. Smith have
been in Portland for some time.
Mabel and Ethel Chamberlain,
of Whiteson, have entered school
at Antioch.
Mrs. J. C. Sliger, who has
been staying with her son, Mr.
A. R. Griffith started for Salem
last Wednesday.
Leslie Locke and J. V. Belieu
are visiting in Portland and Wood-
burn this week.
Sunday school is now held here
at 2:30 p. m. Allen Towns is
superintendent
Mr. Gilson is preparing to put
in a nice lot of wire fence on his
place near here.
Mr. McCollum a former resi
dent of this place, died of cancer
recently in Nevada,
Mrs. Katie Rogers, of Dallas,
visited her parents Mr. and Mrs.
Allen Towns this week.
Mr. Nelson, of Monmouth, was
out and purchased a fine looking
lot of goats of Allen Towns Sat
urday.
M. K. Crowley had a horse to
disappear about one month ago
and so far has been able to get
no trace of it.
Besides building a new barn
Mr. Messner is having a large
amount of new fencing put in on
the old Baker place.
0. M. Lehman put in a nice
string of wire fence along the
road this week. He is improving
the Bressler place nicely.
At the school meeting held at
Sunny Slope Friday evening a
tax of one-half mill was levied to
purchase a globe and set of maps
for the school.
Mrs. 0 M. Lehman, Misses
Minnie Wunder, Edna, Millie and
Bessie Clarke and Grace Tice
visited the school at Antioch,
Friday afternoon.
Charles Bailey has sold his
ranch near Bridgeport and has
bought out Frank Laws and will
run the Hill hopyard next year.
Mr. Laws expects to reside near
Amity for the present.
Mrs. Campbell and family who
formerly resided on the Messner
place are visiting relatives and
friends here. They have sold out
in Wheeler county and are search
ing for a new location.
Mrs. Maria Smith is transform
ing her hophouse into a barn.
She has most of her yard plowed
up and will plow up the rest as
soon as possible. A little more
of the same kind of work could
be well done in the Willamette
valley.
Independence School
Miss Gladys Huston visited
here Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Kirk spent
Thanksgiving in Newberg.
A telephone was installed in
the principal's office this week.
Miss Scollard was atWoodburn
during the Thanksgiving holi
days. Mrs. Cromwell, of the third
grade spent Thanksgiving in
Salem.
Mrs. Van Loan spent Tuesday
afternoon with the first and
fourth grades.
The piano has been tuned and
we will now have piano music
for marching.
The High School has organized
a literary society which will meet
on Friday afternoon every .two
weeks.
Misses Chute, Johnson and
Herren, of the 0. S. N, S. ob
served in Miss McReynolds grade
one day last week.
INDEPENDENCE NEWS BUDGET
From Our Regular Corres
pondent.
DAILY HAPPEfK IN M SJSTEfl CITY.
Scan This Column Fr N-ms f
Importance From tlu
Riverside.
Harvey Copeland left Monday
for his home in Los Angeles.
William Barnett made a busi
ness trip to Portland this week.
Lester Butler, of Dallas, at
tended the Thanksgiving bal.1
here.
A. Gross and family returned
from Newberg the first of the
week.
E. W. Cooper and wife, of Al
bany, visited relatives here over
Sunday.
Mrs. Bricker, of Dallas, is vis
iting her mother, Mrs. McQuery,
in this city.
Miss Lula Locke, of DaJlas vis
ited over Sunday at the home of
Mrs. N. Mattison.
Ross Nelson made a business
trip to Portland and Spokane the
first of the week.
Mrs. J. Jones and daughters,
Grace and Kate. vLrited several
days last week in .Eugene.
Mrs. M. E. Hendricks, of Mc-
Minnville, visited friends here
the later part of the week.
I. Vanduyn and wife, of Port
land, are visiting at the home of
the latter's brother, M. Merwin.
Mrs. Robert DeArmond return
ed home from Portland Monday.
She is very much improved in
health.
Misses Veva Burns and Alta
Savage, of Dallas, attended the
chrysanthemum fair here Satur
day evening.
Miss Iva Cooper left Monday
for Portland, where she will en
ter Good Samaritan Hospital to
become a nurse.
Misses Mable and Frances
Cooper returned to Eugene Sun
day after spending Thanksgiving
with their parents here.
Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Mulkey,
former residents here, now of
Sheridan, visited in this city the
latter past of the week.
Miss Ella Robinson returned to
McMinnville Sunday, after sev
eral weeks visit with her mother,
Mrs. A. Robinson, in this city.
Miss Ethel Toden, of Halifax,
Nova Scotia, is visiting her
cousin, Mrs. N. Graves. She will
probably spend the winter here.
C. E. Ireland and wife, of
Portland, spent Thanksgiving
with the latters parents, Mr. and
Mrs. J. S. Cooper. They return
ed to their home, Monday.
PLEASANT CLUB MEET.
The Conjauciti Club held the
second of their series of parties
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
VanDornsife, Monday evening.
Mrs. D. 0. Taylor and Mrs V.
Dornsife were hostesses. The re
ception rooms were beautifully
decorated.
Progressive hearts were played
during the evening: Miss Scollard
and Mrs. G. Walker won the
prizes. Mrs. Loren Wann was
the most successful in threading
pumkin seeds, Chas. Irvine got
the consolation prize. Delicatious
refreshments were served at a
late hour.
The guests present were: Mr.
and Mrs. Van Dornsife; Mr. and
Mrs. Pearl Hedges, Mr. and Mrs.
D. 0. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Claire
Irvine, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Ir
vine, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Walker,
Mrs. Tom Fichard, Mrs. Loren
Wann, Mrs. Jess Whiteaker,
Misses Mary Scollard, Bessie
Butler, Bertha Bohannon, Mr.
Murney and Dr. E. Duganne.
Rickard Guthrie.
A pretty home wedding took
place on November 29, 1908, at
3:30 p. m., at the residence of the
brides' parents, when Edna, the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. E
buthr e, was united in marriage
to Mark A. Rickard, of Corvallis.
Thirty guests were present. The
decorations were beautiful in
evergreens and chrysanthemums.
The bride was gowned in cream
cloth trimmed in embroidered
silk chiffon. She carried a boquet
of pale pink and white carnations
and springeri fern. The groom
wore the conventional black.
Mrs. May Bowden-Babbitt play
ed the accompaniment while Mrs.
A. F. Clark sweetly sang "All
the world loves a lover." Mrs,
Babbitt played the wedding
march from Lohengrin while
Rev. W. A. Wood led the way
down to the parlor, pausing un
der an arch arranged of white
bobinet, white chrysanthemums
and evergreens where an impres
sive ceremony was said that made
the happy couple one.
After congratulations dainty
refreshments were served in the
parlors, consisting of pressed
chicken sandwiches, olives, pick
els, cake and coffee, served by
Mrs. Laura Tacheron; Miss Lil
lian Bogert, Miss Ethel Newman,
Mrs. Dora Chase, Miss Edith
Wolverton and Miss Clara Olsen.
Then all were invited to the din
ing room where the bride cut the
first piece of the wedding cake;
after which Miss Vena Rickard,
sister of the groom, cut it while
Mrs. Veda Mulkey, sister of the
bride, served it to the guests.
Miss Leatha Rickard very grace
fully presided at the punch bowl
while Miss Leto Wolverton serv
ed it to the guests. Mr. and Mrs.
Rickard departed, amid showers
of rice and old shoes, in a car
riage for Salem where they took
the electric cars for Portland,
Seattle and Vancouver, for an in
definite stay.
The bride is a young lady of
much worth, having received her
edncation at the 0. S. N. S.; and
will be greatly missed in Polk
county society. Mr. Rickard
comes from an old and honored
prominent Benton county family.
We bespeak for them a long, hap
py and prosperous life.
Many useful and beautiful pres
ents were received consisting of
cut glass china, silverware and
fine linen.
Miss Roma Stafford ate turkey
with her family in Oregon City,
Miss Stafford reports an unusually
delightful time.
CITY COUNCIL HOLDS FORTH
Committee Reports On New
Cross Walks.
THE COST HAS BEEN $25.42 FOR EACH
Marshal Is Authorized to Enforce
Curfew Ordinance R.
M. Smith Talks.
The regular council meeting
for the month of November was
held in the council chambers
Monday evening with all present
but councilman Chute. The mat
ter of cross walks was taken up
and the report of the street com
mittee was heard and after dis
cussion approved. It was found
that the walks had cost the sum
of $25.42 each, which is only a
little more than wood crosswalks
would have cost. The treasurers
report was read and approved.
R. M. Smith came before the
council and asked if the city was
responsible for acts committed
on Halloween night. He stated
that he had an outbuilding carried
away that night that had been
subsequently destroyed and that
he thought there should be some
method employed that would put
a stop to such work, as it was
not consistent with the status of
the town as being a moral, law
abiding place.
The marshal was authorized to
enforce the curfew ordinance.
Petition of L. C. Hoover and
others regarding the condition of
sidewalk along the K. II. Sicka
foose property read and on mo
tion it was ordered that the re
corder notify Mr. Sickafoose that
the sidewalk built by permit in
1906 was unsatisfactory and he
be requested to make suitable
repairs.
The following bills were pre
sented, read, and after being ap
proved by the finance committee
were ordered paid.
Graham & Son cartage
L. Ground rec. fees
0. C. Zook labor
Marshal's bill
A general discussion
$1.75
$1.85
$30.30
$26.25
of the
water question was had
and it
was decided to institute
an in-
quiry further into the matter and
the mayor was authorized to
make such inquiry on his visit to
Portland the latter part of the
week.
Pedee
Ren and Eva Womer visited
friends in Falls City last week.
David Simpson was transacting
business in this vicinity last week
Lewis Edwards has quit driv
ing logs on account of low water.
Born, to the wife of Chas
Kerber on the 27th of November
a bouncing big girl. The mother
and babe are doing well while
the father seems to be in a very
bad condition.
Every one in this part of the
state should work for government
ownership of the locks at Ore
gon City. By this means we
would receive a large reduction
in freight rates, which would aid
largely in the development of this
section.