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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1903)
THE SUMPTER MINER Wednesday, June 10, 1903 SWEET AUBURN." Old Timer Tells Interesting History Of Oregon's De serted Village. There limy Jm a titriiiiKH fntiillty in tlio iiaiiiii Auburn, for Auburn, Oregon, hIIiiiiIihI between hero anil Maker City, unci) n prortporoim placer :aiiip with 11 population approaching 10,00(1, him, like "Sweet Auburn, lovoliitrtt villiiKo of tho plain,' milierod iilmoMt total extinction. It may be, however, that Aiiliiirn Ih jiirit nnliirliiK a period of roniiiH hiiiii'o for tlio Auburn Deep .Mining !()tiipiiiiy inily a rilinrt timit iik turned nil hIiiiiiii ami tdnrted up tn machinery to Hink to bedrock in tlio Iioid of lllllilnu Dm pay kiiivoI which iniiili) I ho town faiuoiiH In tin) early HO'h during Iliti palmy plueor iIiivh. In lliomi tiniKH of modern ipiarlz mliiiiiK iiiiiehiuory when tlm drop of tlio Hlaiiip ihiIiimm from (ho IiIIIhIiIc, mill tlm hIii'III wIiIhIIo of Htoiiin power 11I011K tlm viilleyH, It Ih hoiui'IIiim'h foruolton thai llioie wax oui'o a camp niiar tint pioKout priiHporniiri city of Humplnr mnn nxroediiiK it in popula tion, Unit iii'oho, HourlHhi'il anil punned from tlm map. Huch wan Aiiliiirn, ntlll mni'ii in tlio mitinory of tlm few 0I1I tiiiini'H ynt living who upended (horn ami laid tlm foundation of Hiilmtmitial IIvIiikh to later Itecoine pronilneiit idtlonx of linker county. Hon la a lirmf liUtory of Auburn an told liy 01111 of tlm HUrvlvorn. He nayH : "Aiiliiirn HprmiK Into prominence iim a mliiiiiK camp In 18(12. (Inld whh iliacovitnl there In 'til, ami by tho next HprliiK thoiiHituilH of mliiiiiK men from California ami other camp in Oregon had Hocked in. Throuxli the olfortn of W. J I. Pack wood, om of tho early locatorn, a tluflnitn uiovemeiit wan undertaken to organizo and lay out u town, and on limit U.-tftirllrRT'tttroot wan run from FrttiiMioul Uuleli to llliiu Canyon. ChIiIiih apriiiiK up, people ciimo from all point of tlm coiupiiHM to tlm rich placur iIIkkIukh anil Auburn noon hooaiim olio of tlm moot populoiiH centum in eiiHlern Oregon. "It noon becmiie apparent, however, that tlm mipply of water wan not Miiftlcicut to carry on oxtouxlvc placer opnralioiiH, ami a company wan formed known iim the Auburn Water company with a capital of over -0,- 000 to ilk' a dilcli from Powder lilver. 'flit h wax later absorbed by (he Auburn Canal compmiy through the otrortM of a man named Crane, mill the woik completed. It wax then Unit milling nperatioux took on renewed activity and the yearn 'till, '114 mid '05 were tlmmoxt proxperoux, tlio population Hearing tlm 10,000 mark. The ilivldeudx of thlx corn, puny amounted to over J'J'jri.OOO. "While thoxe were proxperoux luyM, ami tlm majority of tho cltlenx were law ahldiiiK, they wero at tlmex turbulent. There wax no reKiilarly irnanl7.eil muuicipiil government reoognltyl by tlio xlate until lutr In 18(111, ami JihIkh Lynch couxtitutisl tlio inaiii judicial authority, though 1 inuxt way that hlx rule in tho main wax xtrlotlly in koopliiK with all other trlbunalx of juxtlco in the laud. In lHti'ia man by the imino of Oriltln wax idiot ami killed by hix mining partner. Tlio olfender wax urrentod ami two men deputized ami given 50 to tako him to Tho Dallex, a dixtance of 'J 75 in' lex, then t!ie county neat of the region for trial. Tho trio were later won mining on .Salmon river. Tho1 people xaw that thlx xort of thing i wouldn't work, and they wore' prepared to treat tlm next euro differ-J cntly. It happened a few mouths later. . Two inlnorH recently iirlvod from Colorado wore poixonud ono morn iug while eating their brcakfaxt. I One of thorn died mid tho other' xiirvived. A dog wax given Home of j the bread they had boon eating and wax thrown into coiiviiIxIoiih mid died a few mluutex lator. Dr. Itiickerhy, tlm only pIivhIcIiiii in the town, ex amined tho Hour from which tho bread wiih made mid found it to contain chryxtalx of Htrychuliio. .Suspicion pointed to a Frenchman who had formerly boon in partiiorxhip with tho miuorx and had journeyed with thorn from Colorado. It wax xtatod that ho had ipiarroled with them and had Hworu to kill them. Ho wax arroxted. A court wax organized with judgo, jury mid iittoruoyH. Ho wax tried, convicted of murder In tlm llrxt degree, ami duly executed. While tho court wax not regular, mid tho sentence could not bo regarded ax anything othor than lynch law, from a xtatutory ntand point, yet ax a matter of expedience It extablixhed u wholexonio precedent that xtood tho community woll In hand. "Ono other lynching occurred xhortly after tho municipal charter wax granted, which wax not cliurac- terl.ed by xuch ordorliuexH. A (ircaxor known ax Spaulxh Tom fatally xtabliod two men during a row- over a gaum of cmux. Tho (Jroaxor tied but wax apprehended in Mormon llaxln and duly delivered ovor to Juxlfco of tho Peace Aboil for trial. Public Hontlmont wax xtrongly agaiuxt him, howovor, and during tho progroxa of tho trial, u mob wax organized. Tho (Iroaxor wax taken away from tho xhorilf'x mon while court wax xtlll in xoxhIoii, and hanged to tho noarext troo. "Ill 18(10 and 1807 tho digglugx began to glvo out, and lu a fow yearx tho onco proxporouiia and populoux mining town of Auburn wax alnioxt " completely' dopopulatod. Today xcarcoly a trace remalnx of it." (47) OF SUMPTER Capital Stock $25,000 OFFICERS J. H. ROBBINS, J. W. SCRIBER, -R. H. MILLER, H.S. DURGAN'- . Prasidant - Vloa-Praaldant Cashier Assistant Cashlsr Safety Deposit Vaults Gold Dust Bought Does a General Banking and Exchange Business TO EXPLORE COAL BEDS Association Formed To Oper ate In John Day Country. Anthony Mohr left for tho enxt today for the purpoxo of xecuriug lliiiincinl axxixtanco to exploit) tlm .loliu Day coal bedx of which he mid xlx axxociatex com-poi-ctl of well known Siimptur mining men have control. Tho copartnership coutaiux tho following perxenx: Anthony Mohr, W. K. Sanderx, Captain C. S. Miller, I.ewlx Walker, Tom Duuphy, J. M. McPheo and C. K. Peternon. No corporation hax lieen formed and, it Ix xtattnl, probably will, not bo. The axxooia tlon hax 1 108 ac rex of laud situated in tho John Day country, on the John Day river, xeventy-llve miles Utlnw Canyon City,einbracliig a large portion of tho coal bodu lu this locality. There are three bedx ranging in thlcknexx from eight to forty feet and containing what Ih thought to lie a good quality of coal, recent axxaya made by ltobbiux & Kobbinx xhow llxed carbon from thirty to tlfty-llvo per cent in tho several xumplex submitted. Books and Stationery I bnve added to my xtock of Cigars and Tobuccoes a large number of popular iiovoIh, the leading MriodicalBand a complete line of stationery ....The Elite Cigar Store... L. HARRIS, Proprietor w&'''swv A. P. GOSS, President GEO. H. TRACY, Cashier & Bank of Sumpter 3 TrtniMti Btmril anklMg lain Interest Allowed on Time Deposits Drafts diawu on al puiU uf the oili Special attention to ;oilecllons. Safety Deposit boxes for rent. SUMPTER, OREGON k4 ffirr vr i r r.c.u iourKecxL.o. aflnV k sMs&MMSSjmss&mwsm&m&s RIGHT p EVERYTHING FRESH PRICES 1 IN GROCERIES GILL &tfWS&2&2fmS8i&3&3&tf&3ffl&3 j Granite St. & Sumpter, Ore. ? American Brewing and Crystal Ice Co. E. SIBER, General Manager. Manufacturers of First Class Draught and Bottled Also Ioe Made of Distilled Water. BEER The most modern equipped plant in the state. All orders promptly attended to. Telephone, Main ij. BAKER CITY, OREGON.