Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/180

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Walla Walla, part of them with feet frozen. They lelt Mr. Brown of Walla Walla on the road between John Day and the Deschutes, exhausted. They buried hini alive in the snow, but with both feet frozen. Brown had about 30 pounds of gold dust with him.'* . . . "A party arrived this evening from Grand Ronde. One of them found Brown on the road and slept with him all night: left him 10 A. M. (5tk) buried in the snow and alive but unable to use his feet. There are reports of others frozen on the road. Frozen men all doing well. Moody will have all of the toes of his right foot taken of f tomorrow. ' . . . Wood is selling at $30 per cord and flour at $24 per barrel." — Walla Walla Statesman, January, 1862.

Border Lawlessness. Crime Stronger Tlmn Ann of the

Law, The gold excitement of 1862 attracted ali kinds of men to Eastern Oregon and Washington. The miners were as a rule industrious, and at heart they were as good as the jSfold they dug. But the trails of the miners were infested with ruffians who sustained themselves by unlawful means. Tliis class of men grew to be so numerous and desperate that they were too strong for the arm of the law, and robbery and murder became so common that no man's life or property was secure A verdict of a coroner's jury followa violent death was c^encrally as far as the law was permitted to proceed. Hence the more s\ibstantial citizens, as early as 1862, began to take steps for self-protection. In the month of September, in that year, the mining camp of Auburn was shocked by the announcement that two of its citizens had been poisoned, and that one of them was dead. A Frenchman who had been their partner was arrested for the crime. It was 250 miles to The Dalles* which was the nearest seat of justice; smd, what was worse, all the prisoners sent thither for trial before that time had made their escape through the aid of confederates. Sentiment ran high; and in order that the Frenchman might not escape nor be lynched without trial, 200 representative citi