Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/288

280 WILLIAM BARLOW was very severe on persons selling whiskey to Indians and O. C. Pratt, first U. S Judge, was very strict in enforcing the law but lenient (?) in fines and punishments. The least fine was a thousand dollars for each offense or imprisonment for one year or both at the discretion of the court. Sidney W. Moss was keeping a hotel in Oregon City and of course kept all kinds of liquors to sell to white customers, but whether he ever sold any whiskey direct to Indians was always a question in my mind. But he was indicted and convicted under two indictments. The judge ousted one indictment as it was the first offense and just fined him $1,000.00 on the second indictment. He thought that would be a lesson for him and others and it was, too, for there were no more in- dictments. Moss promptly walked up to the clerk and paid the thousand dollars, demanded a receipt and started to walk out. The judge said, "Mr. Moss, I hope this will be a lesson not only to you but others," and was going on to make a long talk but Moss had his ire up and said, "Never mind, your honor, that is not interest on the Willamette water I have sold," and walked out. Now I will go back to the place that I bought on the Clacka- mas. I stayed there until May, '46, making rails and improving the place. The winter was the finest I have ever seen in Ore- gon, stock got rolling fat on range by the first of May. Old Uncle Arthur, who lived on the same prairie about one mile away, had new peas for Christmas dinner. I was invited to dine with his family, but did not go as I wished to take dinner with my mother that day in Oregon City. Uncle Arthur had come out in '44. Those peas were volunteer that had come up from the spring planting of '45. I have seen that several times since in Oregon and I think we could have had them last Christmas (1903) if they had been planted at the right time. In the summer of 1846 I went with my father to make the road back to the wagons. Everything was safe and in good or- der, household goods and all. Our teams soon arrived and we started with the first wagon over the mountain. I wanted to drive the lead team so I could say I had driven the team that