New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-26
A settlement Of Communists

tWcnty-elght miles south of the CITY Of por.
iaho, III Oregon, lies the German COLONY q
aurora, communist settlement under th
olrectlon OF Doctor William Keil. In Sen
temper, 1871, made second journey from
12al francisco to Oregon, on which occasion
= 'ea'ia ooth time and opportunity to carr,
out long-cherished desire to visit fbis coi
ony, already famous throughout ali Orecon
and to make the acquaintance of tho still
more famous doctor, the so-called "kng O
aurora" He had been described to me in
Portland as most inaccessible nerson
showing himself extremely reserved towarC
strangers. and declining to give them The
slightest satisfaction as to the interior man.
agement OF the prosperous community over
when he reigned sovereign prince. The
initiated maintained that this important per.
sonage had formerly been tailor in Ger.
many. lie was al once the spiritual and sec.
ular mead OF the community; he solemnized
marriages, much against his will, for, ac-
obliged to provide house for every newly
married couple y he was a physician and q
preacher, Judge, law-giver, secretary ofstate.
administrator, and unlimited and irrespopsi
pie munster OF finance to the COLONY: and
held all the very valuable landed property of
the settlement, with the consent of the COL
onIsts, in his own name; and while he GER
talnly provided for his voluntarily obedient
SUBJECTS an excellent maintenance for life, he
reserved to himself the entire profits of the
labor OF all and tho value of the Joint prop
erty, notwithstanding that the colony was
established on the broadcast principles as a
communist association. From Portland
where was staying, the colony was easily
accessible by rail, and before leaving made
the acquaintance Of a German life insurance
agent OF Chicago company-K jrner by
namc-who, like myself, wished to visit
Aurora, and in whom found a very arree-
able travelling companion. He had procured
IN Portland letters of introduction to Doctor
keil, and had conceived the bold plan of do
ING stroke of business in life insurance with
him; indeed, his main object in going to
Aurora was to induce the doctor to insure
the lives of the entire colony-that is to saw.
OF all his voluntary subjects-in the Chicago
company, pay, as irresponsible treasurer of
the association, the legal premiums, and
upon the occurrence Of death pocket the
amount of the policy.
Upon arriving at our destination, wc in
quircd for Doctor Keil, and were at once d.
rected to his residence, which looked. in tho
distance, like tho premises Of n wcll-to-do
Low-Dutch farmer. We found him in his
orchard in toilette the very opposite Of re-
gal, Zealously engaged in gathering his ap-
pies. He was standing on high ladder, in
his shirt sleeves, a cotton apron, straw hat
picking the rosy-cheeked fruit in a hand
basket. AS soon as the doctor perceived us
he came down from the ladder, and asked
somewhat sharply what our business there
might be. My companion handed him the let
tiers of introduction he had brought with him,
which tho doctor read attentively through
he then introduced my humble self as a lite.
rary man and assistant editor Of a well-known
magazine, who had come to Oregon for the
special purpose of visiting DR.. Kiel, and of in
specting his colony. l learned from him that
his name was William Kell, and that he was
born at BleieherOde in Prussian Saxony He
now left the apple gathering to his men, and
offered to show us whatever was interesting
about the colony; as to the life-insurance
project, he said he would take some more
convenient opportunity to speak with Mr..
Kdrner about it.
The doctor, who after this showed himself
somewhat loquacious, was man of agree
able appearance, perhaps Of about sixty years
of age, with white hair, a broad high fore
head, and an intelligent countenance Sound
as nut, powerfully built, of vigorous consti-
tuition, and with an air of authority, he gave
the idea Of a man born to rule. He seemed
to wish to make a good impression on us, and
I remarked several times in him searching
our thoughts. He sustained the entire con-
versation himself, and it was somewhat Diff
cult to follow his meaning; he spoke in an
unctuous, oratOrcal tone, with extreme
suavity, in very general terms, and evaded
all direct questions. When had listened to
him for ten minutes was not one whit wiser
than before. His language was not remark
ably choice, and he used literally mixture
of words half English, half German, as I'M
educated German Americans are apt to do.
When he first came into this region, in
1856, he found the whole district now owned
by his fourishing colony covered with marsh
ing himself on the prairies lying farther
south, in the midst Of foreign settlers, he
preferred a home shared only with his Ger
man brethren in the primitive woods; and
here, having at that time very small means,
he obtained from the Government, gratis,
land enough to provide homes for his colo
nists, and found in the timber source Of
capital, which he at once made productive.
He next proceeded to build block-house as
a defense against the Indians, who at that
time were hostile in Oregon then he erected
q saw-mill and cleared Off the timber, part of
which he used to build houses for the colo
nists, and with part opened an advantageous
trade with his American neighbors, who, liv-
ing on the prairie, were soon entirely de-
pendent on him for all their timber. The
land, once cleared, was soon cultivated and
planted with orchards; the finer varieties of
fruit he shipped for sale to Portland and San
Francisco, and from the sour apples he either
made vinegar or sold them to the older set
tiers, who very soon made themselves sick
on them. He then attended them in the
character of physician, and cured them Of
their ailments at good round charge. This
Joke the good doctor related with especial
satisfaction.
BY degrees, the doctor continued to say,
the number of colonists increased; and bis
means and strength being thus enlarged, he
established tannery, a factory, looms,
fourng-mils, built more houses for his colo
nists, cleared more land and drained the
marshes, increased his orchards, laid out new
farms, gave some attention to adornment,
erected church and school-house, and pur-
chased from the American settlers in the
neighborhood their best lands for a song.
He did everything systematically. He al
ways assigned his colonists the sort of labor
that they appeared to him best fitted for, and
each one found the place best suited to his
capabilities. If any one objected to doing
his will and obeying his orders, he was driven
out of the colony, for he would endure no OPP
position. He made the best leather, the best
hams, and gathered the best crops In all
Oraoop Tho poSspsSionS of the colony