, 1873-11-27
Gen. Sprague and SkookIm'
Smith.
PAR MOBILE FEATRC1I.

PAR MOBILE FEATKta1.
The above names have acquired
most unenviable Eotorfety in coAnec-
ton with the mismanagenent of the
Northern Pacific Railroad in this Terri
tory; so that when Congressional in
vestigation of the rascalities perpetrated
in the name of that delectablc organiza-
ton shah be had, these names will te |
tho most prominent among the instru-
mentalities by which one of the grand-
est projects Of the age. backed by the
most munificent subsidy ever granted to
a private corporation by any Govern
ment has been cheated Of its designs
aud sub>erted to the interests Of con-
spiracy of unscrupulous ad, enturers
In anticipation of such investigation We
propose to give brief sketch of these
notorious characters in connection with
their operations and confidence games
In this section.
OF the antecedents of Gen. Sprasue
we know. but little. That he was Gen
cral in the army during the late var is
admitted on general report, though the
annals Of the war fail to mention any
distinguished services performed by him
~ . soldier. But whether he entered
the army from a liquor bar or gam
bling saloon--from both of which voca-
tons Generals were drawn we are not
informed; his affecta.ion of dignity and
snobbish manner and pretensions would
justify either hypothesis; the character
of his mcst intimate associate initiates
against the supposition that he has ever
been accustomed to the association OF
gentlemen; and his conduct while here
gives 70 assurance conflicting with that
appearance. Men of honor do not re-
tain positions of trust after their most
sacred engagements have been dishon-
ored and repu1iated by their principals;
as in case Of Gen. Spragne's contract
with the people Of Olympia Men OF
honor do not employ. and retain in their
employment after conviction, clerk to
rifle the private papers of an associate
By means of burglars tools, in order to
possess themselves of contraband in
formation upon which to sustain infa-
nous charges; as in the case of Col.
Thomas B. Morris. Men of honor are 4
rarely indicted for felonious offences; as |
Gen. Sprague has been for stealing tim |
Der from Government lands. And
man of honor would as soon employ IL |
professional assassin to stab man in
the dark. as he would employ an ire 4
sponsible and character3ess vagabond to
assail and vilify private character thro'
public print; as Gen. Sprague does
through an editor specially retained BY
him at Kalama.
Smith, the man called in the Indian
dialect "Skookum" on account Of his
grossness, is the partner, confident, and
inseparable companion of Sprague. He
is of the material of which pimps are
made; low-bred, illiterate, gross, sensu
al, cunning, unscrupulous, false, and
with brazen inpudel ce utterly devoid
of shame and destitute of sensibility.
Previous to coming to this Territory he
probably never, by any accident of hos
pitality, crossed any gentleman S thresh-
hold in the way Of social intercourse.
lie owes the position which the public
assigns him in connection with the N.
p. Railroad solely to his brazen effror-
terry, audacious lying and intimacy with
Spregue. He says 1--WE" in spe aking
of the Company, without ever having
owned a dollar Of stock or held an off |
,cial position of any kind in the Compa-
ny. He has done tie dirty work of the
villainous land ring, for which service
he has been permitted, through the
,conniyance of Sprague. to he abummer
upon the Railroad and levy black>mail
upon all with whom it has dealings,
with full liberty to lie. cheat and steal
in the name of the Company. o- s
we have introduced these portraits
only as q subject for further comment,
-regretting the necessity for the person.
.ality to which we have been forced in |
Several months preceding the advent |
of the engineers of the Northern Pacific |
Railroad, who were sent out to make
preliminary survey for the purpose of |
having the lands embraced in the grant I
assigned and Withdrawn from market,
that noble pair of land pirates, Sprague
and Smith, appeared as fcIe-runners
and pretended representatives of the |
Railroad perambulated the country
bordering upon Puget Sound, and en-
tered at the Government Land Office |
all the most available timber land and |
possible town-site property which they
could find in the market. in the name of |
the since infamously notorious Land |
Ring" Sprague doing the buying and
Smith with whom none OF his employ
ers would entrust their money acting
as stool!pigeon, or lookout man, as oc~
casion might require; positions in which |
his notorious propensity for lying made
his services available. This ore-stalling
of the public lands. as is apparent, was
seriously detrimental to both the inter-
ests of the road and the country, and
when done by and through the trustees
of the muniicent Government subsidy,
was faithless and piratical-robbing the
coantry. robbipg the road. and robbing
tie actual settlers of their interest in the
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