Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-04

He otatD Oh once prominent cltI-
zen and distinguished official Of Wash
lneton IerritOry,in the person of Judge
| fltzhngh, who will be re:nsnbered Nv
all pioneer citizens of the Puget Sound
| country, was reported by telegraph
last week Here he WAS a noted citizen,
and was a participant in many acts Of a
stirring public character prior to the
war OF the rebellion. At the coming
on of the struggle he went back to
his native State, and served her against
the Government.
refui ,cence of his life on PuRe:
Sound was told IN the words following
IN the San Francisco Baiiefin of No
vernber |. 1872:
Ia 1854 the international question OF
the O&nership Of San Juan Island was
agltating the q yernments Of III.
Inited Statei and Great Britain. At
the time Captain William Cullen (at
present property clerk IN the Police De
partment In this city was agent for the
Puget Sound Coal Company and a resi-
dent Of Whatcom, Bellineham Bay.
After the Legislature of ths Territory
had segregated the northern portion of
the Sound. aud given it the name of
Whatcom County, Mr.. Cullen WAS elect
ed "A Com missioner. The body of which
he WAS member soon after took ac-
ton IN relation To the instructions of
the Government, which were to assess
the property Of the Hudson Bay Com
pany at San Juan Island aud to collect
b.H. 81 a. IL
his duty, and tax of $50 Was levied on
the company's property. The superin-
tendent Of the company, a Mr.. Griffin,
swelling with national pride, refused To
pay the msney Oh the ground that the
proceeding was ridiculous. as the Island
WAS the property of the British Gov
ernment. second demapd by the
Sheriff being made and rejected. that
official with FitZhugh, Cullen and four
other Americans, armed to the teeth,
went TO the Island and made a third de-
mand. Being refused, they canped ont
over night, and the next morning went
To the headquarters Of the Hudson Bay
Company for the purpose of seizlng any
portable property that they migat find.
They finally captured thirty nine rams,
which cost In England all the way
from 80 to $50 each. These We're
put up at auction and knocked down
for from 10 cents 10 one dollar each.
Not enough money being realized to
pay the taxes, "A lot of ewes We're also
sold. The sheep were put In small
boats preparatory To crossing to the
mainland. bat before getting away from
the beach Griffin. with large number
of halfbreeds, came down and threat
ened To rescne the company's property
Cullen and Fitzhugh drew their revolv
ers and threatened to fur8Ish number
of subjects for burial If Griffin attemp-
ted any violence, and told him that the
sheep would be returned when sufficient
oOin was paid over To- the Sheriff. Grif-
fin, with tears in his eyes, started for
Victoria in canoe, travelling as fast rs
twelve halfbreeds could paddle the
craft through the water, and this was
the last = en- of him by the Sheritf's
party. The Arloricans started for home
about noon, and at sunset observed the
Hudson Bay Company steamer Beaver
in full chase. But under cover of dark
ness the small boats escaped from the
steamer, and three days later arrived ut
Whatcom safely. having in 4 storm on
the way over lost several sheep. This
was probably the fist legal squabble
over san Juan.
The miserable end of this once bril-
liant public man, to whom nothing in
the United States was impossible TWEEN
ty-hve or thirty years ago, is told AS
follows in the San Francisco Chroaicl, |
of November %:
At9 o'clock Yesterday morning the |
clerk of the What Cheer House found |
an old man dead in one of the rooms of |
the house. and reported the matter to |
the Morgue. Deputy Coroner Groom.
on going for the body, found IL to be |
that of ex-Jud9e Edmund Fitzhugh, a |
native Of Virginia. aged - years. The |
deceased was pioneer Californian and |
formed law partnership here as early I!
as lSi9 with Edmund Randolph and A. |
L. Crittenden, who was afterwards kill |
ed by Laura ID. Fair. He was one of |
Judge Terry's seconds in the famous
duel in which Broderick''was killed. and |
during the civil war WAS Nj ,jor on the |
staff of division General in the Con |
fedcrttj army. In 1854 he was located |
in Washington Territory rs manager of
the Bellingham Bay Coal Company. and |
while there WAS appointed United States |
District Judge 10y President Buchanan,
ap sition which he filled with credit for
four years. His wife died while he was
there, and. returning to Virginia. he
married again, and served term in the
Legislature, being IN his seat during the
stormy session in which X. NJ. L. Hun
ter WAS elected TO the United States
Senate. From there he moved TO Iowa,
where he leaves a widow and several
children. For the last four years he
has resided III San Francisco, where he
has gradually suk lower and lower,