Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-06-07
He Is q Pioneer.


gatherer was vending his way along
Main street yesterday in search OF
the elusive item, motley group Of
gray-haired and venerable looking pa
triarchs. seated in front of Old Shroud's
establishment attracted his attention.
On drawing closer to the group, he as.
certained that it was composed of
several Of Washington's early settlers,
who were in the city for The purpose
of attending the annual meeting of the
Pioneers, then in session. Among their
number was one whose appearance and
manners indicated, in a marked degree,
that his worldly experience was not ex :
tensive. In fact. a few moments, con-
versation with him satisfied our re-
porter that he was nearly as green as
the cabbages and cucumbers that he
cultivated on his little farm, ON the
Cowlitz river. from whence he came.
Old Shrouds, notwithstanding his
peculiar calling, is well-known to be a
Practical joker, as we'll as a chronic
growler. seating himself in a chair,
Ill close proximity to the crowd our
reporter. with ears distended, ready to
catch on to anything of importance
heard Old Shrouds conversing with the
stranger from the Cowlitz, the sub
stance OF which was somewhat as fol.
lows:
my friend you inform me that YOU
settled in Washington in the early
tifties. and in coming you had to tramp,
packing your bed, bag and baggage
upon your back, there being no vehi-
cles or other conveyances in the coun-
try at that time; that you were COM
PEELED to sleep under a tree at night,
there being no other shelter at hand !;
your foOd, you state, was obtained by
the aid Of your trusty rifle, the Cowlitz
river occasionally atiording you mess
Of dog salmon; you ate fern roots "a a
substitute Tor bread, and where YOU
settled your neighbors were few and
far between; your clothes were OBJ
tanned from the skins OF wild animals ):
having no tools or agricultural nipple
ments, you were forced to dig YOUR
potatoes with your hands; in fact YOU
suffered and endured all the hardships
and struggles incident to the lie of
q pioneer, the adventurous spirit,
who first begins the settlement of y
new country"
Here the stranger placed his hands
upon his knees and sat in that way
ior moment or two, evidently ab
sorbed in deep reflections, when Old
ohrouds continued: my friend, l
tell you, have seen it all for came
here myself in the forties. In visiting
Olympia at this time. you have trav-
eled over one hundred miles, and that
for the purpose of Attending the an
nual meeting Of the Pioneer Associa-
ton. No doubt, you feel that YOU are
entitled to some recognition for YOUR
efforts in assisting to build up the
country, making it possible for others
to follow without the least fear of
being terrorized by the savage abor
igines whom you assisted in subduing
l have, myself, a feeling akin to yours
and hoped and was led to believe
that your name and mine, as we'll as
hundreds of others who faced the dan.
gers and trials OF those early days
would be handed down to posterity
with halo Of light surrounding them
that time could not dim, and that We
anticipated should be done through
the tiOneer Association. Let us un.
deceive ourselves. DO you know that
this very association, at its last meet
ing, which you admit you failed to at.
tend, by their action in the matte,
crushed out all hopes OF such al antic
ipatiOn."
The stranger having becor de-
cidedly interested in Old shrou q On.
versation, interrupted him b, Q IN.
estly inquiring what had been zone to
destroy all the bright hopes which he
had so long cherished.
"Why. l will tell you," responded
Shrouds, you must know at the last
meeting OF the association it was de-
termined to classify the members, and
to that end they were divided into
three groups: First, the members
who come here between the years
1865 to 1873 were to be of the frs.
class, or Plug Hat Pioneers, whose
duty consisted in doing the whoop-
ing-up act, and as we would better Z.
press it, the advertising; in fact like
the substitutes and drafted men in the
late civil war they wore the biggest
badges and did the most talking
The second-class consisted of those
who first set foot here between the
years 1855 and 1865 and who are
termed Stage Coach Pioneers, whose
duty it was to fill all the offices and ex.
pend all moneys that might come into
the treasury. Now, my friend, you
can readily perceive why / became
disguised with this state of affairs and
withdrew from the organization.
But, hold on a moment" inter.
rnpted the stranger, you have not ex-
planned to me how the old or first set
tiers, those who came here in the be.
ginning OF the fiities and prior to that
time are rated"
Here Old Shrouds sat a moment in
a meditative mood and with a funereal
look upon his solemn countenance he
replied 10 thu interropation in a cen.