The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-21
BORDER PICTURE.
Working Up an Old Story for
Eject.
wALLA wALLA IS LlsElED,

san Lake Trsbane.

wAIEA wAEfA. Feb. This little old
town Of the quaint name lies ike . picture
on the bottom Of d huge wash howl formed
BIZ the foothills OF the Blue mountains and
the high lands Of Eureka Flat. lis . dull,
quiet. Iifesess place. and might be termed
q modern sleepy Hollow. There are few
men in IL wi-o are quite wealthy and, a
rule. they do not want the place stirred up
until they have made their pile
~ large as they desire. One finds
this the case in towns everywhere With
only few men TO loan money, rates of IN
terest are higher and banking business
better. An in3uI OF the world means the
coming of money for investment and .
certain fall in rates Of interest in time.
waila Walla might have been . CON-
munity OF 5000 people today hsd its men
OF wealth been pubic spirited. As il ID,
there are perhaps 400 people there. u. 900
souls. - as the statement is m ade. But one
who has remained in the place long enough
10 sire it up carefully. might be pardonei
his skepticism If he doubted the presence
OF 50 many souls. The majority OF the
people do not seem TO possess more than
bodies
What is the secret OF this sporifc condi-
toni
In my opinion it is due to the fact that
the town was made up largely Of Southern
ers. who were lazy and sleepy when they
came and who have never outgrown their
constitutional WEAKNESS. Born to drink,
svagger and swear at home. they came
West early in the war days, not because
they wanted to escape from the ''Confed-
erate States OF America but because they
were naturally too tired to carry guns in
the service of their country" Oregon
and Southern Washington were full of
them. and they made an impression upon
the new country that it has not yet out
grown. In the early sixties Wslia Waila
Was . distributing point. . mere shanty
town, for the mines along the
the mines were closed down in
winter the miners locked to the village.
1t was larger then at times than ii is now,
and II was. from all accounts. about as
rough place as could have been found in
ali the mountain land. Among the men
who we're here then and still remain is one
from whom have the following incidents
that viii illustrate the state Of .ssassiety' in
Walia Waiia when the boys in blue were
starving In Andersonville and dyeing
Southern soil with their blood to save the
Union. This man is Q round-headed, in
telligent cofIe-colored negro who was born
on the Island Of Jamaica. Jamaica ginger
darkey. as it were, who has run barber
shop here for twenty-five years. and who
has seen il all"
'w's l here in the war DAYS? / sh'd
say WE, sir, / should say wuz Why,
in sixty-two or three saw a man shot In
the chair where / shaved him. That
WIZ part Of the war times in walla Walla.n
Tell me ill about it and III have my
hair trimmed while I listen"
well. sir. it's something OF Q story,
but member IL very well. Fact, M an
amt likely 10 forget seeing another man
shot in such way. That thing grew out
Of trouble begun in Portland. Dave Pat
terson was . tall. black h aired. Injun-
lookin' Southerner who came to Portland
soon after the rebellion opened. The place
held large number Of rebels, and they
were mighty sassy everywhere.
One day Captain Staples received his
commission, promoted for gallant conduct
in service from President Lincoln, and his
friends we're having little fun and the
drinks with him In the barr0om OF the old
Oregonian hotel Somebody proposed
that the entire company present should
join in drinking health TO Mr.. Lincoln.
This Patterson swore he'd see the -
In, you know where. before he'd drink his
health. and left the room. Then it was
proposed to bring him in and make him
drink. He swore he'd kill the man who
tried such thing. Captain Staples went
to bring Hmm sure nuff Patterson shot
him dead on the stairs. He knew it
want healthy therein he skipped
TO Idaho. Ii seems that an
effort was made to bring him to justice A
sheriff attempted to arrest him In Idaho
for the marder Of Captain Staples and he
shot the sheriff and skipped again. After
sneaking around for a time he came into
Walla Walla and settled down as bro
fessionaI gambler. l knew him well and
saw him play poker many a night with his
pistol on the table and a knife handle
sticking out OF his boot leg. Well. the
friends of the Union men he had killed dis.
covered him and they hired a policemen
here 10 kill him. AT least that has always
been the general belief. Patterson came
TO nv shop about two O'Clock one
day for shave. While WAS
at work on his face a policeman
came in and stood right there. He had his
hands behind him and saw q pistol. but.
Tor. had no more thought be was goin'
to shoot my customer than that he was
goin' & shoot me. Fact, Id seen them two
men piayin poker together the night asore.
Bat the p'liceman didn't say nothing m
when ] pulled the towel of n Patterson's
neck n be was Just gatherin' hisseif to git
mp the piicelnan flung his arm on m fore
bad time & move out o. my traeks-cs;ck
pool, bang IA bullet went Plumb through
Patterson's head N be fell back a dead
man. o, yes sir, VS. here in e war DAYS
n you bet 'er' VS. lively times then, hear
more 80 N now"
but what was done with the police
mani"
he gave hisself up--o, il was nat-nn
loh-he give hisself ~. u fhey had lind
OF trial n he got of, but you be. he
didn't stay long about these we're parts.
tie kEowed rattersoas friends would lei
daylight into him on sight, and he
skipped with his doodle"
But If there were 81 nsny rehei. h.rs
how was Il that the policeman was not CON
vietedgF
%. there VAS a vigilance COMMITTEES
They had ihe coart in hand and things had
to 10 as they said. -
hen there were some men hers xho
did not sanction The talk and c.,ndn.t ~
reoeis - y
Yes, SIT, II come al last, had To Tawn
gos 80 bad Union mans life want 80.
anywhere. The saloons n sanhI,n,
~