The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-17
THE PASSING THRONG
Themes Discussed in the Hotel
Corridors
En- NEWSPAPERS WORK.
ksnnins weekly in mining Camp
Pronfasst New York Democrat
Visiting the CITY.

M and Mrs. W. l. xayield, Of Fairhaven. are
= me snoqusimie hotel. Mr.. Msyasld h one Of
sne pioneer Newspaper men Of the Coast. In
is2 be came 70 California and going 10 Yrcka
where the mining excitement was then At it,
neagnt, ne started the Yreka Journal which he
run Tor ten years Later he moved 10 walia
waiia where he founded the Wdsehmoa He
has also worked on newspapers in Portland end
elsewhere on the Coast In the Cities he went
INTO the Rogue river Indian war where he
Fought until he was shot In the knee
Running newspaper In Those early times In
mining camp was pretty ticklish business, for
me men were rough and cared a. little for your
NE - they did for their own
"But Newspaper Was profitable. got enor-
nous prices for advertising and for lob print
Ing. For theater tickets, for instance, / got $40
You can imagine something Of the way matters
reLe goinE when tell you that In the iirst year
Cleared Ss.eo OF Of that country weekly.
pesa o. qua esn hardly conceive now Of the awiess
In the mt rear was there at Yreka saw with
my own eyes fifteen men killed. There would
80 ~ sudden orswi or quarrel, and In the end
frequently not BE- touched.
"A remember one evening In saloon the men
st ere PLAYING cards when quick A. fash, one OF
olooo spurfed out on the wall, and the man fell
back dead Then the murderer took his hat
~. T.sn an osth, and going out Of the door. said
mo one followed him. The game was sus-
pended for q few minutes until the corpse was
taken out, and then things went ON as usual.
ioughs ike Ferd Patterson, Matt Biedsoe
and Jim Smith went around killing people as
tney liked, running elections and tearing things
up generally until the day OF the vigllantes
~, Inc yigilanses did good work in putting an end
I'll recall one quarrel In which Judge George
M.Iylef, who later was famous in the Sharon
Hill case, wss engaged. The judge was good
kff "A vsixxr~ M
man Burke 10 . friendly game. At tho end of
II Burke was fiat broke, and the Judge leaned
back and said tauntingiy. We'll, Burke, IL there
aBurks was angry and fre1 up. III Ican't
beat you at poker. Iii bet you 80 can lick you
wei, answered the judge. I'm in for any
Then Burke borrowed so OF the bartender,
and the two men began fighting in the barroom;
and . fearful fight IL was Burke bit off the
judges finger, but the judge whipped him and
Il came near 70 getting into fight with Cal.
vim B. Mcdonald, who came 70 Yreka and started
writer, aud be was the author OF several poems
which were pretty good. But he made his mis-
take in thinking he could be q political editor;
and 30 he went into politics and began pitching
into everybody. OF course he went for me in
lively style, and / answered him. ] twifted
him on bis egotism. and that was sore point.
"One day we met on the street, and be said:
take 1t out Of yon in public
II replied: Now, Mcdonald. don't claim
TO be so big an editor as you are. You are . big
editor, six-boiIer editor, and I an not: but
when IL comes to fighting, then You have me
where am at home. So come on any time you
like
'sBut he never came
"Yet, some years after, when was at Walla
WaIia, Mcdonald came 70 town without rent In
his pocket He wanted to give lectu re, and
in consideration OF old times took him to the
hotel, paid his bill, and advertised bis lecture
on the massacre OF Glencoe-an got him good
house. At that time he made very profound
apology for his former behavior.
Then again Dave Cotton, D. d. Cotton, was
running for senator, and he got Jim smith, .
desperate, pardoned out of prison In order to
come up TO Yreka and bulldozc around the
polls. / gave him touch about his coming out
OF the prison TO run our politics, ana when
Smith met me on the street ne told me he was
going to whip me, and ne could whip me
II didn't believe in fighting and don't now;
20 l answered him mildly, Yes, Jimmie, dare
say you can whip me. and I've never said you
couldn't; but II you try I'll shoot you dead,
dead in your tracks. And you know, Jimmie,
you are an outlaw here and nobody would touch
me II killed you this very minute
"And Jimmie didn't touch me.
"You see always preferred to be peaceable
and avoid . fight"