The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-08-20
THE ELDER OLIET.
The Romance Of a COIlege Bred PENNSYLVANIA.
How Ne Game TO Settle on The Iakima
Indian Reservation.

Correspondence Press. Times: Nathan
Olney was a Pennsylvania man, who
graduated at an Eastern college just pre-
vious to the California gold excitement
Of 1919. He was one Of the handsomest
and most promising Of all the young men
in his neighborhood, and he wanted to
marry girl who loved as Rrdently as 4
girl is expected to love that very desirable
sort Of young man. Young olney had
small means Of setting up in the prineely
way no wanted to with so superior wife,
so ne said to her one day that he would
90 to California and get rich; then he
would come back and marry her and
they would be happy ever alter. He
weRt; he found gold. He worked for II
four or FIVE years, but he got it, and was
getting ready to go back and marry, when
one day be received word that the beauti-
full girl he had been thinking about all
the time he was hunting for gold, had
married one Of the young men who stay
ed at home. Olney was badly knocked
out by the blasting news, and cared for
no future without that girl in Il. What
he did for the next few years is not
known; but he finally drifted up the
coast OF Oregon, and became sheriff Of
waseo county. living at The Dalles. But
he was Disseminated and restless, and
once on prospecting trip in the SimcOe
mountains he met a girl among the Kick
itats. She was comedy, yOung-and q
girl. He was away from civilization,
healthy-and q man. The naturally fol-
lowing condition was that he found her
quite interesting. lie made her his wife
and settled in cabin in the bottom land
on the Ahtannm creek, a short distance
above where the Congregational church
now stands. A lot Of children came and
they were Olneys, though not at all like
the old OIney stock back in Pennsylvania
and Rhode Island. Nathan Olney was
large, straight and handsome. The Indian
mother was by no means the same brown
maid SO necessary to his happiness. The
memory Of an early, sentimental love was
more attractive than later physical
attachment had accentuaied the unfitness
Of the yoke-iellOws for each other. The
world beckoned to the man in his prime
TO come back and take his place and his
chances. The growing children tumbling
about his cabin reminded him that he
was responsible for their presence, and
he remained with his duty and his half
breeds. One day an old prOspeetor,
known Us Robinson the Blk" stopped
at his cabin and said:
"Olney you were kind to me once, and
now my chance has come to make you
rich in return"
The man pulled out some rich gold
bearing rock, and said be knew where a
big ledge Of il stood up straight out Of the
ground, and offered TO take Olney to it.
Olney went to friend about il. He said
he knew Robinson was liar, but since
he had been kind to him, and since he
(Robinson) knew there wasn't dollar to
be made out Of him, he believed the story.
He had his crops In. and depended on
them to feed his haIf-Indian family. he
could not go, il was out Of the question !;
would his friend 60? His friend agreed,
and Olney went TO The Dalles to see them
of and at the same time to get some sup
plies. Coming home from the trip, which
promised so much, Olney was sunstruck
in the hills between the Columbia river
and Goldendale, and died. That was the
last Of Olney. The children are on the
reservation and are shrewd traders in
stock and store goods. The old woman
married Dutchman, and at last accounts
was still alive. It would be interesting
TO know what became Of the girl back in
Pennsylvania who married somebody
else.
''Robinson the Blk, is no: wholly un.
, known to fame. He was written up in
, his time as a queer character. lie had q
pendant for steering prospectors to iabu'
} lously rich mines and slipping away he.
fore reaching the spot. lie did this in
! the case above mentioned. Over and over
again he fooled goldseekers. They knew
his record for lying, and yet somehow
each new victim choose TO believe that to
, him the secret gold would be uncovered
The fellow was a good talker, and never
, tired Of telling Of his great finds. HI
died sometime in the 7Os in st. Loui.
hospital, and his last utterances to hi,
! nurse were Of gold-gold-hidden gold