The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-13
woULD-BE SENATOR cLAGErT.

evening, at a regular meeting of the board.
wOULD-BE SENATOR CLAGETT.
His Peculiar Character and His Daught-
er's Romantic story.
Some interesting "reminiscences of w.
II. Clagett, the man who has just
been elected United States senator
from Idaho by peculiar bargain between
the Democrats and few Republicans in
the legislature, are related by Mr.. Allen,
chief clerk to Superintendent Bush, of the
Oregon improvement Company's railways
Mr. Allen lived for several years in the
CGur d'Alene district. where Judge Clag-
EFT has his home, and knows that gentle
man we'll.
Judge Clagett is a Southerner and has
the proud and dignified bearing of the old
Southern aristocracy. He is tall man of
commanding presence, with white hair,
mustache and goatee. He is an eloquent
talker and knows it and his far-reaching,
sweet-toned voice has earned for him the
title of 1.-The silver-tongued orator of the
Ceur d'Alenes."
He lives in beautiful house at Osborn
on the western side of the Bitter Root
mountains, where may be found some of
the most lovely mountain scenery in
America There he has an office which is
famed for its dirtiness, for the mud is
caked on the floor to depth of two inches.
the windows have long been innocent of
water, and cobwebs abound on the ceiling
This fact is due to the malign influence of
Mark Twain. He claims to have "bunked"
with that famous humorist during the
mining excitement in the Black Hills and
to be the original of one of his caricatures.
He is proud of this fact, shows his friends
the passages in Twain's books which refer
to himself and tries to live up to the Carl
cature, Hence his dirty Office, and the
siovenly old white hat and linen buster in
which he appears to address the courts
and political meetings. He creates the i'm
preston of an old ''hayseed" when
this impression is soon dispelled as the
tall form, crowned with snow-white locks
under which piercing eyes glisten, presents
to the audience man of brains and breed
ing. When he begins to speak this i'm
preston is heightened, as with earnest elo-
quence and wonderful flow of language.
he proceeds to speak. and warming to his
subject, completely wins his audience over
After he left the Black Hills this gift of
speech secured his election as delegate from
Montana to congress.
Yet he cannot be called successful law
yer, for he is obstinate and cranky, and
seizing on an idea which will not help his
case, he tries to beat it into the heads of a
jury. Thus he seldom wins a case, and
would not have been the rich man he is
but for his success in mining speculations.
He owns one-third of the Custer. and has
interests in severa1s other valuable mines
in the Coeur d Alenes. His irrational pur-
suit of an idea may explain his persistency
in endeavoring to secure election as United
States senator by hook or by crook.
The same qualities have made his family
g., n. - Al
romances of the Coeur d'Alenes. He has
separated from his wife, who supplements
the small allowance given her by keeping
a clearinghouse I'm Portland. During
recent visit to that city he was at her
house, but there was no reconciliation.
But every mention of Judge Clagett re-
calls to the minds of residents of the
CGur d Alenes the story of his daughter
Mabel. Among the frequent visitors at his
house was Fred Il. Lucas, who was former
ly clerk of Shoshone county, but at the
time of the incidents mentioned was clerk
to Woods il Hepburn, at Murray, Idaho.
He is young man of good habits, stands
well socially, and has sufficient means to
keep a wife in comfort Nevertheless
Judge Ciagett conceived dislike to him
as violent as was his daughters affection
One evening about two years ago father
and daughter had a violent quarrel about
the latter's engagement to Lucas. The
father insisted that the girl should give up
her lover and and after many protests and
pleadings she yielded. But only for few
hours. Her affection drove her to the
desperate resolution to fly to him at once.
Shortly after 80 O'Clock, when the stage
left for Murray, she left the house on foot
in the pitch darkness and struck
along the trail to her lovers home.
She waded the north fork of the
rapid C9ur d'Alene river, the water
reaching to her breast, and struggled
on, her wet clothing clinging to her form,
up the steep sides OF the Ceur d'Aiene
mountains. She must have almost felt
her way over the rocky road. for she had
no lamp TO dispel the thick darkness.
Down she went on the eastern slope and
climbed the rugged Bitter Root range. At
last she saw below her the few faint
twinkling lights of the little town of MUIR
ray. Almost exhausted by her lonely
march through the mountains, which
was infested with wild beasts, she de-
scended tottering TO the town below.
At last-at 3 O'Clock in the mornlng-she
reached the house of Eugene Klein, W hose
wife is sister of Mr. Allen, on whose au-
thority this story is told. She knocked
again and again, and at last Mrs. Klein,
her mind filled with images and burglare
and other terrors of the night, descended
trembling TO the door. Her astonishment
at finding Mabel Clagett to be her mid
night visitor may be imagined. She
promptly admitted the fainting girl, who,
now that the necessity for exertion
was past. sank on the door Frustrated
with exhaustion and mental agitation.
Tender care and the consciousness that
she was near her lover restored her before
many hours. Next day telegram was
sent to Rev. Mr.. Watson, the Presbyter-
ian minister of Spokane Falls, summon
ing him TO marry the young couple, and a
few days later they were united.
Father and daughter have never been
reconciled. Three months afterwards
when Clagett was attending court at MUIR
ray, be received word that his daughter
was seriously ill and might die at any
moment, but he refused to go near her
A sister of Judge Clagett was married
to :. i. Pettengill. formerly editor of the
Tacoma Ledger. Mr.. Pettengill was form
erly a lawyer in Idaho and, while he was
attending court. his wife used to live in the
mountains. where she had small library,
and would seek inspiration for her novels
She would wander alone into the noun
tains and hunters often narrowly escaped
shooting her as she sat in the brush.
NEW COUNTY ROADS.