The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-18

mace uracies. The matter Is un1mportAnt ex-
cept a. it serves for IN illustration. The gentle
man could not have driven to Lake Union over
a corduroy road. a. there was none such In ex.
iss ence There was fairly good
wagon road which had been In
use at least twelve years, and had been
constructed by the people OF the village, and
not s.by the garrison folks a. there never had
been a garrison In Seattle. except few volun-
teer home guards ut the time OF the Indian at
tacks on the town. This road had two or three
small bridges made OF puncheons split from
cedar trees "John Denny, father of A. A.
Denny did not then live in the same house
that Mr.. Denny now occupies" nor did be at
any time live there. He lived at the southeast
corner of Front and Madison streets. The house
In question was not "away out in the woods
them" nor were there any standing
forest trees near it The writer took the con-
tract for painting that house and did much OF
that work in person. Nearly, or quite all the
forest trees from the line OF the university tract
to the bay far north a. Pike street had been
cut down as early as 1862
The surprise party mentioned by the gentleman
mry have "climbed over fences, crossed boys
and crawled over logs, but there was no need
to do 30, there was q good wagon road from
the university grounds to Mr.. Dennys house.
One could take the same kind OF exercise in
going out to Lake Washington today. but most
people would prefer TO take one OF the
many lines of street cars to reach that destina-
ton. The gentleman's closing statement 10
about the only correct one of the lot. All who
have enjoyed the old-time hospitality Of Mr..
Denny and family, before SO many of them
were invalids, will readily believe that the
party spent splendid evening"
More than year ago the writer penned the
following and it has lain In his desk until now,
but II is a. true today as when written:
1t is not . hypercritical spirit that dictates
the following. Frequently Your paper, and
others OF the city: give the reminiscsnces OF
visitor" etc II Is evident that these interviews
and communications are regarded Is int esting
or they would not find place in your columns.
They have historical value often. II correct,
and therefore it is unfortunate that the authors
should not be more careful In Their
hundreds OF paragraphs and articles regarding
men and events in Seattle and King county dur
ing early times that were fun OF inaccuracies,
mistakes in dates and notwithstanding or
amusing a. the case might be-but worse than
valueiess for historical purposes. "There IL
nothing more uncertain than human test.
mony" Is, or ought to be. legal axiom. Law
courts have this illustrated constantly, even
where witnesses evidently appear 70 tell the
occurrences at which ali were present.
The writer began collecting newspapers OF
Seattle and the territory AZ large in 1868 and
continued that work with undated enthusi-
asm until 1885, or about twenty two years. The
result Of these labors is q mass of unbound
newspapers weighing two or three tons, not in
Guiding probably fifty DO und volumes They
cover the period from 1851 to 1885 and comprise
all OF the earliest papers OF Olympia, Stella.
COON, Walla Walla. Vancouver. Port Townsend
and Seattle, most OF the files not lac king even
single issue.
Having been engaged lately in gathering data
Tor use In historical work now in press in
Seattle, these old papers have been OF great
value for constant reference and this has led to
calling attention to several mistakes made by
Mr.. Charles Prosch and Mr. Ed Brown. The
Nuh nfl linda ad vxf<v in
work il Wellington. il isss prepared a his.
toricsl paper Tor the Warrington Press
tAHs AS. which was read before
the FosT-IsrzIIreEScER Il occupies
several columns in that journal, required q
large amount OF work in its preparation, and is
the best OF the kind that has appeared but still
1t contains many errors, some of them trivial
and some important, and it friend Proech
should desire 70 revise Il some time, the file;
prove the correctness of this statement A few
days ago Mr.. Brown furnished the Posr INTEL
aIGsNcEn with an , article on pioneer days, dat
The average old settler don't recognize one
who came here within the last twenty years az
any Tns s
the completion OF the first trsnscontinental
railroad-at the time when an Indian canoe and
and When tSe ony sVs
for malls and passengers to Victoria was Q small
eloop OF say Ave tons measurement, when all
came from San Francisco in sailing vessels and
| required all the way from six to forty days to
make the trip-this one may be accepted as .
pioneer, although there are many living here
now who were here ten or fifteen years before
| him. Why, In October, 1864, the Seattle Gazette
began the publication of telegraphtc dispatches
and in February, 1865, Seattle was an incorpor-
ated town and possessed full 1edged town
council, Of which Charles G. Tsrry--father Of
Mr. Ed Terry and brother and sisters, now OF
Seattle-was the president The record does
not show who were the associate members
but the writer well remembers the exciting con-
test between Mr.. Terry and Mr.. Dexter Horton
Tor the position of president of the board; that
Mr.. Horton was defeated by one vote, said to
have been that OF Uncle Henry l. Yesler,
mbut this II another story" a. the
That was the last time Mr.. Horton took an
active part in politics. Ordinance No. was for
the levy of municipal tax; No. 2, concerning
swine. and No. S, "for the removal of Indians,6
and 1t was made the duty of the town marshal
to keep the town clear of both pests. Ten years
before, the Indians had passed an ordinance for
the removal OF the Bostons, and in the interior,
to carry it into effect two white men were killed,
ana how many Indians was never known.
began the publication Of the Puget Sound Daily
and continued the same regularly until about
the middle of August following, or about three
months and half file of this
daily lies before the writer. 1t il
hve-column folio and its four pages make q
sheet about the size of one leaf OF the DAILY
PosT.iNTELLIGKNcER Of today. Thus. to Judge
Ike NJ Hall, still of this city, belongs the honor
OF publishing the first daily, either at Olympia or
both have claimed, and this is the particular
matter that iuSpired this article