The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-10-06
Death of Hon. j. Il. Mosier.


At Mosier, Friday afternoon Oct. 5th,
1894, at :15 Jonah Harrison Mosier,
aged 73 years months and % days.
Funeral in Mosier cemetery Monday
morning at 10 O'Clock under the direct
ion of the Masonic Fraternity.
Jonah Harrison Mosier was born in
Maryland March 10th, 1921, and was
therefore 73 years old. While yet an
infant his family emigrated to Pennsyl-
vania and excessively afterward to Iowa
and Wisconsin. In the latter named
state, at Smithsville, he was married in
1916 to Jane Rollins. In 1849 he move j
to California, and being a carpenter by
trade built several houses both in San
Francisco and the state capital. AS an
instance of those stirring times it is re-
lated that he frequently received $50 as
the price of single days work. The
early days of his life in the Occident was
not without adventure, also. While
camping on the Gila river himself and
party, including Major Stein and Lieut..
Forsyth, were attacked by Apaches-
those hardest, most bloodthirsty and
most tenaciously warlike of Indians.
In the encounter Lieut.. Forsythe was
killed and Major Stein wounded. Later
he left California for his former home
in Missouri, but like all others who
have had taste of western life, he soon
| tired of his old surroundings. and in
1858 bade farewell forever to Missouri,
removing directly to The Dalies, Ore
gon. He, with Col. Gates and Judge
| 80 1f L =
first plated the city of The Dalles.
Soon thereafter Mr.. Mosier was again
busy with his hammer and saw and
built the first business houses of the
city. In the spring of 1856 he settled
at Mosier, where he has resided ever
since. His pursuits since then were
varied. In 1855 he erected a sawmill,
which is believed to have been the first
operated in Wasco county. He also
drove cattle to the mines, and himself
owned large bands. He had an occa
sional brush with Indians, and on one
occasion nearly met his death while
rowing a large sail boat up the river
during comparative calm. An Indian
concealed in some brush shot at him,
the bullet, an irregular metal slug pass
ing through the space occupied by his
person an instant before, the backward
movement of his body while rowing
saving his life. A companion, with
more discretion. If less valor, quickly
laid down in the bottom of the boat,
leaving the rover to gain safer dis
tance alone. More than once Mr..
Mosier, with his family, has been COM
PEELED to temporarily abandon his place
in the night, being threatened by preda-
tory Indians. But though courageous
and resolute, he never retaliated in
kind, depending more upon kindheart-
edness and inofensive conduct toward
his copper-hued brethren than the mod
ern weapons of offense and defense. In
1875 Mr.. Mosier served the state with
dignity and honor in the legislature.
His wife died in 1865, after bearing
seven children, respectively, Mrs. Sarah
Alice Faucette of Walla Walla, Mrs.
Emily Ann Mansfield (deceased) oi
Weston, Mrs. Mary Susan Adams oil
Hood River, Mrs. Josephine Eliza
beth Willoughby tdeceasedl of Har-
risburg, Oregon, Benjamin Franklin
Mosier (deceased), Jefferson Newton
Mosier and Miss Lydia Sophia Mosier o.
Walla Walla. In 1866 he married Mrs
Martha J. Lewis. Two children were
the fruits of the latter marriage, Mrs
Efie J. Phillips of Mosier and Mis-.
3 Dollie Moaier.
! Mr.. Mosier has been quite i'll since tn,