The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-01


u oksssA % sAe Cslsbsassa R1snses
Who Died EAss Week.
Spokane Spokesman Reysew.
The name OF VIVID Goose I'm VIII 80
down In the HISTORY ef Washington be-
side that Of O1ran0gan 6mith. his old
friend and boon companion aad associate
In many ente<prises- The men were alike
I'm many respects natahly their taste In
selecting wives Their life IN washing
ton was contesnporsneous. and tho nature
Of their ventures was similar. Both were
quaint types Of the frontier. okanogan
Smith Died more than Z year ago. and
now that Wild Goose BIN has passed
away there viii be many . tear In tho
eyes Of the old-tsues who knew chem
Rough a. they were. they were fazray
tdosixed by the miners they bad grub
ssaaned and the unfortunate ones they bad
fed and ciQthed when broke
BAi's name was w. II. Condor. In
later years fse took . pride In his old
sobriQuct because n associated him with
the pact. and ne revefed In the memory
OF days gone by. but away back In the
Cos It cost the fifs Of Q man who dared
To call him BY It to his face The story
Of how It attached to hin i an incident
OF 80
Condor was q new arrival from Ken
lucky them He had bought q packers
outfit and was frelgfEing over the long
road from Fort waiiA Walla TO Fort Col
vide. One day . ranchsr In the sparseiy
settled country between was startled by
several shots He ran out into the brush
20 find Condon standing on the bank Of .
little stream. q smoking gun In his hand.
Hey! what are you doing there?" ne
yelled
Keep your mouth shut. you id fool.
and I'll bag the whole flock." the hunter
retorted angrfiy.
Not II can help IT, the rancher OBJ
served. with RISING, temper. MY wife
brought the eggs that them geese were
matched from all the way from Illinois,
The rancner's wife was SO angry at the
destruction OF half q dozen OF her pet
thoroughbreds that she refused to extend
the usual courtesy Of Western ranchers
to the hunter. and he was compelled 70
sleep In the brush that night for want OF
shelter. and to accept lunch from the
husband. who relented when he eaw tho
joke.
wild Goose Bilp' was Condon's name
from that day on, and Il will be written
in history that way, for few knew him as
William Condor.
Bill was 6 years old when he died. He
had lived In Washington ever since 1856.
He was married at least twice. the first
time to ISop-Eared julia. q buxom squaw
or the Occur a AleneS ard last to Princess
Julia, sister OF Chief Swepksn. of the
tribe of San Pueli The San PueIls live
Up in the Okanogan river country, and
are distinguished by the fact that they
have never accepted a cent in money nor
G pound of provisions from the govern
menf, and have refused assistance in any
FORM He had two sons by his last wife.
both OF whom are now In Stevens county,
ard there were a couple OF girls, but they
Didn't count with Condor when ne emu
nerated his posterity. He was proud OF
Princess Julia, and occasionally brought
her to Spokane with him. Once. four
years ago. he and his little girls sojcurned
at the Commercial hotel where q reporter
visited them. They were true Indians.
Disdaining the chairs around the room
they We're seated on mat in the center
Of the floor.
Il am going to leave you q moment"
Condor said In the middle of the CONVEX
sation. There's a man down stairs I
want to see. / cosfide In you. Don't
elope with Julia while I'm gone"
1t viii never be known whether Condor
was joking in his quiet, dry way, or felt
that he was reposfng a great deal of trust
in his visitor. Julia was anything but
beautiful, but he was proud Of her.
After leaving Waila walia," said Major
Gwydir last night, wild Goose Bin went
up to the present site OF his ferry ON the
Columbia river. below Wilbur. He and
his boys. then half grown put In the
ferry some time later. and accomplished
the phenomenal feat of building a road
from Grand eoulee to the riv4 and on
the opposite side from the ferry. across
the reservation TO his bridge on the Okla
hogan river. It is twenty-five miles from
the coulee TO the ferry and thirty-five
miles further to the bridge He built the
bridge, TOO and all without outside as
sIsta.nce. That turned travel his way. OF
course. and he made some money. But
he never charged a poor man a cent TO
SO across. His ferry. his table and his
stable were always free TO needy emf
grants anu other poor people who
passed by.
'.He took up land ard grew TO be pretty
well fixed. The townsite OF Wilbur was
his property at first He lived there close
on TO thirty-five years. and the Indians
thought a heap more OF him than they
did % Uncle Sam. His word was their
law He was radical Republican. and
olSanogan Smith was just as strong
Democrat. bu, they were fast friends.
Bill was rendered several nominations,
and had chance 10 run for the terrific
rial legislature in early days but he per-
ssstentiy refused. He was a strong silver
man. and was public spirited to high
degree.
"wnd Goose Biis's killing record was
fifteen Indians and one white man, but he
was peaceabie man. and after the incl
dent with the fellow who nrst put Wild
Goose TO his name he was as taw-absling
as any one. Soux- % TIA Indians lost
their lives by interfering with his dorles-
tic relations I remember once when the
sheriff OF waIla waiia county ard two
ssepntses passed him With three Indian
rsarierers as prisoners. BIZ raj Just
sold his revolver to a Chinese placer
miner, but the sheriff told him where he
could find another. In going after Ii he
noticed the approach Of ten Indians in
war paint. coming 10 the rescue Of their
fellows. We'll. Bill stood by the sheriff.
and three OF the ten escaped. The other
seven breathed their lass on thai hattie
field. and the prisoners went 20 JAIL The