The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-01-10

Christian church at Helix on
Christmas eve. and which has been
a source of trouble to many per-
sons. Will you kindly publish
this letter in connection with this
communication? 1t is as follows:
ADAMS, Or, Jan. 6, 1896.
"Mr. T. J. Wyatt, Walla Walla,
Wash: Dear Sir-I inclose you a
communication from M. f. Hum
phrey, Of Perdleton, Ore. which
will explain itself. Now, of course
/ don't know that you did this
thing, but I inferred you were
guilty from a remark you let drop
in my Office when you were here
last month that you were the auth
or of those cards. Now, if you are
the author l wish you would come
out and say so and stop all this
trouble. 1t is very unpleasant to
me to be accused of such thing,
! and have my friends feel angry
with me for something that l had
nothing to do with.
"Please give this your immediate
attention and save yourself or
some one more trouble. Yours, ETC., /,
"R. A. DozIER."
Now, in order to settle dis
pute between friends | will give
the full facts in the case. There
were three men interested in the
matter. One man got up the form,
another made out a list of persons
to send the cards to and | had the
printing done and attended to the
mailing, taking the names from the
list furnished. / will say that none
of the men interested is member
of or in any way connected with
the Christian church, or any other
church.
ut all came about in this way.
There was on the table where we
were sitting handbill announcing
a concert of some kind in aid of
certain church--at Helix, l believe
when one remark led to another
and some one suggested that
dance would be in order next. And
then the plan was formulated for
hoax and nothing else. | don't
know any of those folks whose
addresses were furnished me. Be-
ing stranger in Pendleton ] was
asked TO attend to the printing. /
am not at liberty to give the names
of my assistants at this time; there
fore | will simply say that the
church people are not responsible,
except those who got up the first
handbills that suggested the plan
to US. AS to myself, while | re-
spect Christianity, am not pro-
fessor of it in the acceptation Of the
term.
"The way Dozier came TO be
mixed up in the affair was as fol-
lows: While we are very different
in appearance when seen together.
except in size, yet have been called
by his name several times in Pend
Teton by men / don't know from
Noah's off OK. So when / entered
the printing Office and some man
| don't know even now, shook my
hand and called me Dozier, Isimp-
ly took the advantage of mistaken
identity, as / was out for fun. As
| passed through Adams the fol
lowing day I called on my old
friend and told him to look for fun;
that it was not every day that
man like me got mistaken for
parson AMI | was not going to loose
the opportunity to profit by the
honor i asked permission to
write a letter at his desk, and
penned . letter to the printer on
his billheads in regard to the same
thing, to carry out the joke, and
signed his name to it; although / |
did not put it on the cards or tell |
The printer my name was Dozier,
he thought it was all right.
"As Ihave got him into a scrape
ask you to publish this for the
benefit of himself and others.
wish you to understand, however,
hat | don't consider you under any |
obligation to publish this, but de
ire you to do SO simply as an act
# justice to all concerned.
T. j. WYATT.o
Walla Walla, Wash. Box 355.