The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-04

METER ne Elks-s II His foE0re$s Tor oTifi1S
eventually drfffed him into the stage bust
ness between Olympia and Moutesano, At
the mouth of the cowiitz river. The
steamers from Portland landed passengers
al Montssano. from which point the Stages
connecting with the steamers carried pas
sengers 10 Olympia, the head OF nayiga-
ton on Puget sound This. Of course, was
before the time Of railroads, and any peo-
pie VINO wanted to go 70 visit the Sound or
British Columbia had 10 take this route
lie was connected in one way and another
with the stage business, generally as
driver, until the Northern Pacific railroad
from kalana to Teuino forever destroyed
the staging industry ia Western Wash
ington- Butler then returned to Seattle to
find that the place had grown. and that his
property. which at the time he left was in
the woods. was now right in town He
applied TO his old friend. Cyrus Walker of
the Puget Mil Company, for loan OF
ssvo TO improve this property. He got the
money and erected a large two-story
wooden building. which for years was
known as the Butler block and which was
occupied as printing Office, insurance
ONCE. millinery store, and with rooms and
offices upstairs
1T was in one OF these rooms that But
Ter left the gas burning, on leaving with
his old friend Henry Yesler for a trip to
San Francisco. They had to leave very
get the boat Butler left the gas going az
full tilt. but locked the door The first
message that greeted him on his arrival
IN Portland was a telegram from MS friend
Ed Terry, who also roomed in. the same
building, notifying him Of the fact that he
left the gas burning. Butler immediately
wired back: Turn II out A few hours
later just Butler was leaving the hotel
TO catch the steamer for San Francisco. he
received second message from his friend
Terry, saying: I have no key TO your
room
'Yesler in telling the story declared that
at this stage of the game Butler was deter
mined TO return To Seattle and put out the
gas. and it was only after the most urgent
entreaies on his part and the agreement
10 pay one-half OF the gas bill that he per-
sladed Butler TO go aboard the steamer.
Just as the steamer was leaving Butler
wired Terry as follows: Get key of j.
II. MacDougall. and turn out that gas On
the arrival of the steamer at San Francisco
Butler was surprised to hear messenger
boy yelling out his name in stentorian
tones. 'Hillory Butleri Hillory Butlerr
yelled the boy. Important message From
the eommotion the boy was making. Butler
thought his best friend had died. but i'm
aginc his dispust when on opening the
message he read: 'MacDougall has lost
his key. and your gas is still burning. The
old man despaired OF ever having the gas
turned of, and for the next three weeks.
previous 70 his return home. he talked of
nothing but gas bills and the delight Old
Pentield' would take in making him pay it.
On his arrival home Butler found every Jet
In his room burning. and few days later
Pentield. who had been let into the joke.
presented bill for sI03 for gas consumed
during the month. Buffers friends never
tired of joking him over this gas affair
"A short time before the big fire Butler
erected another building on his property,
fronting on Second avenue, which was oc-
cupied by Miss Foster. as boarding house.
These buildings We're insured. and after
their destruction Butler had enough money
TO pay up all his debts and still leave him
a small surplus. He soon after leased his
lots 10 G. G. Phinney at a rental of about
5000 month, Phinney erecting thereon the
building now known as THE Butler" Aft
er time an opportunity presented itself
TO dispose OF this property, and Butler re-
ceived s7S,000 for his lots. OF this money
he loaned $4,000 10 Dexter Horton for a
term of years al per cent. per annum
and the old man has been unable TO spend
the interest. although divers and sundry
persons have By hoodwinking the old man
assisted him 10 do so. The requirement
OF so much wealth at so late time in life
proved a very unfortunate thing for the
all sides and on all sorts of pretexts. by
people who had no claim on him whatever.
for loans or accommodations. This led the
old man TO become suspicious. and after
making one or TWO unfortunate loans of
small amounts, few hundred dollars each,
he conceived the idea that everybody want
ed 10 rob him. and that If he was not care
mi he would die in the poor house. This
state of mind often led the old man TO re-
fuse charity where it could have been we'll
bestowed.
While Mrs. Butler lived, be il said to
the credit of the Butler family, no strang
or ever left their door hungry"
Through the courtesy OF II. 5. Meany,
an old friend Of Mr.. Butler. the following
"reminiscences. which were told by Mr. But
Ter himself. only recently were obtained:
Il landed in Portland With $50 in my
pocket. My wife was sick and the doctors
OF Portland had gwen out that they would
only doctor the people who would pay
them. and they had all they could do then.
! put on my best toys and went up to the
Office Of Drs. BrOy & Wilson. and
lied Ike n scoundrel TO them. l told them
l had plenty OF money and wanted my dy-
ing wife attended 10 at once. They did so
and she got well In the meantime | heard
that Squire Davis had a pair of mules
which a man was driving on shares. The
man got drunk. and | hurried around and
was lucky enough TO get the mules on the
same terms ! worked hard and ! made
money When the Doctors bill was pre-
scented | pad il and then confessed how l
had led to save my wife. Those men were
ever after that the best friends | had. In
the spring | came 10 Seattle and f. NJ.
Snithcrs drove my mules and oxen which
had bought from my winters savings. Mr..
Yesler was just starting his sawmill.
bough. the two lots where the Hotel Butler
now stands from him for $50, and was 10
pay him In sawipgs. ] went down 20 that
point and cut down the fine. big trees. and
hauled enough 20 the mn TO Pay for my
lots and build mo a little cabin. NV wife
had The scurvy and we could not get any
vegetables or fruit so | cleared of the
lots and We raised fine strawberries ana
vegetables. and we got along all right Not
long ago. I sold those lots, and you bet
had more than that original S9.5o
This in brief" said Mr. Meany. lis the
story ~ "a pioneer, but What wealth of
incident ne omits Al the exciting ex-
periences Of the times before the Indian
war Of FN55. while Mr.. Butler was the first
sheriff Of King county. and all the trials
and triumphs OF the founders OF this city.
Tho frst work done by Mr. Butter and Mr.
Smlthers after their arrival was 60 load
"a shir az Port Orchard with rimbers and
piles that we're used 20 build San Francis
cos wharles. The men they hired - help
them We're the first arrivals from the state
~ Nalue-greRt big. raw-oo1ed men from
those famous Maine forests They were
perfect tcrrors 70 work said Mr Butler.
on whom this Maine industry left a per
uanent impress as no had come FRESH from
che fields Of slave labor IN the South"
~ ibutc From y. \. Denny.
\. =. Denny paid the following tribute
to ths dead.
n knew Mr Butler intimately from his
aH 81. IN To-.