The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-06-03
Fred R. Reed as Seen by a Reporter Of
The Pos. InteIliSenCtr.
HIS STORYTELLING PkOCLIYIIlES
The A. q. q. ". Entertatns It's Nem-
hers aud Their tamiIies-A Conc
Ing Condensation board Notes
ana Other Items Of Interest.

says the Post-lntelligencer of Wednesday,
He was dressed in corduroy suit of
brown and wore soft crush hat on his
wel-shaped head-s typical Westerner in
every sense.
The visitor was no stranger TO Seattle,
although he has not been seen in these
parts for some time. 1t was Fred K.
Reed, formerly Of Yakima, OF which city
he was mayor during the period Of ex-
cesslve speculation" as f. V. Smslley
would say. Later Mr.. Reed was the
promoter OF huge irrigation scheme in
Prosser Falls, where he also turned his
versatile talents to townsite booming and
the editing and publishing OF weekly
newspaper. During the flush times Mr.
Reeds name was prominently before the
public as being connected with various
enterprises of public nature. In 1894
he was elected major Of the Second regi-
ment, n. q. W. About two years ago
Mr.. Reed associated himself in mining
ventures with some capitalists OF unlin-
tied means in New England, and since
that time his former haunts in the state
OF Washington have seen but little OF
him.
After being assigned room, Mr.. Reed,
comfortably seated in an easy chair and
putin away at a fragrant Havana, talked
entertainingly of his experiences as
"boomer" in the west "The Prosser
Irrigation company WAS the last to go in
to receivers hands," said Mr.. Reed in
a reminiscent sort of a way. at was a
big scheme, and if Schulze had come up
there with his ditch we'd haye put big
stretch of country under water, and the
splendid power of the Prosser falls could
have been put to mans uses in bring ing
fertile, productive garden out OF the
sage brush and sand of the Prosser coun-
try. Some day this will be done, and in
stead of the jack rabbits and sage hens
inhabitng the country will he q prosper
GUS and contented people.
"But when Schulze killed himself he
hit good many Of us a bard lick. IL
was only the little fellows who souea'ed,
and they hollered the loudest The men
whom Schulze hit hardest never said a
word | know some of them, and they
never murmered. But down in Tacoma
the little fellows were coiled up like rat
he was finally brought to turn.
Schulze's was great big head for large
schemes, and if the whole country had
not fattened out he would have pulled
out of the depths into which his peculiar
dealings led him. | am not defender
of his ways of doing business, but there
are lots OF fellows in this state who were
helped along by SchuIze, who received
loans from him and were aided into good
positions, and l believe in giving him
credit for what he did that was good"
Mr.. Reeds interests have taken him
across the continent many times
during the last eight years. He was at
Chicago during the Worlds fair, and last
night related an incident connected with
the last lap in the career of exMayor S.
A. Wheelwright, of Tacoma, whose efforts
to establish headquarters for Washing
ton people in Chicago ended 80 dis
astrously that he took a dose of laudan-
um, after apologizing to his landlady for
troubling her by his committing suicide
in her house. 81 met Wheelwright about
two days before he killed himself" said
Mr.. Reed. 81 was in one OF the big
up to me, intent upon stricking me for a
loan. | knew of the straits into which
his habits of living had led him, and be-
fore he could say anything handed him
s., with the remark: "Wheelwright,
my partner told me to pay membership
, in your association here's the money"
Well, the old fellow broke down. He
said, That's nice way of helping a
fellow out, Reed, and | appreciate it.
Two days later he quit troubling people
with his schemes and necessities and
shuffled off "
The old saying, "You can't keep a
good man down." is sptly illustrated in
the exmayor of Yakima, ex-townsite
boomer and ex-irrigation manager
whose energies are now engaged in build
ing up fortune which some day will put
him on velvet. There are not many men
in the West whose experiences have been
: so various and diverse as Mr.. Reeds,
who have seen 80 many OF the ups and
downs and whose career has been filled
with incidents enough to form the basis
| for dozen novels. He left New York
, twenty years ago, and shedding bis fine
clothes became cowboy IN the Snake
river plains. Many a man has started to
make fortune as COW puncher, and
Mr.. Reed has proven that rough life on
; the plains OF the West fits a man to
grapple with the biggest problems in
. business. His experience as a miner
and prospector in the early days Of the
Black Hills equipped him with know
; ledge which 10 invaluable to him in bis
present undertakings. Last June he left
Boise, Idaho, on horseback with q party
OF four Others and pierced the unknown
and unexplored country in Northern and
Central Idaho, never sleeping under q
roof till his return late in the following
October. He rode 800 miles on horse