The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1901-09-06


jOyinG 1t in His Old Age-Race
Prejudice His Evil Genius .unIi
Prejudice Great Annoyance to
Him at One Time.
Editor Seattle Republican: Wal
la Walla is a beautiful little town
| that has attained it's full growth.
It's streets are as level as floor, and
on each side of them stretch long
lines Of Lombardy poplars, which
make them very picturesque. The
public buildings are not very impos-
ing, and not one Of them requires
an elevator The country around
Walla Walla is remarkable for its
dust-not gold dust, but ordinary
road dust, six, eight and ten inches
deep. 1t is rather unique to see the
farmers subdue it by scattering
along the roads layers Of wheat
straw. This is absolutely necessary,
for in places the dust is so deep that
to pass through it is suffOcating.
To my mind the most interesting
and remarkable character in Walla
Walla is not Levi Ankeny, but r. A.
Boyle. There is a class of colored
men who came up before our Civil
War, who did not enjoy any Of the
privileges and advantages we enjoy
today, and yet who had such force of
character and native ability that
! they have won the esteem Of all their
associates and achieved marked sue
cess. Before all such men | fell like
prostrating myself. Mr. Boyle be-
longs to this class. In the early SOS
Mr. Boyle went to New York, emf
grated across the Western plains in
a wagon train, and after a short stay
in Oregon, settled in Walla Walla,
where he has been for the last thirty
odd years. He has engaged in min
ing and barbering, and has accumu-
lated a handsome little fortune. He
owns two beautiful residences on
/ Knob Hill, the aristocratic part of
the city, and has his home furnished
with every convenience and comfort
! He is an hOnOred member of the
Pioneer Club land has been invited
to address that body at an early date
on the early history Of this county,
and no man in Walla Walla is better
able to do so. Mr.. Boyle has a very
retentive memory and relates his
"reminiscences in a vivid and fascin-
ating manner. He is a man Of large
and varied experience, and the story
of his life as it falls from his lips
sounds like a romance.
He was in New York city on the
day of the passage of the fugitive
slave law, and he tells how a hotel in
that city, which employed from sew
enty-five to hundred colored wait
ers, was the next morning deserted
and temporarily shut down because
/ the walters in a body Immediately
fled for Canada. He tells how he
himself was approached by kidnap-
ers who, although he was a free born
English subject, attempted to alb
duct him and sell him into bondage.
Mr.. Boyle fell in with white friend
who took fancy to the bright color
ed lad and who invited him to en-
igrate with him to the far West. The
colored boy showed such tact and
executive ability that he was soon
| put in charge of the train. The con-
fdence reposed in him was not mis-
placed When a large sum of money
was stolen from his employer, Mr..
Boyle detected the thief and recov-
cred the amount.
In the early days of Walla Walla,
the colored man here had ''hard
row to hoe" 1t was almost impos-
sible for him to find lodging and
board. Mr. Boyle was generous
enough to give up his shop at night
for that purpose He has pointed
out to me the tree from which one
of the colored boys who used to
sleep in his shop was taken out one
night by the vigilance committee
and hanged. In those days of law
lessness conditions were somewhat as
they now are in the South. Mr.. Bo-
gle was often ordered by political
bullies not to cast his vote, but he
always did so in a dignifed and firm
manner and came off unharmed.
One blackguard threw stones
through every window in his house,
when window panes were worth sew
eral dollars apiece, and broke a cost
ly mirror besides. Mr. Boyle asked
the constable Of the city to arrest
the miscreant. He was met with
the reply: 81 wouldn't arrest white