The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-10-01
ORECON'S PAUL REVERB:
How Leslie Maelock Saved Two
Hundred Lives.
SHOUTED A WARNING As HE RODE


Through Willow Creek Valley With
Rushing Waters In Close Pursuit.
Never stopped In His Nine Mile
Gallop.
Leslie Matlock, a hardy stockman Of
Heppner, Ore, saved the lives of more
than 200 people after the flood on that
fateful Sunday evening of June "A
last had overwhelmed the town and
destroyed 800 souls
Chased by the flood, be saddled and
mounted his sturdy mare and galloped
for miles down the valley Of Willow
creek to warn the jewellers in three
towns, Lexington, Pettysville and
Douglas, besides others who dwelt
along the creek road. Today Oregon
is hailing him as second Paul Revere.
He tells the story for the New York
World in part as follows:
Any one man who knows the coun-
try as we'll as I do and who can ride q
horse could have done the same thing
We none of us guessed what was
coming. The people who live down
Willow creek were spending Sunday
evening quietly in their homes. We all
wanted rain in the stock region, and
we were getting it.
We never expected it at Heppner.
Pretty nearly every man, woman and
child had turned In for the night. 1t
had been raining all day, but that was
ST. bod fha eli
thought Of danger. Then came that
awful torrent of water-black, fierce,
roaring water that made your knees
tremble when you heard 1t and made
men turn pale when they realized what
they would have to face.
My fathers farm was among the first
to go-buried under twenty feet Of
every stick of wood on the place-all
was swept away before q man could
think twice. People were drowning
before our eyes, and we could see the
bodies swept down In the front of the
food.
Thank God, remembered!
"Willow creekp' l thought. Hun
dreds are down there who may drown
just az others have drowned in Hepp-
ner. PNrhaps can get there first"
There wasn't a telegraph; there
wasn't telephone. 1t was case Of
riding down the valley ahead Of that
awful avalanche Of water. l don't
in my life. Nine miles away were lives
to be saved, and the only man who
could save them. Off we went, my
bully good mare and l.
Behind us came the water. You
could hear 1t gathering strength. 1t
rolled and roared against the sides Of
the valley like big cannon in battle.
Once when 1 looked behind l saw
something big and white leap up into
the black sky. 1t was the torrent hit
ting house and dashing up just as the
surf does when 1t strikes a cliff.
Every time I came to a house I
yelled: run for your life! The floods
comingr' never stopped. 1t would
have cost me my life and the lives Of
all those 200 people farther down the
valley.
The road was so dark and stony that
we stumbled all the time, but my
plucky little horse never fell once or
else it would have been all up with us.
Closer and closer behind came the rush
Of that Internal water. There was no
time to pick your way. 1 just hung
tight and trusted to my horse to get me
through all right. The miles went by
In the darkness, but nearer and nearer
came that thunderous roar. More than
once thought 1t was all up with us.
We were going close to Lexington
now. Ahead could see the lights.
Not soul In all those quiet houses
guessed what was coming. Many peo-
pie had gone to bed. A few hundred
yards behind you could hear the food,
louder and louder. My horse and ]
were racing the waters. We got there
first.
run for your livesr' I yelled 1.-THE
foods coming! You've only got 1ain.
ute! Don't stop to save anything!"
I never stopped galloping. People
saw was in earnest, thank COG, and
saved themselves. In about thirty sec.
0nds. without stopping to bring thing
along, they went on the dead run for
the hills, fathers carrying their babies
and mothers running along with the
other little ones by the hand. There
was plenty Of high ground back OF the
town, and in five minutes they were
safe. But there hadn't been a moment
to spare. Already the flood was tum-
bling in on the town, first two feet
deep, then ten and then twenty.
Don't forget Pettysvillev shouted
one man to me as he took to the hills,
carrying two babies and helping his
wife with another.
II know! l known remember an
swering as we tore down the road.
There were ranches on both sides of
the gully and people in all Of them. l
did nothing but shout and try to hang
on in the saddle. Behind me, faster
and faster, [ could hear the water COM
ing. Sometimes when it reached a
wide place in the creek or big hole il
took few moments to fill it up, and
fhaf,S the waV T oa mod on Tho xyo+or