Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-03-08

AoPOs OuI NC 1cAI luC WOuldu tucr9
and went to Oregon. The woman re-
turned to Pennsylvania.
All these facts were proved without
doubt over 30 years ago, and Mitch
ell never denied them. And it is q
fact of interest that the chief investi.
gator OF the facts, w. Lair Hill, who
30 years ago was q newspaper man
at Portland, Ore, and printed them
with all the vigor he could command,
Is now a lawyer and a defender Of
Senator Mitchell's in the latters' land
fraud difficulties-thus evidencing the
marvellous winning power of the sen.
atOr.
A Change Of Name.
Arriving In Portland in 1860 he as.
sumed the name John H. Mitchell.
and began the remarkable career
which, for rapid and persistent sue.
cess, has no parallel in the annals
OF American politics. One year at
ter going to Portland he was elected
city attorney. One year more, and
he was sent to the state senate. Again
a year, in 1866, and he failed by but
one vote Of winning the Republican
caucus nomination for United States
senator, yet such was his strength
that he defeated the caucus nominee,
A. c. Gibbs, and Henry w. Corbett
was elected. Six years later, in 1877,
he was elected United States senator,
and In March, 1873, began his duties
at Washington.
All this time he was known by his
assumed name. Under that name he
not only entered the United States
senate, but married Miss Martha
Price, of well known Oregon fam
lily, by whom he had three cchildren
one a boy whom he named Hiram
which, he said, was his own middle
name, and not Nipple, and who is
now a captain of artillery in the
army; the two others, daughters, one
of whom died at Washington last win
ter, the other of whom is married to
the French Duke of Rochefocauld.
In the summer and fall of 1873, at
ter Mitchell's election to the United
States senate, the details of his life
| and his assumed name began to leak
| out. The sensation was immense.
But Mitchell had already arranged
| with his law partner, Purviance, in
Pennsylvania, to induce his wife there
to obtain divorce, and his marriage
here was legalized secretly by means
of his influence with Judge Upton, of
the state circuit court. BY means Of
his influence with Judge Hamilton, Of
the county court, he had his name sec
reilly changed from John M. Nipple
to John M. Mitchell.
| After his marriage in Oregon, Mitch
ell became infatuated with a sister of
his Oregon wife. News reached Mitch
ell in New York that the sister was
about to marry a man named Potter,
and he wrote to her many very i'm
passioned and ardent letters, declar-
ing his affection and pleading against
thte marriage. He proposed, though
secretly, to abandon the Oregon wife
and to marry the sister. The letters
disclosing this purpose came into Por.
ters hands, and were published fac
smile at Portland 20 years ago, a
number of years after they were writ.
ten. They made big sensation, but
Mitchell denied their authenticity
| though in fact there was no doubt
of it.
The Storm Breaks.
A political storm ensued. The gale
was increased in fury by charges that
he had taken money corruptly as a
senator, for work done by him in con
nection with surveys of public lands
in Oregon. That story was much the
same as the one on which the gov
eminent now has had Senator mitch
ell indicted and will endeavor to sent
him to the penitentiary. The prose
cution alleges that Mitchell accepted
a bride of $4,000 in March, 1902, tt
have illegal claims to land expedited
through the general land office. The
accuser is S. A. D. Puter, convicted
and confessed land thief, who says
that he paid Senator Mitchell the
money, and who hopes to escape the
penalties of his own misdeeds and tt
get even with those persons who have
repudiated him by giving the prosecu
ton evidence.
The immense prosecuting machin
; cry Of the government Is In motion
J 1t is sparing no expense and no Ia
Dor. Things were different 30 year.
! ago. when charges OF corruption wer.
made against Mitchell; the land OF
: fee paid no attention to the matte
, then, though strenuous efforts wer
, put forth to get it to do so: tn
charges were published. and Mitchell
, was challenged to sue for libel, bu
he ignored them, though they wer
: supported by most responsible pei
7 sons in Oregon.
In 1873 Mitchell came up for re
/ election, but Democrats controlled tn
| body, and chose James H. Slater TO
) the seat in the senate. -Four year
| later Mitchell again tried for election
! but a determined body of Is Republ
( cans refused to vote for him, and h
> was compelled to give way to ]. n
Dolph. In 1885 he tried once more
!. and succeeded through the aid OF l
. Democrats, who hoped to widen tn
, breach between the two Republica
! factions by that procedure. Vine
I Mitchell came forward for a thir
r term in 1891 he was elected with II
). tie opposition. but in 1897, because b
4 had been a silver exponent, the legi
I lature refused to send him back
J, Washington. Such was. the intensit
8 of feeling at that time that the lei
l. islature did not even eject organic;
K ton.
k Hard Shedding.
I During the next four years Mitcl
|. ellis fortunes were at low ebb. HI
/ clothes were shabby, and his friend
d fell away from him. 1t was said thu
he was seen to eat at even 15-ceI
q lunch counters. But his influenc
8 though curtailed. was not all gon
II His associates still held Office. Fa
+; tional struggles came to his rescu
It And when, on the last night of til
It legislature of 1901 no senator ha
n been elected, his partisans turned tt