The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1905-02-17


IN the office. of Samuel A. Purviance.
ana little later entered into part |
nership which was probably only NOM |
lnai with Purviance. But in 1860. find !
ing his family relations unsatisfactory,
ana becoming possessed of some money
he quit Pennsylvania in company with
Maria j. Brinker, and the two went to !
CaIl1ornfa, For while they stayed at
San Luis Obispo but he left the woman
there and went to Oregon. The woman
returned to Pennsylvania.
All these facts We're proved without
doubt over thirty years ago. and
Mitchell never denied them. And it is
fact of interest that the chief inves-
hSator Oh the facts. w. Lair Hill. who
thirty years ago was a newspaper man
at Portland. Ore, and printed them
with all the vigor he could command,
is now "A lawyer and a defender of Sem
ator Mitchell's in the latters land fraud
difficultes-thus evidencing the mar
Vicious winning power of the senator
Arriving at Portland in 1860 he as
sumed the name John H. Mitchell and
began the remarkable career which, for
rapid and persistent success. has no
parallel int he annals OF American
politics. One year after going to Port
land 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 WIN
ming the republican caucus nomination
for United States senator, yet such was
his strength that he defeated the eau
Gus nominee. A. c. Gibbs, and Henry
w. Corbett was elected. Six years
later. in 1872, he was elected United
States senator and in March, 1873, be-
gan 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 a wellknown Oregon family, by
whom he had three children-one 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 WASH
ington last winter, the other of whom
is married to the French Duke Of Roeh-,
efocauld. ffa =et gHSt
In the summer and fall Of 1873, after
Mitchelrs election to the United States
senate the details OF his life and his
assumed name began totleak out. The
sensation was immense.
But Mitchell had already arranged
with his law partner, Purviance, in
Pennsylvania to induce his wife there
to obtain a divorce, and his marriage
here was legalized secretly by means
the state circuit court BY means of
his influence with Judge Hamilton, of
the county court he had had his name
secretly changed from John M. Nipple
to John H. Mitchell. @"
After his marriage in Oregon.
Mitchell became infatuated with sis
ter of his Oregon wife. News reached
Mitchell in New York that the sister
was about to marry a man named Pot
ter. and he wrote to her many very
impassioned and ardent letters, declar-
ing his affection and pleading against
the marriage. He proposed. though Sc
cretly. to abandon the Oregon wife and
to marry the sister. The letters dis
closing this purpose came into Potter's
hands, and were published fac smile
at Portland twenty years ago, a num-
Der of years after they were written.
They made big sensation, but Mitch
ell denied their authenticity, though in
fact there was no doubt OF it,
A political storm ensued. The gale
was increased in fury by charges that
he had taken money corruptly az 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 govern
ment now has had Senator Mitchell in
dicted and will endeavor to send him
to the penitentiary. The prosecution
alleges that Mitchell accepted bride
of 81, 900 in March. 1902, to have illegal
claims to land expedited through the
general land office. The accuser is S.
A. d. Puter, a convicted and confessed
land thief. who says that he paid Sen
ator Mitchell the money, and who
hopes to escape the penalties of his
own misdeeds and to get even with
those persons who have repudiated him
by giving the prosecution evidence.
The immense prosecuting machinery
, of the government is in motion 1t is
sparing no expense and no labor.
| Things We're different thirty years ago,
when charges of corruption were made
against Mitchell; the land office PAID
no attention to the matter then, though
strenuous efforts were put forth to get
ii to do so. The charges were pub
ushed. and Mitchell was challenged to
sue for libel. but he ignored them
though they were supported by most
| responsible persons in Oregon.
In 1873 Mitchell came up for re-elec-
ton. but democrats controlled the
| body. and chose James II. Slater TOT
Int.