The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-07-01
HON. HOLLON PARKER TELLS OF
HIMSELF TO PORTLAND
PUBLICATION
Relates Many Trying and Amusing
Experiences He Has Had in the,
Great Northwest.

kings of the Walla Walla region, is in
Portland to see the exposition, which
he regards as the most marvellous ex-
hibition Of the half century that has
passed since he came to the Pacific
northwest, says the Oregon Daily
Journal.
Mr.. Parker has seen many changes
since 1852, and has been an actor in
many dramatic scenes. He is recog-
nized as a man Of extraordinary bus
mess ability. Since going to the Clear
water basin early in the SOS, penniless,
ne has acquired in the neighborhood
of 5000 acres of land and other prop
erty, and is rated as millionaire. He
has always taken an active part in Jo-
litical movements and says he has in
every instance tried to be on the side
of the under dog" He was violent
opponent of single tax, but after con-
version by speech made by ]. c. Ma
guire of California, he became single
tax organizer, and offered to donate
two valuable farms near Walla Walla
to the cause.
Il placed the deeds in escrow to be
given to John Crosby, the single tax
advocate-one farm if he would con-
tinue to making lecutring on this sub
ject mis- life's work, and the other if
he would carry the state of Washing
ton for the single tax" he said. Il
mean business when / make an offer
Of this kind. 1 have offered 40 acres
of land to Professor Knox, the Seattle
mental scientist, to build mental SCI
enlist school at Walla Walla. If the
theory is right, it will be good thing;
if it is wrong, the sooner it is exploded
the better it will be for all of u.s.
But Mind Reader Wouldn't Read
He attended not long since an ex
hibition of mind reading by a man
named King at Walla Walla. He was
impressed with the work of the per-
former, but ne did not endorse his
practices of reading mems minds as
show business, at 10 cents admission.
He went to the stage and publicly
made the proposition that he would
give King a valuable 160-acre farm if
he would turn his talents to the read
ing of mems minds for the purpose of
reforming their souls. King has not,
up to the present time, accepted the
proposition.
Some years ago, Mr.. Parker, believ-
ing that the railroads were charging
extortionate rates for transporting the
farm products from Walla Walla to
Portland, loaded several cars of wheat
and offered the railroad half a cent
a ton to maui the wheat to Portland,
consigned to Allen & Lewis. The COM
pany declined mis- offer and he paid
their rate $4.75 ton. He then brought
suit in the United States court to re-
cover the amount in excess of the ten
der, on the ground that one half cent
ton a mile was fair rate. The case
is still undecided.
Five Hundred Dollars in Debt.
when 1 was a boy of 10 years 1
paid 5000 for passage on a steamship
from New York city to San Francisco,
via the Isthmus of Panama" said Mr..
Parker. Il had heard of the placer
diggings in the Clearwater country
and was determined to go there and
make my fortune. The Panama fever
got me, and when 1 reached Califor-
MIA l was nearly dead. I had crossed
the isthmus party on foot and when l
arrived at San Francisco l was Hv-
ing skeleton, without money and $500
in debt. I got a job at $50 month
for the winter, and the next spring l
moved northward, teaching school in
northern California a few months and
working my way over the old Shasta
route toward the Clearwater country.
arrived at the gold mines l had
started to reach. but was a physical
wreck. On a trip into Washington to
see my brother who was in the mines
there, CHANGED to stop at Walla Wal
la and have been there ever SINCE
He has practiced law, carried on
book and stationery business, specu-
lated in real estate. and has finally
become one of the greatest farmers in
the Pacific northwest.
Recently he called on Susan B. An
thony to show her a pass over the
Erie road certified by ner signature in
1869 on the occasion of his attendance
at a suffrage convention neld in New
York. He keeps as souvenir many old
railroad and stage line passes. receiv-
ed by him in early days in consider
alton of work he did in advertising the
Walla Walla country in different parts
of the Union.
Hardships of Travel.
Mr. Parker was born in Wayne
county, New York, in 1882. He was
married in 1872 to Miss Laura Glenn
of New Lisbon, Ohio, sister of Dr.
j. G. Glenn of Portland. He has been
prominent as a republican and was
leader in the Grant campaign. After
Grants election he started from Walla
Walla in February, 1869, to attend the
Inauguration. BY means of stage
coach, a sled and mud wagon, he ira
versed 500 miles of wilderness ana
reached the terminus at that time of
the Union Pacific, at small town call
ed Wasatch, in Wyoming. He found
the railroad blockaded by snow. The
railroad after some delay transferred
the party to Rawlins, where they
found about 200 more delayed passen-
gers, without provisions or money.
They telegraphed to Washington and
asked congress for relief but received
no answer.
THE railroad people finally made a
proposition that if we would provision
ourselves for three days, they woul.l
furnish a carload of shovels and we
oo11ld die o,1r wav fhr0uCh Said Mr.