The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-03-31
Ex-cHlEF OF POLICE RELATES A
WONDERFUL TALE AT
PENDuETON
Scene Is Laid Back in Missouri When
Jake Was a Mere Lad of But
Fifteen Years.

Not content with receiving a person.
al mention once in a while in his home
papers, ex-Chief of Police ]. J. Kauff-
man drifted over to Pendleton last
Wednesday and related a charming
story of his boyhood days back in old
Missouri. The story was prompted by
the heavy snow storm which prevail
ed in the Umatilla town that day and
as business was slack in consequence,
Jake dished out a column of copy to
the Tribune about as follows:
1T tell you, it reminded me of the
winter of '76 back in old Missouri"
said Dutch Jake" Kaufman, ex-chief
of police Of Walla Walla. Il remem-
Der the cold snap we had back there
very distinctly for 1 was all of Is if
not more. My father sent me to the
grist mill for a sack Of flour and while
on the way terrible snowstorm came
up. I had half of mile to go and I
was certainly in for it, you bet. Well,
as big as hens eggs and as I trudged
along the bigger they got. Fifty feet
a wooden leg, standing and apparently
celebrating which direction he would
take. He was only about five feet tall
but by the time I got up to where ne
was standing, he had completely dis
appered. The snow this time was
something awful. If fact, the snow
drops were easily as big as my head
if not larger
I'm my fight to ward off the snow
balls, I couldn't find any trace of the
old man with the wooden leg, so I was
obliged to leave the man hunt and
forts to get back home 1 soon became
completely exhausted and the situation
looked pretty bad for me. At last my
strength was all gone and I lay down
on the snow to die. The place where
fell, 1 remember, was at the top of
long incline. I had not fallen but a
minute or so when the snowstorm
stopped and a fierce windstorm, ac-
companied by a little rain, came up
The wind was almost Cyclonic and the
first thing I knew I was started rolling
down the mill at a fearful rate of speed
AC T vol ir,cr no 1l,, TO
me and by the time I reached the bot
tom of the hill was in the middle of
an immense snow heap, at least 20
feet in diameter. The people saw the
great ball coming down the hill and
came out to investigate the phenom-
enon. Surprised were they, indeed, to
find that 1 was wrapped up in the mon
ster SNOWFALL and of course, they set
to work and soon rescued me. In a
day or two 1 was quite thawed out and
felt myself a gain. But, 1 tell you, 1
shall not forget that experience as
long as 1 live
Well" what about the old man with
the wooden leg?" asked John Van
Orsdall who was an ardent listener to
Dutch Jake's" story.
''Oh, ne died heroically and the peo-
pie gave him a mighty nice burial. We
kept his wooden leg though, as a re-
membrance of that awful storm and
of my remarkable escape from death.
The old mans name was Sammy Jones.
Well, everybody liked the old man
pretty well, and as a token of respect
his wooden leg was cut up into tiny lit
tie slivers and kept as souvenirs. That
is how Bert Gregg of Walia Walla,
happened to write that late and pop
ular ballad entitled, We're Making
Toothpicks From Sammy's Wooden
Leg"