The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-05-03

California.
Before reaching EarloN's gate, "a
toll gate at the entrance Of The road
cut over the Cascade Mountains by >.
X. Bariow,--the company bad split up
into many squads. Their teams were
weak and jaded, and reduced almost
to skeletons. The faces of the immi-
grants we're peeled and scaled by the
alkali of the sage plains. Here lay
before them the hardest part of the
trip. The lain had rendered the road
almost impossible. The whole route
was lined with dead horses and cattle
lest by immigrants who had gone Le
fore. Adams concluded to make the
trip across the mountains by himself.
He was ten days making it to Foster g,
the first house he had seen in six
months. The mud up many mount
aims was knee deep; and the cattle
we're barely able to get on with the
empty wagon. He and his wife car
ried the babies and the entire load up
several mountains, wading through
mud nearly knee deep, and then went
back and drove up the team. On
reaching Fosters they camped to rest.
Foster, on learning that he had no
money, generously gave him peck OF
potatoes and offered him every ac-
comodation for the winter II he would
stop there and teach school. Adams
did not like the country, and con-
Gluded 10 push farther on. In Oregon
City be was met by friends, who in
vited his family to dinner, and at
night put his cattle in yard and or
dered load of oats and fed them
gratuitously. Being out OF money,
he borrow ed two dollars to pay bis
ferriage over the willamette river
He swan all the cattle except those
which were too weak to swim. When
he settled his ferriage, he had ten
cents left, and lost that through a hole
in his pocket during the winter. On
reaching Yamhill he traled his wagon
for ten wild Spanish COWS which ian
v ith band of four hundred on Bur.
ton Prairie. This band Of cows with
their increase kept him in beef for
several years.
In 1852 Adams gained his first great
notoriety. He was strong Whig,
while the territory was strongly Dem
ocratic. A series Of articles written
for the Oregonian, signed "Junius, "
defending the officials and excoriating
the Democrats, came from Adams log
cabin in Yamhill. and attracted much
attention on account 1t their ability
and pungent sarcasm. These articles
we're followed by the melodrama en-
titled, "Ireason, Stratagem and
Spoils, in five acts, by Breakspear. "
1t was written in rhyme and blank
verse, and contained cuts of the lead
ing Democrats who followed Pratt Is
leadership. This work caused great
excitement throughout the territory
Crowds flocked to every postofiice to
get copy and read it, till half the
people of Oregon had committed most
of it to memory. When Gov. Gaines
and the Whig officials learned that
Adams was the author of "Junius'
and "Breakspear" they conditionally
bought the Spectator press and offered
it TO him AS a present ii he would
start Whig paper, offering to give
him all the patronage at their dis
posal The offer was declined for fear
of injuring the Whig paper at Port
land.
In the spring of l840 he concluded
to go TO the gold mines Of California.
He had already bought the land claim
Of Miles Carey for $500, paying down
colt for $500 and a smooth bore rifle
for $50, and giving his note for the
balance. Visiting the mines he re-
turned In August with enough gold
dust TO pay off all his indebtedness
In 1852 he went TO Yreka, Cal, to dig
more gold, passing through the Rouge
river valley which was infested with
savages He, with eight others,
fought their way through and back,
returning with large quantity of
gold dust.
His son, Judge W. Ii. Adams, ex-
city attorney for Portland Was born
one week before his father started fer
Yreka. In 1850 Adams us elected pro.
bate Judge of Yamhill county, beating
his competitor, although the county
was Democratic by $50. He also was
elected state senator In 1856, winning
by l3 votes, against Democratic
majority of 400.
In 1855 he bought the Spectator
press for 81, 200 and started tho Ore.
gon Argus at Oregon City. For about
nine years he edited this paper, which
took the lend as Republican journal.
As writer his equal was not to be
found on the coast for ability, pun
genCy and audacity. He stumped the
state, writing his editorials on his
knee, armed with two revolvers and a
bowie knife, as the "slavecoats" we're
everywhere threatening his life. lie
said: 81 never knew what it was to
foar a face of clay. All | ask of them
il to meet me like man, and not
shoot me in tho back Lincoln, who
read the Argus, was his admirer as a
writer. In six weeks after Lincoln
was inauguIated, he appointed Adams
"a collector of customs for the dis.
trict OF Oregon. This was the first
appointment made by Lincoln in Ore
gon. lie held two commissions from
Lincoln aud one from Johnson.
In 1867, he resigned his office owing
to failing health and moved back to
his farm in lamhlll. In 1868 he de-
cided to go TO South America for his
health and was offered government
office in that country, but declined.
He was three months in making the
trip from New Orleans to Aspinwall,
NEE ing with many adventures and
facing many dangers too numerous TO
mention. Visiting Peru, Bolivia and
Chill, where he remained for several
months, he returned to Boston, where
he began series of lectures which he
delivered throughout New England on
"Orcgun aud the Pacific Coast. In
Boston, as elsewhere, he was highly
endorsed as lecturer by the public
press.
In tho winter of 1869 he returned to
Oregon after nearly two years of trav-
el and had s., 80 left out of 81 600 he
started with.
In 1873 he went to Philadelphia to
add to his medical knowledge, lie re-
ceived the degree of \, NJ, from
Christian College, Oregon that ofaM.
u. from the Eclectic Medical COLLEGE,
OF Pennsylvania, as also the degreE (
liz u, from the American University
OF Pennsylvania In addition to these
l,,,,Yg b, ,ro. ourorlnl a baulgnD,t,