Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-03-28

on that gan. In his excitement the
perspiration was oozlng out OF every
pore and running into his eyes so
that he could hardly see. He seemed
20 entirely lose sight of the fact that
the gun was getting hotter and need
ed swabbing out IL took four per-
sons TO work this cannon after II
was unlimbered--4he powder boy
passed the noise" Wilson rammed
II home, the man behind the gun
prlmed and when the fan with the
long slim rod-red on one end
brought II into requIsltlon, there was
something doing.
At this juncture Mr.. Wilson ram
med cartridge home and there
was an explosion Immediately. The
ramrod went on. likewise one OF Mr..
Wilson's arms Although standing
within 80 feet could not tell II the
gun was touched of before giving
Mr.. Wilson time TO withdraw the
rod or II II was premature. | met
Mr.. Wilson many times after that
on Lake street carrying an empty
sleeve. Mr.. Wilson's heart and soul
was In the work OF being an old line
whlg. You seldom ever met a more
nervy man than Dick. His last words
were; Keep her a-going boys, :"
and he fell In a dead faint. II was
horrible sight and one that ! will
never forget
would say TO the old-timers that
Zaok Taylor's career was cut short.
lie was inaugurated March 4, 1S49.
and died July Q. 1850, william
Henry Harrison served from March
4 to April Z, 1S4l.
called on Charley Wilson April
9, 1851. The next day my brother,
o. II. and started out west to fnd
sunset and gold. told Charley that
| would let him hear from me en-
route. and the following is a copy
OF the first letter. which was re-
Ihrinted In home paper, Who OF
You readers can produce a clipping
from newspaper that you wrote
nearly 81 years ago-more than the
average mans lifetime? There are
bnt few OF the early timers OF 1897
left In Chicago.
The following Is the slipping re-
ferred TO, exactly as Il appeared in
the paper 10 which / sent Il;
Correspondence of the Chicago
Journal.
Iowa City, April 21, 1851.
Friend Wilson;-We arrived safe
In this great metropolis today en-
route for oregon. We came via
Rockford and thence down Rock riv-
er on the east side. We found good
roads and as good farming eoun-
try as need be, all the way down to
its mouth. We crossed the Mississip-
pi river az Rock Island. and stopped
at Davenport. II Is quite stirring
little place and buiN up mostly OF
brick, as Is also Stevenson on the
opposite side OF the river There is
more Germans here, according 10 the
population, than there Is in Chicago
Moline Is very iourishing little
town. situated three miles above
Rock Island. ITS quite a manufact-
uring place. There We're two men
lodged In jail at Davenport. a few
days since for passing eounterieit
tens on the Wisconsin Fire and Ma
rine Insurance company. They had
passed some three hundred dollars.
Corn Is worth 20 cents per bnshel;
oats 80 cents. aud wheat so. We
did not see any good winter wheat
until We got below Dixon on Rock
river. There Is a little IN this state.
hut not very good We have met
with but one Oregon team on the
way. and that was an OK team IN a
miserable condition. There Is but
few teams on the road ana those are
mostly cattle. We have four good
horses, iight wagon and our bas.
sage does not exceed ten hundred