Weekly journal-miner., 1909-03-24
OLD TIMERS MUST FORM PIONEER
 SOCIETY
Judge Hicks is Strong Advocate of Such
 Organization
tknud s.NppssnL moI.n

1 With the establishment of a pion-
 eer's home here, the organization of a
 pioneers society in connection with it
 is strongly advocated by many of the
 early residents of the county. They
 argue that the true history of the ter
 ritory in pioneer days has never been
 written and that the society could col
 feet historical data to be compiled lat
 CT that would be of great value and
 highly prized by future generations.
 Conversing with a Journal-Miner
 representative yesterday, Probate
 Judge c. P. Hicks, who has been an
 ardent advocate for a pioneers home
 and pioneers society many years, de- cleared that a movement should be
 started at once to organize the society.
 He said: "Aside from collecting his i torical data, the pioneers society in connection with the home would benefit
 the institution in many ways. It could be easily arranged to nave the
 archives of the society in the home. With the headquarters of the society
 there, many pioneers who are living alone in the mountains amply able to
 pay their way would be attracted to it, especially those who have no families
 to care for them. The money collected for their maintenance would assist ma
 terially in building and making the in
 stitution popular.
 ''Numerous instances have come un- der my observation where pioneers died in poverty and others worth thous- ands of dollars whose lives would be prolonged many years were the com forts of such a home available to them.
 CT know several old-time miners in the Bradshaw mountains owning valu- able mining properties, now living alone, who are amply able to pay for their care and maintenance in the home and who would be attracted tO it by the organization of a pioneers society in connection with it. Ties stronger than any lodge obligations exist among the pioneers. Once in mates of the home they would realize that in case of death the administra- tion of their estates would be watched by the pioneers society under the ad- ministration of responsible pioneer, and would prefer spending their re- maining years in the institution sur rounded by taeir friends rather than digging in their mines and existing on food cooked in the old-fashioned way by themselves.
 "'For instance, take the ease of Judge Clack., a Williamson valley pi- ooneer. He left here in comfortable many years ago. Subse- quently he was discovered penniless in a county hospital shortly before he died. Had a pioneers home been in existence then, he would have entered . it instead of leaving for other states, where he lost his money in injudicious investments.
 ''The case of Charlie Yates, who died in squalor in this city a few years ago, is another pitiful one. He was here when the Walker party settled on the Lynx Creek placers. He furnished the party with meat and was often times robbed by the Indians. He lived alone many years after he was com oelled to retire from active work and vas finally found dead in a place unfit for a human to live.
 "Several eases of insanity have -ome under my notice of persons who ived many years alone in the noun ains. Were these people enjoying the comforts of a home in cheerful sur oundings they would not have be- ome bereft of reason and their lives would be prolonged many years.
 ''I am an ardent advocate of the organization of a pioneers society and ope that the movement now started will result in its organization, ne oHcuded.