East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-01-26

There has been time when IT was
necessary to organize a vigilant com
mittee, even in our grand state Of
| Oregon, and during the last twenty
five or thirty years quite a number
Of people have met with untimely, or,
rather, unnatural physical dissolution,
at the hands of lynchers.
In some instances, persons that
we're extremely prejudiced and full Of
grudge against some fellowman,
hanged their victim only to find af-
terward that their victim was inno-
cent.
a similar act Of deprayity was COM
mltted about 20 years ago Gellow
reader pardon me If the time Of this
now exactly remember when it oc-
curred) near Adams.
I happened to be at Pendleton at
that time when the prisoner, charged
with stealing a horse from John Ad-
ans. was in custody Of the deputy
sheriff although Mr.. Adams had not
sworn to the complaint. neither had he
had a horse stolen from HIM.
After the prisoners arrest, he was
! handcuffed to the horn OF the sad
die and in this torturing manner the
deputy sheriff held his prisoner on
Main street, Pendleton, until dark.
The retaining of the prisoner at
| Pendleton until darkness was for the
express purpose to take him under
| the cover Of darkness to Adams, and
thus allowing Judge Lynch to carry
on his unlawful and unjustified act.
BY the time they reached Adams a
| few men, who had a personal grudge
/ against this prisoner, took their in
! nocent victim and hanged him to a
scaffold that had been previously
built for that purpose.
/ passed by the road next morning
and the scaffold was still there at
that time but the body had been re-
moved
No arrests were made, though near
ly everybody in that locality knew
the particulars Of the case, and the
men who carried out this unlawful act
were known.
II is a well known fact to those who
watched the vigllant committee that
these lawbreakors were boozers, and
that these dispensers of lynch law
have gone from bad to worse.
] was born in Oregon and natural
ly love my native state. II recalls TO
my m nd the scenes Of my boyhood
days, which are dear to my heart; it
reminds me Of the sweet and sacred
memories of my parents. sisters,
brothers and relatives.
cannot forget the spot in Oregon
the silent city of the dead-where
rest the ashes of my father, whose up
right i'fe has been an inspiration to
me and whose counsels fingered in my
ears after he was gone. The spot
where rest the ashes of my beloved
daughter. as tender and as true, as
patient. as gentle and as kind as God
in His infinite love eyer gave to man.
! fully and sincerely believe that
Oregon is the most brilliant star on
the firmament Of our grand state
union.
IN its productiveness it is second to
none. because our resources are al
most inexhaustible. The development
OF our Industries are in proportion to
our ingenuity 10 expand them, and
10 make them as perfect and as great
as those of any other state in the
Imion.
| with these facts in view. l submit
/ to every fellow citizen the following
! questions for immediate solution:
| Shall we suffer at the hands Of
persons that disregard justice law
/ and order?
Do not the dispensers of lynch
/ Jaw" mar and blemish The collective
moral character of our state?
From the Rogue River Indian war
| to the Bannock war of rs, including
the acts, dates and places of ''vigilant
committees all these feel sorry to
| say. will taint our grand history of
/ the last fifty years.
| As | intend, in the near future, to
write and publish a book entitled
THE Evolution of the Resources of
! Oregon" l SHAH sincerely hope that
! it will not be found necessary to
| chronicle in its pages, another out
rage. similar to that of Grant county.
Fellow citizens, investigate, exam
| inc into every detail of such unlaw-
full affairs and draw proper and log
/ ical conclusions
! Let us unite in our efforts and thus
/ bring the desired and needed change
| into existence and let law justice and
order reign supreme
r. F. sWAGGART,
J.Xinr1nn ore StockrHisrr