The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-12-08
LOOKING BACKWARD.
Happenings When the Land Was
Young and Sparsely Settled.
(From the Loomis Prospector, Dec.
10, 1879

DR.. A. M. Polk, the reservation ply
sician. was called to Loomis Wednes
day to administer to the sick. (Dr
Polk is at the present time a residen
OF Conconully and practicipg his pro
fession.)
Word has recently been received b.,
his father from c. ID. Baldwin, who LET
for the klondyke last fall in compan,
with John Them. Both young men arc
we'll known around here. Young Bald
win is at Fort Wrangel, or was wher
the letter was written. He had beer
offered 81 an hour to go to work, bu,
was intending to strike out for the In.
terror at the first opportunity and re-
fused the offer. THEM is working fol
that wages. (The last heard of Bald.
win he was living somew here in Idaho
Mr.. THEM is still a resident of Loomis
1t seems odd to read OF Mr. THEM as a
young man." although the Oldest OF
us have once been young, foS he Is now
la man of mature years.)
j. w. Miller, the gentleman who in
conjunction with Geo. Redpath owns
some Of the most promising claims on
|Chopaka, was one of the stage load
that were headed for the railroad Sun
day. Mr.. Miller is bound for Tacoma
and he goes out, so it Is rumored, on
|Of his holdings. (Messrs Miller and
kodpath We're among the early pros
pectors OF the Looms district. They
'orat1d claims on Chopaka mouutsin
above Palmer luke. and the group was
known as the Lake View. No men that
have ever mined in Okanosan county
c\ cr liked harder, or suffered moi c
pri- aticDs than these two prospect ors.
They would work on their claims so
long as they hal grub. and then wruld
cone down Oil the mountain and va,
for another stake. They were iopef..l
and confident tha. they had something
worth while iu the claims they held.
They were men " ho had the con riIence
OF the business men OF Loomis aod
they could secure accommodations for
almost anything they wanted, for their
word was as good as bond, but they
shrank from debt. In time the Lake
View was sold to eastern people. a
miil was installed, and an eleclri.
plant put in ON Cecil Grassss at. great
cost and an aerial tram built to con.
vey the ore from the mine to the bins
at the mill. Everything was in shape
to start the mill when those in charge
quit work and the plant never turned
a wheel. This fiasco was one of the
most mysterious transactions that has
ever occurred in the county. Messrs
Miller and Redpath received enough
out Of the deal to spend the balance
OF their days comfortably and are nov
living at Seattle. The mine has been
abandoned and the mill was removed
to Nigh,hawk, where it played its part
in another mining farce, and the Incl
dent is a dim memory of the past.
Horace Brown, one of a company
owning extensive holdings on Whisky
Hill. was made happy Sunday by 4
visit from his son George. who has
just arrived from Butte. (Horace
Brown was man we'll advanced in
years even at that time, and the an
cient ole miner has kept on the job up
to the present year. At this time he is
on the outside visiting with one Of his
children, but when he left he was
hopeful of returning in the spring.
The son George died few years ago.
The following item from the Pros
pector recalls a noted tragedy
OF twenty years ago. Phillips served
ime and was mixed up in another
shooting scrape on the reservation a
few years ago, for which he is now in
the penitentiary, If our memory is not
at fault: Last Sunday an unprovoked
an0 dastardly murder was committed
in Seattle. A half breed named Charles
Phillips shot and almost instantly kill
ed James Wells, member of the Sc
attic police force. The killing was NOT
done while resting arrest and there
was not the shadow of an excuse for
the murder. Phillips had been arrested
on suspicion of attempting to commit
a robbery and a call made to police
headquarters for the patrol wagon.
Policeman Wells rode out in the wagon
and accompanied Phillips to head
quarters There, Wells got out and or
dered Phillips to follow. AS Phillips
reached the steps Of the wagon he sud-
denly drew a revolver and fired point
blank at Wells. The ball cut the pul-
monary artery and the policeman died
in a few minutes. Phillips tried to
escape, but the entire police force fol-
lowed, and he was shot twice as he was
about to fire on two officers who had
discovered him hiding under build
ing. One shot took effect in the leg and
the other so shattered the right wrist
that the hand was afterwards ampu-
tated. Charles Phillips is we'll known
in northern Okanogan county. His
father is John Phillips, one of the old
est settlers in the country. He spent
several years in the neighborhood of
Ioomis, living on the ranch north of
town owned by Mrs. Underwood. To a
Post t-Intelligencer reporter he gave the
following brief sketch Of his life:
i was born" said Phillips, "in Mis-
sion Valley, British Columbia, October
ID 1876. My father is John Y. Phillips.
He is 6 white man. My mother was an
Indian. but an American. In fact both
of my parents were Americans. When
was child we moved to Loomis,
Okanogan county, Washington. l had
few educational advantages, but man.
aged to attend the common schools for
about three winters. When l was IA
Years old I left home and went to
|Kamloops. B. C. My troubles commenc-