Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-08-27
Gold Hill Notes

(By A. E. Kellogg.)

10y n. II. INCliOSo'(
Oujte a commotion occurred in
Gold Hill for several hours last Sat-
urday on the arrival of the morning
train from Portland OF Raphael
Chawtrand Messner, formerly of Gold
Hill, better known here as Roxey
Messner He at once proclaimed
himself king of the I. w. W., and the
first edict as ruler of this disturbing
element he declared that court-mar-
tial law should exist over this fair
land until the sanity of Raphael
Chawtrand Messner had been fully
determined the highest tribunal in
the state of Oregon. Messner is an
inmate of the hospital for the insane
at Salem, and while employed at the
cottage farm of that institution con-
cluded to wander. Being a brake
beam artist, 1t did not take him long
TO arrive at his old home. Marshal
Irwin w. Ray and Constable Ralph
L. Darling being absent from the city,
he kept some of his former good
friends sidestepping and dodging
around the corners until the good
Sheriff Jennings sent deputy from
Jacksonville and took him into GUS
tody. The feature of the scare he
gave the townspeople was, he carried
a small satchel from which issued
the sound OF a ticking clock, and
each time he met and addressed a
new audience in discussing the issues
of his isms, before beginning he
would stoop over and carefully set
the satchel down. "It's bomb"
said one of the bystanders who with
a mad rush whipped around the cor
ner with the crowd at his heels
Messner became demented some
months ago while in California and
was placed in the hospital for the in
sane at Napa, and later transferred to
Salem. Attendants from Salem ar
rived the first of the week and re-
turned with him.
DR.. Warren D. Smith, at the head
OF the department of geology in the
state university at Eugene, is in Gold
Hill visiting Prof. G. W. Milan Of
the Gold Hill schools. The doctor
has been on an extended trip inspect
ing the mines In southern Oregon.
Accompanied by Prof ]. Duncan
Spaeth of Princeton, N. j., who has
been teaching in the University Of
Oregon summer school the past sea-
son. and Prof. George Rebec, teacher
of philosophy at the university, the
three recently left Eugene for Marsh
field and from there hiked down the
coast to the mouth of Rogue river,
thence up the gorge of the river in
the wilds Of Curry count to Grants
Pass. The doctor inspected several
Of the mines in Josephine county and
has spent several days inspecting the
mineral deposits in the Gold Hill
district. The doctor and Prof. Milan
became acquainted at the university,
where the professor took several
courses in the summer school the past
summer.
Plans, cost and bond issues for the
proposed Grants Pass-Gold Hill irri-
eating district were discussed quite
extensively at Grants Pass last Tues
day at meeting called for that pur-
pose, It was well attended by repre-
sentatives from both districts and
the problems of both districts were
well gone over. Engineer Dubois
pointed out that by Grants Pass join
ing the Gold Hill district and by SELL
ing water to Jerome Prairie lands
and to the lands on the north side Of
Rogue river in the vicinity Of Grants
Pass, the cost could be cut still fur
ther to possibly less than $50 an acre.
The Gold Hill district, the engineer
stated, could construct its system in
dependently Of Grants Pass for $50
per acre. The Gold Hill people seem
to be perfectly willing, however, to
Join the districts In the construction