The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1930-03-06

! this name is pronounced as if spelled
Riley took his first ride in an auto
mobile-a Chevrolet roadster, which
performed the almost incredible feat
of travelling twenty eight miles from
Gold Beach up the treacherous Rogue
in 26-foot power boat piloted by
Frank Lowery, master mariner Of the
stream, who has the contract for car
rying the mails to Agness.
Be it known that George w. Rilea
had at that time lived up for almost
three decades to a resolution never
to do two things-ride in an auto
mobile or see motion picture show.
To him these factors of common en-
joyment had always appealed as
foibles of humanity, never to be re-
cognized by persons of dignity and
philosophic inclination. But when he
saw the beautiful little Chevrolet and
listened to the soft purring of its
motor the old man relented in his
ironclad determination. He rode
and, as he afterward admitted, "got
quite kick out of the experience.
The ride in the Chevrolet produced
a great change in the life of the post
master, and the passing days since
then have seen gradual disintegra-
ton of is adamantine determination
to remain impervious to certain
things which appeal so strongly to his
fellows When the element in his
unusual makeup had lain dormant for
years, his love of amusement, had
awakened sufficiently to conquer his
prejudices and end the subeonscious
controversy, Mr.. Riley acted with the
celebrity and the vigor which are his
distinguished traits-to use of bit Of
expressive even if irrelevant slang,
he plunged in instead of merely gett-
ing his feet wet.
1t was in August, last year, that
Edward M. Miller, then automobile
editor of Portland newspaper, heard
Of Agness and its postmaster. The
town is practically inaccessible ex-
|cept by way of the Rogue river and
up to that time no passenger car had
ever rolled along Rattlesnake avenue,
its main thoroughfare, three-fourths
of mile long, which was named by
the postmaster. His store and resi-
dence building, in which he also con-
ducts Uncle Sans mail affairs, is sit
uated at the intersection of Cougar
street, which also owes it's graphic
name to Mr. Rilea.
When Miller learned these facts
and also discovered that Postmaster
Rilea had never ridden in an auto
mobile nor seen a motion picture
show, and had vowed that he would
go to his grave untainted by indulg-
ence in features so worldly, he pro-
cured a Chevrolet roadster from a
Portland dealer and had it conveyed
up the Rogue river in the small pow
er boat Several thrilling incidents
marked the perilous passage, parti-
cularly the shooting of Crooked riff
file, whirlpool into which raft of
lumber had been sucked and had en-
arged as individual pieces only few
weeks previously.
Since then a year had passed, but
he ride in the Chevrolet proved the
wedge causing Postmaster
2ilea's resolution to topple. Now he
las visited "the Great Outside and
zen motion picture show. More
'ver, he enjoyed the experience, as
lie frankly admits, fully as much as
e did the ride in the Chevrolet.
What next? Well, it is rumored,
nd certain circumstances tend to lend
olor to the report, that Postmaster
,ilea has almost reached the decision
gain to visit "the Great Outside"
nd take ride up and down the S
'acific coast in an airplane! h
u