The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903Oregon Historical Society
History
The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon -- History -- Periodicals
Young Cone arrived at Oregon City on November 6th, his nineteenth
birthday. He began almost immediately to look about the country, and
taking the road to Tualatin Plains, was surprised, but greatly
pleased, to meet on the way--at the house of Mr. Masters, near the
present town of Reedville--an old friend, whom he had known at the
East. This was T. G. Naylor, long a well known resident of Forest
Grove. By this hospitable friend Cone was invited to spend the winter
on the farm on Gale's Creek, and actually spent two months, managing
to find eight working days between showers, out of that time--which
indicates that the climate, even then, was rainy. However the young
immigrant had good health, enjoyed life, and grew fat. For his eight
days of work he received an order for eight bushels of wheat, and
being in great need of new clothes, went back to Oregon City, and
obtaining work at rail splitting, he succeeded in mending his fortunes
sufficiently to procure new garments. He also found work afterwards in
the sawmills. "Many a day," he says, "I worked alongside the Kanakas."
There was at that time a considerable number of these native Sandwich
Islanders in Oregon. They were good workmen, says Mr. Cone, being
especially useful in work about the water. They had their own
quarters, which they kept themselves, and provided their own
sustenance quite independently.
During the dry season of 1847 the two brothers having decided to
return East across the Plains, made a long tour of the Willamette
Valley, in order to tell all about Oregon, with which, however, they
were not fully satisfied as a permanent home; but their preparations
not being complete they were delayed until late in the next season.
It was in August of that year that the Cayuse Indian murderers were
brought down from the upper country, and were tried and hanged at
Oregon City [Mr. Cone was evidently confused in this part of his
recollections as the Cayuse Indian murderers did not give themselves
up until April 1850; and were tried later in that year.--EDITOR.] The
Indians had the benefit of counsel, and the usual motions were made
for acquittal. Among others was rejection of many jurymen, on the
ground of prejudice. As it began to seem that no jury could be found,
Cone, who was present as a spectator at the trial, whispered to a
companion, "Come, let's go; they will be getting us on the jury!"
They quietly slipped out, therefore, and retiring to a big rock on the
bluff, were engaged chatting. A young man soon approached, however,
whom they took to be another like themselves, but they recognized that
he was after them and a deputy sheriff, when he proceeded to summon
them to the jury box. They were accordingly impaneled, with the
necessary number, and listened to the evidence. The case was entirely
clear, the prosecution simply presenting evidence to show that the
accused were the Indians who had committed the crime.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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