SAMUEL L

SAMUEL L. CRAWFORD

My father, Ronald C. Crawford, and my mother, Elizabeth Jane Moore, came to Oregon in 1847, my father from New York, and my mother from Illinois. Father's elder brother. Medorum, was of the immigration of 1842, and my maternal grandfather, Robert Moore, was of the Peoria expedition of 1840, and both were members of the Champogue meeting, where the provisional government of Oregon was formed, my grandfather being Chairman of the Committee on Resolutions, and drafted the organic law which, when adopted by the convention, became the law of the provisional government of the territory of Oregon, or more particularly what was called the Oregon country.

Mother was a little girl of 10 years of age when she reached her home in the West and the lad who afterwards became my father, ten years older. In the course of time the young couple became acquainted and were married, seven children having been born to them. Only five of these children ere still living, I, Samuel L., being the second child.

My early youth was spent in Walla Walla, Oregon City and Salem, in all of which towns I attended school. When while quite a young lad, and still living with my parents, I attended school in Olympia. My teacher here was the late Professor L. P. Venen, who, at that time, was conducting a private school in Olympia. Then I went to the public schools of the town, and enjoyed the companionship of lads and lassies who, many of them, have become among the prominent men and women of the now prosperous State of Washington. Among those whom I am able to recall at this writing are: Levi Shelton, now a prominent citizen of Tacoma; Cynthia Shelton, who afterwards became the wife of P. B. Van Trump, who with Hazard Stevens, made the first complete ascent of Mt. Rainier in 1870; Clarence W. Coulter, now prominently connected with Seattle business affairs; Bradford W. Davis, now with the railroad mail service; Anna Pullen, afterwards Mrs. Matthew A. Kelly. Mr. Kelly was formerly a prominent druggist of Seattle. George E. Blankenship, who took up the printing business, and has stayed on the old stamping ground, Fannie Yantis. who afterwards married Capt. J. J. Gilbert, prominent in the Coast and Geodetic Survey; Anna Stevens, who afterwards became the wife of the Hon. John F. Gowey. who was connected with the United States land office in Olympia and later was made minister to China, where he was residing at the time of his death, in the early part of the present century; S. C. Woodruff, Superintendent of the Hospital for Defective Youth at Medical Lake; Georgia Percival. now the widow of the late T. N. Ford, at one time Treasurer of the Territory of Washington; her brother, Samuel M. Percival, being until recently connected with the state road bureau and whose wife, Druzie Percival, is well known in all the Sound cities as a musical composer of more than ordinary talent; Francis A. Treen, who afterwards developed a beautiful tenor voice, with which he gave much pleasure to his friends and acquaintances for many years; Emma Clark, who afterwards married her teacher, the late L. P. Venen; Josie Clark, afterwards Mrs. Dellie Woodard; Nellie Parker, now Mrs. Herbert McMicken. and many others whose names are now but a dim and cherished memory.

After graduating from marbles in the field of amusements, at which game I was proficient and kept my pockets well filled with the winnings from the other boys when we played "for keeps," base ball demanded my attention for several years. In our team were Clarence Bagley, L. A. Treen, Cal, Jim and Frank McFadden and many other Olympians.

In September, 1871, I entered the office of the Washington Standard, published by John Miller Murphy, as "devil," to learn the printer's trade. There I worked until 1875, when I left the office to accept the position of assistant Clerk in the Lower House of the Legislative Assembly, of which my father was a member from Lewis County.

At the expiration of the term of the Legislature I worked for Clarence Bagley, who was at that time public printer. When the public work was finished I went to work for Francis Cook at that time publisher of the Morning Echo. Cook had chicken ranch on a place called Hardscrabble. in Mason County. The skunks were numerous and detracted from the financial returns of the chicken ranch, and as he found it difficult to be at both places at once he arranged with me to run the paper so he could devote his energies to the chickens. The paper could only afford one salary and that, of course, to go to me, and I was left to rustle my own assistance as best I could.

Now, I developed a regular Tom Sawyer genius for working my boon companions, and with such jolly spirits as Harry K. Struve. Ken Patterson, Yakima Jimmie and Peter" Stanup, I managed to get along very well. The work was rather strenuous, as I commenced rustling news early in the morning. wrote up the paper in the late forenoons and early afternoons, then helped the boys set the type, and in the evening worked off the forms, and finally distributed the paper throughout the city myself, getting to my bed (which was located in the banking house of George Barnes & Co.) about two o'clock in the morning, after eating up everything in the way of fruit and cake that Mr. Barnes had remaining from his lunch at noonday.

During the summer of this year I arrived at my majority. Mr. Cook, who had visited the paper from his chicken ranch. had inserted an item to the effect that on June 22 the Echo man would be 21. Imagine my surprise on reaching the office that morning to find a table loaded down with all sorts of presents. My old friend and Sunday school teacher, the Rev. John R. Thompson, had sent me a handsome copy of Bunyan'; Pilgrim's Progress. George A. Barnes a copy of Hill's Business Forms, and a number of other books from Francis H. Cook and other friends. Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Treen, then living in Olympia, sent me a can of milk, Mrs. T. M. Reed, wife of the lamented Hon. Thomas Reed, the well remembered and loved pioneer, sent me a large fruit cake, all decorated with frosted flowers, together with this little note:

"To the Echo man of twenty-one This little token's offered, May the joys of life, like Summer sun, E'er shine on Sammy Crawford." I still cherish 'this kindly token from Mrs. Reed, and I am Korry that both she and her husband have passed to the Great Beyond.

While these joyous days, fraught with hard work but plenty of fun, were passing1 in Olympia, things were also doing in Seattle. While a Clerk in the 1875 Legislature the whole assembly of Legislators made a trip to Steilacoom and to Seattle, the latter place to investigate the needs of the University. The "fast and commodious" steamer, the Zephyr, had been chartered for that junket, and was to leave Olympia at 7:30 in the morning, stopping first at Steilacoom. When I got up that morning I found the steamer had left—so was I. While wondering what I was to do, I met Bob Abrams end several other members of the Legislature, who were in my predicament also. We rushed to interview Ed. Harmon, a well remembered Jehu of Olympia, and after telling him of our troubles, arranged with him to beat the steamer to Steilacoom, He agreed to forfeit a considerable consideration if he failed. But he didn't fail. We came on from Steilacoom to Seattle with the rest of the bunch—my first visit to the Queen City.

The citizens gave a dance that evening in honor of the visiting Legislature in Yesler's Hall. Bailey Gatzert was mayor. All the old settlers, including Mr. and Mrs. Yesler, turned out. Seattle then had a population of 1500, but they were all alive and kicking. There was not hotel accommodations enough to care for the visitors, and the members and their wives were entertained at the homes of the private citizens. Father and mother were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. L. N. Bobbins, whose beautiful home then stood on the block directly south of the late old Hotel Rainier.

I had been invited to spend the night with my boyhood friend, George E. Blankenship, then employed on The Dispatch, by Brown & Bell, who roomed at the house of M. A. Kelly on Third and Seneca Streets. On reaching his room some time after midnight, we found the bed occupied by Ed. Pullen. a brother of Mrs. Kelly, who had "dropped in unexpectedly." We returned down town and after visiting the various hotels and not finding accommodations, decided to spend the remainder of the night on the hay stored in the open warehouse at the end of Yesler's wharf. We found this hay literally covered with sleeping men. and after amusing ourselves .» while tying some of them hand and foot with heaving lines, Ave again started up town, George to seek his rest on a pile of paper in the office and I to fare much better. During the day my friend, the late Howard W. Lewis, had told me his room was the third door on the left hand side from the head of the stairs in the Wyckoff House, and I could sleep with him. About two o'clock in the morning those kind words recurred to me very prominently and going to the Wyckoff House, which stood on the present site of the Alaska building, I climbed the stairs, opened the third door on the left, and found my friend sleeping in a spacious bed, and there ended my first night in Seattle.

During this brief visit I was so impressed with the business enterprise of Seattle, although it was then a smaller town than Olympia, that I told my mother I would venture my fortunes here at the first opportunity. This chance came the following year. The Daily Intelligencer was launched on the first day of June. 1876, by the late David Higgins. I had gained some reputation as a pressman in Olympia, and as Mr. Higgins had introduced a power press in his establishment, he wrote and offered me charge of his press room, together with what composition I could do when not occupied shout the press. As the salary offered was satisfactory, I accepted the offer, and on the 24th of June I left Olympia and took up my work on the Intelligencer the following morning. After I had boarded the steamer Alida at Olympia, Mr. Cook sent two of the Milroy boys to the wharf to induce me to defer my trip. I hid away to avoid temptation till after the steamer had left the wharf, and there was never thereafter en issue of the Morning Echo published. Mr. Cook moved his plant to New Tacoma and published the Tacoma Herald for some time, after which he again moved his plant to Spokane Falls, where he founded the Spokane Chronicle.

The office of the Intelligencer at this time was in a two story and basement wooden building belonging to H. L. Yesler. on First Avenue, at the foot of Cherry street. The First Presbyterian church, corner of Third and Madison Streets, had recently been completed and was staggering under a load of debt and was heavily mortgaged. My old friend. Rev. John
R. Thompson, of Olympia, out of the bigness of his heart and his love for the Christian organization with which he was allied, had taken it upon himself to relieve the church of this burden, and lie traveled from Portland to Seattle, soliciting funds from his personal friends, whom he numbered by the hundreds. Arriving at Seattle he told me of his mission, and asked me what I was willing to do. I told him I had just finished my first week's work in this town and when I got my pay I would settle my board bill and give what was left to help him in his cause.

Rev. Thompson, years afterwards, accompanied the First Washington Volunteers to the Philippines as Chaplain of th« regiment. He was dearly beloved by all the brave soldier boys but was stricken with the fever prevalent in that country, and did not live to return to his adopted State of Washington, which he so dearly loved.

When I came to Seattle I brought a baseball and bat with me and at odd times would go out on what was then known as Occidental Square and pass the ball around. I soon found a number of congenial spirits, but no organization of a nine was effected for several weeks. One day a challenge appeared in a paper from an organization in Newcastle, offering to play any nine in King County, Seattle preferred, on any day in the future, on any grounds selected by the challenged team. I Called this to the attention of my friends of Occidental Square, who arranged for some practice games on the old University grounds, and we found we could play some ball. They authorized me to accept the challenge, on behalf of the AIki Base Ball Club of Seattle. The game was played two weeks from the following Saturday. I do not remember the score, but I do remember that no one of the challenging team ever got beyond second base. The Alkis at once sprung into prominence, and for years met all comers from Olympia to Victoria. In those days amateur ball was played exclusively, and each community had its team made up of its young citizenship, and took great pride in their performances and success. It was through baseball that I went from the mechanical to the news department of the Intelligencer. The Alkis had been to Victoria on the Queen's birthday of, I think, 1878, and won a great victory over the famous Amity team of that City. On our return I asked the managing editor if they had arranged for a report of the game. He said, in apparent great distress, that the matter had been overlooked and asked me who he could get to write the story. I told him I didn't know. "Can you do it?" he asked. "I can try," I answered. So well pleased, apparently, was he with my brief account of the game, that he sent for me the next morning and requested me to take charge of the local page of the paper. I remained in that department during the remainder of my career on the paper, and its successor, the Post-Intelligencer, extending over a period of about 13 years.

A couple of years after my connection with the Intelligencer Thaddeus Hanford, a young college man, and brother of Judge C. H. Hanford, bought a half interest in the paper and assumed its editorial control, and later acquired the Higgins interest. Soon afterwards I induced Mr. Thomas W. Prosch, an experienced newspaper man of Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle, to buy a half interest in the paper. He and Hanford were so unlike in their tastes and ideas and manner of operating a daily publication, that they decided to agree to disagree almost immediately and Hanford agreed to sell his interest in the paper for $5000. Prosch came to me to buy it. "But," said I, "I have only $960; where am I to get the balance of the purchase price?" He answered, "I think if you rustle around a little, you can borrow it. I will let you have, on your note, $540, to be paid out of the earnings of the paper. This leaves you only $3500 to borrow." I went to Judge Orange Jacobs, who had just returned from a term as Delegate to Congress, and told him of my wants, and to my joyous surprise, he lent me the money, taking as security my stock in the paper secured by an insurance policy on the plant. I paid him the then going rate of interest, 1V2 per cent, a month, and paid 10 per cent premium on the fire insurance policy to secure him. By hard work and careful management I succeeded in discharging all my debts, principal and interest, besides a lot of indebtedness against the paper, some $3000, for white paper and telegraphic services, of which neither Mr. Prosch nor I knew anything at the time of our purchase, within two years.

In 1882 the Intelligencer was consolidated with the Post, a daily, owned by John Leary and George W. Harris, but which was proving a losing venture. This was the beginning of the long and glorious career in the newspaper field of the Post-Intelligencer. About this time trouble arose with the Printers' Union, and I was unwilling to accede to terms demanded by this body of workmen. Bo sold my interest in the P.-I. to Mr. Prosch and became an employee on the paper.

On the 30th day of October, 1888, I finally severed my connection with the Post-Intelligencer, to enter the real estate- business in partnership with Mr. Charles F. Conover, who had been associated with me on the paper for a couple of years previously. Owing to our wide acquaintance, growing out of our long connection with the paper, our new venture prospered almost from the start. We opened an office in the new Yesler block, on Yesler Avenue. That evening we gave a banquet to our late associates on the paper, the members of the editorial, news and business staff, and it was some banquet, too. It was given at the Occidental, which was on the site of the present Hotel Seattle.

We busied ourselves during the next 25 days in listing properties and publishing advertisements and announcements. By that time our capital was pretty well exhausted, and we had not taken in a cent. On the 27th a stranger came to the office to have some notary work done, and we charged him a dollar. We put that dollar in an envelope, marked it our first dollar, locked it in the safe and have the identical coin to this day. The next day we sold 11 lots and eight houses to the late Ursula Wyckoff for $20.000. Her son, J. V. Wyckoff, still owns four of the lots, valued at over $120.000. From that time on business was quite active and at the expiration of our first year our commissions amounted to upwards of $50,000. In the summer of 1889, we placed the Renton addition on the market for Capt. W. H. Renton, of Port Blakely. and sold fifteen lots the first day at prices ranging from $700 to $1,000 each.

The next day the great Seattle fire took place, and burned our office, together with the greater part of the business portion of Seattle. I was in Port Blakely when I was told that Seattle was burning, and induced the captain of the steamer Success to leave a half hour earlier than schedule time for home. Frye's Opera House was burning when I got Seattle on the wire at Blakely. When I reached our office I was mad to find all of our furniture piled out on the sidewalk in front of the Yesler building. I demanded to know why it was not hauled to safety, and was told of the impossibility of getting teams. I rushed across the street where was the owner of teams and who had for years expressed the warmest friendship for me. But he said he could do nothing for us. I was very angry and went on down to Yesler's wharf, where I found a man unloading brick. I hired him for $5 to go with me to move my furniture. While standing in the wagon with him. directing where to drive, and when we left the wharf excited men began rushing up to my driver and began shouting, "$50 a load, $75 a load, $100 a load," etc. The man asked me what they meant and I told him to drive on, they were all crazy. We rushed the furniture onto the wagon and J directed the man where to drive. Then I rushed to the Post- Intelligencer office, where I met the business manager and asked him if the bound files of the paper had been saved. lie said they had not and would not be, as no effort would be made to save them. I notified him that I would undertake the task and would brook no interference. The fire was then burning the building between Cherry Street and Yesler Avenue. Unaided, I carried those files, four volumes at a time, up to Third and James and placed them in the custody of Mrs. Bailey Gatzert. The next day I met Mr. Hunt and asked him if he had saved his files. He replied that they had been burned with the office, and that no money could reimburse him for their loss. I then told him I had saved them for him and gave him an order on Mrs. Gatzert for their return. I judge the files which I saved of daily, weekly and tri-weekly from the beginning of the paper up to that time weighed in the neighborhood of a ton and a half arid they were almost worth their weight in gold. The paper afterwards published the fact that the files had been saved and gave me due credit for their preservation. The next morning the paper was published in a much condensed form and contained but two advertisements— one announcing the change of location of the Puget Sound National Bank and the other notifying the public that Crawford & Conover had temporarily moved their real estate office to 615 Union Street. A couple of days later my mother sent me word that if were going to continue to advertise our office at her home she wanted me to send some one there to show property, as customers were constantly calling and she knew nothing about the real estate business.

The firm of Crawford & Conover recently celebrated their 25th anniversary in business by moving into spacious quarters in our own building near the corner of Third and Pine. In a book descriptive of the thriving City of Seattle and the rapidly developing State of Washington, which we published for public distribution at an expense of $15,000, entitled. "Washington, the Evergreen State, and Seattle, Its Metropolis," we gave this commonwealth the sobriquet of "Evergreen State," which has since been adopted as Washington's universal and most appropriate name."

Mr. Crawford has always been a public spirited man and has performed many acts of kindness and benevolence, which has made his name entitled to honorable mention among the list of philanthropists of the State of Washington. His enterprise of collecting funds for the erection of the monument over the last resting place of the late Princess Angeline was a praiseworthy undertaking and one which gave Mr. Crawford much satisfaction. Angeline and Crawford had for years been close trilliums, the white man frequently calling on tho princess to be sure she was not suffering for the necessities of life. During her latter years, after she was unable to help herself many a timely gift of money or provisions were sent by the kindly man. When the weight of years was heavy upon Angeline and it was evident she would soon join her father. Chief Seattle, in the Happy Hunting Ground, Mr. Crawford asked her where she wished to take her long sleep, in the white man's graveyard or beside her father's remains. "Oh, let me be buried with my white trilliums, who have been so good to me!" and her wish was respected.

Mr. Crawford started a movement among the children of Seattle to raise a fund for the erection of a monument by 10 cent contributions. The children responded gladly, although the promoter of the scheme had to supply part of the expense from his own pocket. Granite from the mountain of that name in the Cascades, was employed in the handsome
and appropriate monument which marks the resting place of' the Princess Angeline, and Mr. Crawford tells that even to this clay her grave is covered with bouquets of daisies and other common flowers, sometimes tied with white twine string, placed there by childish hands whose owners feel a personal interest in the spot because they had helped to build the monument.

For several years after Mr. Crawford had retired from active newspaper work the itch remained with him and a column of "Reminiscences" contributed to the Sunday edition of the Post-Intelligencer, was one of the features of that paper. When Mr. Crawford had been writing these reminiscences for several years, Mrs. Crawford collected all her husband's writings in a large scrapbook and presented it to him as a valentine present. The columns of this scrapbook are complete with interesting and amusing incidents of pioneer history, not only of Seattle, where Mr. Crawford has spent the greater number of years of his majority, but also of Olympia. The compiler of this book spent a most delightful evening skimming over Mr. Crawford's scrap book and listening to the author of the sketches elaborate on the printed stories and relate the circumstances which gave rise to a particular event. Such a bewildering richness of material was offered the compiler that it was difficult to select a limited number of the most typical sketches. But among those which interested the writer most were the following:

During the Republican campaign of 1869 Selucius Garfielde was a candidate for Representative to Congress. In order to secure his election Mr. Garfielde, as is the custom to this day, made many pre-election promises. Candidates for office seem to have been as plentiful in those good old days as they are at this later day. Came the election and the men who had been promised a friendly word in high places worked tooth and nail for Mr. Garfielde's election, with the result that he was winner by a good majority. Rejoicing, the candidates who had pinned their faith to the Congressional Delegate, hurried to bring him enough endorsements and testimonials of their peculiar fitness for political jobs to which they aspired, to stuff a good-sized trunk to blirsting. Garfielde suavely accepted all the papers and with smiles and promises to see the powers on behalf of his Washington Territory friends as soon as he arrived in the National capitol. It took a long time in those days to make the trip to Washington, D. C., but the Olympia politicians awaited word from their political sponsor with what patience they might. Days rolled into weeks and then months rolled over the men who were impatient to begin on their official duties—also their official salaries. Letters were sent Congressman Garfielde, but no answer was received. Finally, quite desperate, a telegram was sent Garfielde demanding to know why the appointments were not forthcomings "Trunk and all endorsements lost!" was the answer wired back. Mr. Garfielde had found, as do Western Congressmen ever, that when they arrive in Washington. D. C., keeping preelection promises are not always possible. The town wit, but whether that was Francis Henry or Fred Eltze is a disputed question, drew a caricature of a mammoth trunk flying through the air and in this trunk, with grotesque expressions on their faces, which, although caricatured most fantastically. were yet plainly recognizable, were pictured the. disappointed politicians. Although that caricature was made almost 45 years ago many of the old timers, on being shown the photograph which John Yantis made of the drawing, recognize their friends and smile over the remembrance of Mr. Garfielde's lost trunk. There were L. P. Beach, Randall Hewitt, Cherokee Smith, Judge Dennison, Rev. Whitworth. Judge Struve, of Vancouver; Elwood Evans. W. W. Miller, A. R. Elder and Hon, P. D. Moore—the latter perfectly recognizable to the friends of the present day. Struve's feet were sticking out the side of the trunk, a reference to his large extremities. In fact, the most characteristic feature of each of the men pictured in the trunk was prominently brought out and enlarged on.

During a later and still more famous campaign between Selucius Garfielde and lion. Obadiah B. McFadden for election as Delegate to Congress in the year of 1872, Mr. Francis Henry contributed several columns of his brilliant writings each week to the Washington Standard, under the head of "Chronicles." In these contributions the most prominent men were dubbed titles which, owing either to their fitness, or the pleasing alliteration of the words, clung to their recipients, in many instances, to the day of their death. As for example: Judge
McFadden, "Obadiah, The Faithful"; Garfielde, "Selucius the Babbler"; B. F. Dennison, "Benjamin the Stiff"; T. M. Reed, 'Thomas the Good"; E. P. Ferry, "Elisha the Prophet"; 8. Coulter, "Samuel the Smiler"; C. B. Bagiey, "Clarence the Amorous"; Rev. John R. Thompson. "John the Jocky"; Marshal Blinn. "Marshal the Headstrong."

When Mr. Crawford was still serving his apprenticeship of printer on the Washington Standard, the proprietor, Mr. John Miller Murphy, was a candidate for the office of Territorial Auditor. Mr. Miller was opposed lay the Hon. Jos. Kuim of Port Townsend. The latter man being a member of the Legislature of 1873, there was occasion to put his name in type many times in each issue of the Standard during the time the Legislature was in session. Murphy, holding his grudge against his opponent, told young Crawford never to allow Kuhn's name to appear in the paper correctly spelled. The ingenuity with which the printer carried out the commands of his superior are worthy of preservation: "Cun," "Coon." "Cune," "Kun," "Kune," "Koon," "Kunne," "Keun," "Khunne," and "Keunn" were among the variations Crawford managed to ring on the name "Kuhn."

While working on the daily Echo in Olympia I had as an apprentice an Indian boy named Peter C. Stanup, son of Jonas Stanup sub-chief of the Puyallup Indians.

Unusually bright and well educated, young Stanup had been converted to the Christian faith and had studied theology and preached to the Indians for six or seven years. After graduating from the newspaper business Stanup studied law and became very able in that profession. About this time the Government granted the Puyallup Indians their land in severalty and Peter's holdings were estimated to be worth from $50,000 to $60,000.

Peter, while working for the development of the reservation, against the wishes of the more ignorant Indians of his tribe, was thrown off a foot log into the Puyallup river and drowned.

During the time the late lamented John II. McGraw was a candidate on the Republican ticket for Governor of the State he was bitterly opposed by the Tacoma papers and it looked as if he would not be able to carry a single precinct in Pierce County. In talking over the matter, he asked me if I thought there was any chance for him to carry even one precinct in that County. I told McGraw and Mr. L. S. Hunt that if we could enlist Stanup's services we might carry the reservation precinct.

Stanup was sent for but when he arrived he told us that a strong- feeling had been worked up against McGraw in all of Pierce County owing to a plank in the Republican platform favoring construction of the Lake Washington canal. However, if I was willing to give the Indians a feast the night before election and a talk after the feast and have LI. S. officer? at the polling booths so that the boys would not be interfered with by things from the town we might carry the precinct for McGraw. We promised Stanup all this and fulfilled our promises. When the votes were counted after the election Peter wired, "We carried the precinct for McGraw by a majority of one."

Peter was invited to Seattle and was an honored guest at Mr. Hunt's office while the State returns were being received. These returns showed McGraw had won by a handsome majority all over the State.

Source: Early History of Thurston County, Washington by Georgiana Mitchell Blankenship

Submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer

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