JOHN DAVENPORT, COLFAX 



48S 



if he would only slap them on the back, 

 at which they laughed and felt proud. 

 They once heard that he was to go by 

 stage on a certain day to Almota, 

 some thirty miles from Colfax and, on 

 that day when the merchant and his 

 family started, they found at each 

 stage station that the road was lined for 

 a mile either way with Indians decked 

 in paint and gala attire. The merchant's 

 wife and daughters were humiliated at. 

 seeing the squaws hold up their pa- 



The Indian merchant, as everybody 

 called him, grew to be very wealthy, but 

 he was robbed by a white man. The In- 

 dians heard of his loss and came by 

 thousands to try and help him, only to 

 find that the grief of his loss had driven 

 him away. Indians hunted for him in 

 vain, and finally appealed to the settle- 

 ment, asking if they could name a town 

 after him, which they did, and it is 

 Davenport, Washington. 



Some years later in Silverton, Ore- 



PLEASED THE MAN WITH THE WHITE BEARD 



pooses, all of whom had been named 

 John Davenport. This pleased the 

 man with the white beard, and he smiled 

 and shook hands with as many of the 

 little savages as he could reach. As he 

 passed on the Indians all took up the 

 line of march and fairly escorted him 

 in a great parade as if he were their 

 god, Sohlie tiee. No Indian ever beat 

 him out of a dollar, but a bad one stole 

 his boy's white pony. Then John Daven- 

 port, the Indian's friend, turned to be 

 the Indian's enemy, and sent that In- 

 dian to the penitentiary for seven years. 



gon, near where the big old oak tree 

 used to stand, I saw a strange sight, — 

 Old Shian had come to town, where 

 he had not been for years. Some were 

 surprised to see him, they thought 

 he was dead. My father was sent for 

 to see and talk with the old Indian, as 

 they had been friends for more than 

 thirty years. The old Indian was very 

 feeble. He could scarcely see, and was 

 trying to find the old oak tree ; once at 

 the tree he could find his way around 

 Silverton, as that was his compass. But 

 the tree was gone, Silverton had out- 



