Lane County Historian
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Lane County Historian The Lane County HistoricalSociety Vol. XXVI, No. 3 Fall, 1981 LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Hallie Hills Huntington, President 89239 Old Coburg Road, Eugene, OR 97401 Mrs. Elizabeth Solberg, Membership Chairman, 2746 Ladarrah St., Eugene, OR 97404 Lane County Historian Vol. XXVI, No. 3 Fall, 1981 Lois Barton, Editor, 84889 Harry Taylor Road, Eugene, OR 97405 CONTENTS LIFE OF CHARLES AN WAY 51 SKINNER-SHAW DISPUTE.. 60 FELIX SCOTf, by Olga Freeman 67 CORRECTIONS: Vol. XXVI, No. 2, Page 42: In the story by Dorothy Sprinkle, the family name should be Land, not Laud. Page 54: Bert Cline was incorrectly spelled Klein. Cover photo: George W. RiggsMabel, Ore., caught this cougar in a trap. He also treed many cats and bear with the dog shown. From C. Dudley Miller collection, Lane County Museum. The manuscript for this story of the life of Charles Anway was made available to the HISTORIAN through the good offices of Doris Walker Sayre and Hallie Hunt- ington. As far as we know, Anway never married. He passed away not long after this account was written, although the exact date is not known to any of us. Ed. THE LIFE OF CHARLES ANWA Y (as written by him at Oakridge, 1948) I was born Jan. 8, 1888 at Hampton, I was sent to Davenport, Iowa to the Iowa. As a baby I lived with my parents Orphans Home. It was a tough place; until I was 6 years old. Then my parents they were very strict with the children. separated, my mother left and wasn't There were girls and boys and their seen again for 13 years. That left me, ages ranged from 3 months to 21 years. my younger brother and a sister for my The caretaker was a lady about 65 years father to care for. He had no money and old. She carried a wooden paddle with no way to care for us. My mother fin- her at all times. It hung from a belt and ally took my sister; my brother, being was about 3 inches wide, an inch thick lucky, was taken in a good home and is and approximately 15 inches long. She still with them. used it as a weapon. The handle was Charles Anway beside the "Keely House' at Jasper Hills' home five miles above Oakridge circa 1922. Jasper Hills' home in the background was called The Bear's Den", was built by Hills in 1913. The site is now under Hills Creek Dam. The house burned after it was sold following the death of Jasper and Mrs. Hills. Courtesy ilallie Hills Huntington. Fall. 1981 carved out and she used it on all of us. morning and this was my job. It kept She would strike the smaller ones over me busy all the time and as I grew up he the head edgeways and so hard that it piled more work on me. By the time I would knock them out. was nine years old I had to work in the It was a large three-story building, field with the hired man, plowing and the rooms were very large. The boys had loading hay for two pitchers. They a room, the girls another and the babies crowded me off the wagon and I fell to still another. Our bedrooms were up- the ground breaking my arm. That gave stairs. I remember we could only get me a rest for a while but I wasn't idle glimpses of the girls when the caretaker very long. They found work I could do would come or go through the door. We with one ann. They overworked me and had to call her Auntie at all times or I never got enough to eat. My school was else. All the exercise we got was about a half mile away and I had to run to once a week when we were marched school every morning as all my work double file about 8 blocks and then had to be done first. The winters were back. There was a large lot outside the very cold, thirty below zero. I nearly building (with a high fence around it) froze my feet because they would not and we were allowed to sun ourselves give me heavy enough clothes and foot- about once a day. I guess the peniten- wear. At school I had no place to dry my tiary would not be any worse. The clothes after wading up to my knees in meals were very poorfor instance, one mud and water made by the cattle, so I bowl of cereal for breakfastthe only stayed in them all day. I had to carry choice and nothing else. I heard the hay with a fork about 150 yards, two boys plotting to break out nearly every times a day for about a carload of night and lots of them made it but the cattle. They had ten milk cows that police would catch them and when they were kept in a pasture in the summer a got back it was murder to face Auntie half mile out. Every night I had to go to again. drive them in and then back in the morning besides all my other chores of I was there about seven months and the fields, etc. The only rest I would get finally they told me I was going to a was on Sundays as they wouldn't work new home on a farm. I was so glad to get then. away but had no idea what was in store for me next. Soon I was on my way to a They had me on the run nearly all the town called Kalona, Iowa. They let me time and were very mean. It was so off there and a man came up to me and rough I wanted to run away. When I said he was in charge of me. His name was 14 years old Joe Miller died. Now I was Doc. Ritter, and said he was going felt was my chance to get away. I never to take me out in the country to a large was able to get along with Mrs. Miller farm about six miles from town. The hut their seven girls were nice. One day Doctor had a nice team of horses and a I went over to a neighbor's and asked buggy. I felt so free and goodsome him for a job. I explained to him that I relief from the cooped-up Orphans was going to leave Miller's anyway. He Home. Soon we came to my new home. said I could work for him and he would My keeper's name was Joe Miller, a pay me $15.00 a month. Now if I could German. He had three girls, the oldest just escape Mrs. Miller I had a place to one was about my age. The farm was stay and what seemed to me a lot of about 200 acres and he raised lots of money offered me too. It wasn't more hogs, cattle, horses, chickens and corn, than two or three days that Mrs. Miller wheat, oats, cane sugar and pumpkins. went visiting. I waited an hour or two All the stock had to be fed night and to be sure everything was clear. I rush- Lane County Historian 52 ed upstairs, packed my trunk, got the had a high school celebration. All the wheelbarrow and wheeled it up to the schools were invited and while we were house. I put the trunk in it and told the going through our plays there was a girls good-bye and that I was on my school teacher about 45 years old eyeing way. They didn't know what to say or me. She asked what my name was do. I wheeled the trunk about a half through one of my schoolmates. She was mile out in the brush and then took surprised to hear it and said she wanted their wheelbarrow back. I then went on to talk to me after the basket social. I over to the neighbor who said he would could hardly wait to talk to her. After take me in. He lived about three miles lunch I contacted her and was never so away, and his name was David Troyer. I surpirsed in all my life when she told told Dave that I had my trunk part way me that she had held me on her lap there and would he get the team and when I was five years old. I nearly went take it the rest of the way, which he wild. Her name was Helen White. She gladly did. remembered me and told me she knew I didn't have any chores to do, field all my folks and that my father was still work was about allthis seemed to be in the same town where we had sepa- some relief. Then I found out that the rated when I was six years old. She gave people from the Orphans Home were me his address and I wrote to him. He looking for me, and it wasn't long until answered right away saying for me to a lady came and asked me if I would go come. It was only about two hundred back to Miller's. I told her I wouldn't miles north of where I had been all the unless I was dead. She said she didn't time.It was a small town called blame me for not liking a woman boss, Hansell, Iowa.I hadn't been able to but that I would have to have a guar- remember the name or I would have dian to look after me until I was 21 or been back there long before now.