ANDREW BURGE

Lucile McDonald, "The Naches Pass Trail," Seattle Times. November 8, 1953. (excerpts).

Meanwhile Andrew Burge of the road building party, was traveling along into the mountains with pack horses laden with (Edward) Allens donations of food. At Summit Hill he saw two white women, Mrs. James Longmire and Mrs. Erastus Light and their children walking.

"My God, women, where in the world did you come from?" he demanded, seeing them shrinking back into the bushes to give his horses room to pass on the narrow trail.

When he saw the wagons he tried to persuade the men to camp on the summit meadow, saying that the trail he had cover over was too narrow and had not been finished.

Unable to convince the immigrants that they could not pass, he left the food he brought as the wagons were badly in need of it. As Burge returned to Steilacoom, he blazed trees and left notes tacked up to guide and encourage them.

His messages read, "a shade better, " or "a shade worse," and so on.

(This story is related by James Longmire in his account as published in "The Narrative of James Longmire," Washington Historical Quarterly, XXIII(January, 1932) and XXIII(April, 1932) pages 47-60, and 138-141.)

Meeker, Ezra. Pioneer Reminiscences of Puget Sound. Seattle: Lowman and Hanford, 1905 p. 153-54.

Charles Wren who had thirteen cows and thirty calves lived in the Nisqually Plains near Andrew Burge. The most desperate character I ever knew, Charles McDaniel, also was a near neighbor, but a friend of Andy, as we used to call Burge.

Both lost stock that could be traced directly to their neighbor, Wren, the man with the extra calves, but it was no use to prosecute him as a jury could not be procured that would convict. I had myself tried it in our court with the direct evidence of the branded hide taken from him, but a bribed juryman refused to convict.

For a few years and for this district there seemed to be no redress through our courts. Finally Burge and McDaniel waylaid their neighbor a few miles out from Steilacoom, tied him to a tree and whipped him most unmercifully.I have never yet given my approval to mob law and never will, believing that it is better to suffer awhile, bide one's time until laws can be enforced, rather than to join in actions that will breed contempt for law and lead to anarchy.

But, if ever there was a justifiable case of men taking the law into their own hands, this was one of them, and is introduced here to illustrate a condition of affairs that had grown up which seemed well nigh intolerable. After the whipping Wren was warned to leave the country, which he could not well do, tied to a tree as he was until their parties discovered and released him, but which he speedily did although the wealthiest man in the county.

No prosecutions followed, but in the lapse of time a colored man appeared at Steilacoom and spent much time hunting herds on the prairies, until one day Burge was going him from Steilacoom in his wagon when this center shot was fired with the bullet going through his neck, just missing the jugular vein.

The colored man disappeared as mysteriously as he came, but everyone believed he had been hired to assassinate Burge and McDaniel, and as afterwards proved to be the case.

But the trouble was not ended here. The lawless neighbor had gone, but no lawlessness. The old story that lawlessness begets lawlessness was again proven. McDaniel and others concluded that as Wren had gone, they could prey upon his land holdings, which for twenty-five years in Pierce County were no more than squatters rights, in consequence of that intolerable claim of the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company.

At this most of the community rebelled and warned McDaniel, but to purpose, until finally he was shot down on the streets of Steilacoom or rather a vacant lot in a public place and lay for hours in his death struggles uncared for, and his pal murdered in the wagon that was carrying him to a scaffold.

The two had be waylaid, but had escaped only to meet their fate in a more public manner. Burge narrowly escaped a like fate at the hands of the mob, because of his near neighborship with McDaniel and of his participation with him in the first instance that had led up to the final catastrophe.

But Burge was an honorable man, though rough in manner, yet just in his dealings, while McDaniel was a gambler and a blackleg of the very worst, imaginable type.

The Indian war had brought to the front many vicious characters, and the actions of some officials in high places had encouraged lawlessness, so, as a community, the near by country round and about Steilacoom was scourged almost beyond belief.

Meeker, Ezra. Pioneer Reminiscences of Puget Sound Seattle: Lowman and Hanford, 1905. p. 153-154.

"More Shooting in Pierce County," Olympia Transcript. February 12, 1870.

On Saturday, a half breed by the name of John Colder from Tualatin Plains, Oregon, was in Steilacoom drinking and get a bottle of whiskey started home. On his way out he stopped at the farm house of William Northover, abut eight miles from town. Here he acted improperly by running one of the old man's daughters about the place.

The father interfered to save his child from the insults offered by Colder and with some difficulty secured the girl and Colder seeing her gone, became angry at Northover for his interference. Colder seated himself on one bed and had Northover on another opposite, when Colder coolly drew his pistol and shot Northover through the breast, the ball lodging in the back. The girl fled to some neighbors who immediately went over, when Colder attempted to shoot one of them.

They immediately sent for the sheriff and medical aid. When Sheriff Carson and his deputies arrived, they found Colder in a barn watched by the neighbors to prevent his escape. It seems he became somewhat scared at what he had done and tried to hide his pistol, but it was found the next day.

After a severe struggle the sheriff and posse succeeded in arresting and securing him and he is now in jail. He waived an examination, and was committed to jail by Justice Rogers to await the next term of the district court. He is now wearing a Gardner shackle.

Dr. A. H . Steel of Olympia, was summoned to attend the wounded man and extracted the ball.

Colder is a young man, stands six feet high over and is a half brother to Charles Wren of Victoria. He took a prominent part with the Vigilance Committee in the Mcdonald and Gibson affair, as also did Charles Colder, a younger brother and C. Wren, a nephew of Charles Wren of Victoria.

I learn that the Vigilance Committee have decided that if old man Northover dies, Colder must hang. It will be well for Pierce County when the Colders and the Wrens sell out and leave the county, for as long as they are here, it will be in hot water, as it has always been.

Olympia Transcript. February 12, 1870.

James Longmire, "Narrative of James Longmire," WashingtonHistorical Quarterly. 

At the top of Summit Hill, my wife and Mrs. E.A. Light had gone ahead of the wagons with their children, taking the circuitous trail which brought them around to the wagon train, for which we were making the road as we went along. As they walked thus, my wife ahead, they were surprised to meet a white man. 

They had not seen one, except those of our party, since leaving Walla Walla, and little expected to find one in this almost inaccessible place, but were more than please by his rude welcome, "My God, women, where in the world did you come from?" The two women shrank against the trees and shrubbery to give him room to pass them with his packhorses, the trail being barely wide enough for one person.

This man was Andrew Burge, sent out from Fort Steilacoom, with supplies for the road-makers who had already given up the job for want of food, which arrived too late for them but in time for us, as our stores were becoming alarmingly low. From these two lone women in the wilderness he learned of our whereabouts, and came at once to persuade us to return to where there was grass and water for our stock, telling us it was impossible for us to make our way over the country before us.

Failing to convince us of this, he set to work to distribute his supplies among us, and returned to Fort Steilacoom, blazing trees as he went and leaving notes tacked up, giving what encouragement he could, and preparing us in a measure for what was before us.

For instance, he said, "The road is a shade better, " A little farther, "A shade worse." Then again, "A shade better." And so on till we were over the bad roads.

James Longmire, "The Narrative of James Longmire," Washington Historical Quarterly. XXIII(January, 1932), and (April, 1932.).

Erastus Light, "Early Times In Pierce County." (excerpts).

At the top of Summit Hill, my wife and Mrs. E.A. Light had gone ahead of the wagons with their children, taking the circuitous trail which brought them around to the wagon train, for which we were making the road as we went along. As they walked thus, my wife ahead, they were surprised to meet a white man. 

They had not seen one, except those of our party, since leaving Walla Walla, and little expected to find one in this almost inaccessible place, but were more than please by his rude welcome, "My God, women, where in the world did you come from?" The two women shrank against the trees and shrubbery to give him room to pass them with his packhorses, the trail being barely wide enough for one person.

This man was Andrew Burge, sent out from Fort Steilacoom, with supplies for the road-makers who had already given up the job for want of food, which arrived too late for them but in time for us, as our stores were becoming alarmingly low. From these two lone women in the wilderness he learned of our whereabouts, and came at once to persuade us to return to where there was grass and water for our stock, telling us it was impossible for us to make our way over the country before us.

Failing to convince us of this, he set to work to distribute his supplies among us, and returned to Fort Steilacoom, blazing trees as he went and leaving notes tacked up, giving what encouragement he could, and preparing us in a measure for what was before us.

For instance, he said, "The road is a shade better, " A little farther, "A shade worse." Then again, "A shade better." And so on till we were over the bad roads.

Erastus Light, "Early Times in Pierce County."

A LETTER FROM ANDREW BURGE ABOUT THE ROADBUILDING CREW

Friend Meeker,

Sir:
Your letter dated November 26,1904, at hand. Sir, I am quite sick. I will try to sit up long enough to scratch an answer to your questions. Kirtley's men fell out among themselves. I well remember Jack Perkins had a black eye. Kirtley, as I understood, was to go to Wenass Creek, thence cut a wagon road from Wenass to the Natchess River, thence up the Natchess River until they met Allen's party.

It is my opinion they did commence at Wenass. There were three notches cut in many of the large trees. I can find some of these trees yet where these notches show. Allen did not know Kirtley and his party had abandoned the enterprise until Ehformer told him. He expressed much surprise and regret. I packed the provisions for Allen's party.

The last tip I made I found Allen and his party six or eight miles down the Natchess River. I was sent back to the summit of the mountain to search for a pack mule and a pack horse. These two animals were used by the working party to move their camp outfit, and their provisions.

When they returned they told me that they cut the road down to where Kirtley's party left off. Of my own knowledge I can safely say Allen's party cut the road from John Montgomery's to some six or maybe eight miles down the Natchess River and it was four days after that before they came to the summit on their return.

It is possible Kirtley's party slighted their work to the extent that made it necessary for immigrants to take their axes in hand. I consider Kirtley a dead failure at anything. Kirtley's party came home more than a month before we came in. If Van Ogle is not insane he ought to remember.

Allen's party cut the road out from six to eight miles down the Natchess River to John Motgomery's. The valley on the Natchess River is too narrow for any mistake to occur.

The first men that came through came with James and his brother, Charles Biles, Sargent, Downey, James Longmire, Van Ogle, two Atkins, Lane, a brother-in-law of Sargent, Kincaid, two Woolery's, Lane of Puyallup, E.A. Light, John Eagan(Reagan), Charley Fitch. Meeker, I am quite sick; when I get well I will write more detailed account; it is as much as I can do to sit up.

Yours, in haste, as ever. Andrew J. Burge. 

Meeker, Ezra. Pioneer Reminiscences of Puget Sound. Seattle, Lowman and Handford, 1905. pp. 151-52.