Findings for the Companies
Part VII

By Edward Huggins
The Sunday Oregonian
August 26, 1900

The Commission sat for a short time in San Francisco, and in 1866, during the Winter, sat for a few days in Portland. I drove the party, six in number, to Monticello, near the mouth of the Cowlitz River, and never shall I forget the drive from the Cowlitz Prairie by the way of the military, or, rather, stage road to Monticello, where we took the steamer for Portland. The road is mountainous, and in places was then almost impassable, because of the muddy holes to be found in many places. 

Many old residents are still alive who will recollect the horrors that were met with upon that road. On our trip home we stopped one night at he old Cowlitz farmhouse, then much dilapidated, and unfortunately Dr. Tolmie the head of the party, was given the only good bed in the house, or what was supposed to be the best bed in the house. 

I say unfortunately, for the sheets were very damp, and the next morning the good old doctor was quite lame from rheumatism, contracted during then night, and he was only just able to get home, when he was stricken with inflammatory rheumatism, which came very nearly causing the death of the oldest (1832, the date of his arrival at Vancouver), and best friend the struggling early settlers of Puget Sound ever had.

Perhaps they did not know it, but I was in a position to know what that man did towards making the advent of the poor immigrants comparatively safe from the dangers nearly always to be expected from the aboriginal inhabitants of a new country, as was the case from 1845 to 1855, and perhaps later. Referring again to the business of the
commission. 

It adjourned to meet at Washington, D. C. Clark was paid off and received in all for his services about $5000. Lander was retained until the final determination of the business at a salary of $5000 a year. Rose, one of Canada's leading lawyers, was leading lawyer for the companies, and J. Choate was leader for the United States. The thing went along for some time, but no agreement could be made, and at last it went to the referee. 

I forget the chap's name he was an Emperor, King, or something of that kind and he made as decision which was accepted. I forgot to state that the claim of the two companies amounted to several millions of dollars, for value of lands and property stolen and destroyed, also for damages, not, I think, at all consequential. The amount of the award made and accepted was $650,000 to the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, and $400,000 to the Hudson's Bay Company. 

The amount of the expense incurred in settling up this matter I never was able to learn, but I am sure it was very heavy, as I know that the companies acted very generously throughout the whole business, and everything was done in an open and fair minded way. 

At the commencement of the business the local newspapers were paid a little to remain quiet, and not attack the companies. This was done at the suggestion of Clark, but when the chief of the board of management, Dougal McTavish became aware of it, he was highly indignant, and nothing further in that line was done afterwards.