100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Aug. 1, 1920

Jack Rathie was arrested near the John Thompson place above Gibbon this morning and brought to the county jail. He is the third of the murderers of Sheriff Til Taylor to be taken since midnight. Neil Hart and Jim Owens, his confederates, were captured by a posse of La Grande men in a sheep camp at Spout Springs, six miles north of Tollgate and north of Summerville, and taken to the Union county jail heavily guarded. Hart, who was arrogant and not a bit perturbed when brought to the jail in La Grande, has confessed to shooting Sheriff Taylor. Both he and Owens looked to be in excellent condition, had recently shaved and had in their possession items which were not with them upon their escape. These findings point unmistakably to help from outside sources. Efforts will be made to curb the lynch sentiment which has been expressed and to insure the delivery of the prisoners safely to the jail when they are brought to Pendleton tomorrow morning. The three prisoners will stand trial for first degree murder and are liable to face the gallows.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Aug. 1, 1970

In Eastern Oregon, gun control legislation is about as popular as a smallpox epidemic. The issue is providing political fodder for Everett Thoren in a move to unseat Rep. Al Ullman, who seldom faces a serious challenger. The Elgin building contractor and former lumberman has been on the campaign trail several times since 1962 and has always had a problem finding an audience with an attentive ear. This go-around Thoren has found an audience — organizations fighting gun control — and he lashed out at Ullman in strong language at a Hermiston gathering. His audience listened with an interest indicative of those who fear the country is going down the drain with the imposition of gun control legislation. Unless Ullman can get Thoren stopped from saying, “There is no record of Ullman voting against any gun control legislation,” Al Ullman is going to be busy this deer season visiting with the voters from Salem to Enterprise.

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Aug. 1, 1995

Les Bridges, manager of the now silent Rogge Sawmill in Wallowa, points an accusing finger at the U.S. Forest Service’s inability to maneuver timber sales through a maze of environmental and judicial red tape. “We were forced to buy logs from as far away as Utah,” he said. But relief may be coming for sawmills fortunate enough to have weathered the drought of logs, including timber-starved mills in Pilot Rock, Pendleton and Heppner. President Clinton this week signed legislation that trims some $16.3 billion in federal spending from the 1995 budget but exempts from the appeals process salvage logging on federal land. Bypassing the appeals process would speed up the movement of salvage, which is good news for sawmills hungry for logs. The Umatilla National Forest, for example, sold a little more than eight million board feet of timber last year, a mere pittance in comparison to the heyday of logging in the Blue Mountains. This year, the Umatilla National Forest should sell 17-20 mbf, and next year plans to offer for sale a little over 40 mbf.