100 Years Ago

Aug. 21, 1921

Louis Ragains, about 36 years old, postmaster at McKay, was shot and killed Sunday morning at 12:20 by Jesse Brunn at Wright’s cabin, 40 miles southeast of Pendleton. A plea of self defense is put forward by Brunn who declares that his own life was threatened by Ragains just before the fatal shot was fired. The shooting is said to have been witnessed by two other men who were in the cabin at the time. The accounts given by the three men to Deputy Coroner J.F. Brady and Deputy Sheriff Wes Spears agree that Ragains was the aggressor in the action that immediately preceded the shooting and resulted in his death.

50 Years Ago

Aug. 21, 1971

R.P. “Joe” Smith, Umatilla County district attorney, may be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for attorney general in the May primary, following a meeting of the Umatilla County Democratic Central Committee in Umatilla Friday night. Smith said in response to a query from an East Oregonian reporter on the attorney general candidacy rumor that he is “testing the water.” The Umatilla County district attorney is a prominent figure in state Democratic circles and in recent weeks has been making speeches to political groups in Western Oregon. Sunday he will be speaking at a Democratic meeting in Sandy. Smith’s candidacy for a state post is expected to draw considerable interest in Umatilla County.

25 Years Ago

Aug. 21, 1996

Russian-born Anatoly Shimansky is on a cross-country expedition of love and peace. An excursion he is not taking by plane, train, boat or even automobile, but by horse and buggy. And Tuesday, Pendleton became part of his journey. Shimansky, 54, of St. Petersburg, has spent the past eight months traveling across the country in his horse-drawn buggy on a voyage he calls “From Russia With Love and Peace.” The horse and buggy allow Shimansky to meet people, but he prefers this mode of transport because “nobody would give your car apples and carrots.” But, more importantly, his trek satisfies a lifelong quest. “It is my childhood dream to travel around the world,” Shimansky said.