Peter French
Peter French | |
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Born | Missouri, United States | April 30, 1849
Died | December 26, 1897 Frenchglen, Oregon, USA | (aged 48)
Occupation | Rancher |
Peter French (April 30, 1849 – December 26, 1897) was a
Early life
Peter French was born John William French in
French moved southward to
Glenn had expanded his assets as widely as possible in the area, and began to scout new areas for his profitable markets. In 1872, he sent French to Oregon with 1,200 head of Shorthorn cattle, a handful of vaqueros, and a Chinese cook. He ended up in southeastern Oregon to find vast grasslands amid the arid high desert.
Upon his arrival in the
Cattle king
After several years, French's small cattle operation had expanded, helped in large part by Glenn as his financier. The P Ranch became the headquarters for his growing cattle empire. He and his men built fences, drained marshlands and irrigated large areas of land, broke hundreds of horses and
In 1883, French married Glenn’s daughter Ella. Glenn was murdered three weeks later by a former employee. French continued to manage the Oregon operation for the Glenn family, selling more cattle to help pay the family’s debts. In 1894, Glenn’s heirs decided to incorporate the French-Glenn partnership into the French-Glenn Livestock Company, making French the company president.[1][2] French was divorced in 1891.
In June 1878, the native
In the 1880s and 1890s, stockmen and smaller farmers fought over land and water rights. Aggression over such rights and French's large spread of land drew a certain loathing toward him and his operation.
Death
French was shot in the head on December 26, 1897, by Edward Lee Olivier. The bullet entered between French's right eye and right ear just below his temple and exited just behind the top of his left ear. He died instantly.[3]
John William "Peter" French was buried in Red Bluff, California, next to the graves of his father and mother at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Trial of Edward Olivier
Olivier was initially charged with murder. He pled not guilty and was let out on $10,000.00 bail that was furnished by seven local supporters. The day before the trial was to begin, the charges were dropped. Supporters of French called the trial "fixed" however, the prosecution aimed for a lesser charge of Manslaughter to counter Olivier's claim of self-defense. The trial began May 18, 1898, in the Harney County Courthouse.
Olivier had been in a dispute with French for some time about an easement that would grant Olivier the legal right to cross through a piece of French's land to get to Olivier's home. Without an easement Olivier would be forced to increase his travel by over 6 miles (9.7 km). It had been reported that French made it a habit to punish Olivier for his supposed trespassing in humiliating fashion. He had quirted (whipped with a horse whip) Olivier in public at least 5 times. Lifelong rancher Alva Springer testified for the defense to French's public ridicule, "Here sits a little man who has nothing to say. You were in my field yesterday. Whenever the time comes right and I catch you there, I will fix you."[4] Several others testified to witnessing French's public promise to "fix," even "shoot", Olivier if the opportunity is ever presented.
The state had called nearly twenty witnesses, seven of which were French employees and who witnessed the killing from varied distances. Their claims were more or less the same: Olivier was seen riding toward the gate that would have given him access to cross through French's land. French was at the gate working a cattle drive that day. Olivier was witnessed colliding horse to horse with French as French yelled at Olivier. French was seen swinging his hand the way one swings a whip although witnesses testified they did not actually see a whip perhaps because of the distance between them. Olivier continued westerly toward his home behind French as French had turned his horse around. Olivier drew his gun and pointed it at French's head. French ducked. Olivier lowered his gun and when French turned his head back to look at Olivier, Olivier raised his gun again and fired. French fell from his horse. Olivier stopped, looked down at French dead on the ground and rode away in the direction of his home.
Olivier's defense hinged on the purported belief that he feared that when French turned his head away, it was to buy time to draw a weapon and finally "fix" Olivier. French was not armed with a gun but was carrying his horse whip.
One of the seven witnesses that testified for the prosecution was Burt French, Pete French's brother, employee and resident of P Ranch. He testified "Never saw my brother strike Olivier with anything."[5]
Over twenty witnesses testified to Olivier's defense. One was a man by the name of J. P. Kennedy who testified that he saw Burt French in Portland, OR, on January 2, 1898, little more than a week after Pete French was killed. Kennedy testified that Burt French told him, "I don't like to say anything against my brother, but I can't blame Olivier for doing as he did."[4]
A jury found Olivier not guilty.
Controversy
Accurate news reporting for happenings in southeastern Oregon were difficult then as now; the remoteness of the region lent itself to romanticization of the frontier lifestyle, particularly in the larger cities of the west coast.
A story published in the Oregonian newspaper in Portland on December 28, 1897, two days after French's killing read, "Peter French Dead - Shot and Killed by a Man Named Oliver reported to be a cold-blooded murder-affair occurred at Canyon City." An article published on 29 December in the San Francisco Chronicle read, "Killed as he fled from his assailant. How French was slain. Shot down on his own land while unarmed. The murderer escaped." On 30 December The Oregonian ran a story that said, "He [Olivier] is a man about 30 years of age, small of stature, and looks little like a criminal." On 29 December, the San Francisco Chronicle reported "French returned a few days ago from Chicago." This comports with the account in the book, Cattle Country of Peter French:[6] "Peter French returned from a business trip to Chicago on Christmas Day of 1897. In Burns, he had Mart Brenton at the livery stable hook his team onto the buckboard, which was loaded with gifts he had brought for the children of his crew. He then drove directly to the Sod House Ranch. That night there was a Christmas Party, with all the children happy over the holiday and the men and women in a festive mood."
A local attorney in Burns, John W. Biggs, enjoyed telling the story of Pete French having Christmas Dinner with the Biggs' family the day before he was murdered. His daughter, Helen Biggs Rand, outs her father in her manuscript, A Few Recollections of Burns[7] catalogued in the Harney County Library.
Conflicting accounts state that French returned to Harney County from Chicago by way of Omaha, Nebraska with William Hanley around the middle of December, 1897. In the December 15th, 1897, edition of the local newspaper, the Burns Times-Herald, it states, "Peter French was in town a few days this week on his way home from the east where he had been with beef cattle."
See also
References
- ^ "A Little Bit of Malheur History", Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of Interior, Princeton, Oregon, 10 November 2008.
- ^ Pinyard, David and Donald Peting, "Preservation of the Pete French Round Barn" Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, CRM Cultural Resources Management (Vol. 18, No. 5), National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, Washington, D.C., 1995, pp. 30–32.
- ^ Dr. Walter L. Marsden's "Coroner's Inquest" report on Peter French of December 27, 1897 at the Sod House Ranch.
- ^ ISBN 0-9622609-8-3.
- ISBN 0-9622609-8-3.
- ^ French, Giles (1972). Cattle Country of Peter French. Portland, Oregon: Binfords and Mort.
- ^ Biggs Rand, Helen. A Few Recollections of Burns. Harney County Library.
Further reading
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2008) |
- French, Giles. "Cattle Country of Peter French." Binfords & Mort, 1972.
- Gibson, Elizabeth. "Pete French, Cattle Baron."
- Harney County Sherriff. "The Death of Peter French."