Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/300

 278 Charles Henry Carey About tea time, we hear Bro. Hauxhurst 10 has lost a child about three years and six months old; drowned in the mill creek. It is not known how he got into the water. A sudden death. Mr. H. passed by our house a few hours ago, in a wagon with all his family in it. Now one of the number is with the dead. [1845] Sunday, April 13. Today the funeral of Bro. Hauxhurst's child was attended. Bro. Leslie preached. This Bro. H. is more a pleasant and agreeable man than the ordinary class of men. He was born in Brooklyn, near New York, was formerly a sailor, left his vessel in California, came into this country nearly ten years ago with all the propensities of a depraved life. The cause of temperance first took him and he was rescued from his cups. In a little while, he took an Indian girl and lived with her as he pleased. Conscience troubled him, and he furnished this girl with blankets and sundry other ar- ticles, and sent her, as he supposed, to her people. In the night, I am informed, he heard her at his door beseeching him to let her in, averring her love to him and promising to be good to him if he would let her live with him; his purpose in part yielded ; he let her in ; and knowing it was wicked for them to live together as they had done, he, in a short time, soon experienced religion, and is now a respectable man in the community, only he has a squaw for his wife. This, it is presumed, is the source for great mortification to himself and affliction to his friends ; yet he is leading a religious life; his oldest child is at school and he takes a great interest in his children. But the Father of all has taken this little one home ; where he will never suffer either in his feelings or relations in life for being a half-breed. Monday, 14. Examined the box of books; sold it to Rev. D. Leslie. The almanacs were deposited on our ar- 10 Webley J. Hauxhurst, built first grist mill in Willamette Valley in 1834. He was converted in January, 1837, and became a Methodist. (Lee and Frost, p. 143.)