In April, 1850, Governor Lane went up to The Dalles and brought down the five Cayuse murderers who had surrendered to the government. They were confined on an island in the midst of the falls, connected with the mainland with a bridge and guarded by a detachment of riflemen. The trial was set for May 2,2, 1850, the prosecution was conducted by Amory Holbrook, and the defence by the territorial secretary. After a fair trial. Judge O. C. Pratt sentenced them to be hung on the third of June. There was some fear of a rescue on the day of execution, and hundreds of settlers came armed, concealing their weapons in convenient places in order not to excite the suspicions of numbers of attending Indians. But all passed off quietly; the gallows stood on the site of the present city waterworks.
With the returning gold seekers, conveniences and even luxuries were for the first time known in Oregon City. McCarver came back in his own bark, the Ocean Bird, with an upright piano, the first in Oregon, a lot of furniture and a house to put it in, built in Boston of Maine lumber, knocked down and shipped to San Francisco, whither all the world was sending commodities at that time. Whole towns of Long Island Dutch farm houses were being built in Brooklyn, to be carried by sea to the Pacific, and one was brought to Oregon City. Berryman Jennings, Samuel S. White, Dolph Hanna and General McCarver cleared $12,000 more than they had paid for the Ocean Bird on the very first voyage, bringing passengers to Oregon. On another trip to Honolulu she brought them $16,000. Even China was sending houses to America, and three Chinese houses of teak wood were brought to Oregon City, where they were bought and set up by Robert Caufield and David Burnside. Some of the panels of those Chinese houses are in use to this day in Oregon City. McCarver paid his foreman, Andrew Hood, $16 a day to set up that Boston house on his farm, displacing the original log cabin. Dr. McLoughlin and Dr. Barclay brought interior finishings for their houses, even to the fire brick and flagstones, from England. Furniture for ex-Governor Abernethy's fine home at Green Point, was brought at this time, and pianos for the Holmes's and others, but the oldest piano of all was brought for the daughter of Dr. McLoughlin on the bark Lausanne in 1840.
Oregon apples were as good as gold in California. It is related that one day Mrs. Hedges met General McCarver and told him she had just sold her apples to Mr. Strowbridge for $11 a bushel. "'And I have sold my apples to Mr. Strowbridge for $17 a bushel," answered Mr. McCarver.
In 1851 the brig Henry, Captain Kilbourne, arrived again at Oregon City, this time with a lot of millinery. "You can get bonnets at your own price, Mrs. C," said Dr. McLoughlin, hurrying into the Caufield store. "But, Doctor, I cannot, I haven't the money." "Tut, tut, tut," laughed the Doctor, "didn't I say you could fix your own price? They can't sell or give them away." Mrs. Caufield went down to the brig and bought the whole outfit, and set up the first millinery establishment in Oregon. People came all the way from Salem to buy Leghorn bonnets of Mrs. Caufield.
In June, 1848, Rev. George H. Atkinson and wife arrived at Oregon City, a few weeks before the news of gold nearly depopulated the place. He preached in the south room of the house owned by Deacon Hatch, on the bank of the river, corner of 4th and Water streets, the same room in which four years before Rev. Harvey Clark had organized a church. He found now seven members, having services once a month and carrying on a union Sabbath school with Rev. Hezekiah Johnson's Baptist church. Deacon Hatch came four miles over the hills with his ox team from his new farm on the Clackamas river, with his wife and children, to superintend this pioneer Sabbath school. Rev. David Leslie was at this time pastor of the Methodist church. The next week Deacon Hatch had horses ready to take Mr. Atkinson to West Tualatin Plains, now Forest Grove, to plan with Rev. Harvey Clark for the establishment of a college in Oregon.
In September, just when the gold seekers were starting away, a council of ministers and churches met for this purpose at Oregon City, and organized an
