The Payette Independent
Friday, February 08, 1907
PIONEERS PASS AWAY
SAMUEL W. KING AND JAMES HUTCHINSON ANSWER THE LAST CALL
Two of the Oldest Residents of the Payette Valley Die Within the Week --
Mr. King Came to Idaho in 1869 and Mr. Hutchinson in 1878 -- Were Men Highly
Honored and Respected.
During the last week two of the pioneers of the Payette Valley have been called
to that bourne from which no traveler returns. One an old man enfeebled by age
who had served his time and did it well and who was expecting the call of the angel
of death, the other a man seemingly in good health who was stricken down with a
suddenness that was a great shock to his many friends and which makes it hard for
them to realize that he has been called from this life.
JAMES HUTCHINSON CALLED UNEXPECTEDLY
In the death of James Hutchinson Payette has lost one of her most honored citizens.
His end was unexpected. On Tuesday, January 29, he was engaged in superintending
work being done near Falk’s Store on the Lower Payette ditch, of which irrigation
system he had been the superintendent for years. He injured himself about 3 o’clock
in the afternoon by lifting. By 6 o’clock that evening he was in great pain and was
brought to Payette and then taken to a hospital at Baker City, where Wednesday morning
he underwent an operation for intestinal obstruction. He seemed to rally from the
operation in good condition, but he did not have the strength to recover from it.
Mr. Hutchinson was born in New York City in 1854. He lived there for 10 years and
then moved to California with a cousin much older than himself. After living in
San Francisco three years, he removed to Washington territory, where he spent two years.
He then took up some farm land in the Willamette valley in Oregon, where he remained for
nine years, removing thence to Hailey in this state. He engaged in mining for a short
time and 1882 came to the Payette valley, where he had lived since.
He was married to Miss Elizabeth Wilson of Salmon Meadows in 1887 and to them six
children were born, three boys and three girls, all of whom survive the husband and
father. His father is still living in Ireland.
During the 25 years since Mr. Hutchinson came to Payette he made friends on every
hand and no man knew him but to call him honest, patriotic and upright, the highest
tributes to be paid to an American citizen.
Four years ago he was elected county treasurer of Canyon county and served one term.
He had been a member of the Payette school board for a number of years, and in respect
to his memory the public schools were dismissed on the day of his burial.
The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock under the auspices
of the order of Odd Fellows, of which he was a member. The members of the order gathered
at their hall at 1:15 o’clock and conducted the remains from there to the church.
Rev. Leeds preached the funeral sermon. Interment was in the Odd Fellow plat at
Riverside cemetery.