AN EXAMPLE OF RED TAPE
The institution to which we take off
our hats on the Fourth of July, ‘‘The
United States, ’ ’ can make just as big a
fool of itself as the town cut-up when
the occasion arises.
Little Henry Hanson, a likely youth
who has lived all his life in the Doug
las Indian village, and wjio is well
known for his bright and charming
ways, has a job as dish washer and
“pot wrestler” at the government na
tive hospital. Officially he is desig
nated as second cook, and is sometimes,
under the careful eye of the “chief
cook,” permitted the responsibility of
boiling potatoes.
Last Friday he appeared at the court
house and took his oath of office, on a
blank furnished for the purpose by the
government. He was solemnly sworn
to support the constitution of the Un
ited States, and do well and truthfully
perform the duties of the office. Now if
he should, when peeling a potato, take
away too much of the tuber along
with the skin, he is guilty of malfea
sance in .office.
All this was necessary, however, for
him to receive a salary for his undoubt
edly useful work.
JOKEES ABE DEFEATED
The trunks of John Museth and bride
were sent down to the dock in Juneau
to take the Sampson, on Wednesday ev
ening, but on account of the over
crowded condition of the passenger
list, they had to be sent back to await
the arrival of the Humboldt, and there
fore a rollicky jolly joke perpetrated
by his particular friends was defeated.
The trunks were decorated with dolls,
baby shoes and a placard, "We are
just married,” but on account of the
delay, the decorations were discovered,
and the marks of painstaking care be
stowed by his busy friends were remov
ed before the actual departure of the
bridal party.
The young couple have a great many
friends on both sides of the channel,
who hope that the draft they carry on
the sum total of human happiness will
be honored by the bank of futurity at
its face value.
CRIME IN ALASKA
Given a set of facts and figures, it is
surprising to observe what different
inferences may be deduced from them.
Take the facts and figures concerning
crime in Alaska.
In 1908, the latest year of which we
are able to find available data, there
were 177 persons accused of crime in
the territory of Alaska. Of this num
ber 46 were convicted. In a popula
tion of 65,000, that would be an aver
age of 71 persons convicted in every
100,000 of population.
In Massachusetts, to every 100,000
population, there were 187 prison sen
tences that year; in Nevada 304; in
the District of Columbia, 589; and in
Porto Rico 1,610.
The delegate from Alaska used these
figures in Washington last winter to
prove that there is little crime in Al
aska. Persons in Alaska hostile to the
public prosecutors use the same figures
to prove that the public prosecutors are
incompetent.
Incidentally, it is interesting to note
how these figures of Alaska crime are
divided. According to the report of
the attorney general for 1908, there
were in the Juneau division 33 accusa
tions for crime, and 14 convictions; in
the Nome division, 75 accusations and
18 convictions, and in the Fairbanks
division 69 accusations and 14 con
victions.
The ratios in the Fairbanks and the
Nome divisions are fairly equal, while
the results in the Juneau division are
more satisfactory from the point of
view of the prosecutor. But of course
the purpose of the judicial apparatus
is to satisfy justice, not to make a rec
ord of convictions or to fill prisons.
NORTHWESTERN A SMASHER
On the north bound trip the steamer
Northwestern smashed into two docks,
doing considerable damage in each
case, according to the statement of
passengers destined for this port. At
Ketchikan the big ship was tied to
the wharf. The captain signaled the
engine room to back up. The vessel,
instead, moved ahead, crashing on
through a wing of the dock and ram
ming a fishing schooner tied on the op
posite side. Bepeated signaling from
the pilot house to the engine room fail
ed to stop the ship. A deck officer
ran below and gave the engineer a ver
bal command to reverse. Inquiry de
veloped that the signal apparatus was
out of order and did not correctly con
vey to the engine room the signals of
the pilot house.
The dock at Latouche was rammed
and badly damaged through a repeti
tion of the former experience.—Seward
Gateway.
GOLD DUST AT A DISCOUNT
A most peculiar state of-affairs was
developed at Iditarod when the final
payment on Chicago bench, off the Mar
rietta association became due. The
amount involved was $12,000, and pay
ment in legal money of the United
States was called for from Messrs. Ait
ken, Ives and Price to Hans Olsen, J.
Lewrence, James Orr, Boy McLeod and
Ben Zederman.
Currency and coin were not to be
had at the banks and an active cam
paign was waged among all classes of
people, from business^ men to washer
women—fifty dollars on the thousand
being offered for a period of five days,
with double the amount in gold dust
deposited as security. Default by the
debtors would have been of interest
to the creditors, and it may be that
the hopes of the latter were raised as
the time grew late lazt night. However
before the hour of midnight, sufficient
miscellaneous cash was assembled and
the final act in the mining deal took
place. In the money turned over was
fifteen hundred dollars in silver and
a great bale of $1 bills. It was a
matter of general knowledge that a
shortage of coin and currency exists
the district, but the seriousness of the
situation was imperfectly understood
till yesterday.
Final payment was also made on Bon
anza association yesterday by Fergu
son McArdle and Carter, $5,000 going
to Pete Hansen and $7,500 to O. P.
Goss. In this instance there was no
trouble, the creditors being willing to
take dust.—Iditarod Pioneer.
ALASKA BEEEY JUICE
Among the displays at the Tanana
Valley fair which hinted the possibili
ties of the future was the array of na
tive berry juices displayed by the Tan
ana Bottling works, of which F. Ash
berg is proprietor. The display was
one of the most attractive at the fair,
because of the bright coloring of the
liquid in the bottles, and also because
it was not generally known that these
products coristituted part of an estab
lished industry in the camp. The na
tive berries of Alaska have a flavor all
their own, and it is not at all beyond
the bounds of probabilities that the
native berry extract industry will de
velop an export trade that will be an
important asset to the community.—
Fairbanks Times.
POLAE BEAE AT SEWAED
The schooner Polar Bear, fourteen
days from Nome has reached Seward
says the Gateway. The Polar Bear is
in command of Capt. L. L. Lane, the
owner, and was built especially for
Arctic trading purposes. She is a dan
dy little craft, of about fifty tons, equip
ped with auxilliary gasoline power, and
fitted with the comforts of a much larg
er vessel. Capt. Lane reports a success
ful trading season, and has a fine bunch
of Arctic furs and curios on board. A
live polar bear and a young fox are
being taken to the states. As an ad
junct to the trading business, views for
moving pictures of Arctic life were
taken, and some very( valuable and nov
el films were secured. One shows Capt.
Lane, gun in hand, feeding a polar
bear. He stood about twelve feet dis
tant, throwing chunks of walrus meat
at bruin, who ate them with avidity,
but growling viciously the while. Fine
views of walrus, groups of them, whales
seal and other Arctic animals go to
make up what is probably the finest
collection of this character ever ob
tained.
Capt. Lane is a son of Chas. D. Lane
the California and Alaska mining man
whose demise was chronicled last
spring.
Bargains
This Week
Weather is coming. You need blankets,
comforts and quilts. We have just re
ceived a big assortment of Dependon
Blankets, Quilts and Comforts.
Blankets from $5.00 to $12.00.
Quilts from $1.25 to $8.00.
Comforts from $1.25 to $16.
All made under sanitary regulations.
STUBBINS
WELL MADE AND BEAUTIFUL
F
U
R
N
I
T
U
R
E
Does not cost as much as some people
think. Bnt Our Chairs and Tables
Book Cases, and indeed all Our Furni
ture adds much to the coziness of home.
Alaska Furniture & Undertaking Co.
L. G. THOMAS, Mgr.