HOT SPRINGS POST
Vol. I
Published Every Saturday at Hot Springs* Alaska,
MY CEO. M. ARBUCKLS
No. S
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Springs Postoffice.
OUR COURTS
According to the dispatches received by The Post last
week Judge Silas H. Reid was to have left -yesterday for
Valdez where he will be subjected to an investigation by a
special inspector of the Department of Justice relative to
certain acts of his which it is alleged were not for the best
interests of all concerned.
Setting aside the merits or demerits of the acts of
which Judge Reid is accused the fact remains that this
section of the Third judicial division is again to be.without
a judge and the many cases which were to have been tried
at this term of court must again be set back for one month
at the very least.
The loss to the many litigants as a result of this abrupt
termination of court can not be accurately estimated. The
long journeys made by the principals and witnesses who
reside in distant parts of Alaska were all for naught, and
they must either remain in Fairbanks and allow their inter
ests at home suffer or else they must work the long trip to
their home and return to Fairbanks again when court is
called, either course involving a severe loss to them.
The residents of this district are a patient and long
suffering people, but it appears that the limit of endurance
must surely be soon reached. If it were necessary to look
into the actions of Judge Reid and liis presence at the in
vestigation was absolutely necessary, it certainly does-seem
that it would not be asking too much of the Department of
Justice, if it were petitioned that a temporary judge be ap
pointed to act during the regular judge’s absence, and thus
relieve the costly congestion of legal affairs from which the
people are now suffering.
ASSOCIATION CLAIMS
That most of the people of the Hot Springe precinct
are opposed to the staking of association claims has been
known for a long time* but the first evidence of their dis
approval was made manifest last week by the miners on
Blowback creek.
Prior to the stampede nearly all the claims staked on
that stream were individual locations, but when the news
of the discovery was made public many of the stampeders
immediately got busy with the hatchet and pencil and
staked association claims. Since that time five boilers
have been placed on the creek, and not one of the five is on
an association. This indifference of the association men
has angered the working miners and the result is they have
banded together and resolved that no difference what they
find by their prospecting, they will tell no one, and if the
holders of large tracts wish to know what is on the creek
they will have to dig to find out.
This is another illustration of the bad effects of associa
tion staking. With eight men interested in a group it is
almost impossible to get them all to agree to put up money
or labor to prospect the ground with the result that it lies
not only idle, but closed to the man who would be willing
to stake a 20-acre claim, and prospect it. On the other
hand, as is illustrated on Blowback, with the ground staked
in individual claims, the parties interested can soon come
to some agreement to prospect and work the ground.
It is to be hoped the people of this district, as well as
of all Alaska, will soon see the folly of staking association
claims and realize that to be the sole owner of 20 acres is
far better than to control one-eighth of an association. In
the former case one can do as he desires, while in the latter
event the person staking has no more to say than any of
the others, and is only preparing a lot of trouble for him
self in case pay is found on the ground.
John Woodbury, the famous “beauty doctor” of New
York, recently committed suicide by shooting the top of his
head off, Judging from his pictures in the papers during
the past twenty years, we rather expected to read of his
throat having been cut.
Freight Agent Abroad in Land
J. S. Burnside, a freight agent
for the N. C. Co., passed through
Hot Springs Sunday on his way
to Tan ana, where he will look
after the interests of his cour
pany.
When it is borne in mind that
this company was badly worsted
in its efforts to get freight last
summer, as well as the fact that
a new corporation is about to
«nter the steamboat business in
Interior Alaska, a merry fight for
business is to be expected the
coming navigation season.
In any event it would be well
for shippers to remember that
the present rate is far in excess
of what may be expected later,
and it is well to be sure that all
contracts should be made giving
the shipper the benefits of any
cuts that may be made by any oi
the transportation companies.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
There appeal’s but little probability that the nomination of
Judge Gunnison will be confirmed by the United States senate,
Senator Knute Nelson, chairman of the sub-committee which is in
vestigating the charges brought against Gunnison, being deter
mined that the confirmation shall not be had, and that the matter
of the appointment of a successor to Gunnison shall go over until
the inauguration of Mr. Taft.
In a report issued last week, Secretary of the Interior Garfield
says that among the many land-fraud cases pending at this time
suits aggregating a sum in excess of $200,000 deal exclusively with
frauds perpetrated in Alaska. Most of them are trespass cases,
and it was for the purpose of getting them cleaned up that a pan
of the $1,000,000 appropriation asked for by his department was tc
be used.
After meeting several severe financial reverses, which appeal
to have mentally unbalanced him for a time, F. N. Niblock, reputed
to be one of the wealthiest of the new crop of Nevada milllionaires,
committed suicide January 19 at Rawhide by blowing the top ol
his head of with a revolver of heavy calibre.
Seattle society was stirred to its depths last week when it be
came known that W. L. Seely, a prominent attorney and a fortnei
bank examiner of that city, with a beautiful and supposedly happ^s
home on Capitol hill, had murdered his wife and 18-year-old daugh
ter, and then committed suicide. The murder was committed while
Mrs. and Miss Seely were asleep, when the murderer entered theii
bedchamber and crushed their skulls with a heavy instrument.
This was on Thursday night, but the crime was not discovered
until Saturday, when neighbors, becoming suspicious that all was
not well, entered the house oi the dead, and made their gruesome
discovery. Investigation revealed the fact that Seely committed
suicide by inhaling the fumes of chloroform. The reason given
for the rash deed is that the family had been living far beyono
Seely’s means, and the head of the family was unable to meet his
financial obligations, which led to a tit of homocidal mania, anc.
resulted in the tragedy disclosed.
After a bitter fight on the part of some of the members at en
mity with the President, the senate passed the bill providing foi
an increase to $100,000 in the salary of the President of the Uni tec
States. The bill was originally introduced by Senator Bourne, ol
Oregon, and was last week reported favorably by the committee tc
which it was referred.
Grace Guggenheim, of New York, has entered a suit for di
vorce against William Guggenheim, one of the seven brothers oi
the smelter trust, and asks for a big alimony. The couple were di
voiced in Chicago sight years ago, but the decree was later an
nulled because neither was a resident of that city at the time the
application was made. Both had married in the meantime, how
ever, and the suit entered today is to make the legal status ol
these subsequent marriages sure. Guggenheim is fighting the ap
plication for alimony on the ground that he gave his wife $150,000
at the time the first decree was entered, and he feels that he has
done his duty by her in a financial way by reason of that payment.
The attorney general is authority for the statement that the
libel suit to be instituted against Joseph Pulitzer, editor and prop
rietor of the New York World, will be instituted by the govern
ment in behalf of President Roosevelt, and that the title of the
. same will be the United States vs. Joseph Pulitzer. The suit
grows out of the allegations that Charley Taft, brother of the
president-elect, and Douglas Robinson, brother-in-law of President
Roosevelt, profited illegally in the transfer of the Panama canal
from the French company to the United States government, and a
federal grand jurj, both in Washington and in New York, is now
brobing the matter to the bottom.
After being out 22 hours the jury in the case of Thornton
Hains, charged with being an accessory to h is brother Peter in the
murder of William Annis, brought in a verdict of acquittal, and
Thornt was immediately discharged from custody. The acquitted
man thanked the jury, and as he did so he wept like a child. There
was an extraordinary demonstration in Phishing when the verdict
was made public, an immense crowd gathered around the court
house cheering Hains and the jurymen to the echo. The verdict
was an extremely popular one, and the prosecution is disheartened
I at the future--the case of Pete Hains, who died the actual killing,
being yet unheard.
Fred T. Congdon, former governor of Yukon territory, last
week was elected to the Dominion parliament to succeed Dr. Al
fred Thompson. Congdon had ' as his opponents Robert Lowe,
George Black and Joe Andy Clarke, who finished in the order
named—the later two making an exceedingly poor showing in the
race.
Enthusiastic members of the Nome Kennel club, who are a1
present sojourning in Seattle, are evincing great interest in ar
overland race between dogteams with the round trip between Nome
and Fairbanks as the course.
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth ol
Abraham Lincoln, the martyr President, the house of represents
lives passed a bill authorizing a new issue of 2-cent stamps whicl
will Bear a profile of the War President.
John Woodbury, the famous dermatologist and manufacture!
of “beauty” soaps and other medicinal articles, committed suicid<
at Coney island on January 18 by blowing his brains out with a re
volver. *
Alaska Wants
' Things Badly
Alaska will present several bills to
congress this winter for needed im
provements, according to Governor
Hoggatt. The governor comes down
every fall to present arguments for
more liberal appropriations, and, al
though he never gets as much as he
asks, the trips are profitable to the ter
ritory, for the senators and representa
tives become better acquainted with
its needs and resources, and in conse
quence are inclined to loosen the purse
strings when the governor makes his
plea for bigger appropriations.
“We need , good roads principally,”
said Governor Hoggatt, “and when we
get a comprehensive system of then
throughout the territory, so that com
munication between the residents ma
be carried with less difficulty, we wil
go ahead faster. The output of gol
this year was just about the same a
last, amounting to some $18,500,00(
During the summer 55 miles of Coppe
River railroad was built, and on th
day I left, November 4, the construe
tion gangs were winding up their labo
for the year. The season for railroa
building lasts from the middle of Apri
to November 1 as a rule.”—New Yor
Tribune.
Marks—Say, old man, did I ever te'
you about the awful fright I got on m
wedding day?
“Parks—S*s-sh-h! No man shoul
speak that way about his wife.
JOHN HUNTER JACK O’HARA
The Northern
SULLIVAN CITY
Ha9 Reopened in Jim Drummond’s Discovery Roadhouse
Entire New Stock of Wines, Liquors and Cigars
Disastrous Fire
at Vault City
- ;
Through a lire catching in the roof!
from a stovepipe, the barn of the Sher- >
burne Commercial Co., of Vault, was
entirely destroyed on the afternoon of
January 14, and one of the horses be
longing to the firm was burned to death
—the fire having progressed so far be
fore noticed that it was impossible to
rescue the animal. During the extreme
cold weather it was necessary to keep
a. fire burning in the barn and this is
he only way in which the confiagra.
ion can be accounted for. The fire
iiad been built up as usual by the sta
oleman, who then left the building
About 1 o’clock a passer-by noted the
lames breaking from the roof, and
spread the alarm. A crowd quickly
gathered, and one of the two horses
w.2,s rescued. The other, which was
lied farther from the door, it was found
impossible to reach, because of the pro
gress made by the blaze. The stable
stood at the rear of the company’s
store, and for a time it was feared the
stpre would also burn. The fact that
here was no wind aided the firefight
ers and prevented the fire from reach
ing Front street, where it would have
endangered the whole town. The loss
is estimated at about $2000.
Uncle Abe Don’t
Like Oarpetbagging
Abe Spring is a recent arrival at Se
tt i!e from Fairbanks. He says that the
ml put of the Tatiana this year is $10,
190,000, and will be $15,000,Cod next
year. Abe says that the election of
YVickershatn is a rebuke to carpetbag
ism.—Douglas Island News.
About this time one year ago Uncle
Abe was engineering the biggest car
petbagging enterprise ever attempted
in Alaska.
Cleo Wardell, otherwise known as
Lottie Wilson, at Valdez on January 4
shot a negro named Sam Confort. A
shotgun was the weapon used, and al
though some of the shot pierced the
negro’s lungs it is thought that he will
recover. Should he get well he will
be held on the charge of assault with
intent to kill. The woman was ac- ;
quitted on. the grounds of self-defense. :
The Wrangell Sentinel reports that !
wolves are very numerous in that vi
cinity and deer consequently scarce.
The small islands in Snow' passage are
said to be literally covered with wolves
and they are getting so bold that they
approach very near to the tents of peo
ple camping on the beach, making the
night hideous with their howling.
A rumor is current about Fairbanks
that Louie Spitz, the proprietor of the
Fraction attraction who is visiting on
the outside this winter, was recently
married in Seattle.
NOTICE
All persons indebted to^ne or to the
late firm of Noble & Burress aro hereby
notified to pay same to P, A. Rettig,
who is authorized to receipt for same.
HARRY BURRESS, Freighter.
Hot Springs, Aka., Jan. 20, 1909.
MAIL SCHEDULE
Arrives from Fairbanks Saturday p. m.
\rrives from Tanami Sunday p. m.
Departs for Fairbanks Monday a. w,
Departs for Tanana Monday a. m.
HENRY RODEN,
Attorney at Law
Fairbanks, Aka.
Office: First Ave. and Cushman St.
JAS. BLODGET,
AND
Genera! Teaming
Prices Reasonable,
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Leave Orders at Morrison’s
s^vwwwvwwvvvvy^i
> CHAS. A,
TRAEGER
LADIES' AND GENTS'
' leg
Goods
Underwear, ‘Sox, Mitts, Hats, Gaps,
Boots, Shoes, Gold Seal 2Rd
Eureka Hip Boots and Slices,
Blankets, Quilts, Moccasins, Hies,
Picks, Shovels, Drugs, Station
ery, Cigars and Tobaccos
NEW MEN’S SUITS
JU3T RECEIVED
Latest Styles in Everything.
Fits Guaranteed
HOT SPRINGS, ALASKA
That gladdens
the eye of the
trail-weary pil
grim on his ar
rival in Fair
banks is that of
the
FRACTION
Sideboard—where only the best and
most recuperative T.iquors are di
spensed by skilled raixo1 agists.
LOUIS SPITZ, PR5P.
FAIRBaaAS, AaA.
JOE KELLY
L. E. ANDERSON
SULLIVAN CITY
Fine Wines, Liquors and Cigars Meals at Ail Hours
8ood Stables Dog Feed for Sale
Our Guarantee
There is nothing, however small, which goes from this house but what
carries our stamp of satisfaction with it—not only representing our guaran
tee for the rjghtness of the goods, but for the-uniform fairness of our prices.
We count this guarantee of absolute satisfaction, and the confidence it
begets, as the basis of our success.
case£s~J Hotel Northern
LARGEST
85 GUEST ROOMS 85
BEST
Pioneer Hotel
DAVE PETREE, PROP.
Dog Houses With Corral
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
Steam Heated Stables