III
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VOL. 4.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, DECEMBER 13, 1929
No. 25
Mooney’s Innocence
No Question
* The story was recently pub
lished of the death-bed confes
sion of one Lewis J. Smith, in
which he, not Mooney, hurled
the bomb in the San Francisco
Preparedness Day Parade.
Following a letter by Mrs. Do
ra Monroe, sister of Smith, who
signed an affidavit alleging that
her brother had confessed to
her his own guilt, Mooney wrote
a letter to Senator Schall of
Minn., in which he brings out
salient facts. The whole matter
if of record now before Congress.
Mooney claims that Smith is
the same man associated with
the former German Consul Von
Bopp, military attache for the
Imperial German government;
C. C. Crowley, and private de
tective, a Von Brinken and a Von
Schack, all of whom served sen
tences in prison in connection
with blowing up munition plants
ships and other sources of war
supplies for the Allied Powers.
Smith, according to Mooney’s
letter turned state’s evidence
and was pardoned to become the
star witness against Von Bopp
in his trial.
It was shown that Smith was
an expert in the use of explos
ives; that he had recited his
crimes committed for the Ger
mans and named the jobs, when,
where and how committed; testi
fied to blov/ing up 14 tons of ex
plosives on a barge in Puget
Sound, killing the wratchman.
“Smith was the actual dyna
miter for the German Consul. He
was directed by C. C. Crowley,
who was Von Bopp’s close-up
man and go-between. The Ger
man government hired him out
of the Hercules powder plant be
cause of his expert knowledge of
explosives and their routing.”
When Mooney tried to secure
a copy of Smith’s testimony from
the Department of Justice two
years ago to check up on an af
fidavit made by a newspaperman
one Alfred H. Spink, who claimed
,o have information substantiat
ing the German-spy theory of
the bombing
The confesions of Von Schack
and Von Brinken, now serving
at McNeil Island prison are in
the files of the Department of
Justice. Von Brinken is report
ed as having said: “Tom Mooney
did not commit the crime of the
Preparedness Da yexplosion”
Crowley the detective also
told an inmate at the Federal
prison that “Tom Mooney is no
more guilty of the crime than I
am. The man who did that job
is safe in Mexico.”
Crowley was in 1919 employed
by Charles M. Fickert, San Fran
cisco district attorney was one of
the German plotters. Mooney
drew an amazing picture of this
investigator being associated
v/ith the war plotters and then
later on prosecuting men for the
Diotters.
crimes committed by these same
Fickert gave Crowley creden
tials “ostensibly for the purpose
i f investigating the traffic be
tween the United States anc
Canada, but in reality for the
Continued on Page 3
A REAL OLD ONE
-x
A petrified shrimp is on dis
play with other crustacean ex
ibits at the shrimp cannery. I
looks a million years old ant
good for another million.
Device improves Engine
-x
An interesting experiment in
[fishing boat engines was recent
ly carried out by Ole Johnson of
\Vest Minster, B. C., on his hali
but boat. The engine was equip
ped with a Buchanan Oil head,
a new device which allows use of
luel oil instead of gasoline.
The conversion was just com
pleted when they realized that
unless they move dfrom the
rbaser River they would be froz
en in so they ioaded gasoline on
eoard and struck off for Van
couver. They developed 300 re
solutions per minute with the
gasoline but with the use of fuel
oil developed 325 with a con
oiimption of two gallons of fuel
011 as compared to three of gaso
line on the thirty-five horse en
gine. Gasoline cost them 22
cents the gallon as compared to
12 cents for fuel oil. It is be
lieved that even greater reduc
tion will be made in fuel con
sumption when the engine has
been more closely adjusted.
To Sign Protocol
President Hoover has author
ized the signing of the protocol
of adherence to the permanent
court of international justice,
containing the Root formula for
American entry in the World
Court. The signing of the form
ula, together with that of the
protocol of the signature of the
statute of the Court and the
Protocol of Revision of the stat
utes of the court, will take the
place at Geneva, the State De
partment announced.
Not On The Bill
Sixty guests at a dinner in
the Bronx Restuarant, New York
were lined up Monday night, by
seven men. The dinnner was
spoiled by the “gang” releiving
the diners at $2,000 in cash and
gems to the value of $3,000.
PEACE TALK AND WAR PLANS
Parity in aircraft carriers, in
creased enlisted personnel tc
man the new ships coming into
commission, a higher ratio oi
officers to enlisted men and an
upward revision of pay to all
ranks were asked for the Navj
By Secretary Adams. No refer
ence was made in his annual re
port to the postponement ol
work on three cruisers by presi
dential order, nor to the pos
sible reduction of future con
struction under any limitatior
agreement that may be reachec
at the London Conference to bt
held in January.
STORMS DID RAGE
I
I
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A hurricane which swept th<
Atlantic was reported from Lon
don early during the week. Tin
pathway of the storm was ove
the British Isles and nearb;
coasts and it spread destructioi
and confusion in its wake
TELEVISION AT FORD PRICE
W. W. Charles, president o
Los Angeles, has announced th
I perfection of a radio televisio:
- the Kemper Radio Corporatior
- instrument which he declares t
t be adaptable to home use, at
l price well within the purchasin
power of the average radio fan.
Will Aid Develop
Territory
A new era is in siglit for Alas- j
ka, that vast Northern Territory '
of the United States which Co
the average person has hereto
fore suggested only snow and ice j
and blizzards,, and the hardships
endured by the seekers after
gold. For the first time since
this country acquired title to the
Territory from Russia a definite j
program for putting to use the ,
great stretches of Alaskan wild
erness and making them acces
i
sible to all. is being worKed out i
ov Secretary of the Inttrior Wil- j
! bur, with the hearty approval of!
I President Hoover.
Government officals who have |
confidence in the future of Alas- i
ka are cooperating with Secre- :
tary Wilbur in worikng out'
' plans. They foresee the time!
| when Alaska will be the home ;
| of great numbers of prosperous'
j Americans, instead of only a few
j thousands as at present. While I
j the details of the program are
! not yet available, it is understood
| that the administration contem-1
1 plates an Alaska every part of j
which will be linked by airways,!
and in addition to its trails will \
have a fine system of roads. A j
great international scenic high
way more than 4,000 miles long, I
from Fairbanks, Alaska, through
a portion of Canada and on to |
Los Angeles, Calif., is a possib- !
iiity.
Commssion Is Proposed
Already there has been intro
auced in the House by Delegate
Dan Sutherland of Alaska, a bill
‘ authorizing the Pv i-ident to
name two specia' commissioners
to cooperate with representa
tives of the Dominion of Canada
in a study regarding the con -
struction of a highway “to con
nect the Northwestern part of
the United States with British
Columbia, Yukon Territory and
'Alaska, with the view to ascer
taining whether such a highway
! is feasible and economically
practicable.”
Ernest Walker Sawyer, execu
tive secretary to Secretary Wil
bur, who recently returned to
Washington after visiting the
'.territory said:
“Alaska is in my opinion ready
to make a new start. A new
lease on prosperity and happi
ness, if you want to put it that
way. Real improvement is in
sight. The principal factor be
hind this development is avia
tion. The airplane is the ace in
the hole up there.
“Already the Alaskans are air
minded and being representative
.'they have not waited for outsid
j ers to come in and assist them in
! mapping their airways, locating
I their landing fields and putting
the first units of the air service
into operation. What this de
? velopment means to the Terri
tory of Alaska is impossible of
exaggeration.”— Washington, D.
: C. “Star.”
J
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5
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i
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0
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Two pilots of a refueling ship
to an endurance plane, were
killed Monday as their craft
crashed in a take-off at Tampo,
Florida, with 80 gallons of gaso
line aboard for the other plane,
which about fifteen minutes lat
er was forced down causing min
or injuries to its occupants, E
A. Dempsey and Stanley Smith
of St. Louis were burned to death
in the refueling plane which
caught fire.
A WONDERFUL TRADE A COAT LOAD OF SICK FOR
EIGNERS FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF
SALMON
S < e i c h s cl
<£>vd\
E-yyrr T av 5
W ill F\^ ]p o.y rc w j- / j? j 9
rali'liHTS
"
“Ah, just in from the ?1 illippines, hey? Well, that
is fine. Now run along up to Alaska. I have plenty for
you to do up there, but you’ll have to take your two
friends with you; the authorities won’t allow you nor
them to stop over in the St ntes.
Vare Denied Seat
-x
The Senate slammed its doors
in the face finally and definitely
against William S. Vare, politic
al boss of Pennsylvania. The
Senate decided that the expenq -
iture of $785,000 by Boss Vare in
the primary election and tlm
charges of fraud and corruption
in that contest barred him from
taking the seat to which he had
been crthied to as elected.
Shortly after closing the doors
against Vare, the Senate decid
ed that his opponent, William B.
Wilson, Democrat could not be
seated either. Senate resolution
by Reed of Pnnsylvania was
adopted which declared that
Wilson had not been lected.
Marines To Haiti
Coincident with the receipt of
an official report to Washing
ton, that U. S. Marines had kill
ed five Haitians in a clash at
Aux Cayes, Monday, 500 marines
were sent to Port Au Prince,
Haiti on the cruiser Galveston.
President Hoover informed the
Congress the marine reinforce
ments were being sent to Haiti
at the request of Veneral John
Russel, American High Commis
sioner at Port Au Prince, who
for days has been confronted
with labor and political disturb
ances of a character menacing
American residents. Secretary
Stimson admitted the serious
ness of the situation.
The clash between the natives
and the Marines at Aux Cayes
came with a dramatic swiftness
F ifteen hundred Haitians, armed
with machetes and other imple
ments, charged the marine out
post of 20 men. The marines
fired three rounds over the heads
of the natives but they chargee
on. The fourth volley went into
the crowd killing five anc
wounding 20. The natives ther
retired.
Twelve more days ’till Christina:
Shipping Flounder To
Juneau Fur Farmers
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* -X
Earl Ohmer shipped to tiie fur
farmers of the Juneau section,
a total of 40,000 pounds oi
flounder for feed.
This poundage of flounder
could have been frozen in the
local storage if room were avail
able.
The flounder catch for the
season is approximately 100,000
! pounds which figures do not in
| elude the summer catch used lo
yally for feed. Indications at
this time point to a market de
mand for about a quarter of a
million pounds to be shipped and
irozen next year.
“Petersburg claims the dis
tinction of starting the flounder
industry, so help me faun,” says
Earl.
All the fur raisers in Wrangell
Narrows and as far as known in
Juneau, will be supplied with
flounder for feed. This has the
possibility ef developing into a
rice little industry.
TROUBLE IN CHINA
Six United States destroyers
were ordered from Manila to
Chinese waters by Admiral E.
G. McVey. Reports tell of peril
to foreigners in the important
centers. Five areas are reported
in revolt against the Nationalist
Government. Nanking is with
out troops and is isolated, with
out railroad service. There are
175 foreign women and children
including 80 American women in
this zone alone.
i Three American women wit
1 nessed a bloody conflict between
11 a swarm of Chinese pirates and
>j the creow of the British steam
! I er Hai Ching. Twelve persons
»j were killed and about 65 native
l'.passengers leaped overboard and
i;were drowned.
| Father Monroe arrived frorr
s Wrangell on the Northwestern
I
Able To Tackle
Anything
Down Crescent City, California
way is a law in effect known as
I the “gin marriage law.” This
Law compels love lorn swains and
lassies to wait three long days
before they can be married after
securing their license to enter
I connubial bliss.
Comes now Miss Thelma Berry
I ?5 years old and Urban Smith, 27,
! r.-so old enough to know what he
i wants when he wants it, and hies
I them to Crescent City but are
balked of their intention—being
In somewhat of a hurry to be tied
into a knot.
But youth wifi be served and
love laughs at locksmiths and
laws— as in this instance.
They chartered a boat of one
Captain W. H. Royden who per
formed the ceremony that made
them one, five miles out at sea.
Capt. Royden means naught to
Alaskans or even Petersburgans.
But “Wabash Bill”—who carries
the handle of W. H. Royden. Is an
:ld timer in Petersburg and his
fight with a big grizzly bear is
one that is often retold.
The engine in his boat he had
m Petersburg, transported It to
the east coast when he shook the
dust of Alaska from off his shoes
and then when he decided to re
turn to the Pacific Coast, he
crated up the old kicker and It
made its next appearance in the
waters of California.
Yey! The boy is not as young
as he used to be. nor in his en
gine but they are both still kick
ing along making themselves
iseful to others.
“Wabash Bill’ talked not much
Df his exploit with the bear but
others hearing of it wrote it up
for Hunter-Trader and Trapper
and it was a humdinger.
A deer on his back, gun out of
Position he bumped into the big
bear unexpectedly. Before he
could unload pack and get gun
:nto position, the bear was on
him, slapped the gun away and
proceeded to chew Bill up. He
feigned death and for a long
while the bear watched him and
clayed with him as a cat would
with a mouse. Probably he lost
consciousness, we do not remem
ber the story, but after a long
time he moved to rise and the
bear savagely attacked him once
again. Protecting his head as
best he could without show of re
sistance, he lay on the ground for
another long spell. Finally af
ter eons of ages he moved a bit
and a little more without sign
of another attack. He looked up
and the bear was gone. He drag
ged himself to the beach and
boat a couple of miles away and
was brought to town and given
surgical aid. His neck was well
chewed and scarred up and he
carries the marks to his grave.
So when he tackled the bear
he showed nerve to tackle any
thing and resourceful enough ♦o
come through alive. Of which
stuff many of the Old Timers
were made.
As a skipper-preacher, Bill no
; doubt made a good job of it.
jMav his blessing on the happy
| couple bring many returns.
W. D. Gross of Juneau arrived
ion he Northwestern from Ket
jchikan. He is pushing along the
I drive to give the Pioneers at Sit
|ka a happy Christmass and re
ports that he is meeting with a
very generous response all along