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Library & Museum
Juneau, Alaska
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VOL. 18 NO. 1
KODIAK, ALASKA,JANUARY 4, 1958
PRICK 10 CKNTV
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Wife Shoots Husband
“Had To” She Stated
“I had to do, it. I just had to do
it,” was the quiet comment of Mrs.
Bob Mahaffey shortly after she kill
ed her husband early New Years
Day. The fatal shooting occurred
in their home on Mission Road.
iVlahaifey was the Fish and Wild
life agent for this area.
Blandishing a Colt 38 Super
Autr-natic. Betty Mahaffey enter
ed the bedroom where her hus
band was preparing for bed. He
was hit in the lower part of his
arm as he apparently attempted
to shield himself. Bones were
shattered as the bullet continued
on its course into his body. It is
not known how long he lived after
wards.
Mrs. Mahaffey then closed the
door, and quietly called Mr.
Mahaffey’s parents in Seattle. She
then related what she h&d done.
Following that, she called Will
Troyer,, a friend of the family,
who is in charge of the Game
Management office of the FWS,
and told him she wanted him to
come over as she needed his help.
U.S. Deputy Marshall Ov'^ Mc
Kinley arrived on the scene about
six a.m. He immediately took Mrs.
Mahaffey in custody. She was
arraigned before the U.S. Com
missioner, on a first degree mur
der charge, and w as then lodged in
the City Jail.
The Mahaffeys have thre*» chil
w dren, Susan, agCd 10; Timothy,
aged 7, and David, aged 5.
Parents of the deceased skived
in Kodiak Thursday morning. They
are Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Maha'ey of
Seattle. They will assume eft-tody
of the children and will take them
back with them to Seattle. The
senior Mahaffeys had just recent
ly returned from a trip around the
world.
Up to time writing, Mrs.
Mahaffey had not written or sign
ed a confession. From evidence
found it is assumed ‘another wo
man’ was the motive for the shoot
ing. Mri. Mahaffey has been trans
ferred to Anchorage, and left here
Friday morning in custody of Dep
uty Marshall McKinley and Beth
Digree as matron.
The Mahaffeys arrived here last
Spring when Bob Mahaffey assum
ed charge of the FWS office here
as agent, replacing Roy Lindsley,
who was promoted to Field
Representative, with headquarters
jn Anchorage.
Bob Mahaffey has been with t*e
FWS for the past eleven years. He
has been stationed in Sorth
eastern, Dillingham, Seward,
Anchorage and Kodiak most of
1957. Prior to his connection with
the Service, he was with the Uni
versity of Washington Fisheries
Department. He was a graduate
flf that University.
COUNCIL APPOINTS
flection officials
Council approved the following
fudges and clerks to serve for the
Special Election to be held Janu
ary 7. They are: Judges, Irene
Lawhead, Eugenia Strigga and
gRa Edris; Clerks, Dorothy Haag
and Pearl Foster.
During 1942-1947 he was in the
Navy, and saw service in the
South Pacific aboard an LST. He
was a lieutenant.
Besides his parents, three
brothers live to mourn his passmg.
Aiouaey B. of Kent, Washington;
Donald H., Castro Valley, Cali
fornia and William Terrance, Se*
attie, Washington, the latter a
lieutenant in the Navy.
Funeral services will be held
in the Community Baptist Church,
Rev. John Molletti officiating. He
will b? accorded full Masonic
rites. The services will begin at
2 p. m.
Election
Tuesday
A Civic election will be held
Tuesday to determine the disposal
of the waterfront property to King
Crab, Inc. Polls will open 8 a. m.
and remain open until 8 in the
evening. The election will be held
at the City Hall.
Voters will be asked to ratify
Ordinance No. 220, which was en
acted by the City Council Novem
ber 25, 1947 and provides for the
sale of the property on which the
cannery is now located, for the
sum of $25,000. The owners seek
seek purchase of the property in
order to expand their operations.
Expenditure of funds for cold
storage and warehouse space ob
viates the necessity of ownership,
according to Chris Paulsen, a
major stockholder in the enter
prise. *
Voters at the last general elec
tion in October, 1957, ratified the
Ordinance, but due to an inade
quate description, the question
has to be voted on again at next
Tuesday s election.
ROY LINDSLEY HERE
Roy Lindsley, former Fish and
Wildlife agent here, is in town
this week. He will remain for a
few days before returning to
Anchorage.
City
Council
Briefs
Council approved transfer of
Taxi Business license from John
A. Richart and Charles F, John
meyer to Clark W. Babbitt.
Art Kizer,. owner of the Kodiak
Transit, requested a Hcense b* is
sued for his Chrysler sedan, which
would be used to replace a bus on
the Naval Station run when eco
c.my dictated. Permission was
granted.
A letter was read from the
Bureau of Public Roads, request
ing an easement for the relocation
of the Abbert road through a por
tion of U.S. Survey No. 1086, and
a portion of lots one through six,
Block 20, U.S. Survey 2537 B. This
was granted.
PAT LYNCH REQUEST
IS TURNED DOWN
Pat Lynch’s request for reim
bursement to him for having de
veloped the rock quarry from
which rock was being hauled for
the small boat harbor, was turned
down.
Council’s decision was based
mainly on a letter received from
the Bureau of Land Management
which stated that Mr. Lynch had
no remaining rights under the
Materials Act sale, and Stated
further tjiat the land embraced in
his former sale is approximately
3500 feet from the area under
permit to the City. It further
stated that his location of a min
ing claim was invalid as the area
had been .withdrawn since 1941
from all forms of appropriating.
The letter was tabled as the
Councilmen were in agreement
that use of the road facilities was
by the contractor and not the
City.
The issuance of bonds for the
City Hall is under consideration,
and the Councilmen favored con
tacting O. A. Torgerson of the
Bank of Kodiak to assist in deter
mining the denominations. This
action was taken following a letter
(Continued to Page 4)
Russian Christmas January 7;
Special Services Announced
Special services leading, up to
the celebration of Christmas in the
Russian Church will begin tonight,
at the Holy Resurrection Church,
with the minister, Rev. Roman
Sturmer, officiating.
The Chu^h has been especially
decorated for the ocassion, ac
~rr 'o' *■■) bturner, and will
be a fitting setting for the joyous
celebration of the birth oe Christ.
Tuesday, January 7, is Christmas
Day.
Two services will be held each
day. one at 9 a m. and in tne even
ing at 7, up to Wednesday of next
week. The Russian Orthodox
Church follows the calendar estab
lished by Julius Caeser—hence
their Christmas is later than the
date set by the Gregorian.
Christmas eve and on Christ
mas day, the services will have
special meaning according to Rev.
Sturmer. Rituals of ancient origin
are used, the church is ablaze with
Torgramsen Dies
New Years Day
Alfred Torgramsen, well-known
resident of Kodiak, died suddenly
early New Years Day, as he was
visiting Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Neseth. <
Torgramsen entered the Neseth
home about 10:40 a.m. New Years
Day, and after hanging up his hat
and coat, stepped into the living,
room, and with the comment,
“That hike tired me out,"' sat
down in a chair and immediately
fell over. He died before the doct
or* and City Police arrived.
The deceased was a fisherman,
and was part owner of the Quadra.
He formerly operated the Lyric
Theatre In partnership with H. F.
MeDonald, before it burned down
1947. He was the owner of the
property on which the theatre was
built.
Torgramsen is survived by Mrs.
Torgramsen and eight children.
Juneau The Alaska Lumber
and Pulp Co. applied for benefits
under the territory’s Industrial
Tax incentive program.
Ships Captain Gives Account On NW Passage
Negotiation of the difficult Nor
thwest Passage aboard the first
American ship to do so, was vivid
ly brought to the members of the
local Rotary Club at their lunch
eon Tuesday. Commander Harold
Wood, Commanding Officer aboard
the Coast Guard Cutter Storis was
the speaker, and gave a first hand
account of the historic passage.
“It was an undertaking so well
planned that there was no ad
venture,” he stated. Or.iy one in
cident occurred, he said, when he
had to take a calculated risk, in
order to remove one member of
the ships personnel, who had to
be flown out for medical care, and
the Storis was in 14 feet of water,
which froze the ship temporarily.
The Commander gave'a short
history of the Storis. He said he
was the inspector during its con
struction, and sailed aboard her on
her first assignment as Chief
Engineer. He later became Com
manding Officer.
Though there wasn’t the adven
ture expected in an undertaking
of this nature, the ship’s captain
said they had their moments
travelling through the shoals.
“Making the trip today is far dif
ferent than in the days of Amund
sen,” he said. He modestly be
littled the achievement which, he
said, was easier because of present
day instruments and the “unusual
year” for favorable ice com: lions.
■‘I have not seen so much ice, how
ever,” he said. “There was ice
everywhere.”
The ship Storis is so built, he
said, that she can shed the ice.
After her shakedown cruise she
began making Greenland patrols.
She also did considerable ice
breaking on the Atlantic Coast and
the Great Lakes.
The shoal waters gave the great
est concern. The Storis has a
displacement of almost 2000 tons,
and .many times, he said, the ship
had only a foot of water it.
One important aspect of the
passage, the Commander stated,
was the hydrographic survey con
ducted by the three ships. This
was done mostly in the Simpson
Straits and Queen Maud Gulf area.
“Facts obtained will be a great aid
in the future.” Asked if he
thought the area would be A gic ,t
value, Wood stated he t! :i.i: hi not
but was not in a position to knew
Eskimocs are the main inhabitants,
he said, and fur trading the main
occupation.
Following the talk, the Comm an
der answered questions and show
ed pictures of the operation and
the area. /• <
Among the guests present at the
meeting were Eill Poland, Douglas
Preston and “Jiggs” Tice.
light and the pastor will lead the
congregation, wearing vestments
of special significance, in hymn
singing and psalms, in praise to
the infant Christ.
Following a pc 'iod of Advent,
the last two Sundays before
Christmas are the beginning o£f
special weeks. The first was know":
as Forefathers Week and begin
ning tomorrow, Holy Father’s
Week. These honor the Old Testa
ment believers in the coming oi
Christ.
Russian New Yeats is celebrated
January 14.
Father Herman
To Be Proclaimed
A Saint
The name of Father Herman,
world-known and of great sign'd-/
cance to the older and devout fol
lowers of the Russian Orthodox
faith in and near Kodiak, is soon
to be placed in the list of Saints
commedorated by the Church.
116 years after his death, this
great and holy man is revered for
his kindly deeds among the na
tives, and from the small hermit
age he established on his beloved
Spruce Island, he served has>
people well, as their protector and
the defender of all their rights and
welfare.
The Great Sabor of the Bishop
of the Russian Orthodox Greek
Catholic Church of North Ameri
ca, after much deliberation, ha*
decided that the name of Father
Herman shall be placed before the
Bishop’s convention as a candidate
for Sainthood. St. Herman U
Alaska, as he will be called, wiR
be the first saint proclaimed by the
Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic
Church of North America. The de
cision was made due to the many
miracles attributed to his name
and the testimony of witnesses to
his good deeds.
A great pilgramage to Kodiak
and Spruce Island will follow the
action of the Bishops proclaiming
him a Saint, according to Rey
Sturmer, devout priest of the Holy
Resurrection Church here. “Hun
dreds or thousands of people will
come here for the event,” Rev.
Stjumer said. There is a strong
possibility it may be in 1958, but
the date is uncertain.
Program Set Up
To Number Mouses
A program for the numbering of
houses in t,he City of Kodiak war
set up by the City Council at the
meet inri held Monday, December
23. Paui Bond was selected to
officially represent the City num
bering program.
Bc-nd was present :.L the meet
ing, and suggested the c ;npc • it • r :
of civic grew ns. to b:. /: c: t; *
houses and' name, alleys. -V dis
cussion arose as to pasago of an
ordinance to make manduioi y the
affixing of numbers. The motion
by Council Berg of appointing
Bond was amended to include
seeking an opinion from City
Attorney Arnett on the legality
c? a rnrnbnrvng ordinance.