NOTED WRITER
TELLS TALE OF
EARLY DAYS
Aid time Alaskans who have lived at
Juneau. Skagway and Dawson will re
call A V. Buell, the cartoonist and
newspaper man. who in the early days
was a familiar figure in these places.
He is now on the stufi of the Sacra
inento. Cal., BoBe, and occasionally
contributes an Alaska story. One of
the best of these is “White Morse
George, Pilot.” which was recently
published in tin* Bee, and which fob
lows:
“Pity dollars to the man who will
take me over to Skagway tonight."
No one in the crowd stirred.
“I’ll double that and make it a hun
dred. I’ve simply got to get to Skag
way and catch the Farallon down in
the morning.”
The speaker was Scobel. the corre
spondent of a New' ork paper; the
time, the fall of ’!»7; the place, the
Stevedores’ saloon, in I)yea, Alaska.
A storm was one. The wind was blow
ing a gale on Lynn canal.
From the gambling room in the rear
came a big husky.
“Oh. George! Here’s a fellow wants
to get to Skagway pretty bad. There’s
a hundred in it.” called a voice.
“I'm on. She’s some storm and the
waves will he running high around the
point, but we’ll try her once."
Three hours later George and his !
passenger landed on the beach at j
Skagway.
"Some little old trip. eh. pard?"
Scobel. half drowned, agreed that it
was
George Havener was probably the
one man in the North who would pull
a stunt like that and get away with it 1
Hough water had no terrors for him
"George is ill Coslett's, bucking one
of the games. He’s got half a skate
on."
That was enough for Jimmy Pitcher.
Pushing through the storm door, he
made his way to tile rear of the gam
bling hall, where the crowd was
crowded around the conditional prize
game.
Coslett's saloon was under Soapy
Smith's jurisdiction; every game was
crooked. A sucker never got away
with coin in Coslett's.
Jimmy's entrance was noticed by
the boosters around the table, who
immediately crowded in about their
victim to prevent interference
“Who aTe you shoving? Cut il out
or you'll get hurl.”
Jim paid no attention to this ail
vice. hut pushing in. reached over
and touched George on the shoulder.
"What's the game. George?" in
asked.
A sheepish look passed over
George's tape us lie turned and rec
ognlzed Jim
"That man is over 21 and knows
what he is doing." blustered "Japa
nese Joe," the dealer.
"That's all right, but I'm going to j
s, e for myself what your game is."
asserted the other.
George, renlizinig his sucker play,
pocketed the balance of his roll. The
boosters, robbed of their prey, turned
on Jim. Around from the rear of the
table came Cohen, Soapy's big
bouncer. Things looked bad for Jim
"Hello, Cohen! What are you doing
here?" While Jim's hand went out
and gripped Cohen's. Maybe it was
the gri|i Jim gave him; maybe they
had been neighbors in the States, for
Cohen, surprised, uttered some inar
ticulate answer, turned and motioned
the boosters Imek. while George left
the saloon unharmed.
"Good tiling I recognized that big
bouncer." was Jim's only comment
as he took (he repentant George to
his tar paper shack back of the Holly
house.
... knew the water game and
that let him out.
When the ferry business between
Dyea and Skagway slackened George
and Frank Dunham got hold of a few
cayuses and organized the Alaska and
Yukon Packing Association.
Neither of them could put a pack on
that would ride as far as Porcupine
hill, and all the old packers knew the
yarn about George’s fifty pounds of
rock that he put on one of the cay
uses to balance a pack. He might
have got away with it at that if one
of Brooks' mules hadn't bumped into
the cayuse and spilled the rocks.
But It was the mail contract and
the Christmas plum puddings for the
police hoys at Bennett that put a
crimp In the Alaska and Yukon Back
ing Company.
Everyth Ing looked lovely for a
clean-up They had gotten the top
price f>5 cents a pound and George
wore a smile as he headed the cay
uses up the Skagway valley.
Assisting him was Hughic Cameron,
ex-lumberjack. Hughie's knowledge
of horses was as limited as George's.
To keep the trains together they had
tailed them, the lead horse’s tail tied
to the halter rope of the next cayuse.
About four miles out a crazy, yell
| ing bunch of sourdoughs from the
| "inside" was encountered, tickled to
| be at the end of their 600-inile mush.
They came tearing around a bend in
the trail, sleigh hells jingling, dogs
a-yapping. right through the pack
train. In less time than it takes to
tell, her majesty's mail was scattered
over the Skagway river bottom from
rimrock to rimroek.
IJp beyond the ford the deep snow
and unbroken trail forced George to
discard the horses for men. But then
he forgot the snow-shoes. Four days
later the A A Y. Backing Company
wallowed through the snow to Ben
nett, minus the plum pudding.
At the investigation that followed
George pleaded seif-defense and
proved that the men had to eat.
Things were breaking bad for
George and the squares weren't com
ing regular until the ice left tin- upper
Yukon.
Bilots were in demand at the can
yon and the White Horse rapidis just
below.
The price for running a boat
through depended on hte size of the
boat. A small bateau brought $25, a
scow $75 to $100.
It was (iann'Tous work. An oar
might break. A helper might get his j
orders mixed and a few days later a I
grave or two would bo dug on the j
banks below tile White Horse
Among tile pilots Hour's name stood j
high. The equal of Dixon, the ltoyal j
Northwest mounted police pilot, in j
white water. George was far more j
reckless. He never passed up a boat,
no matter how poorly constructed.
While the great stampede to the
Klondike in MIS was on George stayed
in the Rapids, gathering in the oh«e
ehako gold.
Dawson was a seething mass of fren
zied gold-seekers.
Sourdoughs, cheechakos. Moosehide
Indians ami dogs thronged the soggy,
sawdustcovered streets. Saloons
were crowded, gambling houses run
ning wide open, dance hall queens
getting their percentage checks on $15 .
champagne.
Down on the water front the Out j
side papcres were grabbed up at $1 j
per copy
One day came the story of a tragedy j
and romance interwoven. The White !
Horse rapids had again claimed its j
loll. A scow-load of cheechakos un
der the leadership of a bull-headed ;
•got 1st came to the canyon. Refusing j
to heed (lie warnings of the police 1
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR
LETTERS OF ADMINIS
TRATION
In the United States Commissioner's
Court for Cordova Precinct, Terris
lory of Alaska (in Probate).
In the mattor of the Estate of Nick
Aboff, deceased.
Notice Is hereby given that K. E.
Holden has filed in the commission
er's court of Cordova precinct, Alaska,
a petition praying that letters of ad
ministration be issued to him upon
the estate of Nick Aboff, deceased,!
and that Wednesday, the 15th day of;
January, 1919. at 10 o'clock a. m. of
said day, at tho court room of said
commissioner's court, In the city of|
Cordova, territory aforesaid, lias been
sot for hearing said petition, when;
and where any person interested may
appear and show cause why the
prayer of said petition should not he
granted.
Witness the Hon.
(Seal) A. J. ADAMS,
Judge of the said Commissioner’s
Court, and the seal of said Court
hereto affixed, this 30th day of
December, 1919.
at the head of the canyono, the scow
went Into the canyon, made the Squaw
raplda and then, just as the plunge
Into the White Horse began, some
thing went wrong
The scow struck a rock, stove In
her side, and everybody was in the
white water.
Out of the scow-load, one was
saved, a girl, and George saved her.
A week later, when she had recovered
from the shock, George married her.
To show her faith in her hero, they
were married in the rapids
Shortly after George and his bride
landed tm the beach in front of Daw
son, Jimmie Pitcher, looking for a
bargain among the newly-arrived
scows, happened upon them, heard
their story, and with a nose for news,
steered them to the office of the Mid
night Sun. There Carpenter got the
story, put the chalk plate artist, who
happened to he the writer, at work,
and •'pulled" a front page as lurid as
a New York Sunday magazine.
Dashinig White Horse George and
ills beautiful bride, married in the
White Horse.
A picture of the bride and groom
beneath the wedding sene, waves i
spiashini high around them.
George was so well pleased that he
bought 200 papers at two tuts per.
A year passed. Jimmie Pitcher, just
back from the Forty Mile, happened f
across George down Irorn his lay on
Hunker. George had been bucking
Marshbank’s game and needed a few
ounces to get back to the claim Could
Jim lend it to liim until he could send !
it down from the claim? I’.etlcr still. [
why not come up and visit the wife
and George In a few days ’
A few days later Jim knocked at S
Oie cabin door. li was the right j
cabin, for the door was partly open j
and 2oo pictures of dashing White i
Horse George and his beautiful bride
looked out from the four walls of the
cabin.
For a wall paper design those 20"
copies of the Midnight Sun were in a
class by themselves.
A clipping on (he tabic telling of |
the big money made by the boatmen
in the surf ai Nome was explanation j
enough tor Jim.
—-♦ -
No Influenza at Latouche
, i
,_
The influenza epidemic which has !
been raging in Latouche the past few
weeks has practically disappeared,
and social and business life has been
resumed In the busy hi tie mining
camp. That there deaths is
due to the untiring efforts of Dr.
Haxby, the company physician, who,
although ill himself, worked unceas
ingly day and night to prevent further
spread of the disease. The company
also deserves a great deal of credit
for the comfortable detention station
fixed up for suspects, and (he care
taken of those ill with the disease
-»—
The Daily Times job plant is
well equipped for all classe of com
mercial printing.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR
LETTERS OF ADMINIS
TRATION
hi tho United States Commissioner's
Court of the Territ'iry of Alaska,
for Cordova Precinct (in 1 “rebate).
hi the matter of the Kstate of Will
lam Herrold, deceased.
Notice ia hereby given that K (I.
Robinson has tiled in the commission
er’s court of Cordova precinct Alaska,
a petition praying that letters of ad
ministration he issued to him upon
tile estate of Wifltam Herrold. de
ceased, and that Wednesday, the 15th
day or January, 1919, at 10 o'clock
a. m. i t said day, at the court room
of said commissioner's court in tho
city of Cordova, territory aforesaid,
has been set for hearing said petition,
when and where any person interested
may appear and show eause why tlie
prayer of said petition should not he
granted.
Witness the Hon.
(Real) A. J. ADAMS.
Judge of (he said Commissioner's
Court, and the seal of said court
hereunto affixed, this stub day of
December, 1918.
There’s a Heason Why
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