seinen-d Bailg Gntemny
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOLUME 21 NUMBER 27
SEWARD, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRARY 3, 1926
PRICUTEN CENTS
VICIOUS CHARGES
FILED TODAY
BEFORE SENATE
SAYS REED, SHOUP AND BONE
CONSPIRED TO SEAT GEO.
SEXTON COMMITTEEMAN
CALLS SEXTON “WEAK OLD MAN”
Accuses Ritchie and Other Officials
of Many Wrongs and of Refusing
to Help Clean Up
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 3 (/P)~
Charges of a political conspiracj in*
eluding Judge Thomas M. Reed, of
Juneau, District Attorney Arthur G.
Shoup, and Former Governor Scott C.
Bone were lodged with the Judicial >
committee of the Senate today. Dele
gate Dan Sutherland told the commit
tee that John W. Frame was elected
National Committeeman in 1924 and
that Reed, Bone and Shoup conspired
to seat George Sexton, of Seward, at
the Cleveland convention. He related
that Mr. Sexton and Dr. L. P. Dawes
were elected delegates to the Cleve
land convention and that when Dawes
found he could not go he gave his
proxy to Sexton.
Sexton “A Weak Old Man.”
Sutherland decribed Mr. Sexton as
“a weak old man,” and said that Reed
and others “bribed him with money.”
He added that Reed telegraphed Ar
thur Shoup, at the time in San Fran
cisco as follows: “Dawes is not going.
You must go. We are for Sexton or
Ray for committeeman. They are sat
isfactory here. Take action as this is
urgent. Sexton will stand firm.”
This charge opened the first gun
of the battle by the Delegate and oth
ers against the confirmation of three
judges, two district attorneys and four
marshals, recently nominated by the
President for offices in Alaska. Illicit
liquor dealing and the sale of narcot
ics enter into the charges. The anti
saloon league has filed complaints and
Wayne Wheeler, head of the organi
zation is on hand with the evidence.
Reed Has Strong Backing.
Congressman White of Maine stated
that it was his belief that the busi
ness and professional men of south
eastern Alaska approved the reap
pointment of Reed and Shoup.
Congressman French of Idaho de
fended Arthur G. Shoup and Albert
White, whom he said were former
Idahoans and that he knew both and
had great confidence in them.
Judge Reed and District Attorney
Shoup of the First division, were ac
cused of subpoenaeing Keith Carmine
as a witness for a cannery in a civil
suit. Although it was never called
as a criminal case the government
paid the witness mileage totalling
$122. Sutherland said that affidavits
filed with the Department of Justice
stated that District Attorney Shoup
did not want to issue the subpoena
but finally consented. He said that
Marshal Beaumont refused to pay the
bill saying the cannery should pay it,
but that Judge Reed ordered the bill
paid. Delegate Sutherland related the
case of three fish pirates, indicted at
the instance of a cannery company
and acquitted by a jury, who stated
that he personally knew they had com
mitted perjury and sentenced them to
serve ninety days in the Federal jail.
After their release the men were again
indicated and again acquitted by a
jury, although both Judge Reed and
District Attorney Shoup testified they
had committed perjury.
Favored Restricted Districts
Delegate Sutherland accused Judge
Reed of favoring, restricted districts
in Alaska cities, and declared that
Governor Bone ordered a cleanup on
the occasion of President Harding’s
visit to Alaska, but that Judge Reed
refused to co-operate. Sutherland read
ing from a report regarding conditions
in Ketchikan said that there were
bootleg and narcotic rings there which
“reach right into the business and pro
fessional elements of the city.” He
added, “right here I want to say that
these men about whom Congressman
White is talking benefited by this
trade.”
He said that Governor Bone em
ployed Charles H. Miller of Seattle
as assistant district attorney to help
clean up in anticipation of the visit
of President Harding, but Miller was
peremptorily removed by the United
States Attorney General without giv
ing him (Miller) a chance to reply to
charges filed. He disclosed that the
Department of Justice under the di
rection of Assistant Attorney General
Donovan had investigated the whole
case, but it developed that the De
partment failed to file with the com
mittee many records in the case, in
cluding the affidavits.
W. C. T. U. Behind the Delegate
Delegate Sutherland said, “I don’t
know what the Department of Justice
has done, but I do know that Mrs.
Willebrandt wanted this whole mess
cleaned up.”
Watson of Indiana said that Lynn
Smith, nominated for marshal of the
Fourth division, was a former Indi
anian and “I want to comment him
in unmeasured terms. He is a very
honest man.”
The only protest against Smith came
from J. T. Zimmerman, an Alaskan,
who said that the “wets” supported
Smith in his candidacy. Delegate
Sutherland pronounced Smith “a very
fine man.”
Congressman Gooding vigorously
defended Albert White, a former Val
dezan, before Chairman Cummins. He
reported that the accusation that the
bootleggers had supported the candi
dacy of White was false. Gooding
said that White had been with both
the Department of Justice and the
Prohibition unit, and was being sent
to Alaska because he was a fearless
public official who believed in the en
forcement of law and will enforce it
vigorously.”
Wayne Wheeler praised White and
the work he had done as a prohibition
officer.
Delegate Sutherland read the com
plaint of John W. Frame that Judge
| e. E. Ritchie had been convicted of
criminal libel in Utah before going to
j Alaska and that Ritchie encouraged
the lawless and criminal element by
i stating from the bench that it was
not a moral offense to violate the li
quor laws; that Ritchie had appoint
jed Frank H. Foster of Cordova dis
trict attorney after Foster and Mrs.
Delia Chase, the latter employed in
I the office of the Clerk of Court at
! Valdez, had been ejected from a hotel
jin Valdez scantily clad; that Ritchie
had circulated a libelous letter about
Frame in which Ritchie referred to
Frame as “a chronic dead beat, a
blackguard and to some extent a
I blackmailer.”
Delegate Sutherland said that the
1 charges about Frame in Ritchie’s let
ter were declared false in affidavits
by some of the best men in Alaska.
He presented a letter from D. W.
Flanigan, a Federal prohibition agent
at Valdez, saying Foster was a mem
! ber of the strongest bootlegging ring
in the Third division. Others named
by Flanigan as connected with the
ring included Dr. W. W. Council,
Frank Cunningham, Harry O’Neill, and
James Galen, all prominent citizens
of Cordova.
Another letter from Frame to the
Delegate charged that Judge Ritchie
had named A. H. McDonald receiver
for a coal company in Alaska in order
to enable McDonald and the Bank of
: Alaska to ge”t possession of the prop
j erty in question.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 3. (JP)
—Doctor Clarence True Wilson, sec
retary of the Methodist Board of
Temperance Prohibition and Public
Morals, told the Judiciary committee
that the Department of Justice re
fused representatives of the anti
Saloon League and other prohibition
organizations the opportunity to pre
sent protests against the reappoint
ment of Federal judges, marshals and
district attorneys in Alaska.
Wilson said that Assistant Attorney
General John Marshall, who handled
the appointments refused audience
then, and denied the delegation ac
cess to his office.
Attorney General Marshall said:
“Such an interview would only mess
things up.”
Wilson added: ‘Not in China, South
American or anywhere else in the
'world will you find such open condi
tions as are flourishing in Alaska
without being rebuked. A moral clean
sing is necessary, but it cannot be
had under the regime of the pres
ent Judges, District Attorneys and
Marshals.”
Representative Free, of California,
declared that law enforcement con
ditions are good, and added: “My
observation of Alaska from a stand
point of liquor enforcement is mor
ally better than here in Washing
ton.” In conclusion Free said that
a number of prominent business men
told him that Reed, and Shoup were
god men and should be reappointed.
LIFE OF LATE
W. J. MUONNELL
BIG ADVENTURE'
KODIAK CITIZEN WAS LAW GRAD
UATE AT McGILL UNIVERSITY—
RAN AWAY TO THE DEEP BLUE
WAS PIONEER OF TERRITORY
Commanded Famous Clipper Ship:
“Glory of the Seas,” Many Years
Ago—Commanding Figure in Life.
In the passing of Captain W. J. Mc
Donnell at Kodiak Sunday night pro
bably one of the most interesting char
acters of the last frontier, Alaska,
has departed. Although a man well
into the seventies, with the exception
of the past few years, he had always
been alert and able-bodied and ready
to once more take the helm of the
good ship Adventure, and roam again,
the Seven Seas.
Tall, straight as an elm, and with
a youthful flash in his eyes, he was in
deed a commanding figure. Little
would one have believed some of the
adventurous yarns he could have spun
about himself, if he had so wished.
Many times he narrowly averted death
while figuring in the limelight as a
leader of a dangerous exploit among
the cannibals of the South Sea Islands.
Then again, the tales he could have
weaved when he commanded “The
Glory of the Sea,” one of the most fa
mous clipper vessels of the past cen
tury, and which, not so many months
ago, was destroyed by fire, after being
razed by junk dealers.
Capt. McDonnell was indeed, an out
standing Alaskan, and it is with re
gret his many friends wish him fare
well on the last voyage. During 1922
he relieved N. E. Bolshanin as deputy
collector of Customs at Unalaska. At
the expiration of his service at Unal
aska he moved to Kodiak where he
resided with his family up to the
present time. In 1903-04, he served at
Unga as deputy collector of customs,
and also as agent for the Northern
Commercial Company.
Although a graduate in law from
McGill University the call of the sea
was felt when a mere lad and he left
a long interesting career behind him.
At the age of 23 he was in command
of a vessel in the trade with the can
nibals of the South Sea Island. A
part of his career there is portrayed
by Julian Thomas in his book, “Canni
bals and Convicts,” the scene of which
is laid in New Caledonia, the penal
colony for France.
Capt. McDonnel some few years ago
received a letter from a friend which
was en closed to him in a letter of a
mutual friend in Washington. The let
ter was written from Larika, Fiji, and
tells a little of the captain’s South
Sea experiences*as. follows:
“We are surely living in a small
world. Fancy my old friend McDon
nell turning up in Alaska. He must
be a man qg eighty. I remember him
as a very good friend and we had
many a soda water together in the old
labor trade days. Gin snizzle was our
particular favorite and we could do a
lot to it. Those were great days bul
have passed never to return. Ten per
cent was the yearly loss of life among
those engaged. If McDonnell would
tell you of the history of the ‘Marion
Rennie’ schooner you would have
plenty of material for a real bloodj
romance. The vessel’s last trip was
the most tragic of all. She sailed from
this port on a trading cruise to the
Solomon Islands and never a word
from her again. She is supposed tc
have been taken by the natives, ah
hands eaten and the vessel burned
(Those were the South Sea days.)”
The writer of the above, a Captair
Robbie, says of the days of the Marior
Rennie are true. Capt. McDonnell’s
life in the South Seas was a stirring
romance. He was familiar with the
language and every nook and crook o:
the seas he sailed.
Railroads killed only 149 persons
in the United States during 1924
while automobiles killed more thar
10,000.
Pre capita consumption of mill
has more than doubled in the Unitec
States in the last five years, being
now estimated at more than 20(
quarts per person.
Early overland freighters trans
ported whiskey at pound rates*
STORMS SWEEP
COUNTRY TODAY
GREAT DAMAGE
PACIFIC COAST HIT BY GALE OF
TREMENDOUS VELOCITY
SHIPPING IN DISTRESS
SO. FLORIDA TOWN WIPED OUT
Worst Storm in Many Years Hits
Albany, Oregon, Wrecking Autos
and Communications
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2 (JP)—
A mighty storm is buffeting a thou
sand miles of the Pacific coast today
and many vessels are reported to be
in distress. The steamships Los Ani
mos and Noyo are standing by the
Eeola, and have succeeded in getting
a line aboard. Twelve men and one
woman, the wife of Capt. Peterson,
are aboard the Ecola. No shipping
moved out of San Francisco harbor
today.
A velocity of eighty miles an hour
is reported from Point Reyes, 30 miles
north of here.
Hurricane Hits Albany, Ore.
The -worst wind storm in many years
hit here last night tearing off auto
| mobile tops, cutting off all telephone
and telegraphic communication and
causing many fires.
Green Acres, Florida, Swept.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb.
3 (lP)—A child was killed and 300 fam
I ilies rendered homeless with a prop
! erty damage of 8750,000 by a terrific
; hurricane which swept Green Acres,
a boom town, near here tonight.
LETTER CABLED
.. GOV. GEO. PARKS
AT WASHINGTON
IMPORTANT LETTER ON PRO
POSED BREAKWATER RE
CEIVED FROM SEATTLE
Since the letter published below
! was received, and for months previ
ous, the local Chamber of Commerce
has worked without letup in an ef
fort to procure a breakwater for
small vessels in Resurrection Bay.
Their efforts have not ben unavail
ing as is attested by the preliminary
! work already accomplished by the
harbor and rivers, surveys, War de
partment.
In connection with this matter the
letter from the Fishing Vessel Own
ers Association, of Seattle, is of par
ticular intreest, so much in fact, that
a copy of it was telegraphed last
evening to Gov. George A. Parks oi
Alaska, who is now at Washington.
The letter:
Seward C. of C..
Seward, Alaska.
Dear sirs:
Wie are enclosing copy of lettei
sent you on June 21st, 1924 regarding
the establishment of a breakwater oi
some sort of shelter in Resurrection
Bay for the protection of vessels
moored there. As we have not heard
anything mor about the matter, we
wish to register a more urgent ap
peal.
Every year the number of vessels
in the halibut fleet is increasing and
along with it the need for bettei
facilities for anchoring and dock
ing vessels in Seward is becoming
more acute. As we stated in our pre
vious letter, when a strong wind is
blowing outside of Seward harbor
there is little to be gained by going
into the harbor and other places art
out of the question as tljey are eith
er too far from the fishing banks oi
i have no stores from which the boats
; may get supplies. The wind tha
i sometimes develops in the bay makes
: the present facilities inadequate anc
dangerous.
Our organization which consists o
the largest part of thevessels going
into Seward deems this matter as
urgent for a shelter is pressing anc
plans for its construction should be
hastened.
Yours very truly,
Fishing Vessels Owners. Assn.,
H. E. LOKKEN
Mrs. Sarah Mitchell of Aberdeen
Scotland, was arrested on a charge
of setting fire to the home of her di
vorced husband.
MARINE DOCTOR
PORT OF SEWARD
ALMOST ASSURED
TELEGRAM SENT TO GOV. PARKS
LAST NIGHT BY LOCAL
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Fishing Vessel Owners Asso
ciation of Seattle are firmly ibehind
the Seward Chamber of Commerce
in the matter of procuring the ser
vices of a marine doctor for this
port and to that end has advised
the local chamber their organization
is in communication wdith Dr. F. C.
Smith, the head of the hospital divi
sion, of the Public Health Service.
H. E. Lokken, secretary of the Se
attle assocition, states Dr. Smith has
advised his office that he has taken
is willing to serve as a marine doc
tor in Seward at present is willing to
serve as a marine doctor. There
must be a solution, Mr. Lokken writes
the local chamber, and his organiza
tion will appreciate any suggestion
from this chamber along the lines
planned.
Believing the local situation can be
assisted a great deal by Governor
Parks, who is now at Washington,
| D. C., a wire was dispatched to him
| last night from Seward urging his
personal cooperation in securing a
marine doctor for this port. It is
anticipated the matter wrill be brought
to a head rapidly.
GASOLINE RAISED
CENT A GALLON
CHICAGO, Feb. 2 (/P)—The Stan
dard Oil Company of Indiana added a
I cent a gallon to the price of gasoline,
naptha, refined and furnace oils to
day, effective tomorrow.
Corning grade of crude oil advanced
30 cents to §2.25 per barrel.
I
SCHOOL PROBLEM
JESSE LEE HOME
TAKEN UP, CHAMBER
WEEKLY MEETING CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE AT THE GRILL
IS LARGELY ATTENDED
Yesterday’s regular meeting of the
Seward Chamber of Commerce was full
| of interest to the many members in
attendance. Much correspondence was
'read, the bulk of which appears in
| other columns of this issue, and other
i matters which the chamber has been
; quietly working on for months, were
' either discussed or action taken.
One communication received asked
for information regarding cattle and
sheep raising in this and the westward
district. Capt. O. A. Johansen dwelt
at some length on this subject point
ing out the ideal surrounding locali
ties for carrying on this industry.
The exhibit committee reported pro
gress in the preliminary plans of gath
ing specimens and arranging an ex
hibit quarters.
Elwyn Swetmann made the sugges
tion that Moose Pass needed a rail
road siding quite badly and that ef
forts to procure one for some months
past have thus far proven unavailing.
A motion was regularly made and
seconded that the chamber go on re
cord petitioning the Alaska Railroad
for a siding at Moose Pass. The mo
tion was unanimously carried.
The necessity for a school house at
the Jesse Lee Home was stressed by
Capt. Johansen. In effect he said
this is an emergency proposition and
funds must be raised for the construc
tion of such a school next summer.
The chamber body has the problem
well in hand and headway is being
made. Upon regular motion the sec
. retary was instructed to communicate
with Lester D. Henderson, superin
tendent of Territorial schools.
VESSELS NORTHBOUND
The freighter La touche arrived at
Port Imlach this morning at 11:50
o’clock, westbound.
The S.S. Alaska was reported as
being 180 miles off Cape Spencer
yesterday afternoon, westbound.
Bankers of Oklahoma will co
operate in endeavoring to see that
, a capable agricultural agent is se
; cured for each county in the state.
Good program at the Liberty.
DIRTY LINEN BE
WASHED TODAY
BY COMMITTEE
EIGHT CHARGES FILED AGAINST
THREE JUDGES NAMED FOR
FIRST, THIRD, FOURTH
JUDICIARY TO HEAR COMPLAINTS
Judge E. E. Ritchie, Marshal H. P.
Sullivan Included in Charges
Filed by Sutherland
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 2 (/R)—
Eight charges against the appointment
of three Federal Judges, two District
Attorneys and four Marshals in Alas
ka will be aired today before the
Senate judiciary committee, headed
by Senator Cummins of Iowa, a re
publican. Lack of prohibition enforce
ment and trafficking in narcotics form
the basis of the complaints. Many
witnesses have been summoned and
much dirty linen will be washed out
before the committee.
The hearings will be on the nomina
tions of Alaskan officials to succeed
themselves. Delegate Sutherland is
the complainant in many cases, with
a number of senators and representa
tives on the list of witnesses.
The nominations to be considered
are:
First Division—Thomas M. Reed,
Judge; Albert White, Marshal; Arthur
G. Shoup, District Attorney.
Second Division—G. J. Lomen, of
Nome, for Judge; Charles D. Jones,
Marshal; and W. F. Harrison, District
Attorney.
Third Division—E. E. Ritchie, of
Valdez, for Judge; Harvey P. Sulli
van, for Marshal.
Fourth Division—Lynn Smith, of
Ruby, for Marshal.
FOUR FILE FOR
DELEGATE CONG.
FRANK BOYLE, OF JUNEAU, GIL-*,
BERT ADAMS, HARRY G.
M’CAIN AND SUTHERLAND
JUNEAU, Alaska, Feb. 3 (/P)—Yes
terday was the final filing day for the
primary election to be held in April.
Frank Boyle of Juneau, a democrat;
Gilbert Adams of Nome, a Democrt;
and Harry G. McCain, former Federal
assistant district attorney of Cordova,
who resigned and removed to Ketch
ikan, and who is a Republican, filed
for Delegate to Congress. McCain
formerly supported Sutherland.
With Delegate Sutherland in the
race makes four candidates for the
| office.
DELIVERIES OF
BOOZE ALLOWED
BY DRY AGENTS
JUDGE NETERER WILL NOT PER
MIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY
TO BE INTRODUCED
SEATTLE, Feb. 3 (/P)—Federal pro
hibition agents permitted liquor deliv
eries in Seattle for the purpose of se
curing evidence against the Olmsted
ring, Earl Corwin, government agent,
testified in the Olmsted trial. He
said that he did not interfere until the
evidence was complete.
Counsel for the defense, Vander
veer caught Corwin reading his testi
mony out of a book. Judge Jere Ne
terer ruled that he could use his book
for dates but not for the substance of
his testimony.
OFFICERS CUTTER
FACING TRIAL
SEATTLE, Feb. 2 (£>)—Lieut. Com
mander Wm. Wishaar and Lieut. Carl
eton Smith will be tried by court mar
tial here Monday, February 8, Com
mander Van BosKerck, prosecutor de
clared today, saying the charge would
be announced at the trial. The accu
sations •will concern the time when
Wishaar and Smith were stationed on
the Algonquin, which captured the
rum schooner Percawha off the
Washington coast a year ago.