Seward Daily Gateway
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOLUME XV. NUMBER 585.
SEWARD, ALASKA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1930.
t’itfCG
EN GENTS
■ MYSTERY PILES UPON MYSTERY
ACCOUNTING FOR MISSING MEN
IN FAR REACHES OF WESTWARD
FINDING OF HEADLESS BODIES BRINGS TO
LIGHT STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF TWO
JAPANESE TRAPPERS WHO SAILED INTO
THE VOID FROM THIS PORT NEARLY A
YEAR AGO.
The mystery of the two headless human skeletons
found recently on the shores of Wide Bay, 20 miles
southwest of Kanatak, brings to light for the first
time another mystery of two Japanese trappers who
left Seward for Westward in December of last year
and have never been heard of since.
What became of Frank Kazahaya and Sam Isashi
,vho sailed forth from this harbor last winter on Kaza
haya’s small gasboat Tina? No word of any kind,
either by relatives here or at Kodiak; no scrap of
wreckage along the coast to be identified as that of
the Tina. They have apparently been swallowed up in
the void.
The story of the second mystery
has been brought forth by the pu
blication Tuesday in the Gateway
cf the gruesome find of the two
headless skeletons at Kanatak. Per
haps, the two mysteries are linked
together. It is possible that one
might be the solution of the other.
STORY FINALLY BREAKS
According to Harry Kawabe, pro
prietor of the Seward Steam Laun
dry, who has been working quietly
since last April through official
c ircles and through friends to the
Westward, he can get not the
slightest echo regarding Kazahaya
and Isashi. The former was a dar
ing but experienced boatman and
had been in Alaska for 20 years
much of which time he spent at
* ',:a- He was well known through
out the Westward. He was a big
man and rather well past middle
gc The younger man. Sam Isashi
was of husky calibre, and had been
in the Territory for a couple of
years corrected with canneries and
locally, working at odd jobs.
The two had determined to try
their luck at trapping and after
outfitting here had shoved off for
the Westward, but had no parti
cular destination. They had ex
pected to return to Seward by April,
at least, but to this day, no one
who knew them has seen them,
that is. as far as Mr. Kawabe
knows. Kazahaya has a daughter
for whom the boat was named liv
ing in Seward and two sons at
% Kodiak. They have never heard a
word of their father since he put
forth from this port.
It is possible that the Tina, the
boat which they set out in, was
wrecked and theft the two men
were drowned and washed up on
the beach of Wide Bay. This again
gives rise to wide conjecture, i£
the boat was wrecked why was
there no wreckage found where the
bodies were found? Perhaps it
sank outright. Again it may have
been wrecked far from where the
bodies were found, and the two
* men might have starved or frozen
to death attempting to reach the
f nearest settlemen.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
In his latter conjecture, it is pos
sible to connect the two mysteries,
however, it again seems strange
that on the two headless skeletons
recently bicked up by U. S. Deputy
Marshal Boyer and taken to Ko
diak, there seems to have been no
shred of clothing that might lead
to their identification, neither was
the coroner’s jury able to reach
* any satisfactory conclusion regard
* ing the manner of death.
Following the wiring of the
news of the Kanatak mystery to
the Associated Press at Seattle by
the Gateway, a theory comes out
of Valdez to the effect that the
bodies found at Wide Bay may
have been the victims of the mur
derous propensi t ie s of Charles
Davis, confessed slayer of his
partner Williams at Lake Beschar
of above Kodiak, and now under
a 15-year sentence at McNeil’s Is
land.
It is recalled that Davis made
an extended confession at Valdez
to the effect that he and Williams
had killed two men on their trip
from Chignik to Kanatak in the
Fall of 1929 just prior to the mur
der of Whir ms by his partner.
WEIRD STORIES
‘I never took much stock in that
confession of Davis,” said Assistant
District Attorney E. P. Harwood
here Wednesday,” at least that
part of it having to do with the
alleged killings west of Kanatak.
Davis’ story varied every time he
told it, and in any event the cir
cumstances would not jibe with the
finding of the headless bodies, re
ported to have been found close
together.
“Davis said that he and Wil
liams left Chignik in a small boat,
coming eastward towards Kanatak.
After a day or two’s sailing their
boat was wrecked and they were
forced to take to the beach. After
another day or so of travel they
came upon a man who had land
ed on the beach with his boat.
Needing a boat they killed the man.
They then proceeded for a day or
two more in the boat,, but as it
was painted in a peculiar manner
they thought it might be easily
identified so they abandoned it
and took to the beach again
"After two or three days more of
hiking, Davis said they came to a
cabin where a man was living.
Since he had plenty of grub and
a rifle they killed him too, took
the grub and continued on their
way since Chignik is a long ways
J west of Kanatak, these two sup
| posed victims could not possibly
j have been the bodies found at
| Wide Bay which is some 20 or 30
miles southwest of Kanatak. Fur
! thermore, I believe that this story
is more or less a figment of Davis’
imagination, because those people
out there know each other and of
each other’s whereabouts pretty
well and we never have been able
to find any one reported missing
who might posibly have been the
victim of Davis’ killing impulse.”
ANOTHER EXPLANATION
(Please turn to Page Four)
CHESSES
FRIGHTFUL MURDER
STEP DAUGHTER
I S ED GROUND GLASS IN FOOD
CHILD; BREAKS DOWN
DURING GRILLING
DENVER, Oct., 23, (If)—Mrs.
Pearl O’Laughlin this morning
1 admitted she alone was respon
sible for the death of her 10
year-old step-daughter Leona,
whose mutilated body was found
in City Park Lake more than a t
week ago.
Ground glass was found in the ■
girl’s stomach.
Detective Captain Clark said
he had obtained an admission
after grilling the woman for six
and one-half hours when she
| broke down. She was carried
i from his office in a mental and
physical breakdown.
“Neither Mrs. O’Laughlin nor
myself are in such physical con
| dition to continue.” he said, but
I he expects a more detailed con
fession later on.
COLLAPSE EMUS
E
I
PECUL1T11EI
BOTH ENDS CRUMBLED AS
CABOOSE BACKED THRU
TUNNEL
STEUBENVILLE. Ohio. Oct.,
i 23, ■ UV)—Three men were en
tombed in a cave-in in a tunnel
on the Wheeling and Lake Erie
: railroad near Adena.
It is believed the dead train
men were in the caboose r-f the
| train which was backing through
the tunnel when both er^Ls be
go n to crumble. It is said the
caboose was split in two.
i The trapped men were con
j doctor Jerry Sells, brakeman
} E- E- Duga and flagman A1 Ro~
| mando.
The train consisted of 25 cars
| and had been backed about 300
■ *eet into the tunnel when the
cave-in occurred.
THE-STOCK IfllKET
Int. Tel. 28
A. Can . 12
Stand. N. J. .. 52
Richfield . no sale
Zellerbach . 7
Lehigh . 8
A. Juneau . 6
U. Cal. 28
Goldman . 10
Bancorporation . 27
„Kennecott . 25
Radio . 27
Steel . 145
Carbide . 60
Con. Gas . 93
Cities . 23
Motors . 33
Durant .~ i
Hollywood 9, Angeles 8.
The game, the first for the
Coast pennant, went 10 innings
and seven homers figured prom
inently; five for Los Angeles
and the remainder by Hollywood.
The Los Angeles infield crack
ed wide open. Los Anglese ob
tained 16 hits to Hollywoods 10.
DEATH TOLL GROWS
ALSDORF, Germany, ucu., 23,
Two hundred and 51 bodies have j
been recovered from the wreck
ed mine. Search for more vic
tims continues. The mine blast
is still being investigated by the
government.
OF FISli ROBBED
ID HMD!
ALWAYS CARRIED LARGE SUM
O F MONEY AROUND
WITH HIM
he
,ins
Jut
alone and
KETCHIKAN, Oct., 23, (£>)—
With hands tied behind his
back, his feet lashed a bruise
over his right eye, the body of
G. P. Marshall, 60 *- fS ' ?r,
was found this m
boat Phoenix VI a
12 miles from he
ter Cygan.
Marshall operated
left here Monday. The bo^ff was
anchored in the harbor offering
little protection and seldom used
by fishermen. He generally car
ried $500 or $1,000 in a strong
box which was missing.
About $60 in currency was
found in his clothes. Marshall’s
boat was robbed about a year
ago and two men were convict
ed and sent to a reformatory.
SITS! PROMISES 815
name mm
SITKA. Oct. 23- Special to The
G ale way—.Mayor William E.
Hanlon of Sitka in a telegram
to the Empire today said:
“Sitka will give the entire
Democratic ticket a big major
ity,” in the coming election.
Grigsby, Gaffney and legisla
tive candidates spoke at Sitka
Tuesday to a crowded house.
WEMillES
PBEDIGTEE EOS INTER
PARIS, Oct., 23, t/P)—Fishskin
shoes and handbags are the winter
ensemble several shoe designers are
promoting.
The fishskin is hard and has a
fine pebbled surface-like sand-!
paper.
Black, dark brown, navy blue
are the colors most shown.
NEW MEXICO TOWN
HAS BIG OIL BOOM
LOVINGTON, N. M., Oct., 23,
—Despite the prevailing busi
ness conditions over the coun
try, Lovington has enjoyed its
most substantial and unprece
dented growth during the past
90 days, with the outlook gain
ing momentum daily as the pro
duction of the Lea county oil
fields moves to Hobbs field.
Lovington is now only 15
miles from actual production.
CHINESE MAYOR DUE
NANKING, Oct. 22. (£>) —Hop
ing that he may be able to pick
up a few new ideas on how to
run a municipal government,
Mayor Lin Yun-kai, of Canton,
will leave China before the end
of the year for a tour of cities
in the United States.
buckets gasoline about
BUILDINGS READY FOR
THE TORCH
SHANGHAI, Oct., 23, UP)—
Dispatches from. Nan Chang
said 8,000 men and women were
slaughtered since the capture of
Kian Kiangsi province by, the
communists, on October 6.
Burning and looting accompa
nied the massacre.
Missionary advices said five
Catholic sisters were captured by
the “reds” and that five Chi
nese nuns are also held, bishop
Migniani and a Chinese priest
said they had left Kiukiang at
the command of the “reds” who
are seeking 10,000,000 Mexican
dollars for the release of the
missionaries.
No missionary building has
been burned but buckets ol gas
oline have been set around and
through these properties to fire
it quickly if the “reds” desire.
NEW CAUSES ASSIGNED FOR
CRASH OF PLANE AT
KOTZEBUE
NOME, Oct., 23, op)—Father
Feltes, copilot of the wrecked
Mission plane at Kotzebue, ac
companied by Father Post, ar
rived here with the bodies of
Priests Delon and Walsh who
were killed in the wreck.
The bodies will be shipped to
the States on the steamer Bald
win today.
Father Feltes denied the en
gine stalled but said the snow
storm blinded Pilot Wien as he
attempted to land, then climbed
but wTent into a tail-spin from
which he was unable to get out
of before the crash.
iralil
10 FURNISH AS MINI
JOBSPOSSIBLE, Ml
WASHINGTON, Oct., 23, (£>>—
A call to American industry to
cooperate in alleviating the suf
fering among the unemployed
this winter, was sounded by
Colonel Arthur Woods, Presi
dent Hoover’s relief director, af
ter a conference at th^ White
House.
Colonel Woods, who arrived
last night, conferred for an hour
with the President and Secretar
ies Lamont and Hurley.
After the conference he said
he would make formal reraest
for all industries to cooperate
and give as many^jobs as pos
sible and as soon as possible.
TAKES DEER FOR WALK
EHRHARDT, S. C., Oct- 22. (£>)—
A swamp is no place to kill deer,
says J. S. Dannelly. He grabbed a
wounded buck by the antlers, yank
ed it to its feet and walked it to
high ground where he finished it
off.