THIRD YEAR.
CHITIXA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1912.
NUMBER «.
OF GENERAL INFORMATION
1-—- ■■
Hon. James "Wickersham, delegate
to Congress from Alaska, will remain
over night in Cordova, after having
spent a couple of days at Valdes.
The delegate is on his way to the na
tional capital and will sail on the
steamer Mariposa tomorrow morning.
After reaching Seattle he will pro
ceed almost Immediately to Wash
ing ton. so as to be there at the open
ing of Congress on December 2.
While Judge Wickersham met a num
ber of constituents at Cordova after
his arrival here on Tuesday, he
stated, previous to his departure on
Wednesday, that on his return he
would endeavor to personally meet
as many more as possible. He pre
ferred this manner of getting into
touch with the people rather than by
the means of a public meeting. The
attitude that delegate Wickersham
will take on important questions now
pending and w'hich will be brought
up in Congress and his general views
concerning Alaska matters, is some
what explained by the following ex
pression from him:
‘‘The election Is past, and it is
time now for all to work together
without regard to party or partisan
politics for the future success o<
the new' legislature and for Alaska.
I was for that great American,
Theodore Roosevelt, but now that it
is over I am for Woodrow Wilson.
He is my president now as he is
yours, and I intend to go to him and
try to get help for Alaska.
“The many defects of the Alaska
code should be remedied by the first
territorial legislature. There have
teen practically no amendments to
the Alaska code since adopted twelve
to thirteen years ago, and the laws
are greatly in need of changes in
many cases. The lawyers of the ter
ritory have a duty to perform, and
it is their duty to assist the legisla
ture in drafting the needed amend
ments so that these can be put
through at the first session. It i6
the duty of every man in Alaska to
lay aside his personal scraps and
help the legislature in the passage of
needed laws.”
I
In the opinion of Delegate Wick
ersham the coal question in the ter
ritory will be settled speedily by
Woodrow Wilson. The railroad and
the coal questions go together and
the Delegate is encouraged at the out
look for a government road. The
visit of the railroad commissioners
was significant and there is a chance
that steps toward such a road will
be taken by the coming congress. If
not, then they will when the new ad
ministration takes charge.
For his part the representative of
the territory states that he will work
for a government railroad for better
transportation. He does not care
where the railroad has its starting
point, but it must extend from the
coast to Tanana and to Fairbanks.
The delegate declares the telegraph
system of the territory to be the
most expensive in the world, and in
stead of transferring its control to
the postoflice department, as favored
by the secretary of war, thought it
should be turned over to the signal
corps to run on a business basis and
not be hampered by the restrictions
and red tape of the war department
and army regulations. He is not in
favor of having the soldiers do police
duty, but thought instead that if the
marshals of the territory were given
authority to perform other duties
He speaks optimistically of the fu
ture of the territory, not only from a
mining standpoint but from an agri
cultural view point as well. He
believes that Alaska is just about
to enter on a new era of prosperity
and development such as not be
fore dreamed of, and Woodrow Wil
son, the new president, will help.
Wilson is in sympathy with Alaska
and, although not of the party of the
delegate, the delegate thinks that the
chief executive will see that Alaska
gets help in many needed things and
gets it promptly.
(From Friday's Daily Alaskan)
It was six o’clock last evening when
the jury in the Diggs case repaired to
their room for deliberation. Short
ly after they were taken out to sup
per. Soon after their return they
took a ballot which, it is reported
stood two for conviction and ten for
acquittal. After a short argument
[another ballot was taken with the
result that the twelve voted for ac
quittal. The deputy Marshal then
notified the Judge that the jury was
ready to report. He and other offi
cers repaired to the theatre, where
the entertainment was temporarily
displayed by the calling of court. It
was then about 8:30 and the jury
submitted the verdict of not guilty
and was discharged. Some manifes
tation of applause was heard, which
was quickly checked by the Marshal
and Judge.
Mr. Diggs was the former postmas
ter at Cordova and with others had
been Indicted for the embezzlement
of $4,000 of the postal funds, fail
ure to report the shortage in the office
to the department and for deceiving
the inspectors. The defendant was
represented by attorneys O. A. Tucker
and Frank Foster, both of whom
made strong pleas before the jury.
The case for the government was han
dled by District Attorney Walker and
his deputy, Guy Brubaker. Judge
Peter D. Overfield presided and his
rulings were prompt and charge to
the jury eminently fair.
Late this afternoon a complaint
was filed with the clerk of the court,
it is an action to remove" $K.,000
damages lor ;ersor.al injuries alleged
to have been sustained on September
17, 19i£, by a fall rock at Mile
126. The defendant named is the
Copper River & Northwestern rail
way and the plaintifTff is Harry Al
heit
(From Thursday’s Daily Alaskan)
In the case of the government
Jos. F. Diggs, former postmaster at
Cordova, on the charge of embezzle
ment of post office funds, all the
evidence was in at three o’clock this
afternoon. Other than several
character witnesses the two import
ant witnesses for the defense were
Mr. and Mrs. Diggs, his wife. The
prosecution had shown that over
$900 had been issued in postal
orders, replaced by I. O. U.’s by Diggs,
and one item of $400 taken in cash by
Mr. Diggs and replaced by a check
payable to himself and which was
never cashed. These items were
practically all admitted by the de
fendant, but he contended that the
money was due him for salary, for
other than a small sum, he had never
received anything from the service
for salary, rent, fuel, etc. and con
sidered that the amount was due him
and was not taken with any intent to
embezzle. The testimony of the
postal inspectors, augmented by the
records, indicated that every dollar
owing by the postal department to
the postmaster had been paid but it
was not sufficient to pay the clerks
employed by the postmaster, and
other running expenses.
At three o’clock deputy District
Attorney Brubaker summed up the
evidence and presented it to the jury.
He only consumed twenty minutes,
and was followed by attorney Frank
Foster for the defense. The District
Attorney made the closing address to
the jury, after which Judge Overfleld
delivered his charge and the jury re
tired.
(From Saturday’s Daily Alaskan)
Shortly before noon today the
special term of court that convened
at Cordova on November 14 was ad
journed sine die. Most of the time
was consumed in the trial of the
postoffice cases. Various other mat
ters were considered and acted upon
by Judge Overfleld, who will sail on
the steamer Mariposa tomorow for
Juneau, where he will hold a term of
AS THE CONTESTS NOW APPEAR
I
There is now every indication that
Woodrow Wilson will be elected Pres
ident of the United States by the ex
traordinary number of 446 electoral
votes. The only state about which
there is the least doubt is California,
with 13 votes. The complete count
gives it to Wilson, but the Roosevelt
forces will exhaust all possible court
proceedings before allowing it to
positively get away from them. The
small vote received by President Taft
is a grievious disappointment to his
friends and supporters. The result
is indicated below:
WILSON—146.
ARIZONA, 3.
ALABAMA. 12.
ARKANSAS, 9.
CALIFORNIA. 13.
COLORADO, 6.
CONNECTICUT. 7.
DELAWARE, 3.
FLORIDA, 6.
GEORGIA, 14.
IDAHO, 4.
ILLINOIS, 29.
INDIANA, 15.
IOWA, 13.
KANSAS, 10.
KENTUCKY, 13.
LOUISIANA, 10.
MAINE, 6.
MARYLAND, 8.
| MASSACHUSETTS. 18.
MISSISSIPPI, 10.
MISSOURI, 18.
MONTANA, 4.
NEBRASKA, 8.
NEVADA, 3.
NEW JERSEY, 14.
NEW YORK, 45.
NEW HAMPSHIRE, 4.
NEW MEXICO, 3.
NORTH CAROLINA, 12.
NORTH DAKOTA, 5.
OHIO, 24.
OKLAHOMA, 10.
OREGON, 5.
RHODE ISLAND. 5.
SOUTH CAROLINA, 9.
TENNESSEE, 12.
TEXAS: 20.
VIRGINA. 12.
WEST VIRGINA, 8.
"WISCONSIN, 13.
WYOMING, 3.
ROOSEVELT—77.
MICHIGAN, 15.
MINNESOTA, 12.
PENNSYLVANIA. 38.
SOUTH DAKOTA, 5.
WASHINGTON, 7.
TAFT—8.
UTAH. 4.
VERMONT, 4.
TOR THE SENATE
_
I
<a
"3 a
n ►» « 3 a
PRECINCTS S 5 K 3 5
“ l | a | S
!«»;►»:>»
8 H W_J H ti
Cordova . 86 83 35 28 31 75
Eyak .. 14 13 7 10 14 23
Allen.1 1 3 3 11 11
Flag Point ... 122 1
Tlekel ..9 15 31 25 3 7
Chitina . 99 89 33 15 8 4
McCarthy . 21 26 14 5 8 8
Xennecott . 81 79 2 2 0 0
Xatalla. 15 7 53 55 8 5
Valdai . 131 45 200 116 45 25
Valdai Bel. .. 50 17 122 99 28 28
Shonp Bay. 3 1 30 8 26 14
Seward . 44 28 48 133 28 17
Beaver Dam .. 2 13 2
Coppar Creak .. 13 3 13 2 2
Glacier . 8 3 5
Coppar Mountain 10 9 4 4
Strelna . 9 1 3 11
Xodlak . 16 7 39 39
EXXamar _ 10 2 27 12 4 4
Mila 71 . 8 8
Beaurrection .... 8 1 0 7 4 4
Roosevelt . 15 10 24 1 1
Eatouche . 10 7 26 24
Beldovia . 31 3 6 26 11 4
Coppar Center .. 12 10 2 1 3 2
Xnik . 10 20 31 35 13
Sonriae . 12 4 12
Eandlock . 12 5 14 2 23 22
Golden . 5 21 12 1 2
Regal. 6 6
Gulkana . 7 4 3
Susitna . 28 21 7 7 1
Afognak . 7 5 68 73
TOTALS 774 501 847 810 302 276
court commencing December 9.
Clerk Lakin will also depart for
the outside on this steamer, as his
service in this division has ended.
Pete Johnson, who has been con
ducting a laundry at McCarthy, was
this morning granted a liquor license
by the court.
Dan Reeder was this morning ad
mitted as a good American citizen.
Although born in Oregon he was
taken in his youth to British Colum
bia, where he became a subject of
Great Britain, and it was necessary
for him to renounce this sovereignity
before being able to enjoy all the
privileges of American citizenship.
The personal injury case of Peter
Cordes, that was set for this morning,
was continued until the next term of
court, which will likely be held at
Cordova in the early Spring. Other
matters on the calendar were similar
ly disposed of. ~
■ ■ — O -P.. -
With every incoming train from
the interior are men from the Tanara
valley, and they are all enthusiastic
over the promising gold qua~U out
put from that district. There are
now sixteen stamp mills in the Fair-j
banks recording precinct, twelve of
which are located or are being locat
ed on the mines themselves, and all
of which will be at work before the
first of December. In practically
every case the mine owner has taken
out enough ore from the property to
| pay for the mill and now has it in
stalled where he can make the mine
pay for its own development. Some
of the properties are not yet in shape
to supply the little mills with a con
tinous run of ore, but several are,
and a few months’ work will put the
rest in the same position.
Taking into consideration the daily
output of the mills now working and
the known richness of the rock at all
of the mines, these mills can safely
be counted upon to produce J1.000,
000 by June 1.
The mills now on the mine sites are
located as follows: One on Ester
that of the Hudson brothers; two on
Dome creek owned by Capt. Spalding;
two on Cleary proper, on the News
boy and the Newsboy extension; one
on Willow creek on the Tolovana
claims; one on Bedrock creek on the
Rhoads-Hall lead; one on Twin
creek on the Rainbow; one on Wolf
creek on the Rexall; two on Chatham
creek on the North Star and the
Chatham Creek Mining Company, and
one is located on Fairbanks creek for
the McCarty and Fursteneau claim.
-o—o—o
Drink Farkford at the Chitina Bar.
A bigger per cent of the people of
Chitina will eat Turkey on Thanks
giving than most cities in the United
States.
The recent snows have put the trail
in pretty good condition.
The road house men are beginning
to come in for supplies. The Chitina
Cash store reports a record business
for the past month.
C. A. Simons & Co.are apt to have
Just what you want in their big sec
ond hand line.
The Saloon men of Chitina were
recently instructed to sell no booze
to an intoxicated person. Possibly
the impending change of administra
tion led to the discovery of this law.
F. H. Foster and family of Valdez
arrived Monday and will locate on
Chitina Heights.
W. E. Brown of Copper Mountain
who was for some time operator at
Chitina depot came down Monday
on his way to Cordova for a few days.
Among the passengers last even
ing from Fairbanks were J. L. Sale,
Dr. Cassels, George F. Gates, and H.
H. Reeves. They are witnesses in
the Barnette and Hawkins banking
cases and will go to Valdez on the
Northwestern. Mrs. Cassels and J.
R. Fowle are also arrivals. „
CHITINA HOTEL ARRIVALS
W. W. McKimon, F. J. Bingham. A.
R. lies, A. Joydich, Pete Vitch, A.
Rim, F. Watson, J O. Negry, Mrs.
Meyers, Cap Rose, Chas. Warner, Miss
Smith, Peter Johnson, J. C. Reedman,
Geo. Smith, C. K. Hammond, Carl
Hansen, G. P. Colwell, J. M. Mafsted,
A Cloninger, Cleo Thrash, Dollie Bel
mont. Fannie Clark, Mable Grass, E.
L. Crawford, F. E. Johnson, Gus
Peterson, F. S. Bull, Jas. P. Hawk
ins, E. W. Monson, Ed. Davis, H.
Gold, Dr. W. G. Cassles and wife, J.
F. Clarkin, F. H. Foster and family,
J. S. Conway, O. L. Larson, and J. R.
Fowle.
————o—■—e ■
SPOKANE, Nov. 2 7—The Ameri
can Mining Congress is giving much
consideration to the questions of
conservation of coal and timber.
This afternoon a resolution was ad
opted denouncing the policy of the
government in placing four hundred
million acres of the public domain
under the jurisdiction of one fores
try official..
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 7—The re
mains of the late Senator Rayner, of
Maryland, were laid away this morn
ing in Rockvlew cemetery. The
funeral was attended by President
Taft. Justices of the Supreme court,
and other public officials..
.
Alaska now has an Indian reserva
tion, established recently by an ex
ecutive order of President Taft.
The reservation is in behalf of the
young Indians of the Hydaburg vil
lage, who have under the direction of
Charles Hawkesworth, of the govern
ment Indian bureau, established the
model Indian village on Sukkwan
island.
The reservation includes twelve
square miles, or 7,833 acres. It em
braces a point of Sukkwan island, a
small portion of Prince of Wales is
land and half of another in the strait
between Sukkwan and Prince of
Wales islands.
The conditions of the reservation
are of course different from the reser
vations for the plains Indians, and is
merely intended to protect the In
dians in the use of the land. Under
its terms the reservation is open to
any Indian, and they may come and
go at will.
-o—o—o
At the recent annual meeting in
Seattle of the stockholders of Alaska
Northern railway, W. E. Stavert, of
Montreal, Canada, was elected presi
dent and general manager of the
Alaska Northern railway to succeed
O. G. Laberee, resigned, J. C. Will
iams, of Spokane, was re-elected vice
president; F. G. Jemmett, of Toronto,
Canada, was re-elected treasurer, and
James A. Haight was re-lected secre
tary of the company for the ensuing
year. The remaining members of
the board of directors, which includes
the officers, who were elected recent
ly are Col. A. W. Swanitz, of Alame
da, Cal., A. H. Wheatley, of Seward
and L. W. White, of Seattle. The
Alaska Northern railway is now in
operation for a distance of seventy
five miles from Seward, on Resurrec
tion bay, north to Kern creek, which
is at present the northern terminal
of the line.
-o—» v ■
A wireless was received this morn
ing from operator Martin, at Kodiak,
verifying the vote of Afognak at the
recent election. Instead of 73 votes
for Ray he is given 71, the other vote
being practically as first reported.
With Ray 36 votes in the lead over
Baldwin the probabilities are that he
has been elected Senator. Col. Mil
lard is considered beyond the danger
line.
— .- -O -O-O --
ROME, Nov. 2 7—Upon the open
ing of the Chamber of Deputies yes
terday the Prem'er presented the
signed treaty of between Tur
key and Italy.
OF
The news comes from Fairbanks
that four coal claimants, the last of
eighteen that staked in March, 1906,
before President Roosevelt issued his
order of withdrawal of coal lands in
November of that same year, are ap
pealing from the decision of Com
missioner Fred Dennett of the gen
eral land office to Secretary of the
Interior Walter E. Fisher in the hope
of being able to obtain their patents.
Commissioner Dennett turned
down these applications for paten*
on the ground that the applicants
had not developed a producing mine
or mines, as is provided by law; not
because the claims were not staked
in time or because they were more
valuable for other purposes, or be
cause there was any hint of combi
nation or fraud.
In their affidavits the coal land
claimants did not contend that they
had opened producing mines, holding
that nature already had opened the
mines, some of the veins included in
the locations on Hoseanna Creek or
Lignite Creek of the Nenana River,
sixty-five miles southwest of Fair
banks. being thirty feet thick. At
some places there is a total thickness
of the coal seams, all of which lie
horizontal, of 129 feet.
In their brief to the secretary of
the interior the claimants point out
that the law of April 28, 1904, which
invited the location of the coal lands,
was not intended to work a hardship
or to bring about oppression which
would prevent the poor man locating
and getting title to coal lands. This
is what would occur if the decsion of
Commissioner Dennett given July 12
of the present year holds, for only
some extremely rich company could
bear the expense of building a rail
road and transporting machinery to
the mine to open it up.
Further, the regulations of the de
partment positively state that the
locator shall not mine and sell any
coal before he gets his patent.
-o-n—- i
SEATTLE, Nov. 25—Last week
two impotant coal hearings were neld
before Andrew L. Christensen, chief
of the field division of the interior
department, who acted as special
commissioner for the government.
Special Agents H. Stanley Hendricks
and H. J. Atwell of the inteiior de
partment came from Billings. Mont.,
concluding a trip as far south as can
Francisco and around througn Den
ver, Col., where testimony has been
taken concerning the Chezum and
other coal claim groups. They repre
sented the department in the local
hearing. This testimony will be for
warded to the register and receiver of
the general land office at Juneau,
Alaska, who will pass on the merits
of the case His decision will be sent
to the land office commissioner at
Washington, D. C., for final approval,
and the claims will be either can
celed or confirmed for the claimants.
Eleven claimants are involved,
among them several Seattle persons.
Squire C, Chezum himself is a resi
dent of this city and was a witness
for the defense in the Cunningham
suit here some time ago. While in
Alaska for a time he was associated
with Cunningham. Each of the
claimants has approximately 160
acres, and the land is said to be very
valuable, if the coal could be brought
to market. The property is now'
owned by the Northern Improvement
Company.
Testimany on the “Feed” group
followed after the Chezum group was
disposed of. Numerous witnesses for
hearings were subpoenaed. Among
those who testified in San Francisco
was Louis R. Glavis, formerly of this
city and now in San Francisco.
-o—o—o
PARIS, Nov. 2 7—The La Liberte
says that Austria has decided to send
a squadron to Durazzo, Adriatic, be
fore it is occupied by Servia.
Subscribe for the Chitina Leader.
There seems now no reason to
doubt the intention of the Alaska
Road Commission to build two much
needed bridges in the Copper river
country of Alaska. One will cross
the treacherous Nazina. a few miles
from McCarthy, and the other will
cross the Gulkana. While Col. Rich
ardson was recently in Seattle, on his
way to Washington, he talked freely
with a reporter from the Post-Intelli
gencer. Among other things that
paper says:
• Although toad building in Ataska
was greatly handicapped by the great
amount of rainfall during Semptem
ber and October. Col. Richardson ex
pressed pleasure over the amount of
work done this year and stated, as
his belief, that it would be but a few
years until the importance of wagon
roads for the development of Alaska
would be realized and more national
assistance given in their construction.
“While in this city Lieut. Edgerton
is pucliasing bridge material and
other supples, which will be shipped
to Alaska at once. During the win
ter months two important bridges
will be built, at a cost of about $40,
000 for both. The most important
will cross the Nazina river. This
bridge will afTord a passage from the
Copper River Railroad into the Nazi
r.ia fields. Nearly twenty men have
been drowned in attempting to make
this crossing in the last few years.
The other will be built across the
Gulkana river, giving a more safe
trail into the interior.
“Lieut. R. L. Weeks, the other
member of the Alaska Road Commis
sion, remained at Valdez. Col Rich
ardson and Lieut. Edgerton will leave
this city Saturday night for Washing
ton, D. C. Col. Richardson will re
main in Washington for the winter,
but Lieut. Edgerton will return to
this city in five or six weeks and will
go north for the winter.
“The longest piece of road buiit by
the Alaska Road Commission *his sea
son was the fifteen-mile stretch to
Circle City and Burch Creek road,
while the season’s work iucluded the
construction of three miles of road
connecting Juneau and Sheep Creek;
the completion of the Seward and
Inoko road; the improving of the
Fairbanks and Valdez trail; the
building of a winter sled road from
Ruby City to Salauta; the building of
a trail from Cook Inlet to Willow
Creek camp; the building of a winter
trail from Seward to Idltarod; tha
improving of the Fairbanks and Coast
road, and the building of bridges
across Stewart creek, Delta river,
Jarvic creek and Pile Driver creek."
-o—o--o
One of the Fairbanks papers states
that about Thanksgiving time, a
stage will bo started from Fairbanks
tn Chitina with three or four insane
patients, their guards and a deputy
marshal as passengers. The stage,
in all probability, will be a special
one, and will carry no passengers
other than the government party.
Among the unfortunates will be Otto
iNichols, of Nulato. He "as adjudg
led insane shortly after reaching Nu
lato from the Iditarod, and was taken
to Ruby by deputy Marshal Town
send. Deputy Ander brought him
to Fairbanks and on his way picked
up Charles Chisholm at Tanana, as
he was recently adjudged insane.
Another insane was brought to Fair
, hanks from Circle City. He is J.
| Wahala, who left Fairbanks on one
of the last boats, but got off at a wood
camp on the way and started to wan
der in the woods. He appeared to be
under the impression that someone
was seeking his life.
The fourth man is now in the Fair
banks federal jail. His name is An
drew Forslund, and he was taken into
cutody on the Healey river.
-X-X-X
COLORADO SPRINGS, Nov. 27—
William F. Slocum, president of the
Colorado College, has been elected
Chairman of the board of trustees of
the Carnegie foundation.