 The next year he went to Irkutsk, where he helped build the Trans-Siberian Railway, but after a few months he left the job and started to walk to Yakutsk, Verkhoyansk, Kolyma and eventually to the New Siberian Islands, where he allegedly lived for the next 28 years.On the New Siberian Islands and later in Alaska Welzl worked as a fur hunter, trader and also acted as an unofficial Justice of the Peace.His activities as the judge when fighting the crime (especially the robberies among the fur traders and moonshine sales) were leaning towards vigilantism and even included lynching the offenders.