OLD-TIMER TELLS OF JUSTICE
IN ALASKA THIRTY YEARS AGO
_
VALDRZ.—The following story, llie
author of which is unknown, dealing
with the conditions in Alaska prior
to the big gold rush of ’98, was
handed into the Miner by an old res
ident of Valdez. The killing of the
storekeeper was a matter of story in
the early days of Valdez, but the de
tails given by the writer, while pro
bably correct, are not personally
known to the editor.
On or about February 15, 1888, Mr.
Holt, the agent of the Alaska Com
mercial Company, at Knik, was shot
and killed by an Indian by the name
of Nlcola'i, belonging to the Mata
nuskn tribe of natives.
The cause of (he shooting was a
dispute between 1 Jolt and the Indian
over some tobacco, known as "Sheep
Dip” or natural leaf. Nicolai was
urged on to commit the deed by one
of the Knik tribe of Indians, for
which killing he, Aflnacie, paid Nico
lai with plunder out of (he A. C. store.
The case was laid before Governor j
Nwineford, and be was asked by the
people of Cook Inlet lo take the mat
ter in hand. All the satisfaction
they could obtain from the governor
was that he did not have time to at- ,
tend to the matter. 1’. L. Shell, A.
It. ftyan and Dr. .). It. Ballou offered
their services free of charge to hand
over the murderer to the authorities,
but could not get them interested in
the case.
The native, Nicolai, be'ing the son
of a medicine man, was greatly elated
over the dastardly act of murder and
for some time following the murder,
and several times threatened to kill
was greatly feared l»y the rest of his
tribe, lie swaggered around the post
Mr. Shell, who succeeded Mr. Holt
1 as agent for the A. C. Company at
Knik. Mr. Shell tried to explain
to him the enormity of the crime he
had committed and that the officers
of the law were liable to take hold
of him at any time, but he paid no
attention to the warning and continued
to make threats against the life of
Mr. Shell.
Later Nicolai returned to his own
domain on the Matanuska, but now
with the avowed intention of killing
Mr. Shell. He came into the station
armed to the teeth, but Mr. Shell
was prepared for him, ns he had a
tower built, 26 feet high, on the
blockhouse style, from which he took
Nicolai by surpilse, nnd justice was
done the Indian in real western style,
but not until after the law had been
given every opportunity to do Justice.
Following the killing of Nicolai
there ensued twenty eight days of the
most vigilant watching from the- town
while the mercury stood at the freez
ing point or lower. The few white
men were compelled to take turns
keeping watch on the natives to pre
vent them from surprising the whites
and murdering all hands. Finally the
tundra broke and the Matanuska In
dians were compelled to fall back into
their own country.
The Indian, Afinacie, is still at large
and there has never been any attempt
to .apprehend him, although he is the
one actually responsible for the com
mitting of the murder by Nicolai.
It is only a few years ago that an
Indian on the Sus'itna river murdered
a girl (Indian) at the village, and
burned the body. This crime has also
been overlooked by the authorities
and has passed underneath.
We want every one to be a iub"
scriber to the Nugget—Do it NOW.
ALASKA NOTES
Mrs. 1. II. Fleshchmann, of Anchor- j
age, reports having seen a robin red
breast in her yard a few days ago.
The fire department of Juneau, hav
ing the sum of four hundred dollars in
its treasury, ‘is considering investing
the money in the new Juneau school
bonds.
i
Parties rcturn'ing from the interior
to Valdez report the winter an ex
ceptionally cold one, and a startling
absence of game at many camps.
Frank Miller, a resident <>f Cordo
va, was found dead a few days ago
in the calVin of a friend. Alcoholism
was given as the cause of death.
William Howard, a policeman at
the native village at Dougins, was re
cently bound over to the grand Jury
for soliciting a white man to buy
him n bottle of wh'iskey.
During the first seven days of Feb
ruary the Alaska ICngineering Com
mission at Anchorage paid out the
sum of $85,600.82 for salaries, on
contracts and for wages.
To prove his contention that there
are grasshopers in Alaska, James
Itussell, of Juneau, recently brought
to the Dispatch office 'in that city a
fine, specimen of the locusta viridissi
nra caught in the Taku valley.
Ole Berg, the well known mining
niun of Strelna, returned a few days
ago from a trip to Boston, where he
succeeded in financing h'is property,
and will immediately commence de
velopment work on a large scale.
1. S. Deputy Marshal A. F. Huff
man arrived at Anchorage recently
bringing William Hell, charged with
the burglary of Hubert Small s black
smith shop. Some of the stolen tools
were alleged to have been found on
Hell when he was arrested.
Thu Mouse basketball team of Val
dez has challenged the Seward team
for a series of games to be played
either .it Seward or .it Valdez, for the
championship of 1'iiiiee William
Sound. The Moose team is an ex
eeptionally fast one .mil believe they
can take the sealps of any team along
the Alaskan eoast.
In reply to a communication from
the Cordova Chamber of Commerce,
urging the construction by the gov
ernment of a branch line from the
Copper River road to the Hering Riv
er coal fields, Secretary of the Interior
Lane acknowledges the receipt of the
communication and says the matter
will in; given careful ennsidciaI'mn.
Sam Myran, while working on rock
contract for the Alaska Kngineorlng
Commission on tin Turnagain Arm
section was hit on tlie back of the head
by a falling boulder recently, and
received injuries from which he died
about 40 minutes later. Rock slides
are reported to lie frequent in that
section on account of the warm spell.
Chairman Kdes, of the Alaska Kn
gineering Comm'ission, has announced
that the Commission has decided to
lease to the San Juan Kish Company,
of Seattle, for a period of 20 years, a
300-foot section of the waterfront at
Seward on which the company is to
expend $150,000 for a cold storage
plant and other facilit'ies for handling
flsh.
Dan Callahan, who is now serving a
term of ten years at McNeil Island
for .statutory rape, committed at Fair
banks, and whose case was recently
remanded back to the court at Fair
banks for retrial, by the appellate
court, has been admitted to bail in
the amount of $2,000 and as soon as
the bond 'is approved will return to
Fairbanks to stand trial again with
a good chance of acquittal.
The Cordova Chamber of Com
merce has seat a request to Governor
Strong for permission to transfer 20
head of deer from Southwestern Alas
ka to Cordova for the purpose of
placing them on Hinchinbrook and
Montague islands, which they des’ire to
stock with big game. It is also the
intention to ask the department at
Washington to make strict rules and
regulations to protect the deer for five
years.
Maggie Mitchell, a native woman
iabout 20 years of age was shot and
instantly killed recently at Douglas
by Marina Albertina, an Austrian. He
had made several threats to kill the
girl, but friends had thought they had
succeeded in dissuad'ing him from the
rash act. He enticed the girl to his
home by telling her he had some beer
for her, and then shot her with a 3S
calibre revolver, one bullet entering
the top of her head and the other en
taring the right side of the abdomen
FAIRBANKS. After deliberating j
for more than an hour the Jury in
tile case of the Uli'ited States vs, t!.
Hinton Henry, in which the defendant
was accused of criminal libel, returned
a verdict of "not guilty" in the com- i
missioner’s court hero on February fi.
The complainant 'in the case was Mrs. j
.[. 11. Caskey, who alleged that the de
fendant had printed matter which was
intended to besmirch her character,
fn defense Henry took the stand and
testified that the article was not in
tended to refer to the complainant,
hut was, in fact, aimed at another
party.
SOURDOUGHS PLAN BIG
ALASKAN CELEBRATION
NORTH YAKIMA, Wash., Feb. 22.
Veterans of Alaska now residents in
Yakima valley at the annual banquet
recently set in motion a plan for the
celebration, either in Seattle or Port
land, next October of the 50th anni
versary of the purchase of Alaska.
(leorge Thomas was elected presi
dent nf ..rganizntion, and ull cities
in Hi, Northwest Will endeavor to
have preparations made early, for the
appropriate observance, in which, all
former Vlaskans will participate. As
proposed here plans include a celebra
tion lasting an entire week, 'including
October 18.
NOTICE.
I’or first class work anil prompt de
livery phone Main 151 and the Peo
ple's laundry will send and get your
laundry. W. J. W11MJAMSON, Prop.
' Subscribe ror the Nome Nugget j
-- ■ .. ■ -
EAGLE HALL
SUNDAY NIOHT
7 REELS. 7 REELS.
Mary Fuller in
MARY'S DUKE,
in Three Parte.
A Romantic Comedy.
Neetor Comedy.
A COAT'S A COAT.
Industrial Picture.
LIQUID BREAD.
Starling Comedy.
IT HAPPENED ON A FRIDAY.
UNIVERSAL WEEKLY.
MISS HELEN STIPEK, Pianiet.
7 REELS. 7 REELS
Adm. 25c.
Get*‘More Money” lor your Foxes
Black. Silver, Cross, Red, While an.I Bine, Lynx,
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A. B. SHUBERT, Inc. DepF T1 Eciic'AGCMJ-S. A^J
Dream Theater
TONIGHT
Pathe Feature
THE QUEST OF THE
SACRED GEM
4 Parts
STARRING
Edna Mayo & Charles Arling
A Mistic Romance
Headline Attraction
Friday and Saturday
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JaOHWMLl—1 ~ ■ ~ ■r — ■ ■ , ' , , ■ . ^ .. ■ ■■ ■■ ■■ L. ■ LI I .
I
i litiiniBi iimmn
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