White Man Solves
| Witchcraft Scare
Of Tlinglit Indians
JUNEAU UP)—The near reign of
terror among the Tlingit Indians
of Angoon Village appears ended.
A U S. Public Health Service
doctor and nurse arranged to fly
today to the Admiralty Island
community of 375 residents to
combat a virus outbreak.
A 16-year-old Indian girl who
claimed magic powers at ancient
tribal rites held at midnight was
at a receiving home here, com
mitted to juvenile authorities’
care.
Thus the white man’s investi
gation, by Asst. Dist. Atty. Ted
Reifstack, explained reasons be
hind the reign of fright as due to
scrideb their magic powers, but
Reifsteck said, were also appar
ently satisfied there was no “mag
ic” in. olved when the Indian girl
named persons who would be
come sick, and who did sicken,
and also told other weird stories.
He held a hearing at Angocn
Saturday. The girl and another
girl, 12, each claimed and de
scribed their magic powers, but
j said they could not demonstrate
them because it was not midnight.
His investigations, Reifsteck
said, convinced him one Angoon
family revived the ancient mid
night rites after a baby girl’s
death two weeks ago. At the mid
night ceremonies, the girls, in
turn, would name certain “non
believers” and predict certain
people would become ill.
By coincidence, a virus epi
demic broke out and some per
sons “named” became sick. The
movement gained followers.
“It was a potentially dangerous
situation that fortunately was dis
covered in time,” he said.
The investigation was started
as two messages were relayed
here over an airline teletype
system, the principal communi
cation link with the village 70
miles southwest of Juneau on
Admiralty Island,
j Bob Kedrick, a reporter for the
'Juneau Empire, spent two hours
J at Angoon after the reports were
received here.
“The atmosphere of supersti
tion and terror that grips some
j of the residents is incredible,” he
i said Saturday.
Kedrick said there was no evi
dence of physical violence to
either of the girls or to residents
who were not involved in the
mystic rites.
SCORCHY SMITH
( WOW! THIS CRATE CAME }
C OUT OF THAT DIVE SO <
C^EASlL.y.1 CAN'T BEUEVEJ) >
C MOW FOR THE RMAL J
r^TEST -//V THE <
^ WAT£R-'
A°- mm
1
"7.. MADE IT! SHE'S
SKIMMING ALONG LIKE )
^ WATER GKMG! ^
^ " S?Mf O '•III, \
MV AIK SPEEP
IS 250 M.PH.
GOES NOTHIMe.'
HOPE SHE STAYS
TOGETHER
/''HOME, JAMES!
- FROM THIS BIS
PUPPLE TO THE
^ BIS M0PPLE!_
^ .
( HOMEWARP bound.1 ill "
/ HEAP STRAI6HT FOR >
TME LOOKER ROOM j
>. AMD RELIEVE R30R X
5pSSSI)K
' HOPE TMAT COWSOy
/ onp^M'r c(2ACki UP,..THAT
.V WOULP (2EALLV LEr THE,
CAT OUT OF THE f1 ^'
HALF ACRE CASTLE
-- S
WHAT'5 WRONG WITH HAVING I
L'JLLI 5NAVE.LV COME VISIT U5
A FEW PAV5 WHILE SHE'5
1 -‘
WHAT IF I WAS ENCAGED TO
HER ONCE?-AFTER ALL SHE
MARRIED somebody else-l
-AND SO DID I ?f
ym i s i
A WORM OUT RUBBERIZED ^
- BATH MAT MAKES A GOOD
KNEE REST FOR PROTECTION
FROM DIRT ANP DAMPNESS
I WHILE GARDENING sent in Bv
[OR WEEPING/
kJOtW
_.
/
^---N /THAT]
EVEN IF I WAS ENGAGED IS A ^
TO LULU SNAVELYONCE WE yffiOBLEMj
CAN'T VERY WELL WRITE S'--'
and tell her not Toy \f
COME VISIT U<t/J-/
■rrafe (
THE THING FOR US TO I-riTT^ir
po IS TO LET HER COME
AND JUST SHOW HER <
HOW HAPPILY MARRiEDj T*®®
O^GOQP I DEV) ,g
/St
[mom, is am old
1 GIRL-FP-IEND OF
PADDY'S COMING
TO VISIT US 7
'-Y;
AP Nawtfeatvrt
OH... I'M SURE WE'LL SEE IF )
DADPy FOUNP OUT PAPPY WAS 4,
HE LIKEP MOMMY ANY GOOD AS
^better/ ajupge/
I 71
I
*
Nome Directory
Northwestern Alaska
Chamber of Commerce
Meets Every Monday Noon
JIM WALSH, President
ALASKA CHATTER NO. I
Order of Eastern Star
Meets 1st & 3rd Monday of each month
Lillie Lewis
Worthy Matron
Helen Dunbar
Secretary
ANVIL LODGE
No. 140
Robt. K. Lewis, W.M.
Norvin W. Lewis, Sec.
Meets 1st and 3rd Thursday each month
NOME ROTARY CLUB
Dewey Goodrich
President
W. Mecklenburg
Secretary
Wednesday Luncheon