One Dom.au Feu Month. IDITAROD, ALASKA, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 18, 1911. Two Bits Per Copy
WITNESSES
DRAGGED AGAIN
TO FAIRBANKS
A sudden change in front lias become
evident in the handling of judicial
matters, and instead of putting off Idit
arod criminal cases until court sits here
in the spring, a number of witnesses
have been summoned, to Fairbanks to
appear before the grand jury that will
convene there within a few days.
In the last mail, Deputy Marshal
Donovan received a telegram directing
him to subpoena Arthur Mellette,Wm.
Fowler, Leonard Dodge, John Beaton,
Karl Slippern and Pete Conta to ap
pear before the grand jury at Fair
banks on February 20, most of them to
testify in the case of United States vs.
Jack Sheedy, and generally.
Most of these men have already been
served with the papers, but John
Beaton is on the Outside and cannot
ha reached.
They are compelled to start at once,
and it is hard to say when they will be
permitted to return.
It was understood generally that the
Sheedy case would be allowed to go
over until a grand jury could be called
here, and that nothing would be dune
with lditarod criminal matters until
Judge Overfield's arrival in June.
Whether or not the new move indi
cates any possibility of no court here in
the spring is a raatterof much specula
tion.
“ZITHER JOE” DIES
IN LUMBER YARD
Seattle, Jan. 17—With every evidence
to indicate that he accomplished his
own destruction by means of carbolic
acid, the body of Joe Riesland, better
known as “Zither Joe," a follower of
many northern camps, was found in a
lumber yard in this city today.
“Zither Joe’’ was one of the well
known characters of the North, having
followed the army of fortune from the
liead waters of the Yukon to its mouth,
and always with the tinkling zither.
For some years past he had lived in
Fairbanks, but came to the ldttarod
last fall for a stay of a few weeks. He
accompanied Duncan Michie to Seattle.
Over-drinking is doubtless the cause
of his sudden death.
He May Sidestep
King Frost Entirely
The chances are very good that
Frank Wilkins, the man who froze his
f jet and hands on the Diskaket trail,
will escape with only slight injury. He
was brought into town Thursday after
moon and was immediately placed uuder
tlij care of Dr. Wortmann, who says he
has a lighting chance of saving all of
the unfortunate man's toes. The right
big toe is in very bad shape and may
have to be amputated. Both heels
were badly frozen, but these, the doc
tor thinks, can be brought about ail
light. The fingers were not materially
injured.
Wilkins was caught in an overflow
on the lakes about 20 miles this side of
Diskaket, and six miles from Slim’s
roadhouse. The thermometer ranged
in the vicinity of 50 deg. below, and
when lie got his feet wet lie found
himself in a precarious condition.
He succeeded in traveling four miles
when he was picked up by a dogteam
and hurried to shelter.
Moves in Spite of Storm
Despite the heavy snows of the past
two weeks and the bad winds, wood is
still moving on the creeks, but in far
reduced quantities over that of a month
ago.
At Discovery Otter they are putting
up a hard fight and meeting with
reasonable success. George Riley has
landed most of his 700 cords forl-a, and
is now breaking trail daily for the
teams in an attempt to land 500 cords
on Discovery, most of the wood being
brought from Boulder creek.
They are having even a harder time
at Flat, for the trail up the creek is a
hard one to negotiate with fresh drifts
every day. The deep Snow on CottoD
wood, is also making it very difficult to
get the wood out of the timber.
Should the present weather keep up
much longer, there will be more than
one outfit thirsty for wood neat sum
mer. _
“Buckskin Bill” Landers has appar
ently stacked up against the toughest
kind of luck is his meat hauling con
tract from the Str. Minneapolis, ft is
reported that he has lost three horses
in his struggle with the storms and
snow between Nulato and Diskaket and
has 20 tons of frozen meat scattered
Along the way.
BARNETTE CC’r ’yHG 'Aj FACE MUSIC
Seattle, Feb. 2.—With the statement that the
Washington-Alaska bank of Fairbanks would pay its
depositors dollar for dollar, Capt. E. T. Barnette,
former president of the Fairbanks Banking Company,
and still interested in the affairs of the Washington
! Alaska bank, left for the North today and will immedi
1 ately assume charge of the affairs of the defunct insti
tution on his arrival at the Tanana metropolis.
Such is the purport-of the latest telegraphic news
| concerning the affairs of the big bank failure in Fair
J banks, which caused such consternation in that city
when the Washington-Alaska closed its doors on the
-tth day of last December. Its meaning is not clear
! here, neither is it clear in Fairbanks, apparently, for
no one can say what are Barnette’s intentions, nor how
he expects to accomplish this wonderful result.
One thing stands out clear above all else: Capt.
I Barnette >vould never return to Fairbanks unless he is
! in position to be of material assistance to the crippled
| bank, for it needs but a superficial reading of the latest
I Fairbanks papers and the expression of private com
! munications from that place to realize that Barnette’s
| life would be in serious jeopardy were he to appear be
{ fore the many enraged depositors w?ho have lost their
all, unless he is in a position to affect some change for
j the better.
His confident statement that the bank will pay in
■ full, and his departure for Fairbanks, can therefore be
! taken as a very encouraging sign. Either Capt. Bar
; nette has been grossly wronged, or he is coming back
to make a sacrifice of what have been called ill-gotten
.
; gains.
The Fairbanks press has been going after Barnette
with vigorous denunciation and has said things, that if
untrue are criminally libelous. They have accused him
of a delibeate looting of the institution, followed by a
severance of his connection, and the district attorney’s
office has been publicly called upon to take immediate
action to see that he be brought to justice.
The News-Miner in its issue of January 11 states
that Barnette cleared a cool $100,000 on the deal
whereby the Fairbanks Banking Co. loaned $341,000 on
the stock of the Gold Bar Lumber Co., of Seattle. It
also alleges that he shipped out $400,000 of the bank’s
fund last summer and had it credited to his account in
Seattle, while at the same time he borrowed money on
what be knew were worthless securities, some of them
coming from the Circle country.
He is also charged with having sold a portion of his
stock in the bank and instructed Bert Jackson to loan
the money to the purchaser.
Again, the News-Miner takes it as an ominous sign
that on January 11 Barnette wired to the bank offering
to return $50,000 of his profits in the Gold Bar deal,
stating that he does this as a sop to possible prosecu
tion.
The same paper goes on to say that the bank offered
a 6 per cent, distribution to depositors on January 11,
without any adjudication on the part of the court, be
cause Dave Yarnell, Jack Sales the Jessons and other
heavy depositors had agreed to waive their right to any
share in that distribution of the available cash.
It also further alleges that although the Dexter
Horton bank of Seattle had said that the Gold Bar
stock was worth $300,000, they refused to loan $250,000
on it and thus precipitated the bank’s failure.
Again, on January 13, the News-Miner comes out
with a Seattle telegram to the effect that W. H. Par
sons, formerly of the Washington Trust Company, lays
all the blame for the bank closing on Frank Hawkins,
who with E. H. Mack, is now receiver of the Washing
ton-Alaska. He says that if Hawkins had not stopped
a shipment of $100,000 at Cordova, that all would have
been well.
It appears that the W.-A. had an overdraft in Seat
tle of $141,407. After the shipment of the $100,000
Hawkins found, that owing to heavy withdrawals of de
posits in Fairbanks, he was without cash and stopped
the shipment. Parsons says this the cause of the failure.
Hawkins’ reply to tbi is that Parsons’ voice is less
influential in the councils of the Dexter-Horton people,
with whom he now is, than it was with the Washington
Trust Co , and that the loan he advised to the latter in
stitution might not have appeared advisable to the
Dexter Horton management. He suggests further that
the action of Mr. Parsons in selling out the W.-A. bank
and the interests of the people who had supported him
for the previous four years, is open to fully as much
criticism as his (Hawkins’) reluctance to reduce the
cash on hand at his end.
In the Alaska Citizen of January 16, it is said that
a dividend of 16 2-3 per cent would be paid to deposit
ors that day. It also said that a writ of assistance asked
for by the receivers from the court was responsible for
stopping the shipment of $100,000 at Cordova, and that
it was more than likely that this sum would be available
for payment to the depositors, unless the Dexter-Hor
ton bank succeeded in grabbing it before it could be re
turned.
Captain Barnette at Los Angeles was heard from
on January 12, when he was reported to have said in an
interview that he did not understaud how it was the
bank had failed. After recounting that he had severed
his connection with the bank, he is reported to have
said, “I went to Seattle myself and tried to straighten
out things by offering personal property as a guaran
tee, and I have just returned from there. Had the bank
been let alone, it would have paid dollar for dollar. It
will recover as soon as the season opens. I am not
worrying about it.”
According to the Citizen, the causes leading up to
the smash can be traced back as far as two years ago
when the Fairbanks Banking Co. was reorganized. At
that time the newly-elected board of directors w'ere in
duced by Barnette to take over at a valuation of $341,
000. the Gold Bar stock. He represented that this
stock had a valuation of four or five hundred thousand
dollars, although he is supposed to have secured it for
$100,000 less than the valuation he placed on it when he
turned it over to the new concern. He also agreed to
leave on deposit with the re-organized bank the sum of
$200,000 of his personal funds to do business on.
The Gold Bar stock also became an asset of what
is claimed to be the Fairbanks Banking Co. doing busi
ness under the name of the Washington Alaska Bank
of Nevada, at the same valuation of $341,000. The rec
ords of the bank disclose the fact that the Gold Bar
Lumber Co. has been operating for a number of years
and has not paid one cent in dividends, and has a debt
of about $90,000-.
The directors of the present W. A. bank declare 1
that the $200,000 was left with the bank by Barnette as |
a guarantee of the value of the Gold Bar stock and to 1
show his good faith. When the bank had bjen re or-1
ganized in 1908, Dusenbury and Hill, who were in active
charge, assured the directors that they would never
consent to Capt. Barnette withdrawing the $200,000
until the Gold Bar was disposed of. Some time after
this, Barnette is said to have told Dusenbury and Hill
that he intended to start a bank in San Jose, Cal., and
that he wanted them to manage it. Some time after
this the $200,000 was quietly withdrawn—the directors
being kept in ignorance thereof.
Two questionable transactions are laid against Bar
nette: one being a sale of stock to Hill of ten thousand,
and another to his golden haired stenographer, Miss
Wrenn, who was in Fairbanks last summer. In both
instances, it appears, that the bank held the sack.
It was during the fall of 1910 that Barnette com
pleted the withdrawal of all his deposits in the bank,
leaving in place of his promised $200,000, some $26,000
in capital stock, less the $10,000 which he had sold to
Miss Wrenn, and which the banks holds as security for
the $5,000 advanced to her. It was shortly after this
also, that he transferred all his town property to his
wife, and, also, as far as can be learned, all of his
realty holdings in Alaska.
INCREASED MAIL SERViCE NOW PRACTICALLY ASSURED
Washington, Jan. 25—After once refusing a weekly
mail service for the Iditarod country, the postoffice officials
have called a conference to take up the matter once more
and it now appears that a weekly mail service will be
granted.
This action is thought to be the result of the agitation
that has been stirred up on the coast over the injustice be
ing done the Iditarod section, and is also the fruit of the
efforts of Senator Jones and Congressman Humphries of
Washington.
Washington, Jan. 25—Wickersham, delegate to con
gress from Alaska urges that Iditarod mail be sent into the
country via Seward instead of by Nulato. Doubtful if any
change will he made in the routing of mail this winter.
The foregoing telegrams have been supplemented by
the repo t of Mail Carrier Show, who states that he was
called upon to furnish bids for a weekly service before he
left Nulato, and that bids are now being sent in by a num
ber of contractors along the Yukon. Contractor Snow sub
mitted his figures and was promptly met with the answer
that he was asking too much. He says that he believes
bids will be put in for carrying the mail to the Iditarod at
a cheaper rate thin they are carrying on the Yukon, but
that he wants none of it himself. In fact, his last trip in,
under the most trying circumstances, is about all he wants
of it, unless the government will come through with a little
more mazuma.
He believes that by the time he arrives at the Yukon
again, arrangements will have been completed for an aug
mented service, and that if a weekly service be not pro
vided for, there will be at least an addition to the extent
of two trips a month. This he believes will be of such an
extent as to allow the carrying of ail fhe mail that arrives
at Nulato. There were some 1200 pounds ot second and
third class, besides a quantity of registered packages when
he left, but he figures that this will all arrive here by the
end of the month.
He states that Chief Clerk Randles has been taking a
lively interest in the Iditarod service of late, and is using
every effort to secure an addition allotment for us. If the
arrangements have not been completed for the weekly ser
vice, or if the department at Washington refuses to go
through for a weekly service, Randles will doubtles arrange
to get all the mail in here in two trips a month.
Mr. Snow brought in 215 pounds of first class matter
atid it took him eleven days to make the trip He left on
the return journey this morning, and stated that unless
something unforeseen came up he would be back here by
the 10th of March.
Northerners Glasti In Seattle
Seattle, Jan. 12.—Ed Goggins, the
man who shot and killed Win. Marks
here on the morning of December 28,
will be held on the charge of murder
in the first degree.
The tragedy followed an all-night
poker game and seems to have been
the sequence of a bitter quarrel be
tween the two men which arose during
the game.
Goggins followed his victim up Sec
ond avenue, and after a cry of warn
ing, shot him twice, killing him in
stantly. _
Both men are well-known in the
North. Marks was a carpenter who
worked here nearly all summer. He
had charge of the building operations
for Jack Baird at Otter City.
Goggins is an old-time gambler who
plied his trade in nearly every camp in
the North. He was a mild-mannered
man and aside from his questionable
profession, bore an excellent reputa
tion. _
Merchant Princes Depart |
In a blaze of glory and amid the
shouts of the multitude a bunch of Idit
arod’s most famous merchant princes
left the city this morning with Con
tractor Snow and his four dog teams.
Wm. Barret and Eddie Lewin of the
Innoko Trading Co. sat proudly back
behind the first string of dogs, Seward
Baggerly came next, N. N. Jaffe fol
lowed, and Mark Sullivan brought up
the rear.
They are all for the Outside except
Baggerly. who goes as far as Nulato to
look after meat, Barrett and Lewin
go to Frisco, as will doubtless Mark
Sullivan. Jaffa will go as far east as
New York.
Insane Patients Start Monday
It will be a considerable caravan that
will leave town Monday when Harry
Sheppard, deputy marshal in charge,
takes out the six insane patients who
are to be sent on the first stage of the
journey to Mt. Tabor.
With four and possibly five dog
teams, four drivers and at least one
guard, Sheppard will have the time of
his life taking his charges to Fairbanks
if the weather is at all menacing.
Tom Acklin, Frank Wallace, A. L.
Anderson, Frank Hammond, John
Call and Tom Walsh are the unfor
tunate ones that will be taken to the
sanitarium, but at this writing the j
complete force of drivers and guards 1
has not been made up.
Roy Stevens, Slim McRae and Harry |
Sheppard will each drive a team, while
W. A. Van Horn will go as guard. I
The uame of the fourth driver has not
been determined, and another guard
may possibly be added.
All the leading brands of cigars,
wholesale and retail, Landahl’s Empo
rium, Iditarod.
Eyes examined free-—Simpson’s,
r
LATE SPORTING NEWS
Portland, Me., Feb. 5—In one of the
first pugilistic encounters seen in this
stale in half a century, Joe Thomas of
California, the old rival of Stanley Ket
chel, and Andy Morris of Boston, went
here last night to a six-round draw.
The battle was so fierce that both men
were nearly out twice.
New York, Jan. 28—Frankie Burns
of New Jersey, outfights and outpoints
Digger Stanley in a rather tame ten
round go here.
San Francisco, Jan. 28—“One Round”
Jack Hogan failed to show class in his
fight here with Frank Burns of Oak
land. He allowed the latter to stay
11 rounds and lost in the 12th on a foul.
Houston, Tex., Jan. 28—The French
aviator Simon, made a new and unique
record in aeroplane manipulation and
incidentally found a new use for his
machine when he herded cattle from
the air.
Detroit, Jan. 24—In a fast wrestling
bout here last night, Ordeman won his
handicap match with Zbysczo, the Pol
ish wrestler, by staying the limit of
90 minutes.
Syracuse, Jan. 24—Abe Attell easily
defeats Billy Allen in a 10-round match
here.
San Francisco, Jan. 21—Madame
Tetrazzini, the famous singer will take
her first aeroplane flight with Walter
Brookins tomorrow.
San Diego, Cal., Jan. 27—In a demon
stration here before officials of the
i
Navy Department, Glen Curtiss, the
famous aviator, today succeeded in
starting his biplane from the surface
of the bay, and after a short flight re
turned lightly to the water without
mishap.
London, Jan. 24— Twisting his arm
in the 11th round so badly as to dislo
cate it at the shoulder, Kewey Smith
lost his battle here with Gin Johnson,
colored. The fight was fast and furious
and was a draw up to the time of the
accident.
Nanimo, B. C., Jan. 17—Lee Manier
knocks out Red Brennan in the last
round of a 15-round go.
Cadillac, Jan. 18—Ad Wolgast, the
champion lightweight of the world has '
issued an offer to take on either Moran j
or McFarland, Feb. 8th, Knockout
Brown on the 18th, and Bat Nelson, 6
days later.
Minneapolis, Jan. 18—Hackenschmidt j
took the first fall from Ordeman here
last night after two hours, 371 minutes |
hard wrestling. He got the second fall
in 21 minutes. Ordeman showed far |
the more skill but lacked the physique, j
New York, Jan. 18—Packy McFar- j
land put Jack Goodman to sleep in the '
15th round of a fast go. ]
New York, Jan. 18—It has been com- J
puted by aviation experts here that the 1
prizes offered for flying contests during
the last year have aggregated fully a
million dollars.
San Francisco, Jan. 18—In an exhi
bition flight here today, Ely, the noted I
aviator, made a most sensational flight
in a circle of the Golden Gate and land
ed without mishap on the quarter-deck
of the Battleship Pennyslvania.
Los Angeles, Jan. 7—A record in
aerial navigation was that established
here today by Masson in a Curtiss bi
plane when he delivered Los Angeles
newspapers at San Bernardino, a dis
tance of 60 miles in record time.
Tokotna Daughter
Born on the Trail
Caught by the visit of the stork be
tween the upper and lower posts of the
Tokotna, Mrs. Captain Wiess, of the
steamer Quickstep, gave birth to a
baby girl recently, the infant making
her advent into the world in a small
tent in cold weather.
The mother, a young lady from the
Outside last fail, was accompanying
her husband to the post of the Kuskok
wim Commercial Company on the To
kotna. From all accounts, the young
ster was a healthy, bouncing infant,
and the mother was able to proceed on
to the post a short time after the birth.
Jeanie Will Run Seattle-Betliel
Seattle, Jan. 19—It is given out in
shipping circles here that the Str.
Jeanie has been chartered exclusively
for the Seattle to Bethel run next sea
son to take care of the Kuskokwiro
trade._
All the leading brands ot cigars,
wholesale and retail, Landahl’s Empo
rium. Iditarod.
COL, COOKE
IS CUT DOWN
TO PIN MONEY
Washington, Feb. 5.—Six dollars and
twenty-five cents a month as salary
from the government is the unusual
sequel to the court-martial of Col. Geo.
F. Cooke, 22nd Infantry, formerly com
manding officer at Fort Gibbon, who
was found guilty of carelessness in the
embezzlement of $10,000 by Private
William Lane, pay-master’s clerk at
that post, about two years ago.
The verdict of the court-martial is
that the salary of Col. Cooke shall ba
withheld until the amount is paid back
to the government. For four years lie
will receive $6.25 a month, and for six
years thereafter Col. Cooke will draw
down the munificent sum of $156 a
month.
It will be remembered that Private
Lane got his fingers into the post
strongbox and got away with a bundle
of nice crisp bills. So far as known lie
has never been heard from since.
“Lovely Dove" King Is Dead
Seattle, Jan. 12.—Mike King, ths
pioneer Yukon lumberman, is do id of
spina] meningitis. Mr. King was form
erly manager of the Victoria-Yukon
Lumber Co.'s sawmill at Lake Bennett
for several years, and built scows that
were used in the big Klondike rushes.
He later went to Mexico where he
made considerable money, and his lat
est venture was a water-power propo
sition on Vancouver island.
GRANITE SHOWS GOOD
PAY NEAR THE HEAD
Although the exact richness of the
ground cannot be learned at the present
writing, it is reported on good author
ity, that J, D. Swartz & Co. have dis
covered excellent pay near the head of
Granite creek on ground about three
claims below the very* source of the
creek.
The report came in Thursday, and
from all appearances it heralds the best
kind of news.
J. I>. Swartz, who is one of the fiist
men in tlie Iditarod, and a partner of
W. A. Dikeman, did some prospecting
at the head o£ Granite last summer,
and found enough to justify him in fur
ther research.
On the claim in question, they had
started a bedrock drain which was
finished this winter, and at the head of
it they found some very good prospects.
Since that time they have crossSut a
distance of about two sets toward the
right limit, and at that point found the
pay reported.
Further news will be awainted with
interest, and it is hoped that it will lie
such as to justify the faith of many who
have been betting their time and money
on Granite for the last twelve months.
Fiat City A, B.'s
Soon Ride Goat
Camp Flat No. 20, Arctic Brother
hood, will be the name of the Flat City
organization, and they will be riding
the goat within another week.
Under date of January 9, John M.
I Keller, grand arctic recorder, wired
! from Skagway to Charles E. Taylor the
following message which was received
here on Friday’s mail:
“Grand Arctic Chief Gibbs appoints
you installing officer with authority to
j establish Camp No. 20. Keep to the
; trail.”
In pursuance of this authority the
A. B.’s of Flat are up and doing, and
are now getting things ready for the
first initiations, which may come off in
about a week, the exact date to be an
nounced later.
They have sent out a large squad of
men to scour the hills for a suitable
goat, and several ship carpenters are
now battening down the hatches.
Ruef Has Another Chance
San Francisco, Jan. 24—Abe Ruef,
the famous political boss and grafter
who was landed for a penitentiary terra
of 14 years by Francis Heney has still
another shot left in his locker, for the
supreme court has just handed down an
opinion granting him a rehearing on
his appeal from the verdict of the lower
court.
Beginning Monday, the Mutchler
stage will leave Iditarod for Flat at 4
o’clock each afternoon instead of 3.
For cleaning and repairing see Wile the
Tailor, Second avenue.