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and .——*
THE ALASKA EVENING POST _
Voli'^i<* \I Nun.i..-, Mi "" SEWARD, ALASKA. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31,1917._Ten Centa the Copy
MEAN TAKES STAND IN
OWN DEFENSE; STATES’
WITNESSES DENY STORY
%
Taking the stand in his own defense
at the night session last night. A. K.
McLean, charged with murder of his
wife at Nushagak, attempted to off
set the damaging story told by his
sons. He told the story, which the
boys stated he had told them to tell,
that his wife had been hurt under a
dog sled.
Three witnesses were called by the(
defense this morning: Otto A. Larson
and A. H. MittendortT. who testified as
to McLean’s character, and Nicholas j
Christensen, whose testimony was not
of material value.
Juoge M .uey terminated his ad
dress to the jury at 11:45 ami Attor
ney Kay, for the defense, commenced
to speak and continued until 12:45,
’ when a recess was taken until 2:*»0
this afternoon.
Many women have been in constant
attendance at the trial of McLean for j
the death of his wife, and at lust
night’s scs*ion the courtroom was f»:!i
to overflowing.
Attorney Ray called McLean to the
stand to explain the case of August,
1915, in which Dr. L. H. French had
URGE SALE OF
POTATOES AT
EARLY DATE!
I
R. K. Commission Land Department
Points to Probable Action
of Food Board
The land and industrial department
of the Alaska Engineering Commis
sion has prepared a second circular i
advising the farmers in the nearby
district to dig and sell their potatoes
early in order to get a good return
for them.
Homesteaders can get a fair price
for their potatoes now by supplying
the current demand from this year s
crop, according to the circular. The
opinion is expressed that before long
* the over-supply from Washington and
the increased production in the terri
tory will push prices down. The yield
' in Washington is understood to be
double that of last year and it is re
ported that the agricultural commis
sioner there has asked the federal food
control boar to guaantee a minimum
control board to guarantee a minimum
price for potatoes of $20 a ton.
K. F. Winchester, one of the di
directors of the Matanuska Valley
Farmers’ Co-Operative Association,
says the question of freight rates nat
urally enters into any extensive mar
keting plan to compete with outside
prices.
2000 Tons of Potatoes
The Valley farmers, Mr. Winchest
er said, would produce more than 2,
000 tons of potatoes this season. He
estimates the average yield at four
tons to the acre. This seasbn’s crop
is superior to last year’s in firmness
and flavor and it is believed the local
potatoes will more than compete fa
vorably with the best from the out
side. Lack of sunshine has rather re
tarded the growth of some ot th»* veg
etables but it is estimated that the
season’s crop on the whole %\i!l be
double that of last year on account of
the increased acreage.
Personally, Mr. Winchester has de
voted considerable time and attention
. to the cultivation of strawberries, for
which he received the ready price ot
$12 a crate.
-—B
Former City Attorney Wm. D. Cop
pernoll, is in Seward en route to the
Willow creek mining district. Cop
p^rooll has been in Nevada for some
time but couldn’t keep away from the
North.
testified that he had sent McLean to
jail for thirty days for beating his
wife, and while on the stand McLean
told his whole story.
He said they were living in the
house of another man who was only
there part of the time and that he
(McLean) had charge of the place
during this man’s absence. He said
his wife came down where he was
working, crying. He asked her what
was the matter and she answered that
the Russian priest and his wife hud
been scolding her for living in this
man’s house, saying, “It didn t look
very well.”
After they went back to the house,
she had asked him to move to their
own home, but he had said, “No, if
she wanted to listen to the priest in
stead of her own husband, she could
take the children and go home.” When
she started to leave the house, she
begged him to go back with her and
he shoved her into the bedroom. She
hit her head on the bedpost and
blacked her eye. Then, when she fol
lowed him downstairs, he slammed the
door in her face.
Misunderstood nv rrencn
When she had Jiim tried for beat
ing her, that French told him the best
thing he could do was to kiss and make
up. He told French that if others had
not interfered there would not have
been any trouble; that French took it
to mean that he (French) was inter
fering with them, and sentenced him
to thirty days in jail. He said-that
L)r. French had advised him to plead
guilty.
Ray then began to question McLean
about the day of the wedding at Nush
agak. McLean said he didn’t attend
the wedding, but was at MittendorfTs
store, about half a mile from his home
that afternoon. His wife went to the
wedding but she was home when he
returned about four-thirty.
Oscar Carlson went home with him
but only stayed long enough to feed
his dogs. McLean said that he and
his wife had no trouble over supper;
that his wife had rheumatic fever in
her ankle and was sitting on the bed
with her foot in a pan of hot water.
He told her he would get supper so
she wouldn’t have to walk around. He
then went out and did his chores, fed
his dogs, and while out Carlson had
left for Kanulak. His wife and he
ate supper and then'they decided to
go for a sleigh ride, as it was a beau
tiful night and by that time her ankle
had quit hurting.
Tells About Sled Hide
McLean said he had a team of five
huskies and an ordinary basket sled.
It was a very cold night and he was
thinly dressed, so when they had gone
about three miles, he turned back.
The dogs were very unruly. They had
to go down a place commonly called
the “dump,” because it was such a
steep place, and before they’ got to
it his wife wanted to get out and walk
becuse she was afraid the sled might
tip over. He told her to wait till they
got up a little closer. When almost
to the dump he moved from the box
where he had been sitting on the front
of the sled, to the platform at the
rear. The brake was icy and his foot
slipped off. releasing it, making a
noise like that of a whip-crack, which
scared the dogs and they started to
run away. The sled was given a vio
lent jerk, which threw him off. The
sled ran over the knoll and instead of
fallowing the trail, it tipped over the
edge. The dogs kept on running,
dragging Mrs. McLean under the sled.
When he got where he could see the
dogs, they were running past a scow
that was laying up on the beach. The
trail at this point was on the beach.
His Version of Injuries
When he overtook the dogs the sled
was headed up the hill and .lodged
against boulders. His wife’s head
was laying near a boulder, one foot
was sticking out of the sled. He
straightened up the sled as soon as he
could and asked his wife if she was
(Continued On Page Two)
DRAFT ROLL TO
BE CLOSED ON
SATURDAYEVE
Notice Given to Governor That Regis
tration Will Not Continue
On Sunday
• -
Registration for the military draft
will close at 9 o’clock on the night
of September 1st, according to ad
vices received from Governor Strong
today.
The fact that September 2nd falls
on Sunday, caused the Governor to is
sue this supplemental order, and those
who have not registered should do so
before tomorrow night.
Sailors and officers of the Japanese
steamer Kotohira Maru here, en route
to Japan, will not be registered fyr
the military draft.
The Provost Marshal General stat
ed that all persons of militaujrage
should be drafted but the local offi
cials have ruled that as these sailors
are foreigners en route through this
country and will be home before any
drawing could occur, and are now in
custody of the immigration officials,
they will not be required to register.
FIRST BRITISH
STEAMER OF
NEW TYPE
Siib Beating Construction of (.real
Britain Hnters a New
Vs*
V •
(By Associated Press Dispatch)
LONDON, Aug. 31.—The first Brit
ish government “standardized mer
chant steamer” to replace the tonnage
lost through submarine warfare, is
now in use after successful trial trips.
The keels for these boats were laid in
February and the first was launched in
June.
Six different types of vessels, vary
ing from 8,800 tons downward, are
now being built. Many hundreds of
these merchant carriers are in course
of construction.
A
FIRST LOAN
BONDS PAID
Final Payment on Liberty Loan Made
and Bonds to be
Distributed
(By Associated Press Dispatch)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 81.—Nearly
$400,000,000 in gold was paid into the
treasury yesterday in the final install
ment on the liberty loan bonds.
Approximately $1,615 milion had al
ready been paid and yesterday's pay
ment completes the financial transac
tion, except for the actual issuing of
the bonds. Distribution of the
bonds is expected to be followed soon
by an announcement concerning the
second bond issue.
_A_
- 'W
TEACHERS READY FOR
OPENING OF SCHOOL
With the arrival of Miss Sylvia
Wold on the next boat from Seattle, 1
the entire teaching staff for the1 Sew
ard school will be here. Miss Bell
Wallace, the principal, is home from a
summer vacation trip to Moose Pass
and on to Anchorage. Miss Ruth Col
ton, who will take the third, fourth
and fifth grades, arrived today on the
Mariposa. Miss Edna Robb, who re
mained here during the summer, will
teach the primary grades.
-*
Tourists here today making the
round trip on the Mariposa are: Miss
Ethel Clein, Mrs. Pearl Filmore, Miss
Esther Bradner and Miss Victoria
Fairchild. *
CONTRACTOR
MURDERED AT
' LARSON’S BAY
Cannery Labor Contractor Is Killed
by Filipinos—Several
Stabbed
Reports were received by the mar
shal’s ottice yesterday of a murder at
Larson’s bay cannery, ten miles from
Uyak, as the result of a riot which oc
curred there August 27th or 28th, J.
J. Cunningham, a labor contractor,
having been stabbed to death by a
number of Filipinos.
Deputy U. S. Marshal Armstrong
has left for the scene from Kodiak.
U. S.-Marshal Paul Buckley and Dr.
L. H. French, who are now here, were
at the scene of the riot shortly after
its occurrence, being requested to g<«
there by officials of the cannery, dur
ing the stay of the Santa Ana.
“I found that there had been some
disagreement between Cunningham
and the Filipino cannery hands,” said
Buckley. “The light which followed
seemed to be general, as several of
the cannery hands were also stabbed.
“I took a big Filipino, who was sup
posed to be the man who stabbed Cun
ningham, before the injured man, but
he said ‘that is not the man.’
“Cunningham did not realize how
badly he was hurt and wanted to hush
up the matter. Dr. French examined
him and found that he Had been
stabbed in the back between the shoul
ders and that his spinal cord had beeii
so injured as to cause loss of feeling
in one leg.
“In addition to Cunningham, the
‘second boss,’ a Filipino, was stabbed
twice in the arm and in the^back and
leg. Another Filipino's mouth was
ripped open by someone armed with a
pair of scissors, and a third had re
ceived a wound in the foot from a fish
pick.”
'_JL._
MISSIONARY TO
WESTWARD DIES
Mrs. A. W. Newhall Dies As Result
of Ptomaine Poisoning—
Long In Service
Mrs. A. W. Newhall, wife of the doc
tor at the Jessie Lee Home, at Una
laska, who was here recently", died a
week after her arrival, after being
taken with a more serious attack on
landing.
Mrs. Newhall was a victim of pto
maine poisoning as the result of par
taking of spoiled ham at a luncheon
while in the East. She had been in
Alaska twenty-two years in mission
work.
-n
MARIPOSA ARRIVES
FROM SOUTHWARD |
The Mariposa arrived from the
South this morning with the follow
ing through-passengers 'for Seward:
Miss Ruth Colton, Mrs. Geo. A.
Thoreen, Earnie Thoreen, Nina Tho
reen and Marie Thoreen.
Quite a number of passengers ar-1
rived from way ports but their names
were not reported by the purser.
_tt
MILITARY UNIT WILL
HOLD MEETING TONIGHT
An important meeting will be held
at A. B. Hall by the Seward Mili
tary Unit tonight prior to the drill,
at which the question of changing the
meeting night and also the matter of
securing uniforms, will be taken up.
Every member is requested to be pres
ent.
- -<* ——
CITY OF SEATTLE IN
* PLACE OF WATSON
SEATTLE, Aug. 31.—The City of
Seattle sailed for Southwestern Al
aska this morning with A. W. South
ern booked for Seward.
The City of Seattle is an Admiral
line boat and takes the place ot the
Admiral* Watson now up for repairs
on the propeller.
PRICE OF WHEAT IS
FIX AT $2.20, CUT
BREAD COST, PLAN
9
(Bjr Associated Press 'Dispatch)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31. — The “fair price fixing
committee has fixed the price of 1017 wheat at $2.20 per
bushel for Northwestern shipments of No. 1, the Presi
dent giving his approval.
A reduction in the price of bread is near as a result of
the fixing of this price for standard grades of wheat at
Chicago and Galveston.
Under the new licensing system for flour and bread
dealers, which will soon be established, the food adminis
tration expects to find a way to reach the small dealer
and keep down prices.
Members of the price fixing committee believe that
with $2.20 wheat, it will be possible to keep the price of
a 14-ounce loaf down to five cents.
_
CATCH SMALL, REQUISITION RAISED
(By A»»orl«ted Preti Dispatch)
SEATTLE, Aug. 31.—The government has asked the
salmon packers to reserve ten per cent of the pack of sock
eyes and chinook salmon, instead of six per cent, for gov
ernment use. The packers also expect that the govern
ment will take ten per cent of the pack of pinks.
Six per cent requisitions were .made when a large
pack was expected hut the Puget Sound pack is only one-^
fourth of normal. The Alaska pack may be slightly above'
average owing to the remarkable 'showing of Southeast
ern Alaska canneries.
4
_A
POPE SHOWS DISAPPOINTMENT AT
PRESIDENT S REJECTION OF PEACE
/
<B r Aaaociated Preaa Diapatch',
ROME, August 31, (Official).—Pope Benedict on re
ceiving President Wilson’s reply to his peace proposals,
did not attempt to conceal his bitter disappointment. The
Pope regards the answer as leaving little room for fur
ther peace efforts at presnt, as he had hoped for more fav
orable response from the United States than from other
powers.
_______A
“PEOPLE’S PEACE COUNCIL” IS
GIVEN THE RUN IN WISCONSIN
(By Associated Press Dispatch)
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 31.—A committee of the “Peo
ple’s Peace Council,” an organization opposed to the gov
ernment’s present war activities, were unceremoniously
ejected from Hudson, Wisconsin* last night, where they
planned to hold a convention.
The committee leaders are now here and announce
that they will start for Washington tonight to place the
question of their rights to hold a convention before the
federal authorities. In case they cannot find a hall they
propose to hold a meeting on the plaza in front of the cap
itol.
•-❖--- •
THREE SPIES EOR KAISER BAGGED
(By Associated Press Dispatch)
CHRISTIANA, Norway, Aug. 31. — Three German
spies have been convicted at Bergen for supplying infor
mation to submarines regarding the sailing time of ves
sels, which were later torpedoed. •
Captain Laven, and under officer Schwartz, two of
the convicted men, admitted that they were working un
der orders of the German authorities and said that Ger
man subjects were forced to obey such orders or be liable
to punishment on returning to Germany. The two Ger
mans and the third man, a Norwegian named Thornsen,
were sentenced to terms in the penitentiary. __