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VOLUME XXII. NUMBER 287. SEWARD, ALASKA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1927
PRICE TEN CENT."
Eleven -Year Old Girl
Kidnapped Two Weeks
Ago Is found Safe
EVELYN SMITH, SECOND CALIFORNIA VICTIM
IN TWO WEEKS SENSATIONAL KIDNAPPING,
FOUND BY OFFICERS IN SAN BERNANDIO
HOME—ABDUCTOR, ERNEST ARTHUR M<r
CLELLAND, PAROLED CONVICT — THREAT
ENED GIRL WITH DEATH IF DID NOT RE
MAIN SILENT.
SAN BERNANDINO, Dec. 29. (/P)—With 11 year
old Evelyn Smith a victim of California’s second sensa
tional kidnapping in two weeks, safe in the hands of San
Bemandino officers, search is under way throughout
Southern California for the accused abductor, Ernest
Arthur McClelland, a paroled convict.
Discovery of a small girl at the home of Mrs. Emma
J. Spence near here last night revealed she had been
there since Monday. Evelyn told the police McClelland
attempted to assault her.
KIDNAPPER ESCAPES
Mrs. Spence said her first knowl
edge of the kidnapping came when
she read in the newspapers and at
that time both the girl and McClel- !
land denied she had been kidnapped
and stuck to the story she was his '
sister whom he was taking to visit
h?*s mother. Fear that her kidnapper
would carry out threats made during 1
the trip south kept her silent. When
confronted by newspaper accounts j
McClelland left declaring “He would
straighten this out”. He failed to
\
return.
LINDBERGH IKES
FUST 1 FLIGHT
■ IN GUATEMALA
“GOOD WILL’5 AMBASSADOR
FROM THE U. S., BEATS CAL
CULATED SCHEDULE
GUATEMALA CITY, Dec. 23. (/P)—
Guatemala was the first of the Cen
tal American republics to greet the
“Good Will” Ambassador from the
United Stares, Col. Cans. A. Lind
bergh, who flew over the mountains
from New Mexico to make the first
flight between these points.
lie was over the flying field soou
after the noon hour having made ex
traordinary speed, averaging about
100 miles an hour for the 675 miles.
This speed was even beyond Col
onel Lindbergh’s expectations as he
figured nine hours at the maximum j
but had hoped to make it better.
JUDGE W. H. RAGER DEAD
W. H. Rager, former United States
Gommissioner at Anchorage for a»
number of years and one of the most
outstanding citizen of the city, i
died at his home Tuesday evening,
according to information reaching
Seward today. Since he retired, over
a year ago, he has devoted the major
(portion of his time to practicing law,
and to his mining interests. He
leaves many staunch friends in Sew
ard as well in his home town.
Fred J. Spach, junior engineer of
the Alaska Road Commission, ar- 1
rived in Seward last evening from the 1
Interior. ,
DRIVEN ASHORE IN B. C.; IS
NOW SAFELY ANCHORED IN
BUETDALE BAY
SEATTLE, Dec. 29. {&)— After
being long overdue from a voyage
from Nome the motorship Donaldson :
is experiencing more troubles. A!
radio message from the freghter Am
i yox said she had received a message
from the Donaldson in Grenville
Channel, B. C., where the motorship
had been driven ashore and was in
danger of being lost.
The Donaldson has since been re
floated and, in seaworthy condition,
tewed to Buetdale Bay, where she is
now anchored.
Mrs. Halvorson, who recently un
derwent a successful major dpera- ]
Don in the Seward General Hospital, f
returned home yesterday. £
PASADENA III 1926
i
! ACCOMPLICE IN FORMER CRIME,
. ; WILLOUGHBY HUNT, ARREST.
ED IN LOS ANGELES
l. _
I LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29.
Hickman, 19 year old fiend killer of
‘ 12 year old Marian Parker, confess
1 ed to another murder in Pasadena
where he shot and killed Ivy Thomas,
, a druggist, in a suburb between Los
Angeles and Pasadena during a hold
j up of the drugstore on Christmas
eve 1926.
Willoughby Hunt, who Hickman
said was his companion in the hold
up, was arrested today and confessed
i corroborating that of Hickman. Hunt,
jvhile admitting his part in the hold
up, denied shots from his pistol kill
i ed the druggist. Mrs. Carrie Dris
kell, step grandmother of Hunt, is
also held for questioning. Aitho the
boys lived with her she denied the
statement by Hiekm&i that she
j learned of their criminal activities.
The shooting occurred when a
police officer entered the store dur
ing the holdup and opened fire on
| the youths and in the returning fire
I the druggest was shot in the chest j
j by Hickman, the officer wounded in
i the right hand and Hunt received a
i
couple of flesh wounds from the of
' ficer’s shots.
[
Hickman’s confession came as 'the
result of a campaign of kindness and
insistant questioning by jail officers
and under pressure ol' the continued
questioning as to whether he ever
killed anyone besides Marian Park-!
er, Hickman blurted out “sure”. The
confession followed.
PROTESTS REPORT THAT PO
LAND IS ENCOURAGING LITH
URNIAN PLOTTERS
i
WARSAW, Dec. 28. (/P)—In a mes
sage to all the European countries,
Poland calls for termination of “Uni
lateral war”, and disavows ‘coup”.
In the message it also protested
against reports that Poland is en
couraging plotters, who seek to over
throw the Lithuanian government,
and assured Europe that Poland’s
only aim is to establish permanent
peace with Lithuania.
Mentioning permanent peace Po
land strongly stressed the desirabili
ty of final agreement on the owner
ship of Vilna.
REPORT UNCONFIRMED
DUTCH HARBOR, Dec. 28. (£>)—
Unconfirmed reports reaching here
are to the effect three white persons
were drowned at Akutan.
IMPROVEMENTS ARE LEFT TO
DISCRETION OF THE ALASKA
ROAD COMMISSION
!
1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 29. (/p)—'The
House and Territories committee de
! cided to postpone indefinitely any
action on the resolution introduced
by Delegate Sutherland seeking im
| provements of highways on Seward
: peninsula.
Colonel W. P. Richardson, former
chairman of the Alaska Road Com
mission, and Major Malcolm Elliott,!
| present chairman, talked in connec-1
tion on the measure for which pro- j
ject, was proposed an appropriation
of $750,000 tto build roads connecting
ruk River and to make accessible
I for development the Kongarok, In. I
machuk and Candle creek mining dis
! tricts.
Sutherland argued that the pro
! posed road project “interested the
' people of Alaska more than any oth- j
er highway plan.”
i The Major said he would not re
commend the proposed construction!
and that his commission is making
| plans to furnish a less extensive but j
adequate highway for that mining |
region.
Chairman Curry of the committee j
,said the bill was not necessary and j
he favored the proposed road im
provement but left it to the dis
cretion of the Alaska Road Commis
sion.
A POWERFUL ‘‘DRAG”
WASHINGTON; D. C. Dec. 29,(;p)—
Jonn W. Frame, of Anchorage, was
presented to President Cooiidge by
Senator Norbeck, of South Dakota,
and recommended for a federal
judgeship in Alaska.
■
mm PROSPECTORS
RECORD lOClTK ON
21 CLAIMS ON MORIANE
TANANA, Dec. 29. (/P)—Frank J.
Miller and F. G. Dunbar, prospect
tors in the Fairbanks district who
represent English capital, have re
corded locations on 21 placer gold
claims on Moraine Creek the stream
which enters the Yukon 40 miles be
low Tanana. It is accessible by wag- 1
on road with easy grades for haul
ing heavy machinery. i
MR. MRS. MICHAEL
SPEARNS, 0. ANDERSON
MRS. ELLIOTT, DEAD
PARTICULARS FINALLY OBTAIN.
ED BY A. P. OF AKUTA^N
DROWNING
—
SEATTLE, Dec. 29. (/P)—A sub
Arctic storm, which capsized a small
sailboat, took the lives of four per
sons enroute from the American Pa
cific Whaling Company’s station at
Akutan, Alaska to a Christmas eve
party on an adjoining island.
The dead, all caretakers on the
Aleutian Island station, are Michael
Spearns and his wife, Ole Anderson,
and Mrs. E. B. Elliott, wife of the
company radio operator.
A MIDNIGHT SQUALL
Word of the tragedy was received
at the company offices from Elliott,
radio operator, who was the only
survivor. Elliott and tbe other four
persons were in the sailboat only a
short distance from shore when a
midnight squall suddenly arose and
overturned the tiny craft.
CLUNG TO CRAFT
The radio man related how the
five had clung to the capsized craft
but became number by the icy water
and all but Elliott dropped to death.
The radio man, a powerful swimmer
left the boat when the last of his
companions drowned, despite his
futile efforts to rescue them, and
reached the beach safely. Later he
recovered the bodies.
Editors note:—The four drowned
are well known to the officers and
crew of the S. S. Starr; also to a
number of Seward residents. Mr.
and Mrs. Spearns are said to be new
coiners and Mr. Spearns was a radio
man. Mrs. Elliott was the wife of
th<4 other radio operator and Ole An
lerson was the “first winter man”
and during the summer season, an
oil tester.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 29. (£>)—
San Mateo high school and Bakers
field high will meet here for the in
ter-scholltic football championship of
Northern California and the right to
play the winner of the Santa Marie
Santa Ana games for the champion
ship of the state.
MRS. LINDBERGH IS HALF
WIT HOME TO DETROIT
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 29. (£>)—Mrs.
Lindbergh rested at the half-way
point on her projected two-way
journey from Mexco City to Detroit.
She completed the flight from Mexi
co City with a stop at Tirownsville
in the afternoon.
Alaska College -vs- S.A.C. Jan. 1 ~ Jan. 2