From the Alaska Forum,
Saturday, April 28, 1906.
[ Printed verbatim.]
THE “YUKON VALLEY NEWS”
ADMITS BLACKMAILING TACTICS
In lust Wednesday’s issue, the Yukon Valley
News attempts to slur and east insinuations
against the honor and integrity of some of
the hest citizens and miners in this camp. In
an article headed “Insanity of S. P. Robins,”
this charge is made:
“Left here last fall by the Rampart City
Gold Mines Company with no further pow
ers, it is said, than that of caretaker of the
company's property on His Minook creek,
during the w inter he formed a coalition w ith
an association of men w ho had acquired cer
tain rights formerly exercised by Monroe «V
Lindsay on Hoosier creek, a ml a large part
of tin* Rampart City company’s hydraulic
appliances were moved from Big Minook to
Hoosier.”
The “association of men” referred to are,
John W. Duncan, manager for the Northern
Commercial Company. G. H. Wand, book
keeper for the company, and now acting
manager during the absence of Mr. Duncan
outside, and Chas. A. Traeger. the well
known Rampart and St. Michael merchant.
The charge conveyed is that this “association
of men” connived with Mr. Robins, since ad
judged insane, and so influenced his diseased
mind, forgot his trust, and allowed and as
sisted in stealing the hydraulic appliances
from Big Minook and their transfer to Hoo
sier creek.
No one who reads this will believe any such
story; it is of the sea fishy. If Mr. Robins
is insane—and a large majority of the people
in Rampart declare he is perfectly sane the
malignancy of the attack is the more repre
hensible. l>i«l that "association of men” take
advantage of Robins’ unsound mind to influ
ence the removal of the plant from Big
Minook? Does it not seem unlikely that
business men like Messrs. Wand. Duncan and
Traeger undoubtedly are, would enter into
any agreement w it It Mr. Robins. \\ hicli would
entail the expenditure of at at least ten
thousand dollars on their part, and not he
fully satisfied that Mr. Robins had ami le
authority to bind his principals? We think
if they did otherwise, they were as crazy as
the Yukon Valley News, for some unknown
reason, would have the public believe Mr.
Robins is.
It Inis been rumored for weeks that the
cause of the removal of the plant to Hoosier
w as due primarily to get the hydraulic prop
erty off the creek before a possible receiver
took possession of the company’s affairs. As
a business proposition the move was a good
one. Hoosier is a producing creek, and up to
dute if there is a paystreuk on B g Minook it
has yet to be found. Let the matter be thor
oughly ventilated. A careful perusal of cer
tain prospectus’ issued by that company will
repay any Ramparter sf he can get one.
Mr. Robins has man.' times stated to people
here that he had money in the stock of the
company of whose property lie was "care
taker.” and further stated that many of his
friends had invested their litrle savings also;
that after an expenditure on the part of his
company of some s.n.m'O p»» tmil tailed l y
dilitfent prospecting during the present win
ter to discover any thiiur to warrant the ex
penditure of one-tenth that sum on Big
Minook. If such statements on the part of
Mr. Robins were true, would it not account
for that •strange sensation” in his leg f and
what effect would the discovery have on
L’nder a *ul»-hendiiig. ' Sidelights on The
('ia» it is alleged that the Yukon Valley
I n, hud in it-* possession f- r months pas? a
certain •clipping” ref» rring to A. II. Monroe.
S. IV Kohins. .1. H. Wingate and ('has. II.
bit r horn. and to an alleged mining com
pany’' ulioiit to lie orirnni/od. The Yukon
Valley News reeking with -.mir tfrui'i-s" mid
venom, blunders on:
"(juite natural!' the Yukon Valley News
w anted to print this clipping. It hud been
showi-d to the paper in confident e l»> a a.an
w ho dal lot w am t«» ant »g i»i/» K<d»in*. eon
neefetl. as he w as with the greatest milting
eo in (sv n v in t lie camp : if Koidiis would con
sent the | uhlicntioit might f>e made ami the
swindler* e\|M.sed. For three weeks Mr,
Kohins w as dicker* d with, hut uniformly he
wmi'd first 'v inf t • eon* lilt w ith the others
and w otild ask that the public linn may •
delayed «>»*e more week Finally hr was told
III it no more overtures WoukI Is* made tad
in the presence of witnesses it Was pointed
out In him that the scheme hemg worked *-r
attempted was as criminal as thit praefoetl
by the \|alas creek” *w indiersat Nome. *»ue
«»f w bo in k.ts just been sentenced to the |*n*
Now then, whv did not the Yukon Ywtiev
News publish that clipping/’’ Mbit was it
dickering” w »th Mr Kohins for * iHd that
sheet waul some huchsheesh’* f'*r Its si*
Inure A«p*in why w as not this famous
| “clipping” published Wednesday? The clip
ping itself is the hest evidence. The people
of Rampart would like to judge for them
selves. The Forum would ask the Yukon
Valley News to print this “clipping” giving
proper credit, so that its genuineness may
he ascertained. In its own columns the Yu
kon Valley News pleads guilty of extorting
blackmail and compounding a felony. Why
this venomous attack on men not here to
defend themselves ? one incarcerated in the
federal jail, under alleged insanity, another
attending to his business at St. Michael, and
two others thousands of miles away in the
States.
No, the powers that rule the Yukon Valley
News did not want the “clipping” printed, if
clipping there be, because the public would
readily see on what frail foundation they
would build their slanderous attacks. The
sordid, malicious and unscrupulous crew,
who use that sheet to throw their filth
stockholders in the enterprise take refuge
behind the hack of the maimed and crippled
“manager” who sticks the type and l>ears
the brunt of outraged public sentiment.
SUMMER WEATHER
ACROSS THE DIVIDE
Sluicing up the w inter dumps and the com
mencement of summer work are general on
the (lien side of the divide.
There are no idle men over there, all the
prospectors lately arrived from outlying
sections having got to work.
Frank Stevens. James Lawrence, George
Shirley and Dad Foster commenced shoveling
in on Gold Run last Sunday. Their dumps
pan well, lmt they have only heen at work
since about the first of February.
Joe Kaminski is washing his Rhode Island
dump and is putting in a groundsluice on
The McLeod boys have started summer
work on Shirley bar.
Anderson A Olson. FehringA McKenzie and
McGoiigh A Thompson are shoveling in on
Chicago.
Power A Atkinson are shoveling in their
winter dump and have commenced summer
\\ ork on Omega.
Krastiag A Bloom are washing up their
dumps on the Kgau bench between Thanks*
giving and <>mega.
Henderson A Hall, on Wright A Fisher’s
Thanksgiving ground, have commenced to
sho\el in
H. C. Ludvigscn has gone from Eureka to
put through his purt> t dump on Thanksgiv
ing.
Egan and Nelson have commenced summer
work on Thanksgiving
On discovery. Eureka, Spicer’s new auto
matic hoist is dumpingdirect into the sluice
Sum Cliiice is helping Chisholm A Elwell
with their •lump on Heidi A Gaotz’s Doric
Henry Papin is taking udwintnge of the
waiter to clean up his dump.
The What Cheer Bar Company are ground
sluicing on Boothhy creek.
Hehh A Gaetz anil Kaulhack. on Skookum.
arc hoisting and putting tin ir dump through
at the Maine time.
Of course Lane. Nellany A Diver’s dump 01%
Pioneer, w liicti w as covered by a big glacier,
can not in* washed yet aw hile, but its present
condition could not he learned from men
from tin* other side yesterday.
It was talked on flu* other sid** that Joe
Basil has good dirt on Joe Bush creek.
C. I. Jordan is commencing business on
Seattle bar. Farrell A Kosburg are his pres
The under-current system is lteing gener
ally adopted in this year's sluicing across
the din ide. It «f-usistsof a false bottom w itli
small augur-hole riffles. placed in the tail
Im>\ and separated by a small space from a
perforated metal cover which rests over it.
It is inti tided to nin* a quantity of Hue gold
which has heretofore j tisscd away w ith the
tailings and c*cri «»ne speaks well of it. Mr.
Klwell. of Chisholm A Dwell, is the pioneer
in employ in«c the system.
Summer w eather prevails and nto*«|iiitoe«
are numerous.
MR. DUNCAN RETURNING.
Mr W and of the Northern Commercial
Coinputo i**ci*r»l a letter from John W
tinman stating that h- evi*eete»l to lea**
Seattle f«*r the interior about April £3 and to
arrive at Kainpadon the hrst Is.at Mr
I*tmean uitil mttsnle noise and bustle itunic
him weary and anvions to get away.
MERCHANDISE. MINERS STORE
(In the Postofflce Building)
OUTFITTING _ Cigars by the Box a Specialty
NO BETTER COFFEE AT ANY PRICE
50 cents
per pound
all
the
year
round
Best value
for
the money
ever offered
in
the North
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY, Sole Agents for Alaska
JURY AND WITNESSES
IN THE ROBINS CASE
Following is the jury that sat in the Robins
case, the verdict in which has been so stren
uously assailed for the past ten days:
J. W. Young, P. K. Wilson. George Cowan,
B. W. Stickney. C. F. Jones, Chas. B. Meyers.
Witnesses w ho testified were: M. K. Koonce,
complainant; Charles Swanson, Deputy Mar
shal John F. Drake. Daniel Sinclair, (J. H.
Wand, William Mann, and Dr. J. H. Hmlgin,
expert physician.
The testimony of all the witnesses went to
show that Mr. Robins was a little eccentric,
or queer, but not to such an extent that his
sanity would be seriously questioned if con
sidered apart from his attempt at self
destruction. Dr. Hudgin's conclusions are
plain and probably indicate Mr. Robins’s true
mental condition. His testimony was as fol
Q. By the court You are a regular prac
ticing physician ?
Q. You have been in the court room and
heard the evidence?
A. Yes.
(J. Have you examined Mr. Robins, the
party who is charged with being insane?
Q. From the examination . . . and the evi
dence you have heard introduced on the
witness stand today. . . . what, in your judg
ment. would you pronounce his mental con
dition to he?
A. I would ('DiiMiH’r ms meii:ui comiiiion.
ut the present time, not normal.
Q. Do you consider his mental condition as
such that he is liable to do violence to the
public or himself, or both ?
A. I wouldn’t take it. from what I can
learn, that he would be dangerous to any
one, unless it would be to himself: and if he
was some place where there would be no
worry. I am satisfied it would la* no time
that t here w otild be dnHirer to himself.
i). You think, then, that if he were sent to
a sanitarium, where he could jjet proper
treatment and care, he would soon recover
from the present condition?
A. that in my opinion: and further, if he
w as some place now w here he w ould be kept
from worrying, that his mind would he nor
mal in a very short time. If he should he
sent to the hospital, it is probable, even, that
he miirlit be considered by the time he w on Id
iret there, of sound mind. Of course, a man
that has threaten* d to destroy himself won Id
have to Is* considered dangerous to himself:
lint I don’t atrree w itli a irreat ninny author*
ities. that every one who attempts or com
mits suicide is insane.
i,). You think, doctor, that the attempt at
eoininittifnr suicide and his threat to do so is
not the result of natural consideration and
a perfectly sane mind, but tin* result from
temporary insanity . w tilch you believe could
Is* readily cured if committed to a proper
sanitarium where he could be relieved from
11 A* 1 do.
tj. Any further statement?
A. It miuht Is* possible, if he had some
place here that he c<-nld be safe from him
self. that he would be well before he could
leave this place for the outside, w ith proper
treatment
LOCAL ENTHUSIASTS
WANT TO PLAY BALL
Among the things hatched out by the
warm spring sunshine is a great amount of
base hall enthusiasm.
If the plans mature along the lines now
contemplated, as soon as the snow has all
melted the work commenced last summer
on the ball grounds on the hill will be taken
up again and fully completed.
Charles Birchler, purser of the Sarah, will
be wired to to bring down new bats, balls,
mitts, masks, etc., on the first trip.
After things have been going a bit it is
probable the soldiers at Fort Gibbon post
will be given such a drubbing that they will
be glad to return to the States.
Among the crack ball players of the camp
are Pete Wilson, lately from the Novikakit.
who used to pitch in the New England
league; Fred and Sam Harper, who played
in California; A1 Woods, formerly with the
Boston Blues and who played with a profes
sional team at Dawson two years ago; Henry
Squires, of the signal corps; Walter Sund
borg. Bob Schaber, and probably a lot of
others who have remained unknown be
cause there has been no chance for them to
play ball.
A. B. OFFICERS
WERE INSTALLED
At the meeting; «»f Camp Rampart No. 15,
Arctic Brotherhood, held last Friday ni#ht.
officer?* were installed for the ensuing: term.
A complete list of the camp's officers is as
follow s:
Past Arctic Chief G. A. Ketterer.
Arctic Chief C. A. Davidson.
Vice Arctic Chief W. VV. Crwkett.
Arctic Chaplain .1. H. Hudgin.
Kee|ier of Nugget? Frank Smith.
Arctic Recorder Julius Ruhmstorf.
Arctic Camp Cook John Ruiliiran.
Arctic Trail Guide J. I.indlev Green.
Arctic Trail Blazer Robert Schalier.
Keeper Inner Toll Gate Sam 4. Callahan.
Keeper Outer Toll Gate John Palm.
Trustees J. I.indie? Green. John Radiirnn.
II. F Tliuinm. Julius Kahinstnrf and G. A.
Ketterer. _
**72” ABANDONED.
Mrs. Hums and Sweetie hate abandoned
Koadh<>ii«e and isnw Vo town for the sum*
n»er. rhe? propose to ronduct a lunch room
in the Miss Parke cabin. near The Mirror."
Chas.A.Traeger,
Hats, Clothing
and Furnishings.
SAMPLES OF SUITINGS
All the Latest Styles for Spring,
Summer and winter Wear.
Leave your measure and have
made-to-order suits sent In.
liltk- mi ft- titan ready made