Wada.
A Jap Whoso Career Has Been
One of Varying' Fortune apd is
Not Yet Ended.
Janies Wada, a Japanese who lias had
a good deal of adventure erowded into a
short part of his past, left Nome last
month to begin life over again where
fortune had been kindest to him.
Wada’s story, as told in the Nome
(told I>igger, is an interesting one. lie
eame to Alaska several years ago in a
whaling or trading vessel, and settled at
lev Cape, where it is believed he ran
away from a ship, hater lie drifted to
llersehell Island, but fell into the bad
graves of the Indians at that plaeo. In
the middle of winter and without food,
he started baek for ley Cape, a distanee
of several hundred miles. Wadsi is a
wonderful musher, and with his rifle he
managed to kill enough seal to sustain
life in himself and his dogs. When he
arrived at ley Cape the Indians wel
eomed him heartily, for there had been
trouble amongst them since his depart
ure. They had fared badly with the
traders, who had eheated them, and a
scourge of sickness had made its appear
ance amongst them. Wada has some
know ledge of medicine and hygiene, and
by exercising it he saved tiie lives of
many of the Indians. One of them, who
was in a trance and thought to lie dead,
was bled bv Wada, and to the astonish
ment of the natives, he recovered- The
patient told his companions that he had
been to the happy hunting grounds, and
that he had learned that the Japanese
was a great medicine man, or shaman.
The fact that lie had performed some
remarkable cures caused the Indians to
look upon him as one posses.-ing sujier
naturel powers and an ability to remedy
all evils. Bowing low in humility, the
natives offered to make him their chief
and to pay him a tribute of all their furs
and ivory and other proceeds of the
chase. To Wada’s credit it is said that
he refused the greater portion of their
tribute, but agreed to become their chief.
The following summer there'was an ex
ceedingly good catch of w hales, and un
der the wise ruling of Wada the tribe
prospered The following winter a large
amount of fur was taken in the native
traps, and the village was more prosper
ous than ever. Wada took unto himself
a wife to help him rule the destinies of
the little tribe, and from that time his
lucky star became dimmer until late in
last October he landed in the federal
prison at Nome under an indictment
charging him with larceny as a bailee.
The first trouble came the following
summer, through the whalers who re
fused to pay anything like the ordinary
price for w halelione and furs. They also
told the natives that Wada was a false
prophet and a bad man generally. The
natives were loyal, however, and when
Wada told them not to trade their goods
for tin* price offered they olieyed the
minimi nd.
in** wru»MT!" w«*n* I'M'irumitiv uuLrr\
at Wa*la, f«»r th**y c<»fisi*hT»Ml that la*
had roliUii th»*n» <»! tli«*ir ritfhttul hw*t
and |>illau«\ W ;i'!a t*»ld flu* itativrM
llit? «*it N 'liu*. «h«*r»* thi* whit**
im*n wvrrio* |»l**ntv a** th« !*tari* and thv
H*kin»* • a» -«ar*»* a** tin* tn<N»tirf. Il«*
i»l-* • t«*l« I thfti* *»f th*- ur»at tilt ml >«*r <•(
t*»nrt-t- w)ki vttdlvd th«* wondi-rhil |4a«**
i-iii'h »<ftitiut*r, and "| th<% hitfh |»ri* «••*
m liirh th*> h»r Ivory an»l *»th* r
iktiii* whifh th«* •t«**k in lr^l«* • »i
thv iuithi'4. II* *lrvw a nr*.*!
picture of the amount of money which
these travelers possessed, and told mar
velous tales of how they poured their
dollars out like water from a mountain
stream. Their dollars, he assured them,
were as plentiful as the salmon at the
mouth of a river in the summer time.
The expected thin;; happened—the na
tives decided that they would visit the
great metropolis of the north and dispose
of their wares to the guilelesschechaeos.
Sleighs were packed, and men, women
and children, headed by King Wada,
started for the town. On arrival Wada,
as chief, was deputed to sell the goods
for the crowd, as the natives were some
what disappointed in finding the people
were not as “easy” as Wada had stated.
Then came Wada's trouble, lie sold
the goods, lmt fell to the temptation
offered in the places where the clerk
hands out a bottle and a glass. When
he woke up, he found that all of the na
tives’ furs, as well as the money for
which he had sold them, were peltik.
llis subjects clamored for their money,
and in order to save any further trouble
Wada left at once for Norton Sound, and
he didn’t wait to write out his resigna
tion as chief of the tribe. The grand
jury returned an indictment against
him, hut there was no evidence to con
vict him.
When he was discharged the natives
who had remained at Nome welcomed
him back to the tribe. They blame the
white men for their chief's downfall,
and they notified him thut the tribe at
Icy Cape is ready to receive him with
open arms and to kill the fatted walrus
or whatever other animal happens to
be on hand to celebrate his return to
the land of ids people.
before departing for Icy Cape the first
of December, Wada said that after he
had squared himself with his people he
hoped to take a run across to the new
diggings on Chandlar, the news from
which had impressed him deeply.
LITTLE PROSPECTINC
ON SQUAW CREEK
There is but little prospecting being
carried on on Squaw ereek or its tribu
taries this winter, l’ete Raining, who
in the past baeked his faith in the north
side of the river with considerable work
on Squaw , is giving all bis attention to
Thanksgiving ereek, and Louis Iverson
is conducting the X. 1'. mess. None of
the others w ho tried their fortunes on
Squaw in previous years have followed
up the work this winter.
•lack McKwam, Hilly Withrow and
Toni Scully, however, three men new to
the creek, went over a few weeks ago
and will stay with the tributary known
as Sourdough gulch the balance of the
season. They came in for the holidays,
and said they have only gotten estab
lished and ready to commence work in
earnest.
Squaw creek and its tributaries drain
a large area. The work so far doiio is so
insignificant that the whole sta tion may
Is said to Be prat tically uupros|icvtcd.
Messrs. Mel wan, Withrow and S ully
-ay the region si euis to lie wholly devoid
of game of any kind. Not a rabbit or
ptarmigan, a cauipbird, an owl or a
furred or feathered creature of any kind
st ems to uhide there. The men returned
to the gnleh Monday. They may conic
in for Washington's birthday.
V total rvli|«u' ti»> •tin, Jan. It,
will l» lnvi*il>lr in \lu*ka.
S. E. HEETER,
Freighter and Packer
Good Equipments and
Service Unexcelled
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POOR CATCH CLAIMED
BY NATIVE TRAPPERS
Natives from l>all river and other
points say the catch of fur lias been re
markably light-. Of marten they declare
there is practically none. Lynx, so
numetous earlier in the season, are dis
appearing, and there is no fur of any
kind t'o be found anywhere. Even the ;
rabbits, they say, are all gone.
On the other hirnd, Rampart dealers
are inclined to guy the Indians and tell
them they have caught fur all right, but
that unscrupulous up-river traders, by
telling them that marten skins can only
he sold at $2.50 in Rampart, have got
all their skins at $1 or $o.
• There may be a grain of truth in each
side of the matter.
LOG CONTRACT LET
TO DEAN OF TANANA
Joe Dean, of Taimna, was awarded
the contract for supplying the military
post at Fort tiibbon with .‘100,000 feet of
saw logs.
1 lis bill was $29.70 per thousand. S. K.
lleeter, of Kainjiart, bid $29.50 per thou
sand, but Mr. Dean's bid was accepted
because he was in a position to deliver
100,000 feet before the breakup of the
river, whereas Mr. lleeter Would have
required open water for the whole con
tract.
Nine thousand dollars was the outside
figure that the quartermaster could con
sider, that being the limit decided upon
by the department.
It is claimed that a majority of the
committee will favor holding the next
national republican convention in Seattle
F. M. A. L.
SMITH & COLLINS,
Proprietors
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and
Cigars.
CASE GOODS
A Specialty
LiUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDUU
JULIUS RAHMSTORF,
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE
FULL LINE
Tin, Granite and Crockeryware
lonoononnoftoonnonoononoo
Northern Commercial Co.
OUTFITTING A SPECIALTY
LARGE STOCK WINES AND LIQUORS
APPLES, ORANGES and LEMONS
Northern Commercial Co.
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