The daily Alaskan. [volume], July 11, 1898, Image 1

About The daily Alaskan. [volume] (Skaguay [Skagway] Alaska) 1898-1899

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
Tha Only Daily N?w?papar
Published in Alaska. Hm
a Larger Circulation than
any other Publication.
fOL. I. NO. 135.
THE DAILY
8KAGUAY, ALASKA, MONDAY. JULY 11. 1898
The Largest and Finest Hotel in Alaska.
THE
M'?TEL0
KuroiNHtii .
VII Modern Improvements. Sample Rooms for Commercial Men.
BONO ST. SET. BROADWAY AND RUNNALLS
* 1 mmi'm mi iiiL.?l'j?lwhuu1UB(JI
May 1st.] L18S
The DEWEY.
Choice Wines, Liquors, Cigars.
Comer Shoup and State Sts.
Skaguav. Alaska.
Burton W. Johnson.
Packing and Freighting.
Skaguay to Lake Bennett.
Operattng one of the Best Pack Trains
on the route. Handle contracts of any
size and guarantee to deliver goods in
first-class condition.
I
Bar Cor. Hoore and Ivey Sts.
For further address inquire at this office.
GerMim
The Oldest and Best Established Restaurant and Ilakery in the city.
Ice Cream: Wholesale or Retail.
OrEN b/lT AHb NIQHT.
Cor. Holly Avenue and State. Skaguay, Alaska
Employment Office
Reliable Help Furnished Employers on ihort Notice.
I keep a classified list of all those wanting work and
can fill orders with the least possible delay.
Leave orders at the Little Star Candy and Tobacco
Stone.
Broadway between Bond and McKinney Streets.
Skaguay.
T J Watsom, Waltkk Church.
Notary Public, Attorney-at-Law.
I
$100.00 $150.00 $200.00.
We have several customers for
fV Residence property nortb of -fflt
Ninth Avenue.
Watson & Church,
eal Estate And nines
a
Office? Cor. 5th Ave. and State St.
R
W. L. GREEN.
HARDWARE.
"WbolMtU oni Holly St
See 1 i i \(l(-I
Tltoe Leadliiimgj Pto?(t<Q><g!irsiip>Ifo?r
For Views and Photos.
Skaguay and Dawson City. Baoadway, South of Bond.
GO TO THE
FOR LADIES AND GENTS'
?
9 Ld
FURNISHING GOODS
K >, SHOfcS AND SLIPPER > OTTO SCHLESSINGER,
t Broadway, pear Holly Avenue
E. J. LEDDICOAT.
Architect and Builder |
Plans Drawn and Contracts Taken.
Kmldcnce. corner KhInit and Ivy st
FIRST BAHK
OF SKflGUflY.
Incorporated 1H?7 ?
Transacts a Regular Banking Business.
p.. i r. n ii i unwrnr.""!*'
posits Received.
Officer* j
C. S. MOODY - - Pre*, and M*r.
Fred G. F. LAPenotibrb. ? cashier.
FRESH QOW'5 flILK
? nd CREAM4
Ninth and Kunnalls Streets.
Delivered twice each day to any part of
of the city. The only first-class
Cow's milk in Skaguay.
Henry Schaffer.
pKICK .* KUL1.KH.
ATTORNEYS- AT- LAW.
MoRlnnoy Otrocl. Hkaguuy, Alaska.
! STENOGRAPHER IN OFFICE.
WALTER CHURCH
Attorney at Law unit Notary Public,
Moore's Bnlldlng, iouth-eiwt corner of F.uu
nalls and McKlnney Ave.
O'DONNELL & WELDON.
Attys-at-'Ldw.
~v
Occidental Hotel Building.
Dr e. l. niskern.
Physiciuu aud Surgeon.
Dr. J. Richter,
? Office :
Cor. Broadway and Bond.
Profoiutiona! calls attended
to day or night.
Pacific Hotel.
Near McKinney and
Main Streets.
Everything First-Class.
Terms Reasonable.
LADIES i^ZT^R.
Dressmaking, Furnishings, 10 per
cent reduction In calicos, shirt
waists, corset covers and ladies'
vests for this week only.
Ladles' Ml 1 children'* Hosiery, choice por
tuuieN and toilet ?oaps.
Broadway, Near Bond.
John Stanley and Co.
First Class Horse 8hoeing
and Wagon Work.
BLACKSMITH I NG.
4th Avenue or Bond Street, between
Proadway and State.
Are Yoa Going
To Dawson City? The Ben
nett Lake and Klondike
Transportation Company are
now operating the three large
and commodious steamers
NOKrt' and"
rLOR/l
From Bennett to Dawson.
For Rates apply at Bennett
office. F. M. RATTENBURY,
Managing Director.
Gua. Schadk. Hilly Rose.
The Louvre
CAFE'
Sixth Avenue, between Broadway and Htalc.
FINE WINES & LIQUORS.
Steam and Lager Beer on Draught
to CENTS, STRAIGHT.
All kinds of Cold Lunches and Sand
wiches.
Hot Lnnch from 11 a, m. to 3 p. ra.
Pm tsches Hous.
HUNTED LIKE
WILD BEASTS
Bowers and his Pals
? Captured.
THROW UP THEIR HANDS
Slim Jim Jumps From a Second Story Win
dow but is Soon Recaptured.
Since our last issue on Saturday after
noon there was no lull In the excitement,
no diminution of the crowds in the streets
night or day, or in the number of citizens
arg^d with Winchesters patrolling or
scurrying hither and thither on the hunt
for the rest of Soapy's gang. At 6 o'clock
on Saturday evening fourteen of the sus*
per'ed men had been captured and were
under a strict guard in the City Hall.
About midnight another and very import
ant capture was made of the man who was
with Soapy on the dock, armed with a gun
against the people. As he came up some
one crM, "They have killed Soapy; and
If you don't dear out quick they will kill
you too.' He returned to town on the
double quick and nothing more was seen
of him until he was dragged from his bed
on Saturday night and brought up to the
C'tvHall. Later two or three other men
were captured in the same house, and the
arr.sts continued up to midnight last
nij.ii;, before which ime the City Hall
>?? mm?mm 1?^- ? ?! ailj SL
nu'lSer were imprisoned In tfrr tipper
rooms of the Burkhard hotel. In all about
thirty were taken in, but the exact number
and their names was as far as possible kept
a secret.
All this time the efforts of the citizens
were particularly directed to the capture of
Bowers, Tripp, Wilder and Slim Jim, the
men who actually stole the sack of gold
dust. All the trails and the wharves were
guarded, with the exception of that to the
waterworks. As tills did not lead to any
where it was not thought of, but subse
quent developments show that this
was the route taken Jby the four des
peradoes immediately after Soapy was
shot.
Shortly before 5 o'clock Sunday morning
a citizen who had been on guard duty and
had returned to his cabin near Herman and
Shoup streets for a much-needed nap, saw
from his window a man passing whom he
believed to be Tripp. He rushed out, and
finding it to he the bunco man, immedi
ately arrested him.
"Well," said Tripp, with an air of
cool resignation, "I suppose I've only
about a quarter of an hour to live."
"Is that about all you think a man such
as you deserves ?" he was asked.
"Guess it Is," was the quiet rejoinder.
Tripp afterwards told a straightforward
story of his actions from the time of the
shooting up to that of his arrest. He was
"laying low" In the hotel where other ar
rests were made Sundav evening, when
word was brought him that Soapy had
been shot. He and the three others at
once slunk by way of Morris' lot to the
slaughterhouse and up the waterworks
trail. Thev had revolvers with them but
had not time to think of getting food or
blankets.
The first night they slept nejr the lake
and remained in hiding all the next day.
Saturday night almost famished with
hunger they hit the trail again and came
down to the slaughter house with the
hope of escaping by boat or of getting
back to friendly cabins. It seemed too
risky to attempt to pass the lines of armed
patrolmen, however, and shortly after 2
o'clock they started back up the trail.
Tripp, who is an old man, was tired out
and refused to go back. His companions
expostulated with him for an hour, but he
stuck to his declaration that he "would
rather be hung on a full stomach than die
of starvation in the moun
tains." So he was at length permitted to
return.
As to the actual robbery he also gave an
apparently fair account, freely acknowl
edging that he himself snatched the sack
of gold and took it into Soapy's parlors.
He handed it to the barkeeper (who is also
under arrest), another man whom he
named being present. A few minutes af- j
terwards Soapy himself came in and told
Tripp that he had got the dust all right.
What became of the sack afterward :
Tripp declared that he Ji J not know and
that if he did he would say so. He had
himself gone to Soapy and advised him
that "the people were making such a stink
about the job it would be wise to give the
stuff up." Smith made no reply. He
could not say, either, who would be
likely to know where the dust was.
He felt certain that only one, or pos
sibly two men, would have Smith's
confidenct in such a case, and he could
give no hint as to who was likely to pos
sess the secret.
After Tripp's statement that he had lelt
Bowers and the other two men on the
waterworks trail that morning, there were
plenty of armed volunteers to scale the
mountain and beat Its face foot by foo'
and also to go to the falls and the lake,
but the careful search made proved unsuc
cessful.
At nine o'clock a report [came In that
the men had been seen near the cemetery,
and a strong posse Immediately
started for that point, some on
horses, others on foot. Part of these were
and the wagon road and the remainder
formed a cordon to beat the woods. As
this cordon moved slowly forward the
bushes back of the cemetery were seen to
move. The command was immediately
given to the men supposed to be in hiding
to throw up their hands or be tired upon.
One of them, after a brief pause, shouted,
! "All right," and Bowers stepped from cover
with his hands above his head. The oth
er two followed him. They were forced
' to walk ahead still holding up their hands
I until the larger body of armed citizens in
| the road below was reached, when they
i were searched and their weapons taken
from them.
When the prisoners were brought into
town about eleven o'clock there was the
greatest excitement seen since the shoot
j ing. The neighborhood of the city hall
was black, with people and ringing cheers
broke outagain and again.
Some of the more excited were for
lynching the prisoners but at half past
eleven Commissioner Sehlbrede hurried to
the scene, and begged the people to main
tain Jthe good order up to that time
well observed. His words had an
undoubted influence. He then ordered the
prisoners to be removed to the second
floor of the Burkhard Hotel, tor better pro
tection and the better facilities offered for
the examination of the prisoners.
For an hour the crowd remained
eagerly discussing the situation and many
demanding that the three men be summar
ily dealt with unless they would disclose
where the stolen gold dust was secreted.
Then a shot was fired. ? Everyone seemed
to know In the same moment that Bowers
had escaped. There was a rush for the
rear of the hotel premises. A r?:ore more
shots were rapidly fired. The prisoner
recaptured and proved to be Slim
Jim. Then the demand to lynch him
was renewed with some force, and Slim
pitifully pleaded for mercy or at least a
little time. Leading citizens surrounded
him, however, and coolly held back the
more excited of the crowd.
Just in the nick of time upcameCapt.
! Yeatman with seventeen or eighteen of the
regulars from Dyea. Slim was taken
back to the Burkhard anJ very soon com
plete order was restored, the citizens who
had for so many long hours been doing
patrol duty returning to their homes for
much-needed sleep.
The threats of the crowd reaching the ears
of Slim he had maJe a dash through
the second story back window. The rifles
were fired tog ve the alarm and to inform
him that he was so well surrounded that
escape was impossible. He had barely
reached Broadway before he was again in
custody and pleading for his life.
The woman who lived with Soapy en
deavored to leave town on the City of
Seattle. She was brought back and ex
amined and her trunks searched.
!
7*
A Resolute Committee Pledg
ed to Unearth Him.
THE SOLIUERS AKE GONE.
Clllz?ni Promlae to Protect (be
PrlMncra MHt to Rata.
tain order.
The plan of the citizens last night was
to bring the prisoners before Commissioner
Sehlbrede, have those committed to Sitka
against whom there was direct evidence
and to order the remainder of Jiose known
I to be disorderly characters to leave the
| town. The hearing was to begin at ten
o clock, but meanwhile a committee was
at work with the prisoners, endeavoringto
discover the hiding place of the stolen
gold, and this had not completed its labors,
but continued them throughout the day.
As there was a crowd Impatiently wait
ing for the trial to begin, and as It Was Im
possible for the committee to make a full
and complete report without further In
vestigation of the dufs already obtained,
It was deemed advisable to inform the citi
zens of what was being done and also to
ask their further pleasure. Also it was
thought well to give a warning that al
though Capt. Yeatman ;md his men ha J
returned to Dyea, the first act of violence
would bring the soldiers I-ack and result In
the town being placed uinier martial law.
At three o'clock Acting-Deputy Marshal
J. M. Tanner mounted a dray in front of
the city hall, and said he desired to make
a statement to the citizens. He desired to
ask tiiem if they would support him and
his deputies, or if they desired to have the
military quartered on the fown? not for a
day or a week, but for a long season. It
fi*Uflfii?hau1&flrifeifr>drttf ?>?Hi ufevttfc
tion and returned with hi? men to Dyea.
He had only done so upon the solemn as
surance of the acting marshal and the
leading business men that order would be
maintained, and that the men arrested
would be protected and have a fair trial.
Captain Yeatman had said, continued
the acting marshal, that he had specirl
orders from the president and could take
charge here at any time and declare mar
tial law. If the men now imprisoned were
not protected and given fair trial he would
be bound in honor to do this.
Mr. Tanner assured the citizens that
those found guilty would be punished,
from the highest to the lowest, and asked
if they would leave the matter In the
hands of the investigating committee and
pledge themselves to protect the prisoners
until they had been fairly tried and Skaj,.
uay cleared of this disorderly element. If
people wanted violence they would have
first to overcome him and his deputi- s.
(Cheers.)
H. E. Battln next addressed the gath
ering. He said: "You all know that
Soapy Smith has silent partners. (Cries of
"Yes, Yes.") The committee Is trying to
get at these partners. They are the men
to hang if you must take the law in jour
own hands-whlch I don't think you
will? men who have elevated themselves
on a pedestal of seeming morality and
robbed the public. Those are the men your
committee is trying to locate (Cheere.)
"You must not expect to cure in
a day, a disease the growth of
months. You cannot cure the present
state of things by a hanging. There are
punishments much better in every sense
to fit the crime; and you do not desire It to
go out to the world that the people of
Skaguay could not control themselves.
"You mav rely upon it that no guilty
man will escape the committee, whoever
he may be. A few of these prisoners we
nave evidence enough against to convict;
there are perhaps twenty others that we
cannot convict although we may feel that
they deserve it. What thecommittee does
it will do quietly, and the moral atmos
phere of Skaguay will be cleaned. But It
there is any act of violence then we shall
have martial law and your property and
homes will not be worth a nickel. Busi
ness will come to a standstill. I have been
requested to ask if you are satisfied with
the committee as it stands or would like
to nominate others."
Some one asked who were the com!
mittee and Mr. Battin gave the names as
follows: Tanner, Sylvester, Battin, Bums,
C. E. Hawkins (engineer of ohe railroad)
President Graves, of the railroad, Free
man, Whitten, and Humbert. As they
were read the crowd cried "good" or "he's
all right,". and someone suggested that
Mr. Rcnnick's name be added, which was
done.
Someone asked if Mr. Stewart could not
be paid the amount of the gold stolen from
him, to which Mr. Battin !iut
[Continued on Fcurl i P: