jflfcTROYEI) CABIN TO CON->.
CEAL THRFT OF FURS.
(Anchorage Times.)
A clever: -piece of' detective work, ,
■which was set in motion last Febru
\ry following the burning of the
Mike Backstrom cabin at Cantwell,
resulted last week in obtaining a
complete confession from Francis
Johnson, in which he is. alleged to
have admitted to Walter G. Culver,
special agent for the Alaska .Railroad,
• hat; he set. fire to the cabin after
having stolen a number of . valuable
pelts belonging to Backstrom. By
burning rthe cabin he had hoped to.
destroy evidence of the theft, and but
for the fact that he was unahle to ac
count for about..20 minute*.- of -bis
time on the day of the line he prob
ably would, have escaped (detection.
The si gaud confession was turned
over to the United States attorney at
Fairbanks and Johnson was taken
into custody at.Nenanr, where he was
givftn a preliminary- heat’ng before
U. S. Commissi on er.<5. C. Lield and
Pound o-van- to the grand jury. He
was placed in rhe- federal jail at.
Fairbanks.
Mr. 'ufver "investigated the Cant
well fire, .thinking it might have some
connection with a fire which had de
strt»ypd"!» building belonging'to the.
Alaska Railroad some time previous
vl.: The'inquiry did-.not tuny out as
he A>uspeeted»it'might,.but enough ev
idence va* found to prove conclusiv«
ly the Backet com. cabin had ..been set
on'fire 'Wliberately.J The. finding of a
broken lock in the ruins, somedis
tance from the door to which it had.
bedn attached b.y Backstrom, indicat
ed ‘the method of entrance, and the
position, of a.coal oil can, -"moved just
a- few laches from the place where
Backstrom was in the-hahifr of' plac
ing! i .tiodicated that the oil had. been,
usetd to start the cabin fire.
Wit if these hits of evidence and
others that Culver was able, to find
at Cantwell, suspicion finally was di
rected; co. Johnson; and: upon being
questioned1 it was disclosed that, he
could not account for his whereabouts
iuiiirg about 2ft minutes immediately
preceding the discovery of the fire.
Evidently, believing’that his guilt had.
been established, beyond any doubt,
Johnson-*is- said to have made a clean
brdast of the whole affair, explaining
that he had. come in from his trapline
with the intention of stealing furs
from. Backstrom’s cabin and that
after doing, so- he had set'fire HO the
cabin to cover up the larceny. The
confession was turned- over- to TJ'. S;
Attorney Jiilien Hurley at .Fairbanks,
and Johnson was taken into custody
later byi Deputy Ui S. Marsha! Jack
O’ffionnctr. The complaint charges
Johnson! with arson, which, carries a
—• _■ ——
prison sentence of from ten to twenty 1
years.
Backstrom set his tbss at |6,0(Hh
In the cabin was a strong box con-1 ;
taining $800 in currency and several i
hundred dollars in postal savings cer- ,
tificates and Liberty bonds. The res- '
idue was sent back to Washington
and new honds and certificates were! 1
issued, but no word has. been received l
yet as to whether the ashes from.the;
notes could be identified..
| Alaska Notes j
I Gathered From Territorial « j
| Exchangee.
. Petersburg!*—Chfcrges if first? de
gree murder have been .tiled against.. :
A1 Reed, aged a4^ employee of the ;
Port Walter Herring & Packing Com
pany. at Saginaw bay. The arrest was i
a culmination of the fatal shooting of
Ole Brudseth, 44,. salterv foreman, ax, .
the conclusion of. what was said to
have been a drunken party.
Reed is said' to- have, brandished a
revolver when he was .ejected from
| a cabin, and shot. Brudseth once thru
i each leg. Brudseth is said to already
! have, been - unconscious from liquor1
! and never knew what' happened. • He
i bled to death before medical aid could
! reach him, witnesses testified..
Prospecting carried on over a suffi- 1
| cient period of time to thoroughly!
| demonstrate the values have con- j
vinced G. B. Adeney, engineer in
^charge: of the Alaska Gold'Dredging
rCompany’s operations on Sullivan!
creek, rn the. Hot Springe district,1'
, that, althoughs the ground cai rie
' good pay in places, it d-.-s not wav-j :
ranti the expense if ■ 'l-1 all'r.g dredg-l
ing equipment, says the- Fairbanks!
i News-Miner.
“Six months’ careful drilling has ,
proved that the the placer deposits at
! Tofty, on Sullivan creek, are quite
different to the usual creek deposits '
in the Fairbanks and ote.er districts,”
Mr. Adeney said. At Tufty, there is
no strong run of pay liven the creek.; 1
“A the rich placer has come, 'from ■
gulches and little draws'from the side ! i
hills, forming a series of rich patches,;:
in the mawviruir ot gravel.” j
_ i
Less than an hour after-he had es- ;
caped from the federal jail at Fair- i
banks, a few days ago, James Robin- j
son, who is held oir a perjury chargt, (
Was back in his cell.’ He was cap- i
turett by Deputy Marshal Pat O’Con- J
hor, who subdued him in a hand-to- ■ j
hand encounter.
Robinson slipped out of the jail :
yard and, unnoticed,' mader his way :
through the! courthouse and out of 1 J
the front door, taking advantage of ■ ,
1
he fact that all offices in the build
ing are closed on Saturday afternoon^
He went into hiding in a cabin .on
?ifth avenue, but had not been there
nany minutes before . being discov
:red by the deputy. Robinson showed
ight, but was badly worsted in the
struggle which ensued* and returned
o the jail without any persuasion.
Robinson was arrested for perjury
ibaut .three months ago after offering
estimor.y in a fur case, and is held
;o await the-action of the grand jury.
An illness extending over a lengthy
period ended ended a few days ago at
Fairbanks in the death, of Ferdinand
A. Jorgenson, pioneer Interior mining
nan. Death was due to heart trouble
end came to the pioneer peacefully, j
Mr. Jorgenson was born in Den- j
nark sixty years ago, but had spent
nost* of his life- in America. For 35
fears he had made bis home in Alas
ka, following mining in many interior'
■amps. Of late, years he had been de-'j
reloping placer property in the Ten-!
ierfoot district. .
CANADIAN PACIFIC MAY EX- !
TEND ITS LINE TO ALASKA
VANCOUVER.—The sale of the
Mortheastem Railway.charter by' H.
H. Stevens of Vancouver’to the -Con
solidated Mining & Smelting Cdm
Pacific, raised the prospect' that Hy
lany, a subsidiary-pf the'-'Cariadrarr
ier, Alaska, would share with Stew
jrt, B. C., the statns of being a rail- j
vay terminal. *
The Consolidated Company is said
;o he'planning to start work soon on
;he line, which will cross Northern
British Columbia. The company has
•xtensive mining properties in the
Portland Canal area, notably gold
ind copper mines. '
English girls are modestly declin- j
ng to wear the new French bareback 1
iress, and are adopting a new* varia- 1
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE.
ro Pete* Davey, his heirs, and -as
and assigns?
You, and each of you, are hereby
lotified that I', the* undersigned, your
■0-owner,; have expended in labor: andi
mprovements the sum of not less
ban one hundred dollars for : the.
rears 1921, 1922,... 1923, 1924,.. 1925,'
.926, 192?, 1928 and 1929 upon placer
nining claim No. 3 Above Discovery
>n Esperanto creek, a tributary, of
dadison creek,, in the Innoko Mining
md Recording Precinct, Fourth divi
sion, Territory of Alaska, in order to
lold said1 claim under the provisions
if Section 2324 . of the. Revised Stat>
ites of the United Staes and-, the
imendments thereto concerning an
lual labor upon mining claims, being
he amount required to hold said mi*i
ng claim for the period June 30,
930.
And if, within ninety days after the
mblication of this notice, you fail or
■efuse to contribute your proportion
if said expenditure, as well as the
■ost ofrecording the same, and the
:osts of. this advertisement,. your in
•erest in said claim will become the
irpperty of the. nndersigned, your co
iwner, who has made the required
ixpenditures under the terms of said
Section 2324 of the Revised Statutes
if the United States.
JOHN KRIEGER,
Co-Owner.
s'irst publication May 4, 1929; last.
Aug. 2, 4.929.
Frank J. Guskey |
Notary Public
j
McGrath, Alaska {
I Du Rand V j
! Cafe and* j
I Hotel
Flat City
tion of the old-fashioned “modesty,”
which resembles an attractive little
bib made out of chiffon.—Ex.
Our idSferl wonder .vfor th».day, in
connection!with'Hhe probability of a
world's fair, in Chicago in 1933, is as
to which gang would have the beer
concession^—Detroit News. .
When In
Fairbanks
For Real Home-Grown
CHICKEN DINNERS
Try <n* v
18-Mile
Roadhouse
Ihone In Advance for Special •
Parties.
NICE BALLROOM
Where AW May fiance to Their •
Delight, by Radio Music.
A SHoVt DPiVe Through De
lightful'Forest Scenery.
Mr. and Mfe. Geo.
Mdlchler
Proprietors
■• _^ ^
Are you a Kusko Times subscriber? ?
Why not.?
ROSICRUCIAN MYSTERIES — All '
sincere seekers for the great truth
and power known to the ancients,,
write'for the free book “Light of
Egypt?": failed without obligation- -
to occult Students; . Librarian 111,1.
Amorc Temple, Satin Jose, Calif. 1.
; Takotna
Cigar Store;
ys
Tobaccos
S'.t
Cigars >
Soft Drinks*?
Bred Dubois
Proprietor
i
Eele Michels? ’ Roadhouse
Mcgrath; alaska
Meals, $kOQ Beds, 50c
Rooms, $k00
THE BEST THE MARKET AFFORDS.
Northern Commercial
Company
McGRATH
BETHEL >
AK1AK
Alaska’s Largest Outfitters
Sole Agents for Ball Band Rubber,
and'Woolen Goods..
Comedn and see our line' of Gwjtdrman
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Try our New Stock of Fresh! Fruits*
and Staple Groceries':.
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Notions, Drugs and Toilet?'Ancles:
Furs Bought and Sold
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