150 FUE-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



great injury to the fur-seal herd to the end of practically destroying 

 its value, for the next 10 years. To gain that end of violating these 

 rules and regulations of the Government, these men, Liebes, Tevis, 

 Mills, and Elkins, have successfully combined with certain agents 

 of the Govenunent in charge of tlie seal islands, as will appear by 

 the following: 



II. Isaac and Herman Liebes, Llovd Tevis. D. O. Mills (lessees), 

 on the 12th day of :March, 1890, con"ibuied with Stei>hen B. Elkins 

 and George II. Tuigle to deceive William Windoni, Secretary of the 

 Treasury, in order to gahi from him the lease of the seal islands of 

 Alaska, said lease running from May 1. 1S90, to May. 1910 (20 years). 



They were successful, and so secured the lease (full details of which 

 were given to the Ways and Means Committee, January 14. 1907, by 

 Henry W. Elliott, and renewed by him to the House Committee on 

 Ex])enditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor, Mav 15, 

 1911). 



III. On the 5th day of A})ril, 1S91. Charles J. GolT, United States 

 sjjccial agent in charge of the seal islands, was removed tlverefrom, 

 through the combined efforts of said lessees and Charles Foster, 

 Secretary of the Treasurer, said Golf having stopped said lessees in. 

 then- illegal and injurious killing of seals on the Pribilof Islands, 

 June 20, 1890, and haviiig recommended that all killing by said 

 lessees be suspended entirely for an indefiinite term of years tor the 

 public good. 



Said lessees had one W. H. Wdlianis a]>j)ointed in Gofl"s place 

 April 5, 1891, and with Charles Foster's own selection also, Joseph 

 Stanley Brown was appointed April 23, 1891, to visit the islands as 

 his own personal representative "to get the facts," etc. 



These men reached the island June 10, 1891; the international 

 modus Vivendi of June 15, 1891, was anticipated by them, in their 

 instructions of May 27,' 1891, vrhich were not to permit the lessees 

 to take nnore than 7,500 seals. These orders were duly entered in 

 the oflicial journal on the islands, June 13, 1891. In spite of this 

 specific order not to ])ermit the killing of more than 7,500 seals on 

 both islands durhig the entire season of 1891, yet these lessees so 

 influenced these agents, Williams and Brown, as to actually kill and 

 secure the skins of 13,695 seals by August 11 followuig, and have 

 the same regularly endorsed by them. 



IV. On June 9, 1892, said Jcse])h Stanley Brown, returned to the 

 seal islands as the ''chief special agent in charge"; and, on July 8, 

 1892, he ordered that the entii'e supervision and control of the 

 Government over the lessees on the kilUng grounds be given to the 

 lessees'; thus, as the fc flowing certified ccpy cf the cfficial orders 

 reads on the cfficial jcurnal of tlie Ignited States Treasury agent, 

 St. Pauls Island (p. 2). 



