64 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1919. 



and May he sentenced five other natives to terms in jail ranging from 

 10 to 30 days for the killing of beaver. The skins were not secured. 

 All of these cases originated on the Galsovia River. 



In May, 1919, Game Warden Lucy seized a beaver skin from a 

 native named Jim Johnny Mie in the vicinity of Petersburg. Mie 

 was prosecuted for having the skin in his possession, pleaded guilty, 

 and served five days in jail at Ketchikan. 



In June, 1919, Warden Larson seized a beaver skin from an Indian 

 near Ketchumstock. 



One June 22, 1919, Frank O'Farrell shipped 13 marten skins from 

 Tanana, which were seized by Deputy Collector of Customs Hillard at 

 Eagle and turned over to Game Warden II . E. Steel. Twelve more 

 marten skins were seized by Warden O'Connor at Skagway on July 7 

 when a parcel-post package addressed from Tanana to O'Farrell at 

 Seattle was examined under search warrant. All the skins were 

 forwarded to the Seattle office of the Bureau. O'Farrell afterward 

 presented a certificate, dated June 26, 1919, that 25 marten skins 

 were of Canadian origin. The Bureau, upon the recommendation 

 of the deputy collector of customs at Eagle, refused to accept it as 

 covering the seized skins, and they were confiscated. 



Examination of mail shipments were made at Skagway under 

 search warrants by Warden Philip R. Hough on July 16 and 17 and 

 resulted in the seizure of 20 marten shipped by R. L. Smith from 

 Ruby, 25 beaver shipped by D. R. Stern from Nulato, and 1 beaver 

 by John B. Steppe from the Kantishna region. The skms were 

 retained by the marshal at Skagway until released to the Bureau 

 by a court order m March, 1920, and were then forwarded to Seattle. 



In July, 1919, certain seizures of illegally taken furs were made 

 in Alaska by the LTnited States marshal, these furs having been 

 placed in the mail by Peter Vachon of Tolovana. The shipments 

 were located by means of search warrants executed with the permis- 

 sion of the Post Office Department at the post office at Tolovana and 

 on board a vessel near Eagle. The seizures comprised 714 marten 

 skms and 699 beaver skins, which at the end of the year were still 

 in the possession of the United States marshal at Fairbanks for use 

 in the prosecution of the shipper. 



On August 9 customs officials at Seattle seized seven beaver skins 

 from James P. Browner, chief engineer of the schooner Ozmo. 

 Browner stated that the skins had been given to him by J. W. Felder 

 in the Kuskokwim district, and that he did not know that their 

 possession was unlawful. No prosecution was instituted; the skins 

 were turned over to Assistant Agent Christoffers. 



On September 5 the deputy collector of customs at St. Michael 

 seized from a man named Miller 88 beaver skins turned over to liim by 

 Chris Betsch, a trader, to deliver to a bank at Nome. Other prose- 

 cutions were made as follows: Joe Knox, 7 beaver skins seized, sen- 

 tenced to 30 days in jail; Sam Tajari, 24 beaver skins seized, fined 

 $200 and costs; Chris Betsch, 170 beaver skins seized, fined $200 

 and costs. The case against Miller, in whose possession the 88 skins 

 were found, was dismissed as it had been shown that the skins were 

 turned over to him by Betsch for delivery to the Merchants and 

 Miners Bank of Nome. The 289 skins were forwarded to the Bureau's 

 Seattle office in June, 1920, by the United States marshal for sale for 

 the account of the Government. 



