174 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIB1LOF ISLANDS. 



Deposition of William H. Williams. 



DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 



City of Washington, ss : 



Personally appeared before me William H. Williams, who being duly 

 sworn, deposes and says: I reside at Wellington, Ohio; I am 56 years 

 of age, and am United States Treasury agent in charge of the Pribilof 

 Islands. 



I have seen several newspaper articles in which I am charged with 

 having "suborned Indian testimony," with employing "unfair means" 

 in obtaining evidence from Indians, and that conclusive proof of this 

 misconduct has been procured by Major Sherwood of the Dominion 

 police. 



The facts in connection with the procuring of these depositions are 

 as follows: During the summer of 1892 I had occasion, in accordance 

 with instructions from the Secretary of the Treasury, to take the depo- 

 sitions of certain natives concerning the subjects of seal life and sealing 

 at sea. The Indians from whom 1 took depositions were the Makah 

 Indians at the Makah Agency, two Nitnat Indians at the same place, 

 and the natives on the Pribilof Islands. No depositions were taken by 

 me from any other natives, and I was never at Barclay Sound, on the 

 west of Vancouver Island, or on the west coast of British Columbia, 

 In taking depositions from the Makah Indians the only sum of money 

 paid was $2.50, which was given by me to Chestoqua Peterson, son of 

 the chief, for his services as interpreter for two and one- half days. On 

 the Pribilof Islands the sum of $5 was paid to Simeon Melivedof, a 

 native and school teacher on the island, for four days' services as a 

 copyist. These were the only sums of money paid by me to Indians or 

 to natives, or to anyone in Alaska. 



In no instance was any liquor given to an affiant by me, nor by any 

 one either directly or indirectly associated with me; nor was any affiant 

 under the influence of liquor when his deposition was made or verified; 

 and no undue influence of any sort or description was employed. No 

 gratuities in any form were given. The testimony obtained was not 

 only freely and willingly given, in all instances, but often voluntarily. 

 This was especially true of the two Xitnat Indians. 



In the case of the natives at the Makah Agency, the depositions were 

 taken in the office of the Indian agent, Glynu, and under his personal 

 knowledge. He is a radical in his opposition to the giving of intoxi- 

 cants to natives, and had anyone attempted to ofler one of the Indians 

 liquor he would have been at once ejected from the agency. 



WM. H. WILLIAMS. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 20th day of December, 1892. 

 [SEAL.] CHAS. S. HUGHES, Notary Public. 



Additional deposition of William H. Williams. 



DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 



City of Washington, ss: 



Personally appeared before me William H. Williams, who, being duly 

 sworn, deposes and says: I reside at Wellington, Ohio; am 56 years of 

 age, and am United States Treasury agent in charge of the Pribilof 

 Islands. 



During the summer of 1892 I had occasion, in accordance with instruc- 

 tions from the Secretary of the Treasury, to take the depositions of cer- 



