FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 261 



summer, during- the tiiue that Cai)taiu Shepherd was making these seiz- 

 ures, Oonahiska was entirely unprotected. Some of the crews of the 

 schooners seized were desperate men. One of the vessels taken was the 

 Dolphin, placed in charge of Lieutenant Dunwoody, and threats wero 

 made by some of the crew of that vessel to burn the village. There 

 were no men there at the time; a majority of the natives were out at 

 work, some on the seal islands and some hunting, "there were only five 

 white men at Oonalaska. 



Q. You think it requires more vessels than one to protect seal life 

 there? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Have you read the report that the governor of Alaska made to 

 the Secretary of the Interior in 1887 ? — A. Y^es, sir. 



Q. Are you the Johnston mentioned in that report ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. A commissioner of the (lovernment there? — A, Yes, sir. 



Q. Do you desire to make a statement in answer to that? — A. The 

 governor was at Oonalaska this summer and made an investigation of 

 those charges, and he wrote a letter to the Department of Justice, in 

 which he exonerated me from the charges which had been brought by 

 Anderson. That letter is on file in the Department of Justice. 



Q. Have you a copy of that? — A. No; I have not, sir. 



Q. So it was not true that the Alaska Commercial Company exercised 

 any such influence over you and your administration as was stated by 

 Anderson f— A. ISTot at all. The agents of the company there never 

 attempted anything of the kind and never would. 



Q. Do you know of any instance of that company exercising any 

 such influence in the Territory over Government officers upon the 

 islands or elsewhere'? — A. I do not. I never heard of it, except through 

 this affidavit of Anderson. 



Cross-examination by Mr. Jeffries : 



Q. How long have you been a United States commissioner of Alas- 

 ka? — A. Since the 13th of September, 188G. 



Q. Are you the son of ex-Senator Johnston, of Virginia ? — A. Yes, 

 sir. 



Q. Where do you make your headquarters? — A. At Oonalaska. 



Q. How many other commissioners are there for Alaska"? — A. Three. 



Q. Where are they? — A. One is at Sitka, one at Juneau, and the 

 third at Fort Wraugel. 



Q. Have you traveled pretty extensively over Alaska?— A. I have 

 over the Aleutian Islands and southeastern Alaska, near Sitka. 



Q. Then you have some idea of the comparative condition of the 

 natives on the seal islands with the other parts of Alaska which you 

 have visited ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. What do you say as to their condition ?— A. It is much superior 

 to any other part of Alaska that 1 have been in. 



Q. What do you say as to the conditions of the natives of Oonalaska 

 since the Alaska Commercial Company commenced business there com- 

 pared with what it was formerly ? — A.' I think it has improved wonder- 

 fully. 



Q. What have they done for them? — A. They have given them houses 

 to live in free of rent, and have furnished them a doctor and medical 

 attendance free of charge. 



Q. You are familiar with the law governing the lease of the seal isl- 

 ands generally ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Are fhey required to do anything for the ])eople of Oonalaska un- 

 der their contract? — A. No, sir. 



