272 F UK-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



Q. Well, anybody has a right to go aud trade that wants to ? — A. I 

 think so. 



Q. Do you think the company exercises an influence on that Terri- 

 tory that prevents the occupation and settlement by emigrants ? — A. I 

 do not think they interfere with that in the least. 



Q. You do not think their influence has interfered with anything of 

 that sort ? — A. No, sir. 



Q. Has their influence on the natives been deleterious or beneficial ? — 

 A. Beneficial. 



Q. You are satisfied the influence has been beneficial to the natives 

 generally ? — A. Their condition has improved considerably. 



Cross-examination by Mr. Jeffries : 



Q. You reside at La Fayette, Ind. ! — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Y'ou are a former mayor of the city ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Ffow many times ? — A. Three times. 



Q. What official position do you hold now in that city, if any ? — A. 

 I am a presiding officer of the school board. 



Q. I understood you to say you had not seen any of these communi- 

 cations going the round abont the Alaska Commercial Company f — A. 

 No, sir; only the other day I received a copy of the San Francisco Ex- 

 aminer, which my son sent me. 



Q. At the time of this interview that Mr. Gavitt cooked up, in the 

 way you know, you had not read any of these publications at that 

 time? — A. No, sir. 



Q. You had never seen an article previously published in the Sun? — 

 A. No, sir; never heard of it. 



Q. They make you say in this interview you approve of everything in 

 that paper, when you had not seen it? — A. I never saw it. 



Q. You are matle to say in this paper — 



No money could ever hire me to spemi another year iu that place and have to wit- 

 ness the treatment inliicted upon the innocent natives without being able to prevent 

 ft. I was there one season and had enough of it. 



Did you say that ? — A. No, sir. 



Asked as to the truth of the situation as told in the Sun, he said "So far as my 

 personal knowledge could extend, the story is true." 



Q. Did you say that? — A. No, sir. 



And is not in the least exaggerated. It could not be. Of course there were de- 

 tails of which I knew nothing about, because I have been on one or two islands and 

 that was five years ago, but so far as it told of the general treatment of the natives, 

 the abuse of the women, and the abominable oppressions practiced on the natives by 

 the employes of the Alaska Commercial Company, it agreed perfectly with my knowl- 

 edge of what was the situation when I was there. 



Q. Did you ever say that ?— A. Never. 



Q. That is all a lie 1 — A„ Yes, sir. 



Q. That is the English way of expressing it. There is a good deal of 

 stuff here I do not care anything about, but I just want to call your 

 attention to two or three paragraphs. Now, il goes on to say : 



The worst thing about it is that the natives are absolutely helpless even to make 

 an appeal for the righting of their wrongs. When I came away the chief of the peo- 

 ple wanted to come with me to San Francisco to make a petition to the people iu 

 the " land where the sun shines " to relieve his people of some of their afflictions. He 

 begged me to take him with me, but all I could do was to ask my superior, Judge 

 Glidden, for permission for the chief to leave the island. Glidden said, "Oh, no ; I 

 can not let him go down there; he can not have the permission," and. that was all 

 there was about it. The man had to stay, 



