290 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



gatioD, and I found his statements not sustained by the facts. Lknew 

 them to be absolutely false. The evidence I obtained showed, so far 

 as he could make it a place of prostitution himself, he did it, both in 

 the Government house and the company's house and elsewhere. He 

 stole a mar(;h in the company's house when they were all absent, and 

 had women in there, which can be proven. He had John Hall, the cook, 

 to take his wife out boating. During her absence Gavitt had Polixenia, 

 a native woman prostitute, to come to him at the Government house, 

 as testified to before me by Daniel Webster. 



Q. He spoke of an investigation being made there ot these matters 

 by the officers of the revenue cutter Bear. Were you there at that 

 time ? — A. I was on St. Paul Island at the time the revenue-cutter 

 went there and made this investigation. She came over to St. Paul 

 Island and the captain reported to me through his lieutenant, that he 

 had made the investigation. 



Q. Is that the report made by the officers [handing same to witness]. 

 That report was transmitted to me at my request from the Secretary of 

 the Treasury. Is that the report referred to ? — A. I must say, Mr. 

 Chairman, that I never read the report of Captain Healy. 



Q. This is the investigation referred to? — A. I took the lieutenant's 

 statement of the investigation, and what they elicited, which was af- 

 terwards confirmed by the captain. I never saw his papers. The truth 

 is I did not like their making an investigation upon that island. I 

 thought it was an infringement on my prerogative. I did not think 

 they had the right to go ashore there and make an investigation un- 

 less I was first applied to. I never saw the report, but the captain 

 talked over the matter, telling me what it contained. 



T consider, under the law and instructions of the Treasury Depart- 

 ment, that I had exclusive jurisdiction over those islands, and that if a 

 revenue vessel is there policing the seas and be within hailing distance 

 of the Treasury agent, they should render him any assistance he may 

 require of them. I consider they are there for the express purpose of 

 capturing the marauding vessels and to aid him in the execution of the 

 laws. I do not understand that their duties would warrant them in 

 going ashore and making an investigation of this character without first 

 applying to the agent in charge and seeing whether he desires them to 

 do so. How they came to go there exactly I do not know, but they 

 made the investigation, and 1 presume this is the report. The Treasury 

 agent is the sole authority on the fur-seal islands. 



Mr. Jeffries. I will ask you to read that report and tell the com- 

 mittee whether the conclusions were the same you came to when you 

 investigated this state of facts. — A. Substantially the same, sir. 



The witness here read the report, as follows : 



U. S. Revenue-Marine Steamfr Bear, 



San Francisco, CaL, December 20, 1^88. 



Sir: In pursuance of yonr order of June 14, IB'-b, a court, composed of Lieutenants 

 Buhner, Dunwoody, Engineers Churchill, Cutchiu, and Surgeon Bratton, was con- 

 vened at the Govemment house, on St. George Island, to inquire into the nature of 

 the charges preferred by Mr. William Gavitt, special agent of the Treasury for that 

 islaud, against the AUska Commercial Company and its agents, and we respectfully 

 submit the following report: 



We regard the charges in the main frivolous and of a merely personal nature. 



As regards the charges of a really serious nature, the evidence in support was not 

 satisfactory, while no evidence in rebuttil was introduced. 



It appears to ns that Mr. Gavitt had nursed his personal troubles and pfetty griev- 

 ances, many of them no doubt imaginary, until he ha.d wrought himself into 8, state 



