INVESTIGATION" OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 365 



Townsend swears that he pro- 

 duced documents at The Hague 

 which refuted charges of piracy 

 In re the James Hamilton Lewis 

 claim. 



The Chairman. Did you know at the 

 time that they were the owners of these 

 vessels in which this pirate turned up? 



Dr. Townsend. No; I never knew 

 anything about that until those things 

 were brought out at The Hague. 



The Chairman. It was developed at 

 The Hague that the Liebes were the 

 owners of this vessel? 



Dr. Townsend. That is my recollec- 

 tion. 



The Chairman. And I suppose that is 

 in the public records? 



Dr. Townsend. Everything, sir, that 

 is connected with the matter must be 

 between the covers of that book and be 

 between the covers of some other public 

 document in which the matter was 

 brought up a year or so later on, perhaps 

 by Mr. Elliott. But it is all published. 



Mr. Elliott. When this was brought 

 out at The Hague, what did you advise 

 Mr. Pierce to do, as his "expert pelagic 

 sealing adviser''? 



Dr. Townsend. I do not know that Mr. 

 Pierce ever asked me for advice over 

 there. He instructed me to produce 

 certain documents that would help him 

 refute claims, etc. I was a statistician. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you produce any 

 documents that refuted Liebes's claim? 



Dr. Townsend. I have no recollection 

 in regard to it. Whatever was done is in 

 the book. 



Mr. McGillicuddy. Why did you 

 ignore the abundant sworn testimony on 

 file in the Department of State since 1893 

 that the James Hamilton Lewis was a seal- 

 ing "pirate," or raider, of seal rookeries 

 on the Commander Islands in 1890 and 

 1891? 



Dr. Townsend. I had no information 

 about the ownership of vessels that were 

 said to be raiding rookeries until the time 

 that I was sent to The Hague. 



Mr. McGillicuddy. Well, did you 

 know that there was sworn testimony on 

 file in the Department of State in 1893 

 that the James Hamilton Lewis was a seal- 

 ing "pirate," or raider, of seal rookeries 

 on the Commander Islands in 1890 and 

 1891? 



Dr. Townsend. No; I only knew from 

 hearing it discussed, or knowing about the 

 raids as I saw it discussed in the news- 

 papers. 



Mr. McGillicuddy. If your attention 

 was called to it in that way, did you make 



But the facts of sworn record 

 prove that the Lewis claim (her 

 owner and master's) was a fraudu- 

 lent one, and known widely as 

 such. 



Mr. Elliott. 



THE PROGRESSION OF CAPT. ALEXANDER 

 M'LEAN AS AN "AMERICAN CITIZEN." 



1890. In command of the J. Hamilton 

 Lewis; H. Liebes, owner; raMs Copper 

 Island and gets off, August 1, with two 

 men badly hurt. 



1891. In command of the J. Hamilton 

 Lewis; seized August 2, while raiding 

 Copper Island with the crew of the E. E. 

 Webster, owned by H. Liebes and com- 

 manded by his brother; vessel confiscated 

 and he is imprisoned at Vladivostock a 

 few weeks. 



1892. In command of the Rosa Sparks, 

 sealing schooner, of San Francisco; no 

 raids this year. 



1893. In command of the steam sealer 

 Alexander, flying the Hawaiian flag; he is 

 caught by the U. S. S. Mohican raiding 

 Northeast Point, St. Paul Island, in July, 

 but escapes in the fog because the war 

 vessel's engines were disabled. 



1894 to 1902. In command of various 

 pelagic vessels, but under restraint from 

 the lessees, since the claim of the J. Ham- 

 ilton Lewis is being prepared and pressed, 

 up to its successful end November 29, 

 1902, at The Hague. 



1896. He appears as a "true American " 

 before the claims award commission, 

 which sits at Victoria, in settlement of 

 damage suits against the United States 

 Government for seized sealers and vessels 

 in 1866-1889; he testifies, "at the peril of 

 his life," for the American commissioners 

 as to the value of the British boats seized. 

 (See Rept. 2128, Senate bill 3410, 58th 

 Cong., 2d sess.) He is in truth working 

 for the highest figures obtainable from the 

 United States Treasury, instead of the 

 lowest. 



1903. He can not be placed with cer- 

 tainty this year. 



1904. He raids Copper Island August 2, 

 in the "Mexican" schooner Cervencita; 

 one of his men seriously shot. 



1905. He attempts a raid on St. Paul 

 Island, Northeast Point, but is driven off; 

 he is sailing in the Acapulco, and defies 

 arrest by the United States agents, for he 

 is a British subject; at Victoria, British 

 Columbia, in October, 1905. 



1906. He raids St. Paul Island July 

 16-17, with a Japanese outfit; five Japs 

 killed, and 12 prisoners taken; there is a 

 fleet engaged in this raid, which attacked 



