750 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Elliott (interposing). In an unofficial capacity entirely. 



Mr. McGuire. In 1884, you say? 



Mr. Elliott. In 1876 I went up. 



Mr. McGuire. At what time did you land on the islands ? 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, I think it must have been about the middle or 

 end of September. I am not certain. And I stayed there about 3 

 weeks, and then came right down, after making certain examinations. 



Mr. McGuire. You say you went unofficially? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. I went up as an arbitrator in a dispute 

 between the directors of the lessees, the board of directors. Three 

 of them wanted to curtail the killing, and four of them wanted to 

 continue it. And they agreed to leave it to me. 



Mr. McGuire. You were there at that time about how long? 



Mr. Elliott. Not to exceed three weeks, I do not think. Of course 

 I made no report 



Mr. McGuire (interposing). Now, let us see. Just whom did you 

 represent when you went there in 1876? 



Mr. Elliott. I represented nobody but myself. I went up there 

 as my own master, at the invitation of these warring factions in the 

 board of trustees. 



Mr. McGuire. Now, who were the warring factions ? 



Mr. Elliott. The board of trustees. 



Mr. McGuire. Tell us who constituted the board of trustees? 



Mr. Elliott. There were three on one side and four on the other. 

 There were seven members, and four wanted to continue the killing, 

 to take 100,000, and three were not in favor of it; then it was in 

 dispute. 



Mr. McGuire. By what authority was this board of trustees 

 constituted ? 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, by their act of incorporation. 



Mr. McGuire. Who constituted the board of trustees? 



Mr. Elliott. Well, the men that I personally knew and was in con- 

 tact with were II. M Hutchinson, John F. Miller, Gustav Niebaum, 

 Louis Sloss, William Kohl, and William Gerstle. Those are the men 

 I came in contact with. 



Mr. McGuire. They were trustees of what? 



Mr. Elliott. I call them " trustees," but they were directors. 

 They were stockholders and directors of the Alaska Commercial Co. 

 The whole story of the organization is in my report of November 19, 

 1874, made to the Secretary of the Treasury. 



Mr. McGuire. I want to find out now who these men were and 

 what they were in fact. Were thev the representatives of a corpora- 

 tion? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir; the Alaska Comercial Co., the lessees of the 

 islands. 



Mr. McGuire. They were in fact the lessees? 

 Certainly. That is what I mean. 

 . You went at their request ? 

 Yes, sir. 



. And were in their employ \ 



No, sir. I was not hired by them to do anything. 

 . Did you receive any remuneration ? 

 Yes. That is in the testimony. I have given it in 



Mr. 



Elliott. 



Mr. 



McGuire 



Mr. 



Elliott. 



Mr. 



McGuire 



Mr. 



Elliott. 



Mr. 



McGuire 



Mr. 



Elliott. 



detail here. 



