The New York herald., 1876-03-18
THE ALASKA FUR SEAL COMPANY.


the editorial sanction which you to give it, and,
firmly believing that il cannot be the desire OF great
journal like the HERALD TO do the least injustice know
ingly to any one, be he high be he low venture to
call your attention to the authorship OF this pamphlet
which Mr. Win bases his whole attack upon, for this
matter which is presented in 1t and the report of Gen
eral o. o. Howard have been already thoroughly
looked into by Mr.. Brstow BY this statement of
mine following you will at observe that the
thority quoted at such length by Mr.. Win is both
. lcious and false
The award of the lease by Mr. Boutwell, in 1870 could
not fail to make much bitter feeling among those who
were disappointed bidders, and reckless false state
ments were made in many instances Shortly after
this small paper started in San Francisco called
the Alaska Herald, and edited by Agapus Honch-
arenko, an exiled priest Of Russia Its tiny columns
were filled with the most extravagant fsehoods In
gard to the character OF the Alaska Commercial Com
pany and the agents Of the government who in
any way connected with the administration of affairs in
Alaska The whole object of this was to black
mail the company and of this there is abundant proof
He abandoned the case, however in 1s72 believe
This is Of the three authors of that pamphlet
quoted by Mr.. Win according to their own confession
See Ex. Doc. No So Fory-iourth Congress- first ses-
sion, page 1897 This man Honcharenko never was on
the Seal Islands, and he not here when the lease
was awarded.
The second man. who is the principal in writing the
aforesaid pamphlet, is Bernard Bendel; at least he
says that he Is. This came down from Alaska in
tho OF 1872 where he had been stationed by his
employers Taylor Bendel, OF San Francisco, at two
three trading posts trader He before the
Agassz Institute Of Sacramento, CAL in July 1873 and
gave to that body set lecture Alaska and here is
what he said then OF his free Will and based upon
his experience give it tverbatim:-
tfe
The Agassz Institute OF Sacramento has been made the
great deal OF niormaon in regard to AssSa The n
tute publishes in pamphlet form all Of the important
To the Secretary Rev j. H. C. Bonte, indebted
the newspapers some weeks since and we're quoted
by US From the full report now before CLEAN
Amer noting the deeadenee Of ska under
pancy attbung il mainly the winding up OF the affairs
Of the old Russian American Company and the more
economical modes OF carrying on business adopted by the
American residents the Doctor next speaks OF the
Ihe American companies independent and Indifferent
ealansy toward their ry as which bcrdereg on anu
s6s all were successful and especially those who directed
their attention toward the two islands St Paul and ST.
Territory Of difficulties and Of
the great competition proved less profitable 70 these YET
things were made easy They are two small islands in
aud inhabited each by several hundred Aleuts About
@ AZ aSr q and sre Is ARE the s"D.. most s
fierce contention Here every year the famous fur seals
is drive number OF them, like many sheep several
Me cS @ eTey w. vessel Which and Visited bs s lns
took large numbers which brought them price "a
$4,000. aud n s stated that 4olo seals
% W b rate t5 Which See es snI s Tas Lee 10
by these parties the danger at hand that these animals
this the government itself took early 1869
those employed BY the Of the Russian Ameri.
can Commercial Company while Congress to decide
another aed ho had not the ae % or
drew and in 1859 have only four principal companies in
Bende and the Ice arst two Of which con.
the islands should be leased the highest bidder bids
open only to those who formerly had stations them
for the victory the former OF whom who had been Joined
Company successful and in 1870 took possession Of
the islands for twenty years
sHs al other % % s Ss Ms IN r. when
small islands the Behring Sea which have been leased
81 George islands inhabited by about 800
feor that of the lower classes of the country who
under the management Of the present company enjoy
snnam as wages furnishes them With everything needed az
buildings for them and has physician ior their
s, aenesed of crpeax t"ard nas Oesn s
interested party can assure the public thar Is false and
under Russian rule
The third man. W. H. Ennis, who has been very out
spoken in this connection was discharged summary
I from the employ OF the Alaska Commercial Company
in 1872, after trial by them OF only a few months
More, in March, 1915, copy OF the pamphlet shove
mentioned and the sole authority for Mr. Wins let
ter put into my hands in this city 1t purported
to be published by the Ant-Monopoly Association Of
the Pacific COast' in January, 1875 aud was signed
'by order Of the Anti Monopoly Association, 'chares
Leege, Secretary" read the thing carefully
over aud at once recognized a complete rehash OF
the stale falsehoods they appeared in the Alaska
and in addition TO this, great deal OF new matter,
equally false, and much Of II rejecting directly
upon myself wrote at once TO my
friends In San Francisco TO hunt up the
authors, and carried the document up to thu
Treasury Department and called the attention OF the
Secretary H. stating that beyond the power of
anv living man to forward and swear to the truth
Of its contents. The Secretary however soon sent an
agent over 10 San Francisco 10 look the whole matter
up as could be done there and his report sets
forth the authorship and its character mildly pages
19s and 100 OF Ex Doc; No 49, recently presented
by the Secretary of the Treasury to Congress. THIS
settled the matter as far as the Treasury Department
was concerned.
General Howard who was weak and foolish enough
to append this vile pamphlet TO his report on tour in
Alaska presented TO the War Department last fall does
not vouch for the truth. of IL indeed, he knew and
knows nothing about IT, for he never was nearer than
/ 400 miles 10 the seal islands of Alaskal
Therefore, Mr.. Bernard Bendel 'who professed him.
self the author OF a recent published pamphlet against
the Alaska seal monopoly fsee page l99 Ex Doc s.
FortyfOurth Congress, first SESSION. has either lied
sbameulv before the Aeassz institute of fsacramento
in July, 1873 he told the truth then and lies shame
fully in this pamphlet, of which he claims the author
ship January /, 1875 Comment on the matter is un-
necessay Either horn Of the dilemma Is an ugly one
for Mr.. BendeL
Let Mr. Win and his authorities come on here at once
and before the Committee Of Ways and Means face Mr.
Boutwell, and mysef--for am charged in this pre-
cous pamphlet with fraud great length IL will have
the result Of throwing all the light that they desire.
do not blame Mr.. Win so much, for thorc are many
honest who much more eady and willing to
believe evil Of their fellow mon than good, but II ho
persists In this matter In the way he has begun he will
sooner later regret IL He Is evidently very much
imposed upon HENRY W. ELLIOTT
SMITHSONIAN ISsTIrUTIoS, WASHINGTON, March 10, 1870
This keeps small grocery and gin mill in San Fran
cisco be never was near the seal Islands
A SAFE BLOWN OPEN.