The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-11-22
E1sNfINIsTER IN ALASKA.

E1snIINIsTER IN ALASKA.
sEdwara PisErepont Describes scepes.
&; In the New d TSrritory-An Indfa1s
q Hu kpy Msners cal Hunters and
s FuESI -
Hon. Edward Pierrepont of New York.
ex-Minister.to England, chose very
novel means Of making a summer tour.
Instead of taking in" Switzerland, the
= Rhine of Egypt, accompanied by his son
Edward he visited Alaska. Mr.. Pierr-
pont returned fro n his Alaskan visit
four weeks ago, but has bean putting
the time in since then in quiet visit to
the Yellow stone. He arrived in Chica.
60 Saturday. He was sitting in his COM;
fortabIe room at the Palmer when the
reporter called. A, little and old. but
cheerful man, he entered into conversa
ton enthusiastically.
YES said he, II have put in my sum
mer rather oddly, but in selecting Alas.
ka inste ad of some of the more .wornoul
places, like the lanl Of the Sphinx o,
Mont BIanc."I was actuated by sever
al considerations. You are too youne
to remember it. but it was during Folks
administrat on that quarrel arose be-
tween America and England over Ger
tain Western possessions, in which Van
couver's Island is included. America
commended that she had a right to .ex
tend our parallel to 81 40 degrees. Eng
land contested this right. A bitter feel
ing was engendered, and for a long time
it looked as if America and England
- 60
time all the Democratic newspapers
were crying for 544O or fight. But Eng.
land held on to her CLAIM for the exten.
sion, and America finally backed down.
and Great Britain got the territory be-
tween 40 degrees, the limit Of our pos
sessions, and 81 40 degrees. One Of the
objects o. my visit to Alaska was to see
this territory on, which the fight was
made, and 1 was amply repaid, though
it was very humiliating to me to
he obliged to travel through
British territory to get to Alaska. But
Alaska was what desired most to see
SO on the 18th Of July my son and
sailed from Portland, Oregon, on the
steamer Eureka. This vessel was very
kindly placed at our disposal by Cover
nor Perkins of California. We had al
most the entire possession ofthe steamer,
Alaska is peculiarly formed. 1t is one
succession of isthmuses, so that the land
is almost cut into stri ps by the watery
| trespasser. We went from the south to
| the north and over a greater portion of
it, and never was so much surprised
at anything as was at what saw"
"What, among other things, did you
see?"
Mr.. Pierrepont consulted his diary for
a, moment. Then he read: July 81
saw an Indian hung by mob of
| miners. Expostuated with them. but
| they said they must protect themselves,
and, after holding an informal court,
| decided that there was evidence of the
| Indians guilt of murder. and offered no
further objection. The Indian was
once. That" Exclaimed the ex-
Minister, lis fair evidence of the
kind of country Alaska is. It is an
American possession, but there is no
law there, religious, civil or other wise,
and of all the God forsaken places
think it leads the van. My son and I
were the sole passengers on the Eureka,
and in penetrating short distance
above Juano we came upon camp of
thirty-fve miners, who were digging
gold with Indifferent success. We land.
ed and found few shanties, one of
which was store, kept by man named
Colcheur. We discovered that there
was something going on, and on inquir-
the day before murdered two white
men. You see the inhabitants of Alaska
are 10000 Indians and about 40D whites.
| The latter are fur traders and salmon
and seal fishers, and are principally
| Germans. At this particular point there
wa tribe of 5000 indians and only
! thirty five white Lien. One Indian had
been hung for the murder, and We were
taken and shown his body dangling
! from the limb of a tree. The other had
escaped, and the whites had made
| requisition upon the chief OF the Indian
| tribe for his surrender. It was o'clock
in the afternoon that W, were in Col
cheur's store, talking, when there WAS
great commotion, and a party Of 500
Indians were seen approaching
the camp. We all. miners and all sup
posed that they were hostiles coming to
avenge the execution of the murderer,
and the miners, hastily barricaded and
armed themselves, ready for the attack.
My son Edward thought it was great fan
| to fight the Indians; but rather looked
! at It differently and sought refuge IN COL
| C10uT 8 6eOre. Attei dli ~ tulHcu OuI
| that the Indians were not hostile, but
were coming to deliver the escaped muir.
derer, whom they had captured. A trial
was Immediately held, with myself as
examiner. was asked to interfere by
Colcheur, and on inquiry found that
the Indian was guilty of the murder
| charged. Then l offered no further o.
lection. and the white miners, with q
Massachusetts,man named Fuller, took
the cul prit to tree and executed him.
The country there is in a fearful con,'i-
! ton. The whites are afraid of an upris-
ing on the part of the Indians. There Is
no la and the United States should es-
I tablish a territorial government, We
returned to British Coumbi4 August 4,
| and since that time I have been travel
ing in the Yellowstone"
Mr.. Pierrepont describes Alaska as
having scenery unequaled by that of
Switzerland. He said the grazing lands
were as fine as those in the Southwest
and that. The waters were filed with sal
| mon and seal. He proposes making a
| re9ort to the government of his re-
| searches.