Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-12-15
An IMPORTANT CASE
FarGelfnre Of fhe sfeam-.
ship Idaho's Rsnda.

fcs.ii--'' JI's'- ''.s..'-.s-I

Ic@fizusl fresa sssteriss.l
xmrrnoSx OF xAE nEsRzcEaR.
Ihava been abaard the Idaho sfnos
NAY, 1854 &c = Insp-ot1r AHoak. every
THO for ne last twenry moukhs sxeeps
thrne. Jane, Suly and August. when
staprad az I0nRas. was aboard on
lass Dsoember voyage. joined her 81
PORT I0wnssuo. gong north. and was
with her IN VictaKia. and vas ia eaAfRe
for the Custom House Til Sitka. ] Re.
signed at Sitka, December 18th, and
came down with Coilestor French b
gunean. Themes soathgard, Collscf0s
French had charRa. / vas on the dock
at Jnpeaa When the freight vas iaBded
On The upgard trip. Il Vas the
duty Of myself and the inspector az
Junean 20 supervise the landinR Of
frelaht there. vas IN the warehouse
before the ship discharged the freight.
1 saW salmon barrels, liks oil barrels,
there They were rolled 90 the outside
20 make room for freight coming cut Of
the ship. They looked like barrels
saw in she Custom House Iafterwardsi
AZ Port Townsend, when with the mas
ter and counsel did not see th-se
barrels before | Got 30 juneau. The
first saw OF them was on the dock be-
fore the landing Of the IdAho's freiqhs.
saw them afterwards taken aboard at
juneau on the down trip. There we're
several small boats and sloOps trading
in that country ia December last. They
would come to EoaRas and then 20
away toward Sitka and Wraneel. They
said they weFs Oh trading trips.
TEsTuzozx OF THE SEAMAN HANSEN.
TIE Idaho, Oh her northward trio,
stopped a. Kaasan but fifteen or twenty
minutes. and dad NOS 20 10 the wharf,
and only sent ashore t9O or Tires small
packages in a small boat. when she
reached Sitka, she discharged all Der
freight, as far a. witness remembers,
bat took aboard again some intended
for the Pinta and put ashore By mis-
take. Returning, she stopped ct Juneau,
where there were lots Of barrels" came
aboard, but witness could not tell how
many. Also at several ether places, she
stopped and received barrels. She
stopped at Kaaaan Bay, and went 30 the
wharf at midnight, the master being In
charge Of tue ship. and put ed eight or
took on four or i've hundred. There Is
q hsh eannery there, ct which there vas
q foreman two coopera and q few In
dams. A Customs Inspector vas aboard
during both trips, and the Collector Of
Alaska District on the downward trip.
Witness Was ct kRasan when the four
teen barrels Of opium we're seized there,
and Is almost sure they are the same
barrels" that were landed there BY the
Idaho, but cannot tell where they came
aboard Witness has made nine voyages
to Sltka and back, on the Idaho.
TRsTuaoNx or SEAMAN MITCHELL.
was seaman ON the Tdahe during
October, November aud December, 1885
AtJunean, going north, she stopped and
put Of about $50 tons of freiQht--qen-
eral cargo. Much merchandise goes 20
juneau at that time Of year. / heIped
clear the warehouse to put freieht IN.
We wheeled out Of tue warehouse
eighty or ninety barrels, and left some
on the outside until the steamer re-
turned. There were some bales of fuRs
IN the warehouse. The steamer touched
at Kaasan Bay, going north, aud put OF
some freight, bat could not find s'the
remainder Of the freight" and Sc ths
captain said be would call there coming
dOwn and thai the salmon should be
ready for coming down. We took
aboard barrels 81 juneau eaminR
south-baFrels Of average weight-the
same, think, as were relied out Of the
warehouse when going nsrth. They
were covered with snow. which had TO
be swept on before loading. Returning.
We went into KRasan Bay, took on sal
mon and then put the freight ont-ssthe
remainder Of the freight some boxes,
some dour and some barrels, might be
sixteen or eighteen. The barrels that
vent on were the same that we're taken
aboard at juneau. One Of the barrels
came near slipping from the sling-"a
fat fellow, with q big biiRe 20 Is, "a
thick barrel" "a short one" ''you
could hardly get bold Of the chimes of
Il with your fngsrs,n "a big far fellow. y
was tending the sling. AZ juneau, it
slipped out Of the sling. Everything
was taken ont at Sitka has q lIttls coal
and soms freiRht-fod lrun for Douglas
Island, ana iron and possibly some ban
dles for Killisnoo and some barrels.
From this Summary OF evidence, it is
az once clear that the inspector SAYS
nothing Of Mr.. LanRtry nor Of any ship
mept from juneau, and that the sailors
who, ~ tue way, were Witnesses call
cd By the iibellant and not By the de-
feDoe-speak only Of twelve or fourteen
barrels having been shipped from 10
nean to ksasan, and say nothing Of she
shipper nor Of any bales or akins Sc
oompanying. And since, n this ease.
We have to rely solely upon the Veracity
Of the freight clerk for the correctness
Of tue entries in the freight book, every
thing that can be claimed 70 identity
LanRtFy as the shipper, OF to pat q fair
face upon the shipment, Is bound up IN
The testimony Of the master and this
clerk.
Inc questions arising upon the testi-
mony Of these tive persons, as decisive
Of isa yalae on this matter, seem 20 me
30 be these:
First-How stands the intrinsic prob
ability OF improbability Of their nara
tive Of this shipment, a. 70 invtting OF
repellinR belief. irrespective Of she
number, character as individuals and
relationship to this case, Of th0se on
whose word Il dependsS
SeoOnd-Is the inherent probability
or impFohability enhanced ~ the pres
snce or absence Of other svidsBes9
Thira-in weighing this testimony
what consideration should be given 20
the personal character and station Of
the witnesses and their relationship 70
this suit9
Iwin address myself to thesa ones
ti0ns In their order. Ana a. TO the
1rEt, am compelled 10 give IL IS my
opinion, that the story Of the shipment
Of skins frem juneau 10 knasan Bay,
judged only By ils snbjsct matter, bears
she appearance Of very great improba-
bility. That man sh0ald ship, OF prc-
poss 30 ship. two or three tons Of skins,
OF even fraction Of that quantity from
JuneAu 10 kidneys eanneFy, place 80
far od the route Of ordinary tFafle,
that the steamships tariH Of rates
Wosld not allow her 10 call there for
le8 than 500, b improbabls. Why
should skins be sent there What
should q eannery do With skins Il
the eanneFy . tanneFyl The story ases
not answer these questions, exospt BY
Suggesting thai q small trading schooner
from the sound was " expected" T. call
thsrs for these and other Rsods. Bat
- mm,namu a -. - A. L..