Rock Island daily Argus., 1888-11-13
See Here, Uncle Sam.
Is This True of the Territory of
Alaskan.
A SHOCKING STORY OF wICKEDNEss

Told by a New York Lady. Who Says She
Knows of What She Speaks-Atrocious
Treatment of Indian Women by the
Whites, Including Soldiers of the United
States Arny-An Unspeakable Condition
of Affairs.
NEW YORK, Nov. l3-Mrs Voorhis, a
well-known lady of this city, has recently re-
turned from Alaska and to World reporter
tells terrible story of wrong and depravity
existing in that territory among the whites
and Indians there. She says that travellers
hint vaguely at this evil and official reports
allude briefly and apologeticaliy to it,but the
great world ia ignorant of its existence. Ii
people realized that in the wilds of its Alas
kan territory this civilized, refined, ad-
vanced nineteenth century United States
holds perfect inferno of crime and torture,
where helpless women and mere children
are being sacrificed and gradually exter-
minated, Irely some remedy might be
found
In all that country there is no law-there
can be no restraint-and the lowest passions
of the rough miners, trapperS hunters, sol
ders, and sailors rage unchecked The In
dian woman is considered the lawful spoil Of
these men. They steal them if they can; if
not, they buy them from their parents for
knife, jug of rum, or string of beads. If
these considerations do not weigh, they make
the old people drunk and carry off the girl.
A miner will come and dicker for child of
IA and bear her off shrieking with terror
She becomes the slave of the white camp,
and is finally sent back to her people to die.
IL
Tacoma she called on Mrs McFarlane, the
lady in charge of the missionary school She
spenG Saturday and Sunday with her, and
she learned some very startling facts re-
| garding the life of the people in that neigh
| borhood Mrs. McFarlans is Virginian.
| She went out as missionary years ago, and
has been working ever since. She has started
three schools for Indian children, and is re-
| garded with the greatest esteem by all
classes, Mrs v could not repeat the details
| of the dreadful story Mrs. McFarlane told
her of the barbarous condition of life in that
neighborhooi 1t was really unspeakabe.
| Mrs Voorhis said:
| Some of the criminal practices prevailing came
within my own observation. We were at Juneau
| on the Fourth of July. and celebration was ar
ranged 1t was intended as a patriotic demon
| stratian on the part of the whites, and there was
| an Indian dance Now, it is unlawful to sell
| lidnor to an Indian there, but. as have already
said law does not prevail So the first move was
| to ply the Indians with rum until they were
stupidly drunk. Then the white men carried
them outside like logs, flung them on the ground
in their sodden sleep, and returned 10 the women,
when there ensured a scene that is beyond de
scription. No beastly orge ever conceived could
surpass it. You could not print the story. The
Alaskan horrors are more dreadful than the pine
woods atrocities They are worse than anything
known TO modern times"
DO none of the Indians exhibit desire to pro
| tect their women
seldom: and if they did, what would IT avail
Soldiers are kept there at the expense of the gov
ernnIent TO prevent their rising. What do they
/ dos They work in the mines and hunt and fish
that is when they do not drink themselves Il
death. There was a case not long ago Of wholt
tribe perishng in one winter from rum The!
had sold all the furs and skins which they had il
their possession for liquor. and when those wit
had survived the immediate effects OF their pota
tions had 10 meet the bitter weather without
clothing they froza 10 death. 1t Is a common Law
among the indians that they must not dispose q
a daughter without the consent of the mothe
sduaw and as the mother usually has an instinct a
least which prompts her 10 protec
her offspring from the white man, tn
only way to deal With her is by drink. The sauaw
are given to liquor as the males Mrs. McFai
lane told of one woman who brought her last n
manning girl to the school and PRAYED that sh
e might be taken in, She told a heart rending tai
of how her other daughters had been torn froI
her by brutal whites and carried TO ruin an
death. and she said she was powerless to prote,
this last lit le one, who was even then threatene
with a like fate So she besought them tn receiy
= the child I'll give you the very words Of this Il
+ dian muther. Tney were: y want to keep tn
e child with mel dare not White man will tai
z her away l had several pretty squaws Whe
v they about ID they all stolen by white man. L
only sent them home 10 die"