The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-04-16
MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL. SATURDAY, APRIL 16,

started down the river with the Arch
bishop, who died the same day, an
finally deposited the body at St. Mich
ael's, in Behring Sea, where it was take1
in charge and where it was deposited il
the old Russian Church at that place, b,
the Russian priest stationed at ST. Mich
aels.
In the early summer Of 1883, burla
case was sent from Victoria to st. Mich
ael's for the purpose of bringing home
the body, either by revenue cutter o.
by one of the steamers OF the Alaska
Commercial Company, trading on that
coast. The United States Steamer The
tis, then commanded by Lieutenant
Commander W. H. Emory, of the United
States Navy, when coming out OF the
Arctic Ocean, to return to San Francisco,
by the way of Sitka, touched at st
Michaels, disinte1red the remains, placed
them in the burial case and brought
them away. While the Thetis remained
at Sitka, during the month of October,
1883, awaiting final orders, I had an op"
portunity of viewing the face OF the dead
Archbishop, as hie body lay in the burial
case on the quarterback Of the vessel;
it did not seem to have suffered much
change, though almost a year had
elapsed since his death. His remains
we're landed at Victoria about the mid
die Of November, 1883, and permanently
inferred at that place. Wet
Fuller found his way to Oonalaska,
where he was arrested and brought to
Sitka for trial, along with the Indian,
who had been Of the party and was de-
tanned as a witness Fuller was defended
by Hon A. K. Delaney, the United States
collector of customs at Sitka, and inter
posed the defense Of insanity. Fuller
testified on his own behalf and stated
that he was in constant apprehension
that the Archbishop intended killing
him upon the first opportunity, and to
prevent his own death in that way he
bad taken the Archbishcp's ite A diary
subsequently found, kept by him up to
the time of the tragedy, showed numer-
Gus entries where apprehensions of death
from the hands of the Archbishop were
expressed. Upon being asked if the
had been unkind to him in
any way during any part of the journey
from the time of starting, he replied he
had not.
The jury were instructed that they
must find him either guilty of murder in
the first degree or acquit him on account
OF his insane delusion; but, strange to
say, they brought in a verdict OF man.
slaughter. His council made NO motion
to set aside this verdict, aud he was sem
fenced to an imprisonment at hard labor
for period Of ten years at the Washing
ton Penitentiary, at McNeal's Island, in
Puget Sound, where he still is.
A report was published year ago
that he had made his escape from the
island, with heavy shackles upon him,
but after inquiry I find that there in no
truth in the publication. ~. -.
Archbishop Seghers was born in Bel"
gium, and at the time of his death was
thirty-nine years of age. He came TO
Victoria, B. c.. in 1863, and in 1879 was
created Archbishop of Oregon. In 1883
he resigned and returned to Victoria to
devote the remainder OF his life to the
Christian welfare of the Indians of Brit.
lsh Columbia and the natives of the
North Pacific coast.
The foregoing statement Of the de-
plorable affair is from official documents,
evidence in court and from eyewitness
es, and is as near the truth as it can ever
be ascertained. Yours very sincerely
and respectfully,
JOHN Fl. KEArLEY.