The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-17

Father Barnum Tells Of a Strange Peo-
pie The Boundary Dispute.

Father Barnum Tells of a Strange Peo-
ple-The boundary Dispute
Rev. Father Francis Barnum. s J. spoke
Thursday evening AT Cordray's theater
on Alaska and Eskimo life. The theater
was well filed and the lecture was one
of the most instructive and pleasing ever
heard in this city. Father Barnum show
ed himself TO be a humorist in the true
sense of the word. He talks in an ordi-
nary tone OF voice, confines his gestures
10 his right hand. but emphasizes the
points OF his discourse by expressions OF
his very mobile face. He is not a half
way man about the Alaskan boundary
question, for he declares that for more
than 100 years the old Russian boundary
has stood unquestioned and now that Eng
land comes TO the front with so ride
uious a claim il is the duty OF every man.
and the press in the Pacific Northwest es-
pecially. 10 do his share toward seeing
that the United States retains its own ter
ritory
The peroration dealt with the natural
advantages of Seattle. the route TO Alaska
and the Russian settlement of that vast
country which includes 5000 600 square
miles. He spoke of the barharities OF the
Russian governor. Baranoff. who, in order
TO test some gunpowder, had twelve
Aleuts tied breast TO back. placed in line
Ihen he took his gun and fired at the
first man. the result being that the bull
let was found 10 have lodged i'm the ninth
man.
He then touched on the gold dggings.
telling how Twenty, Forty and Sixty mile
creeks were named from relative dis
tsnces from Fort Reliance. His descrip-
ton OF the difficulties of mining with the
thermometer so degrees below zero were
enough 10 make nine out of ten people
think Seattle pretty good place. Father
Barnum told of the large quantities of
whisky that came to Forty mile creek and
remarked that the two saloons there were
the richest paying gold bars" in the
country.
When he commenced telling of his five
years among the Eskimo he forgot that
he had any notes and just went on. tell
ing incident after incident Illustrative of
the life OF this strange people. Father
Barnum said that in five years he never
saw an Eskimo mother box her chfldreus
ears nor saw quarrel among the men.
They respect age, glory in a successful
hunter and admire fine athlete He add
ed that polygamy was very scarce and
public decorum good. The Eskms is very
superstitious and fond OF ghost stories, q
reiator often taking two hours 20 tell one.
They fear death and if the priests are
away, will make a little house of snow
blocks and put a dying man inside. leav-
ing him to die
In their food they are filthy, eating witt
great gusto such dishes as fish heads tina
have been kept in a mass under the sun
for ten days. Comparatively speaking
such dish was choice to others In tina.
country, said the father. they have ne
money, instead using fox skin as the
measure OF value A fox skin is equal tc
81, four mink skins equal fox skin, q
good dog is worth bag of flour or three
fox skins. Sixteen salmon are exchanged
for one fox. They are great traders an
dicker among themselves a great deal.
When the Catholic mission was first
started. the Eskimo believed in their
magician as the best doctor for disease
but have finally come to the conclusion
the priests are the best doctors. The reg
ular medicines are castor oil and cathar-
tic pills. The Eskimo will drink all tn
oil they can get. and win chew down sin
cathaTtlc pills al a time and come around
for more in a short time. In closing
Father Barnum dwelt on the Importance
of the boundary question and the ridicu-
lousness of England's claim