The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-01-18
A Game Of Chess Saved a Man
From Vengeance.
AND IT TAUGHT HIM A LESSON
A Tribe of Indiuns in Alaska Who Still
Indulge in the torture of AL
l ged Witches.

The steamer Danube, arrived at Vic
toria from Alaska, reports great ex-
citement at Sitka over the murder of
young siwash of the Kilisnoo tribe and
the arrest of two sailors of the revenue
cutter Walcott, with two miners and
10 Indians in connection The report
further states that the Kilisnoos are
aggravated at the failure of the author
tiles to Immediately execute the arrest
ed men, or at least one of them, and are
gathering in angry parties threatening
to take the avenging of their tribes
mans death in their own hands.
This is the third time in the history
of Alaska since the United States gain
ed the territory, that the Kilisnoo tribe
has made trouble" said j. p. Ingram
to Portland Telegram reporter.
Their first attempt to enforce In
dian law and doctrine against the
whites carries with it something of the
ludicrous although certainly tragic
enough.
'Kilisnoo island on which the North
west Trading Company have their her
ring oil and fertilizer plant is a small
upheaval of rock scarcely two miles in
length, separated from Admiralty island
by a narrow but deep channel This
-
in their annual run, take in preference
to the wider waters of Chatham straits.
Any one who has not witnessed an
Alaska run of herring can form no con-
ception of the immensely of the number
of fish. AS an actual fact the herring
Will so fill portions of the KilisnOO chan
mel as to force them above the surface,
1t being no uncommon sight from the
trading cOmpany's wharf to see a twist
ing, squirming layer of herring without
water to swim In, and trying to work
their way downward through the mass
of fish beneath
Herring are the principal food of the
finback, sulphur bottom and humpback
whales, which now run the inland pass
age, and to this fact indirectly may be
attributed the first of the Kilisnoo
trouble. These whales are poor in blub-
Der, and their bone is so short as to
have no commercial value, but so plen-
tiful were they and near at hand-at
times as many as five would be feeding
within pistol shot of the wharf, that the
company decided to extend their bust
ness and go into whaling. Two splendid
boats, fitted with the latest apparatus
in the shape of harpoon and bomb
guns. were sent on from New Bedford.
and under the guidance of Captain
Cove, an old whaler, crew of Kilsnoo
Indians were instructed in whaling.
I'm a week four whales had been
killed, and then Captain Cove fell sick.
necessitating his coming to Portland.
For month nothing was done in the
whaling line, through lack of a captain.
Then there arrived on the steamer a
tall, rawboned individual, with Mis-
souri, accent, and flowing red hair and
whiskers. In some way he happened
to learn of the whaling vessel, and i'm
mediately applied for a position, an
nouncing himself as a Nantucket man.
On the strength of his assertions he
was engaged and the next day put after
a finback that was sporting in the chan
mel, so satiated with herring it could
eat no more, but in sheer wantonness
sounding and coming to the surface.
allowing the fish to drip in silvery
streams from its Jaws.
THE employees had assembled on the
beach to watch the new whaler do his
first killing, and ii took but a moment
to show that the killing was likely to be
on the other side. and il so transpired
The man did not know even the first
elements Of handling a whaleboat. The
siwash crew stopped rowing as the fell
lows awkwardness became more APP
parent. but with oaths and the brand
ishing OF a lance. he started them again.
when within happening shot of the
whale it was found the gun was not
loaded and 'Yank,' it appeared did not
know how to perform the operation.
Finally the siwash. pulling bow oar.
volunteered his services. All this time
the whale had been rolling leisurely,
broaching every few minutes, so that
the harpoon could be sent into his belly.
Instead of waiting for one of these
chances the new man, the minute the
siwash had set the line through the lead
chock, pulled the lanyard, sending the
harpoon spinning into the whales back.
about 10 feet forward of the fin and
where. so far as death was concerned
the wound amounted to no more than a
crab bite. With a thrashing fuke the
whale sounded narrowly missing the
boat, and taking the line out with a
speed that threatened to empty the first
tub. The siwash crew was stunned with
fear at their captains action, the bow
oarsman crOuching under the thwart to
escape the spinning line. At last the
strain eased, and the whale started for
the surface. The siwashes looked for
orders to haul in the slack of the line.
but none came. Instead 'Yank,' aban-
doning the steering ore, came tumbling
forward and snatching the bomb-gun
from the hands of the Indian who had
put an end to the four whales already
killed, prepared to fire when the whale
appeared.
Having the length of tubful of lire
to play on, the whale came up out of
range, but with a surge that sent the
boat spinning on her gunwale and