Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-04-17
SCENES ABOUT JUNEAU
PENNILEss MEN BEGGING FOR TO-
RACCO.
Plots of Burglary and Murder by
Men Who Would Not Break
the Laws at Home.

4
the present moment that place is Jul
neau. Alaska" said Frank Wheelock
/ to the Portland Telegram. Il went up
there two months ago from Eaiem, ex-
pecting to go into general merchandise
| ing, my stock of goods having been Sc
lected and ready to ship by the next
steamer following my departure, but
| they never came, for 1 simply delayed
my agents here after taking in the sit
uation at Juneau, with contermands
| and orders to keep back the stock.
you can form no idea of the wretch
| edness and desperation of those men
| who, landing in Alaska without PEN
| ny, are now roaming the beach and
| hanging about the saloons of Juneau
| and Douglass City. The first man to
| accost me on walking down the gang
| plank of the steamer on to the wharf at
| Juneau was fellow asking for pipe
| full of tobacco. My pouch, holding
| quarter of pound, was full of the
| weed and 1 gave the man good-sized
| pinch. This necessitated my stopping
| for a moment, and in that moment l
| was surrounded. Mister, Civ US er bit
| av that baccy, will yer?' Pardon me,
| l.
of your tobacco? Say! send it dis way,
| will YER I'm next echoed around me-
| the men and expressions showing every
| grade and class of society. The pouch
was soon emptied and on my assuring
the crowd that / had no more tobacco
| with me was allowed to pass on.
For the time / deluded myself with
the idea that it was but the familiarity
| of the frontier that had brought the
| short-of-tobacco men about me on the
! wharf. Securing a room. / partook of
| dinner at a restaurant-and, by the
| way, reasonably good meal was
served-and lighting my pipe started
out for a stroll about the town. I had
not proceeded 10 feet before a we'll
dressed man, whose courteous speech
showed him to be a person Of educa-
ton and refinement, had asked me for
tobacco, at the same time producing a
briar the rich gold mountings of which
betokened, as 1 thought, present pros
perity.
Here was a man, it occurred to me,
of about my own caliber, and evidently
a resident of some length in the country
of whom after making acquaintance, l
might CLEAN valuable information. With
the suavest manner at my command !
| luc ISIilCu lODdSSO pOuG.A dlt
proffered it to the stranger, asking him
at the same time some trifling question
| which held him.
HAD rung a fire alarm or displayed
red lantern the effect would have
been about the same as the production
| If that pouch. From around corners
out of saloon entrances, and even from
cabin removed fully SO yards from
where we were standing, came men, ev-
cry soul of them with a pipe in his
| hand. There was no refusing them, nor
| did care to; in fact, it was a pleasure
to see at what slight expense I was
affording enjoyment to so many fellow
beings
Eat last the pouch was emptied, and
| turning to my friend of the gold-mount-
ed briar, l proposed that we return to
my room, refill the pouch wanted
further smoke myself-after which we
would take in the town.
HE looked at me peculiarly for mo-
ment and then asked, as he took a big
Whit at the briar: How much of this
mixture have you brought with you?
About two pounds answered.
We'll, then, take trifle of advice
from one of the stranded ones. Go to
the Trading Company's store and lay in
|
you can purchase. Fill your pouch with
it, placing two or three pipefuls of this
delicious smoke in side pocket-for
, candidly,Td like another draw at it my
self-and then we'll see what little there
Is in this cursed hole to be seem
, 81 didn't understand him. If there )
anything I'm fond of it's a good smoke,
: and I could see no sense in my purchas-
ing poor tobacco. What's the idea?'
| asked
Possibly I'm acting the traitor 70
the tobacco bummers-of whom cir
cumstances have perforce made me one, >
he replied, but the fame of your we'll
filled pouch, it's easy access and deli
|, cate aroma, has spread far and wide
/ among the broken, penniless men in this
camp, and from now on until the end
of your stay you are mark for them.
In heavens name 1 asked, can not
E these men procure tobacco in any other
! way than begging it?'
: "'You forget that 1 was the primal
| cause of this last attack on your pouch,
+ he replied, with smile so faint as to be
u sad. Then with a fierce bitterness he
n added: But tobacco is not in it. That
a we can get by just the methods that
= have been practiced on you but food
: flour, beans, bacon, yes, even salt, the
/ most common of life's necessties-is
denied us unless we have the money tc
pay with or take the other alterna tive
and steal
a but how is it man of your APP
e pearance and evident standing in socie
: ty is brought to this distress?' I asked
n him.
d simply because l acted the ass.
:. came here with ample funds to go eithe
1, into the Yukon or to Cooks inlet. TIL
lie first night in Juneau 1 gambled ant
a won. The second night I lost ever.
: dollar 1 had, and without havinl
L. formed single acquaintance or friend
is ship among those of my own standing
< in life. The consequence was 1 had t
Il take UP with a crowd of the stranded
;" who through great luck had succeeds
n in finding shelter from this constan
It downpour-it rains 300 days out of tn
o. year in Juneau-in an old cabin over o
&c Gold creek. 1t is good four-mile wal
from here over trail that is almos
worth strangers life to tackle. Here
am awaiting a remittance from HON
id to get away and leave the cursed cour