New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-14
THE FIRST CHILD OF THE YUKON.
EDWARD BEAN. NOW TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
OLD. PROBABLY DESERVES THE TITLE.

From The Chicago Times-Herad.
Certain misguided but enthusiastic journalist
have spread sensational report OF the recent
birth OF the first white child OF the Yukon. They
are foistng tbs n9t4t!ety On poor it.e innocent
There is another claimant 10 the honor He does
not want TO divide privileges with the Swedish In
FAINT. He wants his name 10 go numbering down
the ages alone as The only and original white
draw. FoF the rival, who is called Edward Bean,
seems TO have pretty clear case. lie is no longer
being carried around IN a nurses arms and fed on
matted milk. He was twenty-five years OF age Oh
his last birthday, and he IS industrously operating
a mine somewhere up he river from Dawson.
man 10 penetrate The interior. and Joaquin Mi!leT
was not the second There were scattered piO-
neers and even little settlements Of heroes VINO
s2d are Sqf e o Sns to o2r he SSSa
Is i due , Yet their names have never been men
original whites on the Yukon has been totally
From juneau come the real facts The first
couple who ever reached the Yukon were man
and woman named Bean. They were residents Of
year Bean was a trader. and he and his vie
started out together TO an Alaskan post nfty mees
Bean born. He owns the distinction OF being
The hrst white child born on tho Yukon or in The
The Tananah indians were treacherous and un-
trouble in negotiating any business with them.
They They were wiling 70 barter with him in furs but
Natrs gooq 9 pdd tn S tnsy brought to him
killed him on the spot but for one tremendous rea-
son son: 5Somethng stood IN The way. That sonnet hing
was Beans wife; The Indians were afraid OF her
terrfy whole band OF savages. But Mrs Bean
She. who was not AFRAID OF The unconoYersbIe
rtgor OF tho North. could not be afraid OF band
OF sneaking and superstitous Indians. II was her
very fearessness that made them cover.
>, lhen she was no novice in the use Of firearms
and SKIN ostounded the native redskins She had had
hTeatened to shoot the whole band single handed II
made that threat It might have been a different
proposition. But they were just shrewd enough to
aeGlaed d. not Ito, to confront her Yet they meant
After council three medicine men ay in ambush
awaiting an opportunity for murder They did not
have to walt long Mts Bean was not the kind Of
shshtest warning she was shot in the back and fell
SON and settled with other Whites WIZ who ms bsS yon n.
reached a, a point down the river
reach the Yukon from Juneau by the pass lake
and river route has been accorded to several
Mrs Kate Nielsen. known a; Dawson CITY juneau
f the ch h9a Pass s as as eaTy March ss d
stu the best.known woman about the northern dig
gings Dutch Kate is not coward. Then she
thinker She Is said to be By far the n mos c pic
talk back 1 to Dutch Kate when
knew her." said an argonaut who had met her
Of an indian and she Would Just a soon anG
IA; not. And you couldn't trip her up in reckon
er chkoo E in 1858 she reached the
river, and the following fall she drfted on down the
river TO ST. Michaers She went down with A gang
Of miners and cooked for them. Later however
they were compelled to evacuate the post on ac-
count OF fearful dearth OF supplies The miners
were fortunate enough TO secure passage on one OF
the revenue cutters bound for San Francisco But
since IL WAS contrary to rules TO take a woman nas-
senger aboard a Government cutter, Dutch Kate
left behind. She succeeded later In leaving on
a whaling vessel after suffering prlyatlon and
torture at the hands OF Indians.
To these two noble women. Mrs. Edward Bean md
Dutch Kate IL due solely the merit OF facing un-
known and undiscovered dangers. Trey were the
first real martyrs. The women who have since gone
10 the Klondke have traversed a well-beaten path
II was Dutch Kate who showed them the way