The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-01
ALEUTS ARE ANGRY.
CLASH or RELIGIONS carsEs A
DisTUasTscE AT uSaLaska-
FnFesss Demand Their Chifdren
From The Methodist He~se--Trss-
Die Arts~s Thresgh q Presesssnt


Special corresponseres.
ISAi1ASKA. Oct 2s.-For tire sAst
week religious differences threatened %
disrupt the government school and the
Jessie Lee Methodist home AZ tnis place
Jhe trouble arose over 3 mistake ~ tsas
uurial OF little Mary Peterson. the INWARD
AND crippled daughter Of an Aierf w0fsaafas
VINO died OF complication o. Diseases
Under the direction 81 Mrs Annie ?.
Keller. general secretary Of ne 2stnotlsss
Home Missionary Society. the remains
were inferred IN the ronserraEed ground
81 The cemetery OF fsse Greek enuFeH -
this place
There was a murmur - disapproFas
awoag the members o. the rhurcn, asa
Airs. EeIsr. realizing that 3 mistake nas
hefn made. ADDRESSED \ polite note %
rather Alexander Krafovsky, Offering %
Gisinter the body, bat "a no action Was
taken Mrs. Eeiler left On the hnsnDosdt
for Seattle.
As aeon as the steamer had sailed. Miss
Agnes l.. sowie, masron Of the horse.
Iound no snd Of trouble IN store Tor Bsf.
Father Alexander sent communicated
% Deputy Territorial Marshal James e.
Blaine, the only representative OF the
government at fhia place demanding fhaS
the members ~ the church ise profaesfd
IN their religious rights guaranteed them
by the treaty Of 1857 between the United
States and Russia signed By Gen. kezseau
end Prince MakchufDff. These rights. the
priest said. had been invaded by the man
agement OF the home, for the parents OF
the children. III giving them over 10 the
government school had stipulated that
they should attend the Greek church and
be admitted 10 communion Judge Blaine
replied by stating that the case did nof
come under the jurisdiction 01 a Federsl
officcr. but he would see that order was
preserved. Father Alexander thereupon
wrote another note. and then third Ia
The same tenor.
The funeral was held last Saturday. and
on Monday Judge Blaine found a large
crowd Of excited natives at his office.
They were headed by Chief Eha1snakon,
who stated the case substantially az out
lined IN the letters of the priest and ended
with a demand that the Aieut children.
about forty la number be- restored TO their
parents. Judge Blaine listened patiently
10 the complalnanta, Then he addressed
them firmly and emphatieaiiy. Never
again come as mob to my Office, he
said IF you do I shall use all the power
Invested la me by the authority Of the
government 10 suppress any riotous dem
OnstratIon you may make"
With this ultlmasum the Aieuts proceed
ID In a body to the Jessie Lee home and
presented their demand to Miss Sowie.
6he applied 10 Judge Blaine for advice
informing him that the home had ~been In
cofpoFated under the laws OF Ohio, and
that the children. with the exception of
three girls. were in her custody BY virtue
Of written contracts. By which the reia-
lives had constituted the Incorporation
guardian of the children. She refused 20
surrender them and declared she would
not give them up until compelled 70 do So
Judge Blaine told her the only remedy of
the Aleuts lay Ia haheas corpus proceed
fngs. BY this time the Aieuts had become
calm, and, unwilling to enter into a strug-
gle. they retired
Although Miss NJ Elizabeth Melior. I'm
charge OF the government school had TAX
en- no particular part In this sar OF re-
ligions. the conflict was not without lts
effect. A large proportion of her pupils
are from the home. and she was adjldsaa
by the natives to be In sympathy with the
steps taken by Mrs. Beiier. Father Alex
andar at once directed that o. Aieut boys,
who had been receiving instruction In
English at the school. BE- Withdrawn until
he could lay the case before Father Mich
oIas, Greek bishop FOR Alaska whose
headquarters are in san Francisco. sew
sral weeks viii pass before a reply can be
received. and IN the meantime the BOYS
VIII be kept out of the school
To the casual observer the elaborate
funeral ceremonial OF the church IN Tn
alaska Is shocking and the management
81 The Jessie Les home tries To xean lis
inmates from the old religious custom A
few weeks ago Anna the young wise az
Peter Shaisnikof. died. and vas buried
from the church. The mournerp remained
standing throughout the service, for the
chufch has no seats and after chantu rs
Father Alexander and his assistants WITH
choir OF native boys. che natives iilsa
past the remains 70 take leave OF IN
dead. The men came first no considera-
tion being shown the female relatives If
the deceased Ciasped IN the hands -
the dead woman was an image OF the
Virgin Mary and child, ard across her
brow was sacred flief. ard as eaeh
Alent reached the coffin he crossed hf,s,.
self. bowing very low then Ae K ssed fr.4
she image Ia the hands az tho dead shen
the sacref band across ire forehead ara
finally the lips or cheek AEain heufpa
very low. he crossed himself fsyauslv ana
walked quickly away After ths ne.
came the women and children. and scarce
II one failed 10 kiss the dead a,tsonsa
everyone knew that she naH wasted aW,e,.
from consumption TIE naonrners NAT
no fearful demonstration OF grief A. 49,
grave tho coffin was agAln npenea 20 al,.v.
relatives the last farewell ana fsfn ~
lid was nailed down naistiy Fsrh az A.
women threw three shevelfans az e.sfs
iato the grave. and the men competed ths
far.sL
The efforts 81 The missionaries - las
the Aieut rhisdren away from sueh ~.
ssryances have aroused al me opposition,
OF the Greek church and when are Ytftse
girl was laid away M eonxssra as g-,,.,4
with none % the customary erren,,,,.. 1
the indignation ~ TIE Alents vas 49,.
serihahle wom8n does not oc,nnv an
exalted place among 81 W and thev hay
abandoned the struEgla IS recover 49,.
rtrls. hut the boys sayna ~ wher, 49,
destined FOR the prIcz5boe4 w,l ~, :.
hack 70 the government school save ~,
the direction OF fHeh-n Nt-hosas
HORACE MCCLURE.
THE DOGS ARE HERE.