The Paducah daily sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1896-1898, 1897-11-27
ONCE AT
KLoNDIKE.
An Interesting Interview With
Mr.. Il. NJ. River, Who
Struck 1t Rich in the
Frozen North.
He VIII Be Married to Mrs. Fra
ley Tomorrow or Mon
day, and Return to
KlOndike.

Mr.. Il. nj. River is the name OF Q
man who came all the way to Ken
lucky from Klondike for a wife. Al
least when he leaves Paducsh he will
carry away with him as bride Mrs.
Maggie Fraley, who has been in
charge OF SCOTS restaurant, on Sec
ond street, near Court, for some little
time.
Mr.. Rivers home is in Lexington,
KY, and he IS ~ years old, but his
constitution is like iron, and there
are few places from the equator 10
the arctic circle which he has not at
some time visited.
A Sun reporter ran across Mr..
River this morning and found him a
most entertaining talker. lie is the
inventor OF a patent pressed air
washer, which he claims nets him an
average Of 81 200 a month. He is
Of rowing disposition, however.
aud cannot remain long in one place.
He always wants 10 move on, and
that's how he came TO be in Paducah
at present.
Mr.. River was working the West
with his invention, when the Circle
City, Alaska, gold fever broke out.
He had plenty Of money, he claimed,
and went out from San Francisco
more as an experiment than anything
else. Klondike was then unknown,
but there was gold everywhere al
most. 1t cost several hundred dol
lars TO reach Circle City, but no one
seemed to care for money.
81 found everybody working
hard" said Mr.. Riner. "Men who
worked for SIC a day and board
were scarce, although they could
easily get that. guess that is be.
because when a man reaches the gold
fields he wants to start out for him.
self. He does not desire TO work for
somebody else, and for that reason
hired workmen are scarce.
There are no civil laws in Alas
ka, but the laws committee laws
they call them--are better and more
effective than any system of govern.
ment in any state, county or city in
the Union. i have seen many no.
tice posted there with the names OF
those who have promulgated them,
and skull and cross-bones attached.
A man knows what TO expect IL he
violates the laws. l saw one man
hanged once for stealing two pounds
OF bacon. | don't say, however,
that there are no thieves in Alaska,
for there are. The penalty is simply
so severe and so summsrily enforced
that the lawless are afraid to run any
risks.
lone peculiar thing is that no
Italians or Cinnamon are allowed
there. / saw them put Chinaman
on couple Of logs one day, load on
ten days. provisions, and start him
down the Yukon river. Sometimes
when man commits an offense that
they think does not merit hanging
they take u picture Of him and send q
copy to every camp in the county.
That man can never again remain in
Alaska. At every camp he is run
out, until he finally reaches the end
Of the country.
1.-The thermometer is frequently
20 degrees below zero, but you car
stand it much better than you car
zero here in this climate. The diff
ference is, 1t is still and dry, while
here it is damp and wintry, and the
frigidity goes right to the bones.
"In some parts of the year there
have seen 10000 mosquitoes to tn,
square inch. And the malaria i:
simply dreadful"
Mr.. River gave very interesting
account Of how they niue gold, will
which most newspaper readers are
familiar. Mr.. River claims to have
brought over from Alaska SIS 900 il
gold. He now seems to have plenty
of money, and displays $50 gold GER
tiicates almost without number.
IL shall go to Klondike, which ha'
come into great fame since l was ii
Alaska, next spring." he said.
Mrs. Fraley, who was sitting near
by, admitted that she herself had as
pirations to see Klondike, and sal,
she would leave as Mr.. Rivers wifi
when he starts for st. Louis tomor
row or Monday.