The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1897-09-04
VIGILANTS AT SKAGUAY
MAN SHOT ON THE TRAIL FOR
STEALING A SACK OF FLOUR.
A Steady Stream of Humanity Is
Pushing Forward to the Land
of Gold.

mas peeh ShOO oh Che OhaSudy JIdll by
the committee of vigilantes, and his
bones are now rotting beneath pile of
rocks within a few rods of the pass.
This news is brought down by the
steamer Utopia, which arrived this
morning at 6 o'clock from Skaguay. The
Utopia left Skaguay August %. The
story in general is all that can be learn
ed, the details being unknown among
the Utopia's six passengers. Some time
ago a sack of flour was stolen. Suspi-
cion pointed to man who was encamp-
ed near the summit. A committee of
six was chosen to ferret out and punish
the thief. These men went to the tent
of the suspected man and found the
missing sack. The man begged for
mercy, but the committee satisfied of
his guilt, decreed that he be Immediate
ly killed. The man was dragged from
the tent and tied to an upright pole.
The committeeman stood off short dis
lance, and at word shot together. The
thief's body was pierced in six
places.
Feeling their duty done, and sick of
their task, the vigilantes left at once,
not even waiting to put the bleeding
form beneath the ground For three
days it hung there in full view of those
passing with their packs The odors
emanating from the body became so Of
fensive that two men cut it loose, and
carrying it up hillside, covered it with
pile of stones.
The steamer Detroit sailed for Dyea
and Skaguay this afternoon with 40
passengers
Skaguay Trail Open Mt Last.
Seattle, Aug. 3l.-The following letter
was received per steamer Utopia to the
Associated Press:
Skaguay, Aug. 23.-The jam is bro
ken on the Skaguay trail A number of
outfits have gotten over, and there is
steady stream of moving humanity,
mixed up in an almost indescribable
mass of horses of all sizes, ages and
conditions, mules, steers, mich cows,
goats and dogs, also vehicles of every
description. Three steamers are now
unloading on lighters, which convey the
freight as near the shore as possible,
where it is loaded on wagons or carried
over in the high tide. The Utopia is
loading at the only wharf. which is a
shaky structure. Two pile drivers are
at work on another dock, which is in
tended to be a substantial affair. A
new sawmill got up steam for the first
time this morning. Rough lumber is
worth $l7 per thousand, but can not be
gotten out fast enough at any price
The city of tents is not being dis
placed, but reinforced by city of
"shacks' of all sizes and degrees of fin
ish.
Skaguay is the boom town of Alaska.
Every man whose heart failed him
when he encountered the first hardship
has turned townsite boomer -Four weeks
ago Skaguay was not known; today
there are not less than 5000 people here,
in addition to those on the ships in the
harbor. They have surveyed off the
townsite, the first corners having the
choice. The United States commission
er is issuing some kind of a certificate,
fee So, surveyor another 81 then the
squatter sticks up his tent, shack OF
corral and is ready to take in the first
tenderfoot that comes along Transfers
by quit claim are quite common and as
high as 5000 has been paid for choice
location.
Skaguay has all the usual accompani-
ments of frontier mining town
dance halls. roulette, faro, stud poker
and craps find devotees ready to tempt
fortunes smiles. There is no longer
of a famine here, though there may be
a shortage in certain lines. On all sides
Smiling plenty, as if conjured by some
enchanter," here abounds. Great piles
of hay, grain, flour, bacon, sugar and all
the necessaries are in stock apparently
for some time to come. There are not
less than 1000 horses at work on the
Skaguay trail, but it is hard to get any
one to contract to deliver you over the
summit at any price; but you can get
over for about 30 cents pound if you
are willing to wait and contract by
sections. The packers at this end of the
trail do not like to contract farther
than the first hill, six miles out, where
one has to hire another outfit.
At Dyea the Indians are moving
freight in an almost unbroken stream
from the landing to Lake Linderman,
and it is no trouble to contract to get
ones entire outfit put over at one trip
for 30 to 30 cents per pound. No one
should come expecting to get over this