The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-25
CHARGED WITH THEFT.
Three Men. Including Two From Sc
attic. Arrested and Narrowly
E-gaur IVnehfnE.

escape ~ btA&nEs
sKAGUAY. Alaska. Oct. i5.--At the point
cf sho;saas and rides thFee men weee
marched .nio toWn yesterday sfteTnuoa.
charged M4th stealing a iot of provisions
from a cacae on Forgapina hlu. on the
S6aguay trslL
These men were Charles O'Rrisn. fer-
wegly e Port Townsend stree; contractor,
whose home Is ga Seattle. Joha s. uax.
formerly a shlnsle manufacturer in saa-
hom!sA county, ard later q lumher dsa4er
tn Seattle. and WILLIAM Davidson. Of the
same city
The story tcla by Fred Bernard. The man
from whom the provision were stolen. Is
- iAe effect that about two weeks ago he
missed some goods that he hal cachfd on
Porcapae aiu lie began a search for
them ara succeeded ia locating lhem some
two or three miles on this side of the hilL
There be and two companions lay IN wait
foT ten DAYS for the alleged thieves 70
come after the goods. Ihsir patience was
rewarded Thursday whsn 0'BFlen, Day
and Davidson appeared. They placed site
goods which consisted 0f d A9ck TX beans.
some bacon and hay on their pack horses.
when the goods had been placed on ne
horses. Bernard and his companions ap-
peared and ordered the men 20 throw up
their hands. telling them az the same
time. that they we're under arreHt The
prisoners disputed Rernards authority. bat
IL was enforced 40 the point ~ several
rifles. The prisoners then offered to settle
the matter ~ paying Bernard go and re-
turning tse stuff. This offer Was refused.
Bernard demanding Nt0. The men we're
unable 70 pay this amount and Bernard
brought them 10 town and turned them
over into the custody ~ the United States
deputy marshal AZ che place, and they
were placed II the caiahoose.
After their capture az the foot OF the
hill" on the SkaEuay trail Bernard and
bis party we're soon Joined hy a crowd of
twenty-five or thirty excited men. A good
deal ~ pIferius from the caches, whfch
line the skaznay traii has been going on
Tor some time. and these men who gather
ed around the prisoners were e&gsr for a
lynchins bee They Were Joined by Frank
hn r. Scott. who was returning from Daw-
son CITY. ard q score or more men began
10 ply the prisoners with questions. The
answers were considered unsatisfactory.
o'Brien wss the spokesman Tor the prls-
oners and, according 10 the story related
by his capture ehoked when he tried 20
explain how the goods came into the pos
session % his party. and could give no CO.
herent account ~ how thFy were obtained
Put . rope around their nenka" SAID
Scott 20 the others "and I'll hang them
aloae-oue after the other"
Yes hang them" shouted several 9TH
ers. "we'fl teach the d-~-A thieves that
n began 70 look serious for o. HFien. Day
and Davidson They Hsre pale as asslea
and fear WIS plainly depleted IN their
countenauces Great drops Of pers1sra-
fiou rolled from O'Brisn face ~ he hesi-
tatfnSiy offered Bernard 80 20 settle the
matter ard take fhe stuff
~ have = sick wife IN Seattle" pleaded
O'Brftn and I don't wan, thia thing 10
Eet out" Day also pleaded 70 DC lei go.
he to0. had a wife in Seattle whose health
Wse delicate. Davidson Wa the must
stoical - ths three. He sat upmovea IN
the feu} saloon a. the foot of the hllsH
about four miles from sk8Nunv. where tha
fate % the prisoners VAS discussed ~ the
mob ~ angry men.
Calner eognseis az length prevailed and
it vas decided 70 bring TIRE prisoners fato
ioWn and turn them over 10 the United
States autnoFiilss
The prisoners walked ahead drgvieg
their pack harses whlie c.0an af saesr
hne's tTuuned score ~ Hen each armed
with a revolver. rife and shot gun. A
courier vas dispatched ahead af The
party 90 inform DeputY Marshal McInnes
ard ask him 20 meet the party and tneir
prisoners This he dld snd they were
soon safe ia tho lgfie wooden jail which
DOES dufv 10 tnf town.
During the evening there was agatn
some tax - iyurhipF tha men In order
20 -gtVe an object lesson 70 others but
nothing came of e.. The tsii was well
guarded. however. during ths night
OrBrien and Day are weil-known herr
ard many express surprise That they
should have been arrested on such n
charge All f.ge men have been engaged
in packing over the trail for some weeks
OBrfen Rad nine pack horses and Day
and Davidson assisted him
To the t-Intei iiigeneef syndicate corr
respondent beth Day ard - Rripn talked
asserted innocence ard ge1iaTed theg haa
not committed theft They stated thai 4
lot % goods. which included -four bacon
cats saa Ray had been bought BY osBrfen
from usan who had cached them on
FoTcGplue ridge and mhn WAS unable 20
Haf the goods over ~ Lake Bennett Tha
mans rame they bad forgotten but TIRE
cache had been zen described. Tne nszn
bad gone On 20 DRwt0n city they SAID
They hsd gone 20 the e8che. according 20
. directions given. and taken what they be-
lIaved were fte goods waich O'Brien had
purchased fr<r8 the Stranger. They wera
fhunderstFgsek when fhe provisions were
claimed ~ Bernard ard. naturally uish-
"a 20 avoid al trouble ard faik ard 50
offered BernaFd the provisions and 50 for
hs traubie- They refused nss deuand fgr
2sa. choosing rather % face the charge
ard o9naeasent publicity than b. biack-
mailed
Eosh Day and CrBrien are married men.
ard tnslr families reside 10 Seatgle Dss-
ide5n Is a narise engineer ard was for
merry employed aeFe ora Ehe t8g Rob-
erts DBrieu nas been eugaged IN pack
INK w4tA 3 man uAmed ABBOTT, ard has
bu1cs - haraeE here. he performed
manv contracts FOR street grading during
the boom saY8 ia Port Townsend. Fair
baEsn ard Port Angeles. ard waa fcr-
faefiY considered weis-t0-1o. Day was a
manufacture og shingles gr fne skykc-
! n4sa f5~ seReral years. ard was rapcrt@f
10 - worth Al One tine slLp.yg or more