Stikeen River journal. (Fort Wrangel, Alaska) 1898-1899, 1898-07-16
PRICE, 10 CENTS.

tective from New York and smart as a
whip. Caswell is equally as brave, and
when they return it is safe to say that
they will render a good account of
themselves"
THE JURY INDICATES REID.
At 10 O'Clock Saturday morning U. S.
Commissioner Sehlbrede held an in
quest on the body OF Jefferson Randolph
Smith At Peoples undertaking rooms
with the following jury of leading citi-
zens: F. F. Clark, A. Laumeister, G.
| Chealander, C. Neice, A. E. Cleveland
and w. o, Hem. DR.. Cornelius and
DR.. Whiting, the latter of the railroad
company, made a surgical examination
of the body and found a bullet wound
above the knee on the left leg, and that
the cause of death was bullet that had
entered three inches to the left of the
left nipple and gone clean through the
body, making it's exit under the left
shoulder blade and piercing the center
of the heart in its course. Death was
therefore instantaneous.
"The jury called number of wit
nesses and SO carefully sifted the evil
dence, that, with an adjournment for
luncheon, the sitting lasted until near
ly half past four. They then found the
following:
We, the jurors called to inquire into
the cause of the death OF Jefferson Ran
dolph Smith, after having each and all
of us examined the body of said Smith,
and having heard the evidence of DR..
Cornelius and DR.. Whiting upon their
medical examination of said body, and
also the evidence of witnesses who were
present at the death of said Smith,
which took place on Juneau wharf
city of Skagway, District of Alaska, L.
S. A, between the hours OF 9 and 10 D.
m, on Julys, 1898, hereby find:
That said Smith came to his death by
reason OF pistol ball piercing the
heart.
That said wound was the result of a
pistol shot fired by one Frank A. Reid,
who now lies in the Bishop Rowe hos
pital, of Skagway, dangerously wound
ed from shots received at the hands of
the deceased, the said Smith.
That such shooting on the part of the
said Reid was in self defense, and in
the opinion of this jury entirely justi-
! fable.
THE DEAD MANS FAMILY.
Although there was not a single per-
son in Skagway who appeared to do
honor to the man who yesterday was a
popular hero and is today but a dead
highwayman. yet there are those who
will deeply mourn his untimely end.
Smith received on the last mail photo
graphs of his wife and six children, who
are living at ST. Louis. also loving let
tiers from them. Smith was born at
Camilla, Ga. forty-eight years ago, and
has a brother who is one of the editors
of the Evening Star, Washington, D.
c. He had large correspondence
with leading politicians, and by the
last mail received letter from the
Secretary of War declining the tender
of the volunteer company which he had
organized, on account of the cost of
transportation, but the secretary ac-
companied his declination with warm
expressions of the governments appre-
citation of Mr.. Smiths patriotism.
REID MAY RECOVER.
City Surveyor Reid was taken after
the shooting to DR.. Moores office, where
all the leading medical men of the town
called later and rendered their services
These formed medical council for his
treatment and at three o'clock this
morning decided to remove the sufferer
to the Bishop Rowe hospital. Three
hours later, when Mr.. Reid had recoy-
cred from the shock incident to his re-
moval, the council made an examina-
tion of his wounds.
The sufferer was found to have been
shot by Winchester. IS calibrc. the
ball entering two inches above the
groin on the right side and making its
exit an inch to the right of the point of
the spinal column. The ball made IL
compound comminuted fracture of the
pelvic bone, and several fragments of
this were removed at the time of the
examination.
1t needs no words to tell the ayoniz-
ing pain attending this operation. yet
Mr.. Reid showed the same Spartan
GOODNESS and endurance which he has
exhibited since first struck by the rifle
of ''Soapy" Smith. Before the doctors