The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-30

bank '---
T realized at once" said Fox. "the
| Importance of leaving no trail, and for
| all I could do I feared at least a few
drops of blood would escape from my
clothes and stain the grass NV
clothes were soaked with it. I stepped
from grass tuft to tuft as well as ]
could, for was rapidly becoming
weaker. When I stepped on the end
of the log it was so rotten that it broke
away. But that was the only mark
/ left. I knew that when the Indians
got the boat and found only one man
in it they would start back to look
for me. So I saw it would not do to
stay down near the river, and 1 made
for the foothills. I headed for the
mouth OF the river, where white men
were camped and building boats, and
there was also a police camp. 1t took
me seven hours to make those ten
miles. 1t was the toughest time I ever
had in my life. was so weak that L
gave up several times, but after having
stopped a few minutes I would set out
with renewed determination. I thought
would never get out. Green and yell
low lights flashed before my eyes. I
was blinded and butted my face against
trees. Ny legs would not move. But 1
said to myself: Brace up, old man;
don't lie down and die like a dog; don't
lie down and die-don't lie down-don't
lie down.
And I kept saying this over and over
to myself. grasped the branches of
along, saying first to one leg, Come
along here, old boy and then to the
other, Come along here, old boy, don't
go back on me now Thus showed
and pushed and pulled myself along
through the foothiTf brush and bramble.
God! how I did want a drink of wa
ter Ny tongue was cracking for It.
Little riVulets were right before me, but
I could not reach them. felt that #
I ever got down on the ground L
would never be able to rise again. once
I tried at what I thought was a favor
able brook But as I stopped over
there was an awful pressure on my head
behind-the weight of weakness. |
barely caught myself in time and
Strengthened up. It is a thousand times
worse to see cool water ripping before
ones lips without being able to sip It
than it is to be cracked with thirst and
no water in sight. Well, finally got
down the river some miles to Whlte
mans camp.
The police started right back up the
river. They found the boat well
grounded on the point, but no Indians
were in sight. 1t seems that the Oldest
Indian a young buck of about 21 years,
had been taken sick when the four
reached the point. He picked up Me-
hans bag and some grub and went back
to camp with the load. Finding but one
body in the boat the other three as
anticipated by Fox, started back up
the river to find him or traces of what
had become of him. The murderouS
redskins were divided in opinion as to
1Ehether Fox had fallen into the river
or escaped. They found the broken log,
they admitted afterward, and knew he
had got ashore and was alive.
In the meantime the police had ar
rived at the Indian camp. The young
buck who had pleaded sickness was IN
his tepee. He had two sQuaws, a young
one and an old one He denied having
seen a boat or even white man IN the
vicinity The handouts were put on
him and he was taken down the river.
efa cd on for the
other natives, but they returned to
camp soon after the police left and
learning from the Squaws that the old
est buck had been bagged they took to
the woods instantly. The police en-
gagged the services of another Indian
and eventually all three were captured
farther back in the mountains, making
for the Cassiar. They had to depend
on their guns for food and were thus
tracked. The hired Indian went into
their camp pretending friendship. He
seized their guns at night and all were
soon helpless in handouts and lariatS
The youngest is only fifteen years old.
The Indian captured with the SquaWS
was taken before Fox as he lay in bed
Fox had been propped up into a sitting
posture. The Indians eyes bulged out
as soon as he saw Fox, as though he
was suddenly confronted by an apparf-
ton. He sWayed first to one side then
the other. He thought Fox had been
killed and that he saw a ghost He
threw I'D both hands and exclaimed:
''Klachi" Which, translated, means
that he never saw Fox before.
Fox identified all four of the natives
at the trial in Dawson. The youngest |
one was recommended to mercy and |
will be imprisoned. The other three
have been brought back to Tagish, near
the scene of the crime, to be executed. |
The hanging viii take place Novem- |
Der next-three at once from the same
gibbet. They are young renegades who |
captured the squawS and undertook the |
murder in order to have a supply of |
grub to last them through the winter |
The coming hanging is already having |
the desired moral effect on the Indians !
of the coast and interior. They are all |
talking about it and there will be hun |
dreds of them in attendance. Possibly !
there may be trouble, but it is not |
thought probable. It is expected to |
have enough police present to put down |
any outbreak. Fox will be there.
Mehan was hard working prospect
or but he never had much luck. He |
sold his only piece of property in Ju- |
neau to banker B. NJ. Behrends last |
winter and started out with a. stake.
Fox says he believes that something |
supernatural helped him out of that |
boat and pushed him along through the |
foothills when he was about to give up, |
and that the shade of old Bill Mehan |
will be present at the triple hanging.
Had he not been able to escape, almost |
as a miracle, the natives would have |
destroyed the boat by fire, obliterating |
all other marks of Identification and |
their fate would probably have never |
been known.
This is the first case known Of Indi- |
ans attacking gold-seekers for plumber.
In the Lake Teslin basin and around |
the headwaters of the Pelly, Stewart, |
Big Salmon and other rivers of the vast ]
water shed of the Yukon are isolated
0artfeS seeking the golden fleece.