The San Francisco call., 1898-05-31
TRIALS IN DISTRICT COURT
THOUSANDS CAMPED ALONG
 THE TRAILS.
When the Ice Breaks on the Lakes and Rivers the Rush to the Klondike Will Be
 Resumed.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

| trict Court in session at Sftka has been
 occupied most of the time with the trials of three cases of murder-two from Skaguay and one from Dyea, 1 which occurred last winter and early
 spring, when those towns were lit tie fuller of toughs, cutthroats and
 sure-thing men than they are now.
 But Sheep Camp, up on the Dyea trial,
 not to be hehind the more pretentious gateways to the Klondike, furnished a
 murder early last Friday morning for
 the next session of Uncle Sans tri- bunal to try.
 John Peterson was one of the best known characters of Sheep Camp. He was an auctiOneer and sold anything.
 Peterson's place had the reputation Of not being fastidious about where goods
 may have come from which were of fered to him for sale. He is said never
 to have asked questions, and made an
 effort to get anything from ] sack Of
 flour to pack strap quickly sold and
 out of sight. He and gambler named Pat Malone had hot words over a batch of goods which had been stolen, and it is alleged, mysteriously disposed of Friday morning early Malone stopped in front Of Peterson's s place and opened up a volley of curses upon him that would cause Spaniard to hide his head with envy. Peterson was in bed on the second floor of the house. He got up and opened fire on Malone. The latter drew his revolver and shot through the boards at the spot where he thought Peterson might be. At last Peterson appeared at a window. Malone's bis revolver flashed instantly. A heavy bullet tore it's way up through Peterson's abdomen and body, and he dropped down corpse.
 Peterson's place was not popular at Sheep Camp, and his sudden death brought out but few expressions of sympathy. Malone was arrested and is now in custody here. He will be taken to Sitka on the next steamship for safe keeping.
 George Mehan and James Fox, two well-known Alaskan miners, are re- ported to have been killed by Indians few days ago on McClintock River. They are said to have been coming down the river to Lake Marsh in a small boat when they were fired on by Indians from ambush. Mehan was shot through the heart, dying instant ly, but Fox, fatally wounded, escaped from the boat and made his way down shore to the Canadian Police Station on the lake. where he reported what had happened and died. The report lacks There is no trouble with the Indians in the interior Mehan had just sold piece of property in Juneau for s3000 and left with Fox for the Yukon Basin
 The ice in the lakes Is showing signs of impatience at the delay of the weather in allowing it to break up. It has thawed out 300 feet from shore on Lakes Linderman and Bennett. The first hard wind that blows Is expected to break up the ice and release it, and then the thousands of men encamped there will begin their long float down the river.
 The manifests of all ships arriving since January 1 last show that a total of 19,000 persons have been carried to Juneau, Dyea and Skaguay. Of these about 4000 have returned south, about 5000 are in Dyea, Skaguay and on the trail, and the remaining 10000 of the total number are an army encamped between Lake Lebarge and the sum- mits of the trails. Most of these have their boats built or nearly completed. 1 Among them are number of specula- tors who will either make $50 or more for every dollar so far invested or go broke entirely. One man has three large boat loads of oranges and lemons which he expects to sell for $1 each at Dawson, and another has three tons of nails which are worth from $5 to $10 l per pound in Dawson now.
 Of course there will be plenty of nails for building purposes after the first flo- | llIld Ol pOdtS 6ClS up lic l1N0I H6AI month or in July, but the nail specula- tor will make Dawson in ten or twelve days after the ice breaks up so he can | go down with the water.
 The Canadian police over at the lakes are doing many humane acts for | the relief of mans most useful brute friend, the horse. There Is no more l horses without food till they | drop from sheer exhaustion, as was l very frequently the cruel practice on | the trails last fall during the rush. | When the police find out that a man | cannot feed his animals they either compel him to do so or they shoot the | In this they have the support | of the general. sentiment. Within week after the ice breaks the river will | present the unprecedented spectacle of | ten thousand men in nearly half as many boats floating thick as the sec tions of Xerxes pontoon bridge down the Lewis into the mighty Yukon and on to Dawson. Campfires at night will | gleam thick as the flash of f1refiies along a distance of 600 miles.
 The Dalton trail from Pyramid liar bor will be the cattle trail of the sum- mer. It is being cleared now, and | streams by Jack Dalton and his asso- | ,iates A toll of so much per head will | be charged the cattle crossing on the l bridges.
 The general merchandise house of | Scott & Lindsey of Dyea failed yesterday | for total of s2103 91. Creditors closed | n on them. The San Francisco credi- -ors are: Greenebaum, Veil x Michels, 1904 31; Buckingham & Hecht, $255 A; Louis Klein & Co.,, s161. The heads of | TWO small firms at Skaguay have skipped out for the lakes, leaving their creditors in the lurch.
 United States District Judge c. S. Johnson during the regular term of court at Sitka this week imposed on each saloon in Alaska a fine of $100 AS there are about three hundred sa- oons in the various cities of the dis rict the total fines will amount to ESQ., 100, quite a neat sum to assist the .evenue of the district The saloons Ire fined for selling liquor in violation If law. HAL HOFFMAN.