The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-24
MUST PROVE HIS DEATH.
WIDOW SUES uG'Ox LIFE INSURANCE.
Foley Or 4. {. sTETsON.
3ra8ie Fate 81 River steamer Sessse
anA Party Of seattle People H.
veuv~a In . Federal CouSt suit
w,e~k~a In the kusko4aim.

TIE tragic fate Of the little river steam
er Js3xie which was ss.t WIFE All y"
board at the mouth of the kusSoo0iHs
ever In Alaska in June lsas. Is the basis
81 n suit flied In the Federal court sss
fersay by Mrs. Iatiy y. sfesron against
the Penn Mutual Life Insurance com
uany, Mrs stctsen is the ~soo~ Q. Al
chile C. ssetson. . prominent young seal.
s,. mar. who wax one OF ne party OF
saur,e@. that sserissed with the Jessie.
ard euer 70 recover upon a S3.ws policy
taken cut by her husband In FEBRUARY.
1865 only a few months before MS dnasS-
while there lis no doubt in the minds
Of those acquainted With the facts AZ 10
she fate of gtefsou ard his thirteen COM
,,aniors the defendant life insurance COM
many has az n matter nf precautaon pre-
ferred 10 refuse payment oil Mrs' sseb-
sor.s claim 81 loss and Will compel ner
20 prove her husbands death Aitnonsh
no human eye Witnessed the c.atasiro-
uhe and although the BODY Of the insured
has r.rysr been recovered. MrE. stetson
and her attorneys Hnnphries, Humphrey
4 osswick are confident that when the
case is tried before Judge Hanford next
summer the fact 81 Stetsons death Will
be proved 10 the entire satisfaction OF the
jury.
With thss object In view Mrs. Stesson's
lawyers have for months been gathering
and reducing To tangible form the evidence
regarding the loss ~ the Jessie and the
party of Seattle gold seekers who formed
her passengers and crew. The expedition
has been traced mile BY mile from the
time the little party OF gold seekers left
Seattle. on May g. isss until 10 o'clock
on the morning of June q. when the Jes
sic and her attendant barge, the Minerva.
were launched from the ocean steamer
which had carried their north from Seat
tir and began thei' voyage UP the kusko-
quinn river with the hopeful party % gold
seekers on board Two hours later ter
rife southeast gale arose, and it is sup
posed that In this storm the little steamer
AMI her tow were lost.
All these facts Mrs Stetson alleges In
her complaint In the suit upon the policy
She explains the great difficulty OF OBJ
tanning direct proof of her husband
death She alleges. however that such
proof as was obtainable was furnished To
the company within the time limited by
the policy. and that the policy was kept
alive zap TO the time az the death OF the
Insured by prompt payment OF all prerni-
nms demanded
One OF the most important witnesses for
Mrs. Stetson at the trial will be Capt
James b. Wood who commanded the
ths Minerva were taken north from Se-
sftle. He has made an affidavit detailing
the events Of the voyage making Il 4
complete narrative up TO the time the Jes-
Gle and her tow were launched from the
barge, on June q. and started for tine
mouth OF the kuskoauim river. fifty miles
distant. what happened after that Cant
Wood says he does no know. bur tha,
about two hours late southeast gale
sprang up. which imrerglei even the safe
" OF the ocean steamer towing the Admit
raj
Two months later. az st. Michael. Cant
Nood heard again from the Jessie expedl-
uuh. IN a letter from one of the Moravian
missionaries telling OF the finding Of the
wreck OF tho barge Minerva and th., ho,I
les of two white men washed aabore in
the mouth OF the ku<koguins. Later can,
Nood was Informed by Edward Linde n
stader, who had lust returned from the
kAskoauini. that one Of the bodice ha,
been Identified as that of Capt. - Mr.
phy, VINO commanded the Jessie and that
small steamer supposed 4, he The 1ass,a
lad washed ashore on the kuskoau,r, ~
seen or twenty miles from where The barge
wax found
Ahothef important witness whose sana.
sstion VIII lie used az the trial If oh,aiu.
able. Is j. ". RoInig. one az the Moraylan
MISSIONARIES. residing tt Bethel Alaska
Tear tHe mouth OF the kuskoquirn. who
has written u the Columbia E.xuiorg,.
Company. which outnttsi fhe Jessie ex
petition. long letter. telling OF the ex.
refition'a prahabie fate on the hnsis ar
iris letter. Attorneys Humnhries. Hum
Fhres & Rostwsck will ask Tn. co,irt far
permission Ia take the deposition of Mis-
sionary Romig