The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-02
ALI. THREE
Died Or
HUNGER.
AIIaire, Daily and Provost Per-
ishsd for Want Of Food.
Bodies Eaten by Wolves,

Chief OF Police Baker this afternoon
received a letter which was mailed at
Rampart city. Alaska. on August 26th,
Il was written by Albert Hughes. and
was in response TO a communication
sent TO Alaska i'm July, asking for in
formation relative 10 tha tragic death
of Victor Allaire Michael Daily sFl
Roger Provost.
Allaire had left his home i'm Woon-
socket &, look for gold and arriving at
Dawson city had parted company with
the men ne had begun to chum with.
From laser communication he had
chosen Roger Provost and Michael
-naIll- -Ga4-his- -palLn-rs- -lheX were
about TO start for the gold fields.
In Jul word came here via Daw-
son city. that the three men had per-
ishei of starvation, and tnat before
the last two of the trio died they hat
in their delirium created by intense
hunger resorted Co cannihllism.
Mr.. Hughes letter completely d.sposes
| OF that assumption. All three died OF
starvation. to be true; but the mutila-
ton OF the bouIes was the act Of for
| aging wolverines.
Mr. Hughes says that he and a chum
started for Rampant city on February
| 25 1899 TO go 20 the KOyakuk rive. gold
| eeTds. and that on tpT1f 5t1T, ttIpy came
! across the remains OF a man on the
! banks Of the Ossauna river They iden-
| tifed the body as that or X. Provost.
1t was partly eaten. A short distance
| from there, and imbedded IN the ice,
they found the torn clothing and the
ribs OF what had been the body Of
man.
This, by means Of effects in the cloth-
ing they made out TO be the remains of
Mr. Daily. still further on and quite
| trmly enCased in ice the rushing wat
ers having enclosed all but the head IN
a glacier they discovered a third body
1t was surrounded at the time by VOL
verines which had eaten away part OF
the head.
BY BUILDING q fire they Melted the ice
and got at the clothing. There was
nothing in the pockets to lead to an
entihcation and there We're no marks
upon any part Of the clothes. In the
pock is was about 5000 in greenbacks.
/ silver and gold, also a watch named
"The Plan and numbered 391 EO5.
\ short distance on they found a tree
! which had been "blazed' and which
bore this inscription. December 12,
1898. For Gods sake. hurry. We are
! about out of iluur. We D.,-Nfetor
Allaire. Il. Provost"
Near by the tree was a tent. which
! the men had started from after all
! their provisions had given out On a
stove was kettle and in this was the
filling of snow shoe. which the
I Wretchcd m had cut up and endeav-
| ored 10 make a stew OF. Their fire had
proably gone out and i'm sheer despera-
tion the youthful gold hunters started
ont to tramp back over the weary
waste OF ice toward vivilization. They
were too weak 20 travel and after a
brief struggle lad down TO die on the
! ice.
Mr. Hughes and his chum gave the
bodies a decent burial and taking the
( effects OF he men back to Rampant
cry, reports 2 their discovery Of the
fate of The gol'-seekers The decision
was arrived at chat AIr. Hughes should
retain the money and effects and en-
deavor to communicate with the rela-
tives Of the dead men. and this he has
done through chief Baker