The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-11
NOME is UNDER
MARTIAL LAW
Gen. Randall Finds the City
Authorities POwerless.
LAWLESSNESS WAS
RULING UNCHECKED
Epidemic of Smallpox and Ty-
phOid Reported.

San Francisco. July 1O.-News that
martial law had been proclaimed at
Nome City by General Randall. in
charge of the United States troops in
that district, was brought here To-
night by the steamer St. Paul, thirteen
days from St Michael.
The. necessity for martial law arose
out Of the jumping of mining claims
and other acts of lawlessness. The ST.
Paul also reports a great many cases
of smallpox and typhoid fever at Nome.
When she sailed il was thought, how
ever, that the further spread of the
disease had been checked
Concerning the establishment of
martial Jaw, the Nome Gold Digger on
July 10 says:
The government of the camp was
last night, at a special meeting of the
chamber of commerce. given largely
into the hands of Commissioner Raw
son. The causes that led up to it was
the conditions of property that people
had been led to believe were insecure.
AT the chamber OF commerce. where
thirty or forty persons had gathered,
United States Commissioner Rawson
made a statement. He said the mu-
nicipal government was no longer able
10 protect property rights. 1t had not
the strength nor confidence to enable
it TO carry out the purposes for which
II was intended. 1t was absolutely
necessary, he said. that some means be
taken for the protection of property
and the preservation of law and order
Submits Two Propositions.
He submitted two propositions and
said he was going TO do one of two
things, and with small delay.
q" The first is, 1 shall take complete
charge of the town. he said, so far as
my authority goes as commissioner,
Ignoring the existence of any other au-
thority, and to appoint a sufficient
number of well selected officers, who
will be under the order of the United
States commissioner and marshal
The second is that l shall inform
the commanding officer of the detach-
ment at this place that the authorities
are unable to handle the situation and
protect the property and lives of the
people, and ask that he take such
charge as his orders Justify him in
doing.
." If you request me to take hold 1
shall do it only on one condition-that
the chamber of commerce raise funds
sufficient (perhaps $1,000 for the en-
ployment of ten officers for two weeks,
and l will give my time and attention
to it. II not. you will certainly have
the soldiers handling your camp, and
very quickly
The $1,000 was not raised and the
soldiers were in charge of the camp
when the ST. Paul sailed.
Brings 81, SOC, 900 in Gold.
The st. Pau! brought fifty-four PAS
! sengers and $500 900 in gold dust, the
bulk of which WIS consigned to the
Alaska Commercial company. OF this
amount about S125,o00 was from the
| Cape Nome district Among the pas
| sengers there was distributed about
| 100000 in gold dust. The largest in
dividual holders were ]. s. Langford
and Peter Johnson. who brought about
/ $4,000 each from the Rampant district.
/ Among the passengers from Cape
Nome there were some who returned
/ disappointed. These report about 10000
men were there. many of whom are
unable to find employment They say
also that money is scarce with many
/ of them and that many will return on
/ the next steamers.
Riotous Times in Camp.
Il never saw such a camp in all my
/ life said Captain Charles Anderson.
/ who went north as sailing master of
| the bark Alaska. ut was a case of
| Ishmael all over again." he continued,
/ and you could never tell when your
| dearest friend was going In strike you.
| There were five shooting Scrapes inside
/ of five days.
The next steamer from Nome will
| be crowded with passengers. and the
/ rush coming home will be as great as
] those that made up the stampede for
| the frozen north"
There will be a fearful epidemic at
Nome this fall" said DR.. L. T. Malta
| by. There is absolutely no sanitation
and when the swamp begins to dry up
/ the men will die like flies in summer
/ from typhoid fever. Nome is rich, but
/ no one has done any prospecting, as
every man is defending his claim with
/ a shotgun"