The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-02

! him as his enemy. The Navajos used thei
/ guns and the white party their pistols
and for few minutes there was a genera
fusillade. Montgomery was killed. as wer
| also two OF the younger Indians, and Be
| g%o-et-ten vas shot in several places.
A posse went out some days later TO ar
rest the Indians. The agent sent runner
/ after the Indians and brought them al
! in, except Be-gwo-et-ten. He refused t,
| come in as a prisoner. but promised tina
! when the trial took place he would presen
| himself at court.
The Attorney General of the United
States directed his District Attorney to ap
Pea. in behalf of the Indians at the trial.
The jury, one of the miscellaneous sor
procurable in far Western community
took two ballots and discharged the Indiar
prisoners. When the trial began Be>gwo
et-ten was not on hand. and the opinion st
! prevalent in the West of the duplicity O.
all Indians seemed momentariiy justified
But. in the midst of the proceedings, ii
walked the old man, whitehared, bent
with age, and still suffering from the
wounds he received in the fight.
He had had to ride $50 miles on horse
back across the rough Navajo country. un-
der blistering sun. He was rewarded by
a separate judgment, discharging him also
This victory for the Indians was brought
rant for the arrest of To-hi was issued
without Montgomery's swearing 10 the
complaint.
The sheriffs officer and his associates
therefore, had attempted TO make an ar
lest on a warrant technically void; aid the
judges charge contained the statement OF
law that ANY officer who. with knowl-
edge of the fact that a warrant has been
Illegally issued as aforesaid. undertakes 10
H. &c N,sl
act done by him pursuant to or under such
warrant is unlawful
The CRse of james Hansen.
Another remarkable incident, showing
the capacity 81 The Indian for strong moral
influences when these are given opportu-
nifty for asserting themselves. is furnished
in the case Of James Hansen. Hansen is
an Alaskan Indian, who, year ago, with
ten Indian companions, murdered Burt
Horton and Florence Horton, young
bride and bridegroom, who were on va
cation trip near Skagway. Alaska. In the
beginning of his plea for a commute ton of
sentence, Attorney General Griggs says:
The circumstances of this case are
most extraordinary and deserve a special
chapter in the annals of remarkable
crimes. IL is the case where the prisoner,
having conceived and executed a brutal
and savage murder on peaceable and in
offensive people, without detection or
probability of detection OF accusation,
months after the offence, voluntarily, by
his own confession and admission of the
facts, submitted himself TO the judge of
the court and to sentence of DEATH
The history of the young Indians crime
is this: In the beginning OF October,
1899. Burt Horton and Florence Horton,
young married couple of ISkagway, pro-
cured boat, and, placing a tent, guns,
provisions, and few necessary articles
of clothing in it. started out for three
weeks vacation trip, in which it was
proposed to camp, hunt. and fish and do
a little prospecting for minerals. Horton
was twenty-seven years old mis- wife
nineteen. They were never again seen
alive
In March of this year, Jim Hansen, a
young Indian, who had the reputation of
being one OF the worst characters in
Alaska, reckless. fearless and cruel in
disposition, was converted to Christianity
through the Salvation Army at Skagway.
He then told the captain Of the Salvation
lists that he with ten Indian companions.
had murdered a man and a woman thirty
five miles below Skagway on the Lynn
Canal, six months before. He recited all
the details of his crime, and the captain
advised him to tell his story to the
deputy United States marshal. He did so
willingly. Subsequently he accompanied
the marshal with posse, and although
the snow was nine OF ten feet deep in the
wilderness, he conducted them to the
spot where the bodies of the murdered
man and woman were found under the
snow.
He said his companions had taken a
vow that if any one told of the crime all
should swear that Hansen was the Header
of the party and that he alone was re-
sponsible for the crime. This statement
was subsequently borne out by the tes-
timony Of his companions in the trial
that followed
One of the natives on trial said that
after shooting Horton, handed a
knife TO a young Indian, leveled a Win
chester at him, and the companion cut
Horizons throat. Mrs. Horton had already
been shot by a native called Williams,
an Indian Of the name of Kich-
too. about twenty years old. in spirit
of brsvado. and wishing to dip his hands
in white mems blood. rushed up and cut
her throat with knife.
Ten men beside Hansen were indicted
six being convicted and sentenced to prison
for terms ranging from twenty-three to
fifty years. All except Hansen used every
TO escape conviction. They sold
all their personal effects and collected
money from Indians all over Alaska to pay
counsel fees But Hansen declared that he
wished 10 be put TO death.
The trial Judge, in a letter to the At
orney General, says: His entire conduct
Turing the trial of-the other individuals
convinced me Of the honesty Of his con-
ession and the purity of the motives that
induced Ii. That he was moved by high
-eligious fervor there can be no doubt. At
he last act of the drama, when j re!uc- |
antly passed sentence of death upon him, |
n answer to the usual question why SEN
ence should not be pronounced, etc, he |
answered with undaunted heroism. a
,enignant smile on his face, My brother, |
have done my duty; now you do yours |
Such rare fortitude ] have never before |
In closing his recommendation for COM |
mutation, the Attorney General says: |
Hansen was an unenlightened, un-Chris-
ianized savage. AS soon as his conscience
lad been enlightened by the teachings OF |
religious society. with a rare devotion TO !
he standard OF duty raised up in his heart
lie made immediate disclosure and confess
he hands of the law. This case is one of
EXCEPTIONAL circumstances. ] think his SEN
ence can wisely be commuted to imprison-
nent for life and i recommend that that
ction be taken"