The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-13
DENIED IN
EVERY DETAIL
ANSWER OF JUDGE MOVES
MADE PUBLIC.
COMPLIMENTS M'kENuE
Declaring That His Appointment
as Receiver Was Not
Prearranged.

Washington, Aug. 9-The depart
ment Of justice today made public the
answer of Judge Arthur H. Noyes to
the charges preferred against him in
regard to the administration of the
office of United States district
Judge at Nome, Alaska. Judge Noyes
denies the story of his trip to Alaka,
giving an account of the acquaintance
made Upon that journey, more par
ticularly the acquaintance of Messrs.
Mckenzie and Chips, who have fig
ured SO largely in connection with
the charges against the judge, and
denies that he had any communica-
ton with either of these gentlemen
with respect to the business. Of his
court on his journey or at any other
time. He takes up in detail various
charges against him, and denies each
and every allegation brought. He
describes the chaotic conditions ex-
listing at Nome at the time of his ar
rival, where, he states, he found in
the neighborhood Of 1000 people Of
all classes and the utmost confusion
and disorder prevailing. I
He sets out that every lot of ground
in the whole town had two or more
claimants, that possession was held
in a great many instances by armed
forces. and that he was beseiged upon
every hand Immediately upon his ar
rival by people seeking relief against
those whom they claimed to be wrong
fully and unlawfully in possession of
their property, divesting it of value
and shipping the proceeds out of the
country and the jurisdiction of the
court. He then states his efforts to
organize his court and the Emporium
tiles to which he was subjected by
litigants and counsel, and describes
favors that were attempted to be
thrust Upon him by solicitious ipdi-
viduals. He recounts the circum-
stances under which he appointed
Alexander Mckenzie receiver of GER
tain claims alleging that it had not
been p~re-arranged that Mckenzie
should act as receiver, but that Nc
Kennels name was suggested along
with others, to one of whom the place
had been rendered before it was Of
Tered to Mckenzie. The Judge reaf-
firms the wisdom of that choice and
compliments McKenzie's administra-
ton of the property.
Defending his appointment of a re-
ceiver for the placer mining claims,
he denies that he first suggester that
remedy and justifies his action upon
the ground that there were scattered
along the beach thousands of unem-
ployed men who had been allured to
Nome by fairy tales which had been
given out and p%redicated upon the re-
suit of. the workings of the previous
year; that these men were unemplOy-
ed, without food or money, and des-
perate, and that to have closed down
by Injunction the operation of the
placer claims would have been to have
added largely to the number OF un-
employed in the camp; that hefolloW-
ed in this respect the precedents 'es-
tablished by former judges of the dis
trict of Alaska and adds to his answer
copies of the decree in a similar case.
He admits, in most cases, where he
appointed receivers the representa-
ton made to the court were largely
untrue as to the capabilities OF the
mines. This, however, was not de-
termined until later, but his action
was predicated upon the fairness OF
the presentation of the cases. This
accounted for the comparatively ex-
cesive expense of operation by the re-
ceivers. He also claims that as an
additional precaution for the protec-
ton Of the parties, in interest, IN all
cases he required when either OF the
parties requested it, that the gold
dust realized by the receiver should
be deposited at a safe deposit vault,
A|.HE- - EE ~
not subject to withdrawal except by
order of the court, with notice to the
parties interested, and also that he
further ordered in each case, when re-
quested, that all parties having any
interest or claiming interest in the
property might at any time go upon
the property worked by the receiver
for the purpose of observing the work
and might be present at each and
every cleaning up day by the receiver
and that he, in every way possible,
tried to throw every safeguard about
the property in the hands OF the re-
ceiver, that it might be conserved
for the benefit of the party who might
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