The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-10
MOVES TALKS BACK
ALASKA FEDERAL JUDGE MAKES
REPLY TO THE CHARGES
AGAINST HIM
DENIAL OF EVERY COUNT
Says He Had No Communication
With Either Mckenzie or Chips
Regarding Litigation Be-
fore the Court.

WASHINGTON. Aug. 9.-The depart
ment of justice today made public the
answer of Judge Arthur II. Noyes to the
charges PREFER ed against him in the adj
ministration of his office of United States
district judge at Nome, Alaska Judge
Noyes details the story of his trip to
Alaska giving an account of the ac-
quaintances made upon that journey,
more particularly the acquaintance of
Messrs. Mckenzie and Chips, who have
figured so largely in connection with the
charges against the Judge, and denies
that he had any communication 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 the various charges against
him, and specifically denies each and
every allegation thereof. He describes
the chaotic conditions existing at Nome
at the time of his al rival, wherein he
states he found in the nelghborhood of
1000 people of all classes, and the ut
most confusion and disorder prevailing.
He sets out that every lot of ground in
the whole town had two or more claim
ants, that possession was held in a great
many instances by armed force and that
ne was besieged upon every hand imme-
diately upon mis- arrival by parties seek
ing relief against those whom they
claimed to be wrongfuIly and unlawfully
In possession of their property dlVestlng
it of value and shipping the proceeds out
of the country and the jurisdiction OF
the court.
He then details his efforts to organize
his court and the opportunities to which
he was subjected by litigants and coun-
sci, and describes favors that were at
tempted to be thrust upon him by solic-
itous individuals.
APPOINTMENT OF M KENZIE.
He recounts the circumstances under
which he appointed Alexander McKen-
zie receiver Of certain mining claims, al
leging that 1t had not been prearranged
that Mckenzie should act as receiver,
but that McKenZie's name was suggest
ed along with others, to one of whom the
place had been rendered before it was
offered to Mckenzie The judge reaffirms
the wisdom of that choice and compli-
ments McKenZie's administration of the
property.
Defending his appointment as receiver
for the placer mining claims, he denies
that he first suggested that remedy and
justifies his action upon the ground that
there were scattered alorg the beach thou
sands of unemployed men who had been
lured to Nome by the fabulous tales of
wealth, which had been given out and
predicated upon the result of the workings
of the previous year; that these men
were unemployed without food or money
and desperate, 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 unem-
ployed in the camp. He says that he
followed in this respect the precedents
established by former judges of the dis
trict of Alaska, and adds copies of a de-.
cree In similar case. He admits that
in most cases where he appointed re-
ceivers the representations made to the
court were largely untrue as to the ca
pabilities of the mines. This, however,
was not determined until later, and his
action was predicated upon the fairness
of the presentation of the case This,
he says, accounted for the comparative
~ excessive expense of operation by the
receivers. He also claims that as an adj
ditional precaution for the protection
of the parties in interest, he required in
all cases, when either Of the parties re-
quested 1t, that the gold dust realized by
the receiver should be deposited at the
safe deposit vault, not subject to with
drawal except by order of the court with
notice to the parties interested, and also
that he further ordered In each case,
when requested, 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 made by the receiver, and that he, in
every way possible, tried to throw every
safeguard about the property in the
hands of the receiver; that it might be
conserved for the benefit Of the party
who might finally be adjudged its owner.