Douglas Island news., 1902-01-29
KILLIsNoo LETTER.
Man Frozen--CeIebrating Russian Xmas--Indians
 Drowned.

celebrated Tn hllllSnoo Dy VDe 1hoidus who live there, and the Indians from Angoon. About year ago Father So- boleff organized a Temperance Society composed of members of his Church. 1t has been the means of keeping many from drink. Christmas day they gave the Salvation Army big dinner. They had tree nicely decorated and many presents on it. The dinner was given in the school house which was tastefully trimmed with evergreens and flags. Mrs. Sobolef gave them the use of her cooking stove and kitchen to prepare their dinner. After the dinner was over. the presents were distributed and every one went home happy. The next day the society treated themselves to dinner in the same manner, celebrating two days for Christmas. When Father Soboleff is at home, they have fine ser vices in the Church Christmas Eve. They could not have them this year.
 Last week as a party of Indians were out hunting near Pearl Straits, on Baronoff Island, on the beach they found James Murphy [who lives at Wrangell nearly dead. He, with two other men from Wrangel had come over in schooner to hunt, and he got separated from them by following a deer trail. and instead of returning to the beach he wandered further into the woods. His party hunted for him three days without finding any trace of him and then gave him up. He finally wandered back to the beach after five days without food or shelter, and with his feet and hands badly frozen. The Indians took him into their tent, feed and warmed him and the next day brought him to Killisnoo, where he was taken good care of until the Flosie re- turned from Sitka on Friday, the 18th, and he went in on her. He belonged to the Salvation Army, and the Salvation ists here made up a purse to bear his expenses to Wrangel. ''In His way not our way, the Lord will provide"
 Another sad accident, which has thrown deep gloom over our Village. T4ngoon.; The houses that the Indians have been building for the past six weeks are completed, and they had every thing ready to receive the Taku and Sitka Indians. h front of every house on the beach was flag pole, these poles ranging in highth from p to 75 feet and from the top of each foated a fine American flag. At night the flags are taken down and lantern takes its place, so that if the canoes come in af- ter dark the Indians can see the light and be directed here. On Friday even ing the 18th, the Indians saw light coming towards the village, and thought it was some of the visiting Indians com ing. so they began to beat their Tom Toms, sing and dance in their wild way. But their joy was soon turned to mourning, and their singing to wailing. In the canoe was the widow and young est daughter of Adam Ah-yan-ka, who, with his wife, daughter and two sons, had left here only two weeks ago, in their boat to go about 9 miles to their cabin where they had dried salmon last summer. On returning they were with in ten miles of this place, when night came on and they camped on the beach. About one o'clock the wind began to blow very hard and the two boys got up to see to their boat. They proposed to tie it to tree and anchor it near shore. But the father thought it best to anchor it far out, and while doing so a large wave capsized the boat and all three were drowned. Imagine the feel ings of that poor mother, wife and the daughter the rest of that night and for seven days after, until this canoe from Juneau came along and picked them up. The wife is cripple and cannot walk any great distance, so there was nothing to do but to wait until a canoe came along. Tbe next morning after they arrived here, there were four canoes from here and two from Killisnoo, with nearly 100 Indians started out to search for the bodies. All the flags were at half mast, and both villages are in great distress and sorrow. Adam has three brothers living at Killisnoo. He was the chief of the Wash-Kee-nas tribe.
 Some of the canoes have just return ed with the body of the eldest boy. a A:.A...aA =.