The Nome nugget., 1903-11-07
THE SAD CASE OF THE ESK!MU
Old Whae Writes Interestingly and Truhuly of Their CondOn and Endorses the Work of Rev. Mr. Ryberg-Many Natives
 Will Suffer This Winter, Unesss Given Iie|p-The >> Work of the fOOtCh Trader.

man need not influence them It has greatly in
 huenced them, and will continue to do so, whether for good or evil, depends upon whether the nhu- ence is left to come solely from depraved human natures, or whether there be found any man such as Rev. Ryberg, who will hold out his hand tC raise them above depravity and teach them the better things to be learned from our civilization All say is, thank God for such men, and sue cess attend their noble work
 The Quartz Creek Mission is-necessary: there they will be taught to lead better lives Then condition at present is deplorable indeed, and they are like hocks of stray sheep without an owner tc care whether they live or where they go
 Let me finish by relating two incidents. On, occurred in the winter of 1899, when the early settlers came to Nome. l was living that wnto at Nome river and near there were several fami lies of EslIimos, mostly young mon and women Every week. sometimes twice week, l would sc' them intoxicated. They had hootch" in abund ance. One evening, near their huts | was accost ed by man who tried to sell me some. As h' opened his overcoat l saw he had several bottle, concealed around his body. 1 saw immediately where these poor natives were getting their sup plies. The man went towards the huts, and continued in the opposite direction short dis tance and then turned to see where he went. He entered of the huts, and I returned to ou1 cabin and discussed what l saw The next morn ing we reported the man to deputy U $. mar shal, and l identified him. The officer watched some timc and found where he had tho stuff cached along the trail, down the coast; he had tW, or more cases in a house where a woman lived who did not know what was kept in her house | The proofs were overwhelming, but the ''hootch' peddler went scot free mild reprimand from the kangaroo court was all.
 A week ago last Sunday, while returning hom, that evening, native woman came staggering along, leading child by the hand with another il
 the hood on her back. Both children wer, screaming ustly. They had just passed m, when l heard the woman fall heavily. 1 turned and ran toward them, but another man was as sisiag them before got to them. He had re leased one of the children, as the woman haC
 fallen on it, and was picking up the second child which had nearly slid out from it's mothers hood He handed the little child to lady who was standing close by and picked up the larger child She requested us to bring them into the house
 which was quite near. They carried the chl dren, who were screaming all the time, and dragged the woman in as best I could. Several other persons came along, and one man suggested sending for policeman to take them home An officer soon arrived, and ordered them to "mush' to the jail. The drunken woman was not able tc stand, and the lady still held the child, and per sistently requested that they should be taken home and not to jail, the child might die ol perish in jail Both the lady and man saw that the officer was Obdurate, and the man proposed carrying the child home if some one would assist the woman and the other child. The next diff culty to find their home, so l started to look
 for native who might guide and assist us. had only walked short distance when 1 met
 native woman, and she was also intoxicated. accosted her and asked her to come with me.
 had to steady her as we walked along She gave us the information we needed and proved to be the mother of the other woman with the two ch dren We started for their home on the sandspit
 and will assure the reader that the journey was a long and tedious one. We conducted to
 cabin near the far end of the sandspit, where we aroused the inmates and left the two drunkel
 women and the children
 Right here came up against the ':rea thing. No sooner than came outside an In
 dian by the name of Happy Jack came along, and diving along like an old, ancient wind jammer
 hove to in heavy gale and high sea; he wa.
 making leeway and sternway, and not much head
 way; concluded to lead him back with a: far the city jail Big George Matson assisted from the start, but after working hard an hour ol
 more we decided to look up policeman. Jack resisted at every step. An officer soon arrived
 and put chain on his wrist which made our tasl
 easier, and we soon reached the city jail, where
 we were told no Indians would be taken in. The jailer told us his orders came from the chief St Jack was told he might go. He started dOWl