The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-06-01
Tells on Death Bed That He
Killed Millionaire Smell, OF Chi.
caso. Fifteen Years AGO.
LIVED LIFE OF A REcLusE
Has Been Hiding I'm Alaska for
Years While Detectives
Secured Earth Lock
Ing for Him.

flCtuElA. ~. ~, may dls--I tue VOL
untary declaration OF a dying man is
to be believed. finis has been written
to the historic Smell tragedy Of Is years
ago. and Tascott. the long sought mur-
derer. elf-identitied, has paid the pen
atty of his crime with penitence, and
now fills an unmarked grave In the
heart of the Alaskan wilderness, with
er he had fed for the effacement Of
his Individuality
Philip Robertson. strictly reliable
man, prospector and miner, received
the dying mans confession, and tells
the story simply and dramatically
Robertson left the Klondike capital. he
says. late last fall. In a small boat
bound for the new placer grounds at
Fairbanks. He reached q point near
Dahlney river, In particularly desc
late and forbidding region, where the
forlorn wailing of dog surprised his
ears. He found the dog, a haif-starved
Shepherd, apparently in much distress.
Following this animal, Robertson was
brought to seemingly deserted cabin
some 400 yards above the river, con-
cealed In clump Of spruce.
Il ventured to the door OF the shack
and knocked says Robertson, 'and
there was feeble Come in
"All was darkness inside and there
was no sign of fire. ! caught sight
Of bit of candle on the table, which
lighted and then advanced to where
man lay.
with a feeble effort he turned and
stared at me for full minute. then he
said:
"Are you an officerT
THE question amazed me bit.
mo / said, 1 am a miner. and IL
there is anything / can do for you |
want to do it.
Il soon had a fire going, and again
approached the bed. The mans hair
was white as snow, his face had liquid
color in 1t that looked like death, and
he had the most terrified and hopeless
expression / have ever seen on hui
man being.
Partner, he said, finally rolling
over on his side, and little more than
whispering; I'm leaving a world that
did not appreciate. I'm going to h.,
where belong
He lapsed into silence again, and
what / thought was sleep came over
him. Two hours passed, and he sud-
denly wakened with a Shrek and then
sank back in bed.
IN few minutes he gave another
wild scream and Strengthened up in
bed. Then in a voice you would think
only came from good, strong man,
he said: See here, boys, my name is
Tascott I'm Tascott. Do you under
stand? I'm Tascott that they have
been hunting like a wolf for years. /
can't run any more. Pm getting paid
for what l did. know I'm dying, and
know where I'll CO. Tell the boys
when they come back that | am Tas-
colt, and you can tell the world, too,
for the world has hunted me long
time.
About 3 in the morning / heard a
noise like man expelling all the air
from his lungs. | rushed over to the
bed and felt the mans pulse and heart.
He was dead.
THE next day his partners got back,
and / told them what happened. They
were the strangest fellows I've ever
met in the North. They did not say
who they were. They did not even
thank me for staying with their dead
They did not even ask me to join them
at their meal, but they buried the
man, and, rolling up their things In
a blanket pack, started across the coun-
try in the direction of Koyukuk.
Before going one of them came tol
me abruptly. See here he said, you've
seen and heard what you've heard
You can't make anything by talking
about it. He's dead and that's all there
is to It,
Before could ask him anything he
had struck the trail, and that was the
last saw OF him have never told
about this until now but that dead
man asked me TO make his story pub
lic and / do So solemnIy believe
that he was tortured to death by thlnk-