The San Francisco call., 1904-06-01
SMELL MURDER
is RECALLED
Man Who Declared Himself
to BE Fugitive Assassin
Dies in Wilds Of Alaska
CONFESSES TO A MINER
Weary of Fleeing From the
Law and Haunted by His
Crime He Welcomes End

VICTORIA, b. G, June If the
voluntary declaration of a dying man
IS TO believed. nnis has been written
10 the historic Smell tragedy Of flf-
teen years ago and Tascott the long
sought murderer. self identified, now
fills an unmarked grave in the heart
OF the Alaskan wilderness.
Philip Robertson, prOspector anC
miner. received the dying mans con-
fession and tells the story simply and
dramatically. Robertson left the hlon-
dixie capital, he says, late last fall IN
z small boat bound for the new placer
grounds at Fairbanks. He reached a
point near Dahlney River in a oeSolate
and forbidding region. when the for
l0rn waiIing Of a dog surprised him.
He found the dog, a half-starved shep-
herd. seemingly in much distress. FOL
lowing the animal, Robertson was
brought 10 z seemingly deserted cabin
some 400 yards above the river, con-
cealed in a clump of spruce
L Ventured 10 The door Of the shack
and knocked" says Robertson, and
there was a feeble come in.
All was darkness inside and there
was no sign Of a fire. ] caught sight
Of q bit of candle on the table. which
] lighted, and then advanced to where
a man lay.
with a feeble effort he turned and
stared al me for a full minute. Then
he said: Are you an Officer% The
question amazed me bit No / said,
1 am a miner and if there IS. anything
] can do for you I want to do it
CONFESSES HIS CRIME.
i soon had a fire going and again
approached the bed The mans hair
was white as snow. his face had a
color in Ill that looked like death, and
h had the most terrified and hope
less expression that / have ever seen
on a human being.
Partner he said. finally, rolling
over on mis- side, and little more than
whispering. I'm leaving a world that
] did not appreciate I'm going to
. 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 a few minutes he gave another
wild scream and Strengthened up in
bed Then, in a voice YOU would
think only came from a good strong
man, he said; See here, boys, my
name is TascOtt I'm Taseott. DO
You understand I'm Tascott that
they baVe been hunting. They've been
hunting me like a wolf for years.
cant run any more I'm getting paid
for what 7 did. I know I'm dying
and ] know where III go. Tell the
boys when you go back that I'm Tas-
cott and you can tell the world, too,
for the world has hunted me a long
time
DEATH COMES SUDDENLY.
About 8 o'clock in the morning I
heard 2 noise like a man eXpelling all
the air from his lungs. I rushed over
10 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 We're. They did not even
thank me for staying with their dead.
They did not even ask me to join them
al their meal but they buried the
man, and, rolling UP their things in
blanket pack, started across coun-
try in the direction Of the Koyukuk.
Before going one of them came TO
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 I could ask him anything
he had struck the trail and that was
the last I saw Of him. I have never
told about this until now, but that
dead man asked me TO make his story
public and do so. believe
that he was tortured 10 death by
thinking Of his own life and the belief
that he was always the object Of pur-
suit and ] surely believe that he
told the truth in saying he was Tas-
colt. II is my opinion that his part
ners knew it, too"