The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-06-01
A Story Comes Out Of the
KlOndike Which Sounds
Like the Truth.
DEATH-BED CONFESSION
Long Songht Murderer of Million
aire SsaelI Revealed His Iden,ity
In His Dying Moments.
Returned klondike Miner Tells the
Tale OF a Lonely Shack In Al;sk
Wilderness.

NlSloiid, ID. ~, JNllc L. IL ZIG W.
untary declaration of a dying man is
to be believed "fiMs" has been written
to the historic Smell tragedy of fifteen
years ago and Tascott, the long sought
murderer, self-ideatified, has paid the
penalty of his crime with penitence
and now fills an unmarked grave in
the heart of the Alaskan wilderness,
of his individuality.
Philip Robertson, a strictly reliable
man, Trospector and miner, received
the dying mans confession and tells
the story simply and dramatically.
Robertson left the Klondike capital, he
says, last fall in a small boat bound
for the new placer grounds at Fair
banks. de reached a point near Dahl
river in a particularly desolate and
forbiddiRg region, when the forlOrn
wailing of a dog surprised his ears.
He found the dog, half-starved shep-
herd, seemingly in much distress. Fol
lowing this animal, Robertson was
brought 10 a seemingly deserted cabin
some 400 yards above the river, built
in clump of spruce trees.
81 ventured to the door Of the shack
and knCckod." saEs Robertson, land
there vas a feeble come in All was
darkness inside and there was no sign
of a fire. | caught sight of a bit of
candle, which l lighted and then ad-
vanced to where a man lay.
with a feeble effort he turned and
stared at me for full minute. Then
he said: Are you an officer?' The
question amazed me bit.
"'No,' l said, I am miner, and if
there is anything l can do for you,
want to do it,
81 soon had fire going and again
approached the bed. The mans hair
was white as snow, his face had a
livid color in it that looked like death
and he had the most terrified and hope
less expression | have ever seen on a
human being.
"'Partner,' he said, finally, rolling
over on his side and little more thar
whispering, I'm leaving a world that
I did not appreciate. I'm going tC
where I belong He lapsed into 81
lence again and what l thought was
sleep came over him. Two hours
passed and he suddenly Weakened with
a shrek and then sank back in bed.
I'm a few minutes he gave another
wild scream and Strengthened up ir
bed. Then in voice you would think
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 wolf for years.
cannot run any more. I'm getting pai(
for what | did. l know I'm dying anC
/ know where Pm going. Tell the
boys when they come back that l an
| TascOtt and you can tell the world, 100
| for the world has hunted me a lons
time
"AbOut 3 in the morning I heard
noise like a man expelling all the ali
from his lungs. | rushed over to tn
bed and felt the mans pulse an,
heart He was dead.
The next day his partners got bacl
and told them what happened The.
were the strangest fellows I've eve
met in the North. They did not sa,
who they were. They did not ever
llldllk me LOT staying Win l0elr Uedu
They did not even ask me to join the i
at their meal, but they buried the mai
and. rolling up their things in a blan
ket pack, they started across countr
in the direction of the Koyukuk
Before going one of them came t
me abruptly. See here he sale
you've seen and heard what you'v
heard. You can't make anything b
talking about it. He's dead and that
all there is to It,
Before | could ask him anythin
he had struck the trail and that wa
the last l saw of him. l have neve
told about this until now, but tina
dead man asked me to make his stor
public and SO | do so. | solemnly b,
lieve that he was tortured to death
thinking of his own life and the Grim
he had committed, and l believe h
told the truth in saying he was Ia
colt It's my opinion that his par
ners knew it, too"