Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-22
Two Things
Prevent a War

group of men were discussing the
probable strategic value Of Alaska to
Russia at this time, had she not sold
it to the United States. One of them, a
retired army officer. was moved to
tell an unwritten story of the transfer
of sovereignty to Sitka.
"It will soon be forty years since Rus
sia formally turned Alaska over to u.s."
said he. I'VE had two men-of-war in
the harbor of Sitka, and Gen. Jeff
Davis. dead long ago, was in command
of our land forces brought there Tor
the occasion.
HE was an impulsive man, who had
been court only few years
before for killing a brother officer.
Few persons know how near he came
when Alaska was turned over to us
to bringing on an Indian war that
might have lasted off and on for the
next ten years.
"The Sitka of that day was a little
stockaded town, with the Russian gov
ernor's residence for it's chief place.
The governor was q prince, which does
not mean much in Russia, though his
hospitality on that occasion was truly
princely.
1--WE were entertained with all sorts
of delicacies to eat and unlimited cham
pagne to drink, and we returned the
hospitality in kind. When the Russian
flag finally f1uttered down from the
government building and ours went up
in its stead everybody was in a very
good humor.
can hour or so later, however, Gen.
Jeff Davis happened to look beyond the
stockade to a spot where about 1000 In
dams We're encamped. having come to
celebrate the occasion, and there he
saw the Russian flag still flying. He
was instantly in a rage, and, calling an
orderly, he commanded him to go down
| at once and see that the stars and
| stripes take the place. of the Russian
ensign in the Indian encampment.
Several officers warned him that he
might make trouble if he did not go
about this matter with care. hut he re-
peated the order, and the officer went.
He talked through an interpreter with
the chiefs, and reported that they said
that when Boston men gave the In
dians firewater as the Russians gave it
to the Boston men the change of flags
should be made.
while the orderly was absent the
Russians opened several more bottles of
champagne, and when he came back
with the message about firewater for
the Indians the general was madder
than ever. He instantly ordered an
officer to take a file of soldiers into
the Indian camp and run up the Amer
lean flag, adding that if the Indians
resisted they would have their camp
shelled.
1T was an awkward moment, for
Gen. Davis had the power to do what he
threatened, and should he carry out his
threat there would inevitably be imme-
diate bloodshed, followed perhaps by
years of Indian warfare. The Russians
quietly warned us against hasty action,
and some of us got hold of the general
and urged him to go slow.
"At first nothing would satisfy him,
but at length he was persuaded to order
that a few barrels of whisky should
be distributed to the chiefs, and some
blankets to their wives. We watched
him uneasly after this order was given,
and it was executed with all speed.
"The chiefs were appeased by the
gifts, and in less than an hour from the
time the order was given the Amer
lean flag was flying over the Indian
encampment. That whisky and those
blankets probably saved the govern
ment of the United States millions OF
dollars"