Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-07-31
GIRLS HELD As SLAVES
Professor Davis Tells of Ter
riblo Conditions Which Pre-
vail In Alaska
AUTHORITIES GIVE NO HEED
Officers Apparently Indifferent to the
Wrong Which is Growing in Extent
in UnaIaska .District-Girls Held in
Bondage as Servants to Families -
Practice is Common.

st. Louis July 31.-Slavery within
the domain of the United States, white
persons sold and held under bondage
I'm violation of all the laws Of civlliza-
tjon-4-this Is the charge of Professor
w. A. Davis. superintendent of the
United States public schools at I'm
alaska, Alaska.
In u letter to a st. Louis friend the
professor tells how he has been at
work since 1893. when he went to Alas
ka, to eradicate the evil, but declares
States authorities interested. He says
he has personally freed two little girls
from slavery and sent them to their
homes, while he has worked without
avail to procure the release of six
other white girls In Unalaska. He
says the same conditions exist In 9TH
err towns.
In part the professor says:
AT the beginning OF the school year.
September, 1903, ! canvassed the will
iage of Unalaska for scholars, and to
my horror and disgust, / found eight
little girls, ranging in age from o to
IL years, In slavery. When asked
their masters If they intended to send
them to school they seemed much sur
prised and grew quite indignant. and
In substance said:
Send them to school? We did not
get them to send to school; we got
them to wait on our families, ana
n ~ + fn n
Immediately upon making the dis
covery called the attention of the
proper authorities to the fact and was
assured that immediate measures
would be taken to remedy the evil.
That was about a year and half ago,
and yet nothing has been done official
ly, though by individual effort ! have
secured the release Of two pftiful little
creatures who were returned to the
island from which they came and In
all probability were sent away again
at the first opportunity in some other
directions.
"In the village of Unalaska. with a
population OF not more than 200 there
are six girls in bondage as servile as
that of the blacks before theirsemancl-
patton, and It is safe to assume the
same conditions prevail all over Alas
ka.
These children are usually orphans
and are given away by those with
whom they have been left by their de-
ceased parents as freely and with as
little compunction as one in the states
gives away puppies They are brought
here by trading schooners from vari-
GUS portions of the territory.
"They are treated in all respects as
slaves. Their food Is Of the common
est poorest kind; their clothing con-
sists of cast-off garments, and I have
seen one of these girls In midWinter
wading in snow barefoot and without
enough rags upon her body to hide her
nakedness.
Almost Beyond Belief.
"with an inherited sentiment in ia
vor of the enslavement of weak, OPP
pressed and helpless human beings,
both on the part of the natives and on
the part of their absolute masters, the
Russians, it was not to be wondered
at that when this territory passed In
to the hands OF THE United States
slavery was common, but that 1t should
continue to exist without molestation
In spite Of article 10 Of the amend
merits, to the Constitution Of the United
States would be beyond my belief II
were not In plain view of it's God
forsaken, wretched little victims every
day.