St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-08-05
BIT OF ALASKA HISTORY.
Interesting Incident IN Connection
with the Taking Over Of the
Territory from Russia.

/ A group OF men were discussing tne
probable strategic value OF Alaska to
Russia at this time, had she not soid
it to the United States. One OF tnem,
a retired army officer, was moved %
/ tell an unwritten story OF the Transfer
T of sovereignty to ~4.ka.
| ct will soon be 40 years since Rus
STA formally turned Alaska over 10 us
said he 1--WE had two men-of-war II
the harbor of Sitka, and Ga. Jen "a
Wis, dead long ago, was in e., mmand OF
our land forces, brought there 1or tns
| occasion.
HE was an impulsive man, who had
| been court -martialed only few years
before for killing a brother ofncer AZ
st. Louis. Few persons know now
near he came when Alaska was turned
over to US to bringing on an indian
war that might have lasted of and on
for the next ten years.
"The Sitka of that day was nttle
stockaded town, with the Russian gov
ernors residence fo< it's chief place.
The governor was prince, which does
not mean much in Russia, though MS
hospitality on that occasion was truly
princely.
eve were entertained with all sorts
of delicacies to eat and unlimited
champagne to drink, and we returned
the hospitality in kind. When the
Russian flag finally futtered down
from the government building AID ours
went up in its stead everybody was IN
a very good humor.
An hour or so later, however, Cen.
jeff Davis happened to look beyond
the stockade to a spot where about
1000 Indians were encamped, having
come to celebrate the occasion. ana
there he saw the Russian nag still fly
ing. He was instantly in 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 encamp-
ment.
Several officers warned him that he
might make trouble if he did not go
about this matter with care, but he re-
peated the order and the officer went.
He talked through an interpreter with
the chiefs and reported that they said
when the Boston men gave the Indians
freWater as the Russians gave it to
the Boston men the exchange 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 ireWater for
hn Nd inv, x IAr
than ever. He instantly ordered an
officer to take file of soldiers into The
Indian camp and run up the American
flag, adding that if the Indians resisted
he would have their camp shelled
s'It 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.
immediate bloodshed, followed perhaps
by years of Indian warfare. The Rus
slams 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 or
der that few barrels of whisky be
distributed to the, chiefs and some
blankets to their wives. We watched
him uneasily after this order was Civ
en-, 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
American flag was flying over the In
dian encampment That whisky and
those blankets probably saved the gov
eminent Of the United States millions
of dollars"