Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-08
KILLED FOR POACH|NG
Five Japanese Fishermen Shot
on st. Paul Island
OF THE PRIBILOFF GROUP
In Sealing Waters Of the Alaskan
Coast
AT REPUTED ORDER OF q. S. ACT.
Details Of the Affair, Which Occur.
red on July II Last-Action Of
the Department.
OF THE PRIBILOFF GROUP
AT REPUTED ORDER OF q. S. ACT.

NEW YORK, August S-Further details
Of the killing of five japanese poachers In
the Pribiloff Islands are contained in a spe-
cial to the Herald dated Dutch Harbor,
Alaska, July 25. via Seaward, Alaska AuA
gust Z, which says:
Five Japanese were shot and killed on
the Island of st. Paul Of the Pribiloff group
by order of the agent of the Department Of
Commerce and Labor July II, as the re-
suit of raid by four Japanese schooners
on the seal rookeries.
The revenue cutter McCullogh reached
here today from ST. Paul with twelve pris-
oners, two seriously wounded. who were
turned over to Deputy Marshal Harmon.
The raiders were discovered lying near
Northeast Point, st. Paul, by native look.
outs of the North American Commercial
Company, which holds the seal privilege
from the government. Word was tele-
phoned from the patrol station near the
rookery for which the raiders were aiming.
and Special Agent Lempke of the Depart
ment of Commerce. on duty In the Prioi-
loft Islands, arrived on the spot as the jap
anese reached shore He ordered the boat
crew to surrender, which they did.
On climbing the promonotory at the end
of the cape overlooking one of the larger
rookeries a schooner was close in
shore. Looking straight down over the
cliff the patrol saw a dozen or more jap
anese skinnng great number of seal
which had been slaughtered indiscrimi-
nately.
Refused to Surrender.
The raiders refused to surrender when
Lempke reached the scene and tried to
make off with their booty in small boats,
several of which were drawn up on shore.
The agent then ordered his guard Of ma
tives TO open fire. The japanese offered no
resistance, being without firearms
Three of the raiders fell dead on the
beach, a fourth was seen to be thrown
capped and hfth body drifted ashore later
in another boat.
The men had killed more than two hun
dred seals, many of them cows. Those who
escaped carried away about one hundred
and twenty skins
The raid is believed to have been con-
certed effort by the Japanese, who have
been hanging around the island for months
and giving the revenue cutter much trou-
ble
The Tokwa Maru, schooner, over
hauled by the cutter Perry on July off the
new volcanic island which rose near Bo-
goslof, forty miles from here. last March.
She was crowded with Japanese but no
seafskins were found aboard. Suspicious Of
Capt Dunwoodie of the Perry were aroused
and he proceeded to the Priboloffs at once,
but a dense fog set in and lasted until the
Perry returned here on July 16.
Took Charge of Prisoners.
The McCullogh reached the islands in
July 20 and took charge of the prisoners.
Besides Tokwa Maru the schooner Bosso
Maru is known to have been in the raid
last autumn. Japanese were found fish,
ing and trading with the natives on the
island of Attu, the westernmost in the
Aleutian chain, and were routed by the
Perry.
The raid is the most serious that has
ever occurred in the troubled history Of the
rookeries. The last attempt to rifle the
island was made about ten years ago by
schooner flying the Mexican flag. She
was intercepted by a cutter before carry
ing out her purpose
The raid was supposed to have been
planned by Alex. Mclean. He was known
to be in Victoria, British Columbia, last
winter, but left there for parts unknown in
the early spring.
Officials and company men on the seal
islands are considerably excited, al
though no further raids are expected, as
the patrol of the Bering sea by the cut
ters becomes continuous on August J..
Their captains seem disinclined 70 pursue
or capture even schooners known to have
taken part in the raid unless found in the
three-mile limit or in open violation of the
law.
Returned to Their Vessels
Many prisoners were taken just after
the raid, but were allowed to return to
their vessels, as the guard was considered
insufficient to control so many. The pris-
oners buried their own dead on the beach.
In trying to return to the seal islands
with Agent Lemptke on July % the Perry
broke her cylinder pump a mile from
shore, and is temporarily out of business.
This leaves the patrol short of vessels
and the islands unguarded. The Theuc Is
in the arctic. the Rush on duty at Nush-
agak, Bristol bay; the Boar out of COM
mission and the Mccullough under orders to
proceed to Sitka to take on board the gov
ernor of the district and land Fish Com
missioner Bowers, now at St Paul, on
Kodiak island.
The prisoners left on July % on the
monthly mail steamer for Valdez, where
the court of the second judicial district, In
which the seal islands lie. sits in August.
The charge will probably be piracy. De-
partment of Commerce agents are preserve
ing the utmost secrecy about the affair.