Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1906-01-11
YARNS DENOUNCED
That Reflect on Alexander MCKen-
zle and Others as Relating
to the Nome Mines.
Articles Appear to be Subsidized
for Political Purposes and
Are Absurd and False.
Alex Mckenzie. a Modest and
Generous Man Made to Ap-
pear as a Braggart.

pear as a Braggart.
In an interview with an Alert re-
porter Ormsby McHarg who bas been
a resident Of Seattle for some eight
months and who was familiar with
matters relating to the Nome mining
excitement prior to his going to Seat
tie said:
"Iread in the Alert of Saturday an
editorial in regard to the magazine
tales being printed about the ''Loot-
ing of Alaska, and ''The Smugglers, "
a story in Everybody's Magazine. The
Alert very properly denounced as tales
of fiction, such articles that purport
to give the facts about an alleged rob-
bing of miners in Nome by Alexander
Mckenzie, and other North Dakot;.
men; also involving our senators and
other distinguished public men in
congress. I wish to say that 1 am
surprised on my return to this state
to find an attempt being made to dis
credit the men from North Dakota on
account of these,magazine stories and
can onlyicompare the attack to the
barkings of a small canine at the heels
of a mastitf too big and generous to
notice it. While in Washington I
had an opportunity to learn great
deal about the object and intentions
of the North Dakota men who became
interested in the Nome gold fields,
when the discovery was first made.
And l wish to say that at no time was
there any indication or evidence of
any kind that would lead to the belief
that Mr.. Mckenzie, or his associates
intended to engage in any enterprise
in Nome except the perfectly legiti-
mate one of dredging the sands on the
shore at Nome. The magazine tales
attempt to show that Mckenzie and
his friends went to Alaska for the sole
purpose of defrauding miners out Of
their claims through the aid of a
friendly ..court. This is absolutely
false as every scrap of evidence has
shown.
s1 know personally that Mr.. McKen.
zie and his friends invested q large
sum Of money in the manufacture of
certain dredging kmachinery which
was taken to Nome and which was not
a success for the purpose intended.
They lost money on the venture but
the plan was all right and since then
other dredging machines have been
improved and are working successfully
With q large capital invested In the
business.
ssThe magazine stories are mostly
pure fiction. as far as they relate TO
acts Of the North Dakota men after
they reached Nome. The gold excite
ment started early In 1893, and became
general inl 1900. When the North
Dakota men got to the Held and long
before they started fori Nome, there
was trouble in the camp from conflict
ing claims Of miners jumping and re-
jumping each others property, and
the whole camp was IN an uproar OF
disputes. q There certainly was need
ofa settlement of such disputes, and
the minersswere eagerly awaiting the
arrival Of . court authorized to legal
" settle conflicting claims and allow
the work of mining to go on. The
San Francisco element dominated and
MANY of the claims had been purpose
" jumped and work stopped by the
California crowd which has always
run the affairs of Alaska, and does
today.
..It has been charged by some, and
animated BY others, that MI. .McKen
zie was:a party TO persecution and
robbery oflminers thru the receiver.
shin Of certain conflicting claims
which receiyership he reluctantly ac.
cepted. It. was first offered to others
and I know that he at first declined
the same, and only on the urgent re
0uest Of influential claim owners who
wanted thel,protection of the court
finally agreed to take it. It has been
i've years since the trouble there and
not one cent 81 money belonging TO
anyone whose n interests he had tn
charge for . short time, has ever been bee
a