The Alaska citizen., 1911-06-19


 from The diary of Inspector FHHer- all ro gc' Mfn print were given 2. newspaper ,rrrcsiyudou'~ a' Ottawa May IL. month arer 'h" Dawson New~ -,ourrd the world on -l, big g,sr story ever chr utolei regardlue the history uf rha Royal Nor'hW,s' Mounted r lice The News had 'l. essential facts correct. hu' a uuml.- uf points iu detail have come w' at Ottawa mos interesting to rh, lHkeuer~ NJ rnrrl T of tnrpora' D,mp,tcr'~ official report Wa~ made public here t iuuei White. r. N c. comptroller ul -ho police. las given uu, certain authorized statements. The Chtrase Tribune of May r. contains .a;urmtfi-o in d -Te lal from Otaaa Embraced .u The ai.i" ,~ are n iolloWma
 Corpora, prWistcr lu his r,Hor says
 T saw. rNc I-' of provisions ar McPhersou. which the Inflated party took with rhom, and Na~ m#ch sur prised af the small quantities taken. Iu tacr l feel oer.aju 'tat ike party must have h.cN on short rd'jnu- long h,tore they turned back In der the hcsr possible conditions, without any delay ut auF kind. dc not think he party had sufficient ratien~ to lasf them lr.m N,Fho~ son to Daw~ n. hut if they had kcW on the right nail they would have got through all righ'. as they Uld have met with several hands of Indians from whom they could have purchased ample supplies oi dried meat and fish.
 A ta their dogs, clu -av II h. Iny. aS all fhc information | could gather tt Nepher>ou was .ha' they H ere in fair condition
 The explanation oi inc limited amoun, of ra'ious taken is that fltz gerald expected ro make " q1iek trip and did nof wish 'o lad the party '.o heavily. confidently Ok ing forward ro securing food 1T m the Indians along the route 'o Ip1"- son Had they succeeded in cross ing the Hart river divide fl is alto uerher probable fL,y would have cn- cuunrered Indians Big game. no k much more plentiful Il the West side than on the east
 Inspector Fitzgerald, ill his diary gives some iUkling d. to what me=' affected his mind; il seems iu have been inc anxiety 10 perform the la- rrol and not to return To Fort Me Pherson defeated. His oEpressi n. My last hope i~ Erur and jHe only thing can dc is 10 return" seems ro indicate this Had he been less experienced traveller than he Vas Ht would surely have turned back Sooh- CT. Corporal Dempster's $ report shows that The unfortunate men had vast ed to shadows All were strong, powerful young men and ill the best of health and condition when they left on their ill-lated journey.
 All the details that will ever be known of what is probably the great est tragedy in the annals oi the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. the starving and freezing 10 death last February of Inspector Fitzgerald and the three cons ahlts, Kinney. IaN- Tor and Carter. who accompanied him Cn the patrol from Fort Me Pherson 10 Dawson. were brought here and delivered 10 Colonel While. VI. police. by a special messenger today
 The messenger brought the diary kept bv Fitzgerald. ritZgerald's will scrawled during his last hours with burnt twig on piece of battered and torn paper, and the report of Corporal Dcmpsrc CT, MhO command ed the relief and searching party that found the bodies. One of the men. Constable Taylor. had become crazed by his Suf1erings and blew his head of with his shct gun.
 The story told by FitZgcraIds diary. which he kept with steady hand up to February j. when he made the last entry; the feebly scrawled will written by the dying man, and the story told by Corporal Dempster. together with the account of the expedition and the sufferings as adduced by Commissioner A. Brown Perry of Regina constitute thrilling tale,
 Inspector Fitzgerald's will was drawn as he lay beside the dead body of Constable Carter. whom he blamed for the partys misfortune. II concluded with the words, God bless all,' and bequealhed his money and papers to my dearly beloved mother" who lives in Halifax.
 Colonel White will not allow yer hatim copy of the will, which con lains only P words. to be printed until Mrs. Fitzgerald has seen the document. Fitzgerald was ill Ottawa two years ago and of that visit Col onel White says:
 "l told him at that time that l did not feel like sending him back. told him that he had lived long enough in that country, but he said he preferred to be there l there upon told Sir Wilfrid Iaurier about his excellent record. and consequent- ly was placed in a position 10 be advanced and given commission. He then was a sergeant.
 He was one of our best men We had selected him and the others 10 go to the coronation and he would not have returned again 10 the Northwest. The pitiful thing is that poor Fitzgerald had been en- gagged to a Halifax girl for II years. He was about 40 years old. This thing cuts me up worse than any thing l have experienced.
 Commissioner Perry tells the story thus:
 This diary was found on the 22d of March last by Corporal Demp- ster. who was in charge of the search party sent out from Dawson Ii was under the robe on which the