Iditarod pioneer., 1912-09-28

came along, whether going up or down i river. The first boat was the Louise | for St. Michael, where he caught the l Victoria for Seattle. While at St. Michael man asked him for money. , He did not know the mans name, but ! had met him at Georgetown. He gave him his .30-t0 rife. Witness gambled while on the way out. The first day or two he won, but later lost, and landed in Seattle with $5 which had been given him. At Seattle witness pa wned the watch which had heen the property of the Nelsons. Witness then ! detailed his movements from the time he arrived in Seattle until he reached ! WhitehOrse on his way in this spring. Asked by his attorney whether he had | killed the NeIsons, Campbell laughed at the idea, for which he was called to task by the prosecuting attorney. He said he was as innocent as any of the ] jurymen.
 Cross-examined by Mr Roden.
 Campbell said he had left for the Ho- litna just after the river opened, with some stuff he had got from Bismarck and Mrs. Myers, who wanted him to stake some ground for her. He had some grub cached there. When com ing down from the Holitna the Nelsons stopped six miles above Georgetown to sleep, but witness kept going, and got to Georgetown between and in the | morning. He went ashore and got two cases of stolen whiskey, which he took down to the boat. He didn't see a soul at that time. He then pulled out, stop ping at the Indian village below John sons. He didn't stay long, but went to sleep little lower down river and since he had been in trouble had formed the idea that the Nelsons must have passed him then. His boat was painted blue, mixed with white lead: he got the C0oring from Wilkinson. The tarpaulin that he had was striped bed-ticking. He had a .30-4O rife, which he had given away at St. Mich ael toa man whom he knew as Mac, who was going to Nome. He never knew much about the Nelsons' financial condition, but had heard all sorts of stories circulated. He had traded the whisBey to the Nelsons for their watch and some furs. It seemed to him that they had done 8 little trading at the Ilme Indians (Jacob's) place. It was about , o'clock in the evening when they got there, and about when they pulled out. The Nelsons were little ahead of him. Witness camped in a slough mile or two below Jacobs place, and that was the last he had seen of the Nelson boat. He may have stopped on the island when coming up- stream with Billy Barnhart. It was in Seattle that witness had frst heard something to the effect that the Nel- sons had been killed-in Louis Spitz' place. He had not seen any boat pass him while he was travelling with the Nelsons, either going up or down. He did not believe the Nelsons were killed while he was on the Kuskok vim. Had met Oscar Olson in Seattle in March, and didn't remember making asy state ment about the Seward trail. Frank Smith had calle him out of saloon at Ruby and told him that the authorities were looking for a man named Campbell, and asked him if he knew about it. Witness replied that I they might want him for stealing whis- key, Smith went back to get further information from his informant, and re- turned saying that Campbell was wanted in connection with the Nelson case. Smith also told about a watch which had belonged to the Nelsons being traced to Seattle.
 W. H. Holmes said that Campbell had told him that he had disposed of ] the .30-40 rife at Russian Mission.
 Tom Howell said that when it had been remarked that the grave which had been dug WIS six feet deep, Camp bell had said he had always believed it was three feet deep, or about three feet deep.
 T. H. Long testified that Campbell had stated while in the jail at Ruby, Kelly, Britt and others being present, that he had got the watch above Georgetown, and that many in George tAwn haA Snatn h in, M h it