The Washington herald., 1913-03-12
srArEs,fEN-REAL AND NEAR
By FRED c. KELLY.

| Key P1ttmdn, the new JuniOr SendtOr
from Nevada and grandnephew Of Fran
els Scott Key, the song writer, has lived
more Alaskan adventures than one would
find in a couple OF Rex Beach novels. In
fact, he was the leading legal counsel
for the miners in their hight against n
big political conspiracy to rob them as
!set forth in ''The Spoilers" And practic-
ling law in the gold country In those days
Irequired the hardihood of dozen Pilgrim
Fathers. combined with the resourceful-
ness of a William ]. Burns.
But before he set up to practice his
profession at Nome. Pittman hit the
Skagway trail for the klondyke and
worked as common miner for two years.
He reached the Klondyke with nothing
but slightly worn dime in his pocket.
line old Southern family with only 10
cents in your pocket in a country where
drinks sold for a dollar each.
man offered him so cord for wood.
All he had to do was to 90 up on the
hiiisides with an ak. cut the wood, and
tote 1t in. The man would pay him
leash
Pittman had never before gone in for
manual labor. but IL was the only WAY
ne saw TO prevent himself from being a
nrue on the market. He and his partner.
ohe Sharies Greene, now of Pittsburg,
TOOK the contract. They got the use of
couple OF axes and n large, roomy
siedge and went out into the hills
Greene said he would handle the first
load He mounted the siedge and Pitt
man showed him of. For the first second
or two he got along nicely. Then he
approached a curve in the trail a mile or
so from his starting point. The next
half second found him buried along with
the sledge full of wood, in ten-foot
bank of snow. He managed to dig his
way out barely in time to avoid sufYoca-
tion, and went on to their rude cabin.
When Pittman got there he found his
partner in the midst of cooking dinner.
but in such bad humor that he didn't dare
to laugh or even show so much as a
twinkle in his eye over the incident of
the sledge in the snowbank.
Dinner is ready" announced Greene
savegely. after he had finished cooking
the pork and beans.
They ate in silence. When they were
through they lighted their pipes and
smoked for long time, still without
| either saying word Pittman wouh
have pawned his soul for good laugh
but he was afraid his partner would kill
nIr in cold blood.
At last Greene broke the silence. He
said:
When he struck NomeS Pittman no.
Iticed valuable strip of vacant land
stutting the main street and running
back to the beach. United States SOL
dters, who wers the only visible evil
dcnce of law. guarded that land. on the
theory that II was all beach. Even at
nlght. sentinel paced back and forth
TO prevent anybody from settling on it,
Pittman found that after allowing 81
feet FOR the beach at high tide as re-
lduired by law, there was still a strip %
feet deep abutting the street He asked
for permission to take squatter's rights
to some of this. but was refused Then
ne got the use of a room in the rear of
a saloon near by and built himself a
little cabin When the sentinel was at
the other end of the strip. Pittmau
land some of his friends moved his cabin
en- to the lot he wanted. On the front
'of the cabin was a sign which said:
key Pittman. Attorney at Law" II
was his office
| The sentinel had taken a drink or two.
as 1t happened, and when he came along
and saw Pittman's cabin where none
had been only few minutes previous
he wondered il he really saw il or lust
thought he did. He inquired of several
pystanders and they assured him that
there was really a cabin there Just as
he suspected. The sentinel said he had
prevent ANYBODY from
building there, but not to chase build
ings off.
| The next day the lieutenant in COM
Imand of the United States soldiers sent
for Pittman- Pittman sent word back
that he would be in his office all day
and would be glad to see him there
The affair was adjusted amicably after
a time and Pittman held his lot
| In a short time all the rest of that
side OF the street was completely
built up
Then there was the case OF the big
mining company which claimed to have
rights to certain lands near the beach
where hundreds of miners had found
| there was gold to be had only three or
| four feet beneath the surface These
miners came to Pittman to see what
| could be done. He told them that
legally the mining company had it on
them. but for them to follow his
directions and he would show them some
| thing funny.
| All refused to keep off the beach and
| were arrested-some 800 of them-and
] taken to the army headquarters Now,
80 prisoners, eating three meals a day
| can make themselves an expensive
! luxury in country where a sandwich
| brings as high as $50. After they had
had three meals, the lieutenant in COM
mand told them he would let them out
! If they would promise to keep of the
/ beach. They refused TO promise. Then
| he tried to let them escape. but they
neglected to escape: instead. Pittman
hustled around and got about 100 more
to go and give themselves up" At the
end of three days. the prisoners were
all discharged. and Key Pittmans law
practice was established.
Senator Pittman is forty years old,
tall. slender. with springy step. smooth
| face and a romantic backward sweep
to his hair. He was born in Nicksburg,
Miss, attended college in Tennessee, and
was practicing law in the State OF
Washington when he set out for the
Klohdykc.
When a youngster. Pittman did not at
tend school. but had private tutor,
which circumstance is mentioned simply
to show that not all the boys raised in
that exclusive fashion turn out the way
they do in the comic pictures.
Copyright lal3. by Fred c. Kelly. All rights -
seryed.I
Doctors Could Teach Lawyers.