The Washington herald., 1914-09-06
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WOMAN EXPOSES
ALASKA SCANDAL
Mrs. Whitney Reaches Cap
ital to Testify Against
U. S. Officials.
ESQUIMAUX DEBAUCHED
Teacher Will Tell Red6eld and Greg
DRY Agents Bought Liquor Instead
of:.School Supplies.
ESOUIMAUX DEBAUCHED

! Mrs. Elsie G. Whitney. the Alaska
school teacher whose recent charges re-
suited in the dismissal Of FIVE govern
ment ofdciaIs in the Pribilof Islands Of
Alaska, reached Washington yesterday
10 lay before the Department Of Jus
tice further evidence which will be used
in the prosecution Of the officials.
Mrs Whitney was with her husband
who is also a Pribilof Island school
teacher and they went at once to the
Bureau Of Fisheries where they paid
their respects to DR.. I. H. Dunlap, who
was acting for the Commissioner Of Fish
cries. An interview with the Secretary
of Commerce has been arranged for
Tuesday and another. interview with the
Attorney General Is expected, within q
few days.
Letter Contains Charges.
The charges of Mrs. whitney were con-
tanned in letters written to her mother,
Mrs, Eta Gibson. Of Ferncliff. n. H, and
when the Secretary OF Commerce heard
of the charges he ordered an instant
investigation.
In one of her letters Mrs. whitney
wrote: TT has been seven months since
we've had any mail: seems like ages
s's We certainly are limited to neces-
sary material to work with.
sThe reoGIisition that we made out a
year ago for things actually essential
in our school work was crossed of en-
tirely by the chief agent of the govern
ment here, and much more than the
amount of money to cover the cost of
the articles was put into liquors to sell
TO the natives.
"A more rotten system and state of
affairs than exists on the islands could
hardly be conceived. 'TwOuld take vol
unes to explain II, so I won't attempt It
here"
In letter last fall she wrote:
WORD came Unexpectedly that the sup
ply ship Homer would make but one trip
instead Of two, as had been the custom,
and as it was SO near time for the boat TO
leave San Francisco that the only way TO
get any orders down in time to have
things come up for our winters supplies
was by wireless at g cents word.
Absolutely Helpless.
Then when we sent our message for
things most needed. the man who at
tended to the buying sent about half what
was ordered and used the rest Of our
money to buy 'dsinties' for the natives.
We were pretty angry, but were abso-
lutely helpless"
Writing from ST Georges Island on
June p, she said:
Il came over here on an act of
mercy June l. Mrs. Hanna's little girl
baby was born at a. m. June 5,
weighed six and q half pounds. /
think 1 wrote you last summer about
her coming up from Texas to marry
Mr.. Hanna. She had been a society
girl down there and l guess this was
some change for her. as she was the
only white woman on St Georges Is
land all winter long.
This island is absolutely out Of
everything; there are only a few po-
tatoes and onions left and only tea
enough to last If it is doled out until
the supply ship can get here.
"All sorts of canned goods (our main
stRy0 have been gone since April and
and such that would have
come in handy for the baby have been
out since Christmas.
This Is the fault Of the government |
agent in charge here, Proctor. who the !
natives over on our island CSt Paul. |
are afraid will be transferred to min
!ster to their wants next year"