Iditarod pioneer., 1914-05-02
EX-COMMISSI0NER
 SPEAKS PLAINLY

Edward J. Sticr, United States commits { soner at Georgetown, arrived in ldtarod Wednesday. Mir. Stier resigned the com missioner to take effect April 1, but his successor had not been appointed up to the time he left Georgetown. MT. Sher has i made no definite plans for the future, but will probably remain in ldltarod for some ! time.
 Regarding the report of man being kokwim country Mr Sticr stated that on April II an Indian reported to him that ,man known as Captain Bigger, or Berger ! had asked him to go with him and assist in the burial of d man who was lying dead in cabin on a slough between Swift river ! and the Tuluwicksak The man Bigger, or Berger, seemed to be laborng under excite Y. ment, &nd was extremely nervous. The Indian, instead of doing as requested, went to Georgetown and reported the incident to Mir Stier Owing to the fact that expenses incurred in conducting all inquest on the body of F. C. Tawney in March, 1913, had been disallowed, Mir Ster declined to under take the trip of l25 miles by dog team to investigate the matter and reported by let ter to the United States officials in Fair banks.
 In letter to the attorney general of the United States, protesting against the disalIowancc of claims of himself and oth- CTS in the Tawney case, Mir Stier said:
 If your ruling stands and these several parties who furnished dog teams for the Use of the coroner to take the jurors, wit nesses supplies, etc, to the place where the body was found, and they are not to re ceiVc any compensation for the use of the same, then it will be an impossibilty for coroners in these outlying precincts to hold any inQuests and bury the remains of any poor unfortunate who loses his life any dis tance from the headquarters of the com missioner
 Speaking of the death reported to him on April II, the commissioner says
 T refuse to put up the money for the necessary supplies and expenses for do not know if it will ever be returned to me The remains of this poor unfortunate who ever be may be q do not know if he died a natural death or was murdered or sui cdel, will rot or be eaten by wild animals or washed away, before the officials in Fair banks are notified ! have written to the 1@@ge the United States attorney and the marshal of what information l received l Wrote them all cn the morning of the 11th of April just after l received the informa- tIon. The letters are still in my possession, as no one has started from here to the nearest po>to.tice, Iditarod and do not know when there will be anyone go over tie hjIs ta lotarod that will take the mail
 "Such gre the conditions in the outlying precinct, of Alaska. If q prospector or trapper goes out in the wilds of this country and meets death. in no matter what way there is no provision made to bury him The law says that the commissioner acting a, e%-oliicio cnroner must go to the place Told an inquest and bury the remains In nine out of ten case in these outlying pre- ctucts there is no one within miles of the place where the body is found The cor oncr must take his jury with him
 There is tEe rub. The coroner sends in his expense account, and included in it are the vouchers for dog team hire anJ supplies to make the trip. The co~oner cannot hold an inquest by himself; he must have jurors. He takes them along. takes supplies and bedding, he returns sends in his pay rolls and vouchers of the expense of the trip, and year or more after he has sent 1t to the proper officials, IS per his instructions, they are returned to him, with a statement saying that this and thst is not authorized, and cannot be paid So the body of poor unfortunate must lie and rot for the want of burial simply be cause the United States government will not stand for the expense of said burial
 What am I to do? You rpfuea to pay for transportation of jurors and I cannot hold an inquest alone, so I reported tie matter to tne officials in Fairbanks and IL will De at least six weeks before I can ro>,iDIy hear from there, and D, that tim, the rl,er win be open, anl the chances are that the body will be washed away if his cao'n Stspds on low ground, and vp4er the conditions I get the bl4mc'
 Stubbs Appointed Commissioner
 Word was received by Deputy Marshal Percy Charles this morning that Duke E. Stubbs had been appointed United States commissioner for the Kuskokwim precinct vice E. J. Stier, resigned, mad that Dr. Green of Takotna had been appointed to act as coroner in the case of the man reported to have been found dead in a | cabin in the Swift river rerion