East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-09-07
BRINGS BODY OF HUSBAND
THROUGH DISOLATE ALASKA
FORMER UMATIII4A COUNTY Wo-
MAN HAS MANY HARDSHIPS
IN NORTH.


be buried IN a civilized community is
told in the following story printed
yesterday by the Portland Journal
A funeral professor Of "a days In |
a strange land, as an endurance test,
imposes task upon heart broken |
widow quite beyond comprehension
Mrs. A. L. wigle. whose husband ,
died in far off Alaska, has Travelled |
those weary days since August when |
at Tanana Mr.. Wigle expired after
an attack Of heart trouble.
Mrs. Wigle is. however, evidently |
! having her first encounter with
nerves. She was raised in the coun- !
try in Umatilla county, where her
father, w. H. Boyd, was well known
merchant for many years at Echo
Three years ago she was married to
J Mr.. Wigle, who was reared near
Prineville, and they resided at Echo
! for two years, when they moved to
| Portland Mr. Wigle was in the grocery
! business at Thirteenth and Jefferson
streets for one year.
He was the son of Mrs. Martha
Spaulding Wigle and a grandson OF
Rev. H. H. Spaulding of Whitman
massacre fame. Mr.. Wigle's two sis
tiers, Mrs. T. H. Larwood and Mrs. F.
r. Millirons, live in Eugene.
His health had been failing gradu-
ally for some time when the Alaskan
enterprise was undertaken, both as
business venture and as means OF
regaining his health Three months
, ago last Friday they left for the north
country on the steamer Northwestern,
| taking with them 40 head of cattle
| and four horses, bound for the in
! land country near Iditarod, where
they intended to sell the beef. The
stock would have to be driven many
weary miles over rough mountainous
country after the town of Ruby was
reached, on the lower Yukon Few
women would have the courage to
4 start on such q journey. They land
ed in Skagway and Travelled to the
upper Yukon TO White Horse over the
White Pass railroad. At White
Horse they embarked on one of the
river boats and came down stream
to Dawson, their stock being carried
= on a barge which was pushed ahead
of the boat. The current OF the river
p made travelling down stream COM
: paratively easy and their trip of some
. 400 miles to Ruby was uneventiul
except when the big river boat dashed
, through dangerous rapids. They made
many stops en- route, grazing their
. stock on the rich grass of the banks
8 Of the Yukon. Mr.. Wigle's health not
u improving they decided upon speedy
e return to the states after staying al
Ruby several weeks.
n They left their small fortune in
o vested in stock to the care of friend:
IS AT that place to be sold in the winter
X and then started the long trip home
d hoping against hope that Mr.. Wigl'
Nigh survive the journey The cur
rent on the mighty river makes trav
q el upstream slow work. At the
n rapids cables are attached to the
= banks and the boats are pulled up az
no steam will buck the power OF tht
water when it tumbles through th'
narrow passages. August Mr.. Wig
le took a serious turn for the worse
ana the morning of August 6, whsT
they arrived at Tanana, where For
Gibbon is located, the army surgeon
attended him. That evening he ex
pired out on the bow of the boat, be-
ing too weak to be removed TO th'
land. The wife, alone in strange
country. found many splendid peo'
pie who tried to tighten her burned
with kindness. After six days of wait
ing the army people secured a me
tallic casket in which she was per
mitted to ship the remains. Agar
she resumed the homeward journey
The remaining thousand miles uI
stream to Dawson were finally COW
cred.
Here members of the Masonic or
der took her in their cars, as Mr. WI
gle was a member of Prineville lodge
No 76. Arrangements were taken ou
of her hands and woman like, wheI
leisure permitted, and not before, sh'
suffered a nervous collapse.
From Dawson to White Horse an'
again over the White Pass railroa'
she travelled the same road in sor
of nightmare. viewing again VIII
tear dimmed eyes the beautiful seen
cry at the summit of the White Pas
which they had seen together for TN
first time so shortly before. Luckll!
the liner Alameda had been held 81
hours at Skagway for the White
Horse passengers and within the hou
after Mrs. Wiggle's arrival steamed
out bound for Seattle.
mo words can express the lntiniu
kindness of all the people every
where" said Mrs. Wigle in reviewlnl
the narrowing experiences of the trlp
somehow l finally reached Seattle
where my father met me and togeth
er we took the remains TO Mr. WI
gle's old home at Prineville for in
terment.
81 am with my parents in Poruah
trying to regain my health an
strength. / have faith In the me-
with whom had to leave my prop
erty in hastily leaving Alaska and al
trusting to their good Judgment i
disposing of the stock"
COURT RECORDS SHOW II. A.