The Alaska citizen., 1915-07-26
ERWIN BLAMED F0R CRIMINALS
 STAYING HERE
MARSHAL SAID TO HAVE STOP PED APPOINTMENT OF
 MORE OFFICERS.

That Marshal l.. T. Erwin pre- vented the department of justice from appointing some special officers to clean out of Alaska the murder CTS who have been active in the Fourth division during the last few years. is the surprising information presented in the accompanying com munication to The Citizen from l.. R. Gillette, who was assistant dis trict attorney at the time Mr Er- win is said to have stopped the eff fort planned to eliminate criminals from the Territory.
 Whether Mir. Erwin did this be cause the plan did not originate in his office or because he sincerely felt that it was unnecessary, is prob ably known only to himself. MT. Gillette's communication in this re gard is as follows:
 Editor The Citizen:
 ApIop tue Hue dllu cry dSdlllSl congress, the department of justice. and the whole bloomin' government generally for their lack of aid in the detection of crime. permit me to add little hue (but nix on the cry business), and to offer the fol lowing suggestions including the re ctal of bit of recent history:
 "I believe it to be true. as |. & Marshal Erwin has stated that it is assistance the marshals office needs and not advice. But in this connec- tion let me remind the people of the Fourth division that after a year or more of correspondence and protest against the very condition which now prevails, the former U. & attorney of this division secured the consent of the Attorney of the United States. and there is now Oil file in the office of the flee telegrams to that effect. that a number of special agents be ap pointed to investigate all the sus- pected murders and mysterious dis appearances occurring in this division in the last four or five years
 The present T.. s. marshal hap pened to be in Washington City at the time this authorization was sent, and the chief office deputy at this place was casting about for proper appontees in this work when he received a telegram instructing him to do nothing until further advices This telegram of revocation was sent, as l am informed. at the re- quest off not dictated blythe present U. s. marshal, who, in sub stance, informed the Attorney-Gen- eral that his office could easily and properly handle all such mat ters, and that the appointment of special officers was a useless and needless expense. That may have been a pretty smooth political coup, but present developments would not recommend it as work of love for the dear people.
 "I do not see how the present force of the U. s. marshal'5 office of this division can do effective work while subject to the domina- ton of such an influence at it's head; consequently it would seem futile to subscribe private funds for the prosecution of a judicious and effective campaign of eXtermination, unless the work were placed under the direction of a well-organiZed courageous and experienced citizens ent U. s. marshal should receGe from his former position and wei come the assistance of special off cers who have nothing to do with the prOcesS-serving regime.
 q concede the present crisis is no time for unkind criticism, but it occurs to me, if six or eight com petent officers, whose sole mission was to ferret out these terrible crimes, had been combing the vari- ous rendezvous of criminals for the last year, they certainly would have had sufficient data and a more or less thorough surveillance of the criminal element by this time, to have made the last two atrocities well-nigh impossible.
 "L. k. GILLETTE" ."