Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-27
COPPLE TELLS OF
HIS ALASKAN LIFE
FORMER OTTUMWAN WRITES IN
ANSWER TO NOTICE TO PAY
SUBSCRIPTION.
AT BANKS
Makes Joke Out Of Request That Money
Order be Sent and Says That
Dried Salmon is Trade
Medium.

Henry Copple used to live in Ottum :
wa. Then he read The Courier. Now ne
lives in Kotzebue, Alaska, which is SO
far away that he only gets paper
about every three or four months out
he still reads The Courier. Not long ago
notice was sent him to call MS atten-
ton to the fact that his subscription
would soon be up and, as all papers go
ing by mail have to be paid in advance
to conform with a postal law, his re-
mittance would be In good order any
time The portion Of the notice which
states that the subscription may be
sent by personal check, paper money or
money order furnished lot OF amuse-
ment for "Way-Up- North Henry FOR
he says that they don't know what a
bank or money is UP there. The joke OF
the whole thing Is that Claude Myers IS
the one who pays his Courier Dill. Tne
entire letter which just came follows:
Kotzebue, Alaska, May 2s, 1915.
Mr.. James F. Powell, 7s
Ottumwa, Iowa.
Dear Sir: ,.....E
I have received a letter from The
Courier office asking me to renew my
subscription to The Courier. AS l un-
derstand 1t my time Is up September
/. am not subscriber for your paper
although I receive it just the same. My
O.,
If you will kindly send the bill to him
think you will receive my renewal for
the paper all right.
Makes Him Laugh.
Your letter says send personal cheek,
paper money or money order. I GU Hake
me laugh. We have no banks IN this
part Of the world, no paper money nor
do we have any money order postofflce
anywhere near here. Money!-why we
= - 10
Dried salmon and furs Of all kinds are
what we buy with. might send you
some dried fish by parcel post If you
could use it for dog feed or some furs
Of some kind.
I used to know Jimmie Powell that
worked at The Courier office when l
was In old Ottumwa; but don't know
whether you are the one or not. l have
been very glad to get The Courier to
read about my old friends and also TO
read about the war. There are very few
papers that reach this part Of the coun-
try in the winter time. The last paper
1 received was dated February 20 go
you see the service is poor. won't get
any more until early in the fall when
the mail boat arrives.
It will be hard to make you people
believe how things are up here ex-
pect The ice has just gone out of the
river near where l live and there Is
still ice running today. I 1.-Two about IS
to 10 miles from Kotzebue in the winter
time but spend my summers here. The
war has caused hard times up here.
What we have to sell Is very cheap but
food is very high. The little Eskimo
children are very often hungry as they
can be for bread. I am very thankful
that have none but myself to rustic
for the way things are up In this
country at the present time. The stores
have always heretofore been very
vance food on the fish catch but they
refuse to do SO any more. They have
also advanced their prices way up al
though their goods were purchased and
delivered to them last July when they
were selling cheaply In the states.
Thank goodness we have lots of fish
here in the summer and we can live on
them If necessary.
Was jailer Here.
When I was jailer at the Wapello
jail In Tom Stodghill's days I
have heard the prisoners kick some
times on what was given them for their
meals. Let me say that this very win
ter that has just passed have wished
several times that had i few Of those
meals just to remember how they
tasted Those prisoners growled and
grumbled at the food that was given
them while 1 am away up here anxious
to get taste Of that same food, but
that is the way the world over, one
never knows when he Is well of.
Well. Jimmie, II you are the fellow
I used to know when was there wish
you would give my regards to Claude
Myers, Joe Byrne and the rest Of the
old timers lack there. Tell Claude
that thank him very much for sending
me the Courier
remain, respectfully yours,
. Henry Couple,