Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-12

nutshell one of the strange
conditions that obtain in the heart of Alas
ka. This country has no accommodations
for vagabonds and no laws for the needy
poor. 1t has one pioneer home but that is
at Sitka on Baranof island about 1000 miles
from where Monte lives.
Monte Terrll is character. His whole
life has been fight against misfortune and
now, although blind and lame. he is not
willing to give up the battle I do not know
his age, but he has long passed three score
and ten. Years ago when he first came to
the Klondike he was one of the most ambi-
tons, determined and industrious of the
sourdoughs. He underwent all sorts of
hardshlps and one day when out trapping
sank through some rotten ice he attempted
to cross and was wet to the waist The
thermometer was Is degrees below zero and
his wet feet were frozen to such an extent
that one had to be amputated to the ankle
and the other taken off half way to the knee
He had pair Of artificial feet made, and
with them again took up the battle Of life
He got about so well on his wooden pins
that but few knew of his troubles and he
succeeded in obtaining a job with a gang
OOPP$A
that time he was quartered with number of
other men in clubhouse He did not want
his state known for fear he would lose his
position. But one night when in his bunk,
having taken off his false feet and laid them
beside him, the string attached to one of
them hung down and tickled the man in the
bunk below. The man gave the string Jerk
and the wooden foot came down and kicked
him in the face. The man was mean fell
low and he reported Monte's condition to
the boss, and as result he was fired.
After that, Monte went about doing odd
jobs. He worked at anything he could get,
drifting from camp to camp. Finally, he
settled in a cabin on the River Cheena not
far from Fairbanks, where he cut wood for
the steamers. For several years he earned
his living i'll that way. Then his eyesight
failed, and it was pitifu to see how he tried
to keep the people from knowing his mis-
fortune. When he heard man coming he
would stralghtcn up and start to walk bold
ly, often running into a tree or fence He
was offered assistance, but would not take
it. Last year he was known to be suffering
for lack of food and was arrested on a charge
Of vagrancy and sentenced to Jail for the
winter This was in order that the citizens
might have legal right to take care of him.
Even then, he complained saying he wanted
to go back to his cabin, and that he knew he
could in some way earn enough to care for
himself
The above story was told me by L. r. Err
win, who is now chief of police and United
States marshal at Fairbanks. Judge" Err
win came originally from little town in
Georgia, being born on the same street as
Sam Jones. 1t is related that Sam Jones was
eight years old at the time, and that he was
anxious to see the new baby. When it was
shown him, he remarked: ooh, N.Y. amt he
red"
Well, Marshal Erwin is still red and he
has red hot job in Alaska. He has to keep
order in district half again as large as
either Germany or France, and he does this
with the aid of large number of deputies.
In the number of assistants employed, he
tells me, his marshalship is second among
the districts of the United States. The first
is southern New York state, including New
York city and Brooklyn. Its population is
millions, and the marshal there has 20 depu-
ties, who aid him in spending the $265,OOO
required for his duties. The second is this
part of Alaska. The district has only 10000
population, but these are so scattered that
20 deputies are required to watch over them,
and the annual expenscsyare $235,ooO. The