Evening star., 1916-11-12

number of other men in a bunkhouse
He did not want his state known for
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 tfckled tho
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 fellow and he re-
ported Montes condition to the boss,
and as a 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 cabin on the
River Cheena not far from Fairbanks,
where he cut wood for the steamers
For several years he earned his living
in that way. Then his eyesight failed.
and it was pitiful to see how he tried
TO keep the people from knowing his
misfortune. When he heard a man
coming he would straighten up and
start to walk about boldly. often rum
ming into tree or a fence. He was
offered assistance, but would not take
it. Last year he was known to be
suffering for lack of food and was ar
rested on 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 Mr..
l.. T. Erwin, who is now chief Of po-
lice and United States marshal at Fair
banks. Judge" Erwin came originally
from a little town in Georgia. being
born on the same street as sam Jones.
II is related that Sam Jones was eight
wears old at the time. and that he was
anxious TO see the new baby. When 1t
was shown him. he remarked: oh.
my, 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 aiG
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. in
Guiding New York city and Brooklyn.
Its population is millions, and the mar
shall there has twenty-six deputies.
who aid him in spending the s2t3.000
required for his duties. The second is
this part of Alaska. The district has
only twenty thousand population. but
these are so scattered that twenty
deputies are required to wa:ch over
them. and the annual expenses are
S235.000. The amount per capita Is
high. but as to area ii is not a dollar
per square mile. The deputies are
scattered over the whole country run
ming from the Canadian boundary near
Eagle to the Russian mission the
Lower Yukon and from the Arctic cir
Gle to the edge of the kuskokwim re-
gion.
i have already written how well the
mounted police keep order in the Yu-
kon territory adjoining Alaska. Its
men have the right to arrest crimi-
nails. Investigate crimes and settle dis
putes on the ground. Here in Alaska
the marshals and their deputies have
to refer almost everything to Wash
ington before they can act When a
crime is committed, not q cent can be
spent to detect the criminal without
authority from the Attorney General,
five or six Thousand miles away. The
other day a terrible murder was COM
mitted just outside the city. No one
knew who was the murderer, and it
was important to scour the neighbor-
hood and begin the work of investiga-
tion at once. Before he could proceed,
the marshal had to send this cable to
Washington:
Attorney General. Washington, D. C.
Woman foully murdered last night
along the railroad track within hve
miles Of Fairbanks. Authority re-