Iditarod pioneer., 1916-08-19
DlTAROD HAS REPUTATION AS ASYLUM FOR lNDIGENTS
 AMONG YUKON NATIVES

The federal skoohum house of lditarod evidently is getting wide reputation for hospitality among the natives of Interior Alaska, During last winter or spring an Indian lad was given two thirty.day sen fences in the jaij for vagrancy, and died, it is stated, a few days after serving his second sentence
 Owing to Alaska's lack of statutes to pro vide relief for indgents it seems that the only remedy available in such cases is to hale them before q commissioners court and nfict a sentence for vagrancy-n many instances convicting deserving unfor- tunates of an ollense peculiarly repugnant to them.
 Blind Andrew, a native who has lived for years in the vicinity of Anvik, on the Yukon river reached this place during the early days of the present month, with the aid of and accompanied by couple of his fellow tribesmen. Shortly after arriving here Andrews crafty companions, after bringing the sghtless native hundreds of miles up the long and winding curves of the fnnoEo and 1ditarcd rivers, made ap- plication to Commissioner Cer&ghty or Dep uty Marshal Thomas for relief from their bur,en The proposition did not exactly appeal to the officials, and they declined to act at that time. The story goes that Blind Andrew was placed in g cabin in the lower part of town by his friends, who left him to shift for himself It is also stated that Andrews friends had thought lessiy failed to stock up his larder Poor Andrew, besides being blind, was also .,,I-, .,,,ll scarcely be expected to find his way to a restaurant, and had no funds wherewith to pay for a meal had he found the eating house. During the past week the groplngS of the blind man along the water front had begun to "get upon the nerves' of the people thercabouts who feared he might fall into the stream and drown On Tues day Captain J. II. Rogers applied to the commissioner for a vagrancy warrant, and Andrew was brought before the court, en- tered plea of guilty and was sentenced to thirty days in the local Jail. In the meantime Commissioner Geraghty will com municate with the Fairbanks authorities with a view to the course to pursue in the matter.
 For years Blind Andrew has been a source of wonder to travellers passing up and down the Yukon. who have witnessed the re sourceIulncsS and industry of the sightless Indian It is said that he is an excellent cook, and showed wonderful skill consider ing his condition. He always has been able to earn his own living, by cutting wood and other pursuits. and was the recipient of considerable sums in charity offerings from travellers on the steamboats during the sum rner and muShers along the trail in winter. But he is said to have been the victim of the heartlessness Of other Indians, who, whenever so inclined, took from him the fruits of his labor and the contributions of visitors It is presumed by those who know the character of the Yukon natives that he has refused further to provide for these dishonest and shiftless Indians and, being no longer source of profit to them, and as they consistently refuse to provide for their helpless brethren, they conceived the idea of making others FrOWGe for hlm
 So. after being unoccurlcd for several weeks, the federal jail of lditarod Is again doing business at the same cid stand, and % furnish relief to g poor blind native (who doubtless is dcscrvingl, the govern ueul DIaIItIS Hl!n Il d2I dIll, iQI llSIlt3 IlIII with three meals per day lat Sl per mcaD employs a guard &t St per diem to look after his comfort and prepare his hominy and to see that he is tucked nicely into his little bunk after the shades of night have faIlen-t totaling, possibly, from SIP to $15 per day.
 But what's the difference? Who cares? Uncle Sam's rich-h he pays the freight.
 And in the meantime as the reputation for hospitality of the local jail spreads throughout the territory, it will not be sur Dr;sing to have several additional eases of like character ''dumped' in cur midst be fore the close of navigation.
 On the next day the tall flagstaff which for years las stood in front of the jail, and from the apex of which the flag of the free kissed the blue heavens, fell and stretched itself across the highway.
 <&h