Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-04-13
PETER ANDERSON LOSES
ALL HIS ALASKA WEALTH
Decision in Federal Court Disposes
of Dickinson Farms

news to abandon their cut-ahu-urieu
methods in writing the history OF
lie case of Nels o. Hultberg against
Peter and Frideburg Anderson, and
make IT read like q Rex Beach ro-
nance. Apparently the last chapter
was written today when an opin-
ion, written by John c. Pollock,
federal Judge, was filed with Nor
ton Albaugh, clerk Of the court. The
opinion closes the back cover on
story that has been in the making
since Peter II. Anderson of Enter
prise, Kansas, went to Alaska back
in 1897 to make Christians out OF
Esuuimo Indians, and instead found
gold.
Early in the COS Peter H. Ander-
son. then little more than boy,
was struggling along out in central
Kansas trying to get an education.
Through q friend he learned OF the
Swedish Evangelical Mission Cove
|
ganization in Chicago.
He learned that by binding HIM
self to give a certain number OF
years of his life to missionary work
under the direction Of the mission
the latter would agree to educate
him free of charge.
!. Anderson accepted the offer as an
? opportunity. He was educated III
!. Chicago, the mission paying the
bills. His agreement was to the Ell
feet that after his education was
: completed he should go into foreign
fields and do missionary work
II When his course was completed An
derson was sent to Alaska, in the
IS Nome district, to assist Nels .
i Hultburg, the missionary in charge
IS That was in 1897. Previous to thai
It he had met a nurse at the mission
n and they had made promises.
e A year after Anderson reached
e Alaska gold was discovered. Botf
10 Anderson and Hultburg filed oil
d, claims and Anderson developed
is claim from which nearly million
IS dollars in gold was taken. 1t wa
Is rich beyond all his dreams and h
s. worked it. Then came the informa
1t ton from the mission to the effee
II that he was a trusted servant o
that organization during his year
of bondage and that his services be
longed to the mission, consequent
the gold he had mined belonged t
- the mission.
D. Anderson came back to the state
~ and he and the nurse who had wait
u ed made good their promises. TIL
vi mission claimed the money h
brought back with him and he mad
40 some payments to it up to 1906
~ Then he maintained that his dut
was to his wife and he purchase
10 land in Dickinson county and mad
:" it over to his wife.
In the meantime the mission ha
d brought suit in an Illinois court TO
the money Anderson had dug out @
the ground, but before the litiga
C tion had progressed far all claim
against Anderson we're sold to Hut
20 burg by the mission.
- He pressed the suit in Illinoi
:, and got judgment for 1892, 2OC
The case was carried through til
!, Illinois courts, through the fedora
- courts and on to the supreme cour
=, of the United States. In every In
! stance the judgment of the lowe
! court was affirmed.
!, After securing the judgmer
Hultburg brought suit in the di!
= trict court of Dickinson county o
the judgment granted in Illinois
Judgment was again given him. The
Hultburg brought suit in the fec
II eral court of this district to sub1et
4 the Kansas land decided to Andel
~ sons wife to the judgment.
Judge Pollock holds in the opii
"a ion handed down today that sine
the Kansas land, although held
the wife's name, was purchase
from the proceeds of the mimi
Nh claim 1t must be subject to til
ad judgment.
ne The missions interest in the cas-
IL was transferred long ago. The ben,
=, ficiary under the opinion Of II
sa court is Nels o. Hultberg, the Swe,
ish missionary, who labored wit
as Andersen in bleak Alaska to say
Ter the souls of the Esquimo Indian
II He is the man who drew the poor
TN claim, mban ba and Anderson fills