The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1919-03-06
SOPHIA OWNERS
TRYING TO tVADE
RESPONSIBILITY

The Nenana News is indebted to
Mrs. Maud Bishop for a clipping
from the Seattle Union Record,
which was sent to her, on the last
mail, arriving yesterday, by Sen
ator Dan Sutherland. 1t is a story
of the Ubiquitous methods which
certain Juneau officials are at
tempting to perpetrate on the heirs
of the unfortunate victims of the
Sophia disaster, in connection with
what looks very much like a cum
ming attempt on the part of the
Canadian Pacific Railway company
the owners of the Princess Sophia,
to evade, as carriers, responsibility
for the deaths of the passengers
and their liability for the damage
sustained by the surviving relatives
of the victims of the great mari
time disaster:
What looks like a well-planned
frame-up on the part of the Cana
dian Pacific Railway company Off
Gals to get from under the response
bility of that company for the deaths
of the $40 persons who were drowa-
ed when the Inflated Princess
Sophia went off Vanderbilt Reef in
Lynn Canal. October 26th last, or
an equally well-laid scheme of GER
tain court appointees at Juneau to
exploit the dead through manipula-
ton of legal machinery to their
own enrichment and the shame of
Juneau was brought to light in
Seattle with the return from the
capital of Alaska recently of l. A.
J ohansen. half-brother of |. A.
Hanson, who persisted in the dis
aster with cash and securities on
his person worth $500 to $4,000
Mr.. Johanson's recital follows:
ION hearing of my brothers.
DEATH" said Johanson, who is
of the Shipyard Laborers'
and Fasteners Union and
at Olympia. but owning
a home at Lacey, II located one of
my six surviving brothers and we
decided that | should go to Juneau
and personally look after my dead
brothers affairs. Before going l
applied for letters of administration
within less than 80 days after my
brothers death, which is in accord
with the law of Alaska On ar
rival in Juneau l found that
person named Burton, funtioning
as probate judge, had appointed
two local parties to officiate as
administrators for the estates of
the $40 persons or such of them
as might be recovered from the
water.
From an article published in
the Alaska Dispatch, Capt Bell, of
the Yukon mounted police, was
quoted as saying that these two
men were acting voluntarily, charg-
ing no fee whatever. The only ex-
pense attached to any estate would
be few cents for stenographers,
They considered the bereaved friends
and relatives had suffered suffi-
GENTLY and their one idea was to
dispose of the estates with the least
possible expense. On arrival, how
ever, l discovered that Nice-Presi-
dent J. r. Willis of the Behrens
bank, and H. H. Post. cashier of the
National bank, were the TWO admlnl-
strators. Mr.. Willis and Mr., Post
referred me to their attorney. Fl.
L. Faulkner, and it was only a short
time before / learned that my adj
ministra torship was TO be absolutely
disregarded by these men.
Il employed a lawyer at Juneau
to ascertain where / stood. This
developed that the code of Alaska
provides administration papers shall
be granted first to the widow or
next Of kin; second to one or more
of the principle creditors; third, to
nTh