The Alaska daily empire., 1920-05-18
HAzELET OFF
 ToCONvENTIoN; .|I IS uNPLEDGED
Cordova Man Won't Make Choice Until He Reaches
 Chicago; Has Retraction

| EnfOulG lO Iut hcpuUIlCdH Nd tional Convention at Chicago as one , of the two delegates from Alaska 1 George c. Hazelet was a passenger on the Northwestern which was in port yesterday evening, and visited 1 with friends while in Juneau. MT Hazelet was, of course, gratified by Ithe fine vote the Republicans of | Alaska gave him in the primary cleo tion. The latest figures available shaw that he has approximately 400
 majority
 q am not pledged to the support of any candidate for the Presidential
 nomination. said MT. Hazelet, "and
 shall not attempt to make up my
 mind whom I shall support for the
 nomination until l size the stua-
 ton up from viewpoint on the 1 ground"
 MT Hazelet said he expects to
 meet Republican National Commit.
 teeman John c. Mcbride at Seattle.
 and he hopes that they will be able
 to proceed to Chicago together Mir sHazelet expects to reach Chicago by
 May 31.
 Confirms Retracton l MT Hazelet confirmed The Elm pires telegraphic despatches from lCordova relative to plea of guilty
 being entered by Charles F. Heron
 to a charge of criminal libel made l by Mir Hazelet as the result of | statements appearing in the Juneau EDaily Capital charging the latter with
 being mainly responsible for the l Keystone Canyon riots. near Valdez, l in 1907 He also said that Mir. Her
 ron had signed a full retraction. ad-
 mtting the falsity of the libelou9 article and editorial comments ap- bearing in both the Juneau Capital
 and the Anchorage Times-both Her
 ron publications, and. he said, MT. 1 Heron has agreed to publish the re-
 traction in both papers.
 May Dismiss Civil Suit
 At the time the criminal proceed | ings were begun against MT Heron to which he plead guilty and for
 which he was fined $100 and costs, MT. Hazelet began a civil suit for damages against MT Heron. MT | Hazelet said last night that if MT lHerron published this retraction, as his attorneys agreed, that the civil
 suit will be dismissed
 l Mr Hazelet would not comment upon the criminal or civil proceed
 ings that he instituted against MT
 Heron.
 | The retraction of MT. Heron, with
 it's heading, follows;
 "A EXTRACTION
 "On April IA, 1920, the Alaska 1 Daily Capital, newspaper published
 by me at Juneau, Alaska, published
 an article, quoting one Tom Parker
 as authority, charging that George c Hazelet. of Cordova, was largely 1 responsible for the riot in Keystone
 during which one man was fatally
 shot by Ed Hasey, ex-deputy United 1 States Marshal, and several others
 were shot and seriously injured by
 said Hasey. In editorial comments
 the said Juneau Capital and the An l chorage Times, also published by me, charged that said George c, | Hazelet was mainly responsible for | said shooting.
 Whereas, full investigation of | the facts surrounding the transac. tion, disclosed that at an exhaustive hearing before the then U. s. Com missioner at Valdez, and after q prolonged consideration by federal grand jury of the Third Division Mr. Hazelet was exonerated and absolved from liability, further that Judge Cushman, of his. own motion at the trial of the civil case growing out of the trouble, dismissed sucn action against MT. { Hazefet. thereby establishing conclusively that George C.. Hazelet was not responsible for the death or injury of any person All the competent evidence shows that the actions of MT. Hazelet throughout were characterized by caution, and his repeated efforts to reconcile the contendnig interests showed an earnest desire to avoid trouble and disorder.
 Therefore: In view of the wrong