San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-02
Eskimo Woman Makes Re-
ply to Accusation of Noice
That She Starved Knight
While She Grew Fat.
BY GRAHAM STEPHENS.

Copyright. 1921. by Consol. Press Assn.
Los Angeles, Cal, March 1.-The
United States government saw to the
education of Ada Blackjack, full
blooded Eskimo. She was put into a
school in one of the outpost towns Of
the Far North and taught to live like
the white men and women-represent-
atives of the higher civilization.
Ada Blackjack was married after
the white fashion. and she was desert
ed by her husband (also after the
white. fashion) and found herself lit
orally starving in hut in the Arctic
wilderness with her 3. four-year-old
son. So she walked 40 miles to Nome.
carrying her. boy for. the greater part
OF the journey and Ada Black jack is
but mite Of n woman.
Vilhjalmur Stefanssson. Arctic ex-
plorer. was organizing an expedition
TO colonize Wrangel Island. Allan
Crawford. a Canadian. was in com
mand of the expedition. and I.orne
Knight, of Portland, Ore, Frederick
Mauer and Milton Gale of New
Braunfels. Texas. the last three Amer
leans. were the other members of the
group. They needed an Eskimo WON
an to sew furs for garments. Ada
Blackjack was desperate enough 10
take the chance and she sailed with
them in the summer of 1921.
Relief Ship Failed.
The men had been promised a re-
lief ship, but it did not arrive. Sup
plies ran low. Only train oil, hard
tack and tea were left.
Knight was growing sick with sour
Wy and the white men, becoming rest
less, decided TO take the chance on
crossing the ice floes to Siberia. They
left Ada Blackjack alone to wait for
the relief ship. She did not murmur,
accepting her fate in the same spirit
in which she had enlisted with the ex-
petition.
But the white men returned. Knight
had grown worse. and was burden.
When they started aain, Knight was
left behind as a charge of Ada Black
jack. The three men who set out for
Siberia have never been heard of or
seen since. Their fate cannot be
doubted.
Last summer Harold Noice. of Los
Angeles. led relief expedition to
Wrangel Island. OF what he found
there he wrote:
at was p. m. August %. when
we saw something moving on the
beach. At first we were not sure
the object really moved or
il was but n wrath. n fig
ment of the fog. but rs we drew near
we saw that it wasindeed human
figure. 1t moved slowly down to the |
beach and held out its hands toward
US in dumb supplication."
That was Ada Blackjack. Knight |
had died on June %. Of starvation.
After study of Knights diary which |
Ada Blackjack had placed in his
hands. Noice n few days ago, made the
charge that Ada Blackjack had per-
mitted Knight to starve to death.
while she grew fat on the stored food.
Ada Blackjack in Los Angeles makes
her first public statement about the
Wrangel Island expedition to resent
the cruel charge"
Denies She Shirked Duty.
Knight was sick" she SAYS. "He
could not go out to hunt or trap. He
thought / should do it. I didn't know
now TO trap. | was hired to sew skins
A. a seamstress. But | learned how
% trap. trapped fox for Knight and
gave him all the tender pieces / hunt.
ID gulls' eggs for him and fed them TO
lin. / hauled wood for fires. With
he work and anxiety grew sick my
;elf. For a month I could not make
he rounds of the traps.
THAT meant no fresh food for
Knight. He grew weaker. For Il
month before the seals and the ducks
anne with summer ] caught no fox.
was very weak and sick mlself. /
lon't think / could have pulled
through if it had not been for thoughts
+ my little boy. had TO live for
i'm.
sBut that month was the death of
Knight Day by day he grew weaker.
FOR the last two days he was uncon- !
cious. Before that while he still had /
is mind and could talk he thanked
ne for what l had done for him. Dur
ne the month while | was too sick 20
rap. Knight was sometimes angry
nth me. | suppose he thought that {
-as Sinking. Ii
ssXVbou fba Saalc aud ducLs aoma | /,