Seward daily gateway., 1925-12-02
COMPLETE REPORT OF GRAND JURY
 VALDEZ COURT

1
 concentrations, and it is herewith published in full:
 We the grand jury for the Novem- Der 2, 1925, term of the above entitled court held at Valdez, territory and division aforesaid, have finished our work and beg to submit this, our final report:
 We have investigated all matters brought before us and have returned 34 true bills and five not true bills
 We have examined 5 witnesses.
 We have examined the offices of the clerk of the district court, United States attorney and the United States marshal, including the jail and find the business of said offices being con- ducted in thorough and businesslike manner.
 We have visited and examined the office of the United States commits sioner at Valdez and find it being conducted in an efficient and business like manner.
 We have also investigated the pub lie school at Valdez and found the same to be we'll organized and eff ciently conducted
 In examination into a number of narcotic cases arising in the Bristol Bay section we find that number of defendants bound over by the com missioners have been released on nominal bail, so small that the defen- dants in 15 cases did not appear. We recommend that the commissioners to the westward be advised to fix bail in l these felony cases at sum sufficient 1 to guarantee the appearance of the de | fendants. This is especially true as to Commissioner Rivers of Bristol Bay precinct.
 In two cases brought before us we learned that there has been a long delay, which delay has resulted in loss of evidence. Both these cases were homicides. We think that fund should be furnished the marshal so he would be enabled to keep a man skill ed in investigation work to thoroughly look into the circumstances of report ed crimes. It seems to us that the appointment of such an officer would result in the saving of a large sum of money through avoiding the ne- cessity of bringing many witnesses before the grand jury in cases where no true bill is had and where the evi- dence of such witnesses obtained at great cost may be of little value
 We have learned from our own ob- servation and from the records in the offices of the clerk and district attor- ney that there are many crimes aris- ing from Kenai and in that immediate vicinity. We learn that there are 500 people or more at the place who are isolated during the winter and during the summer, that there are two large canneries there whose crews are made up in large part of MeXicans, Filipinos, and Orientals, that there is no com missioner, marshal or jail nearer than Seldovia. We therefore, recommend | that competent man be appointed | commissioner at Kenai, that deputy United States marshal be stationed 1 there and that a suitable building be | either erected or rented for use as federal jail.
 We recommend that United States Commissioners in remote districts es- pecially be placed on salary.
 We find that there are many cases in this division where the same men have been convicted many times for various offenses, most of these crimi- nals being aliens. We believe that the territorial legislature should pass an habitual criminal act providing for severe punishment for these men and that aliens convicted of crimes be de- ported.
 It mas been brought to notice or this body that there is no provision made by the department of justice for. re- turning persons held for the grand jury upon whom not true bills has been returned, or who have been indicted, tried and acquitted by jury, to their homes after they have been released from custody.
 A case in point is one John Kill gonok, an Eskimo from Boring Sea. Kilgonok was arrested some time last 1 winter, charged with the crime of mur- der. He was charged jointly with Mike Eqwana with the killing of John Nott- schat, another native. It was proved | conclusively that Nottschatt was kill ed by bullet fired from a rifle and |