The Wrangell sentinel., 1929-03-28
Characters of the
 North
(Ketehikan Chronicle)

". c. Thomas, United States com missioner at Wrangell. than whom there is probably no older white res ident in Alaska, so far as number of years of residence is concerned. comes under the head of interesting characters of the north.
 Judge Thomas who has been a resident of the Territory since 1877 has had the distinction of having held office under every administra- tion, starting with that of President Cleveland and running through the terms of Mckinley, Roosevelt, Taft. Wilson, Harding, Coolidge and now Hoover. During that time he has been out of office only matter cf five or six years when he resigned to go to the states. His positions have included those of deputy mar shal, deputy collector of customs, customs inspector. and United States marshal with all its ex-officios.
 More than 50 years an inhabitant of Alaska he has known practically every presidential appointee and there have been few prominent res idents with whom he has not bee II on more or less intimate terms. Urged by his friends to leave for pos terity some of his experiences, ac- quaintanceships, and observations, Judge Thomas is working on a book which will not hew to line as a complete history of the Territory but which will give many interest ing historical events that have come under his own observation.
 After President Cleveland took of flee he sent to Alaska as judge, La Fayette Dawson. In his first term of court, held at Sitka, a grand jury was impaneled, over which Donald McKinnon of Wrangell presided as foreman. Judge Thomas attended as deputy marshal and was bailiff of the grand jury. There were not many lawyers in those days but Mir McKinnon felt much confidence in himself. He bought a copy of the Oregon code under which Alaska was operating at that time. He studied it carefully.
 Before the grand jury was brought much evidence that there were a number of white men and native women living illicitly The grand jury indicted them and they were hailed before Judge Dawson. Being a practical man as well as a gcca lawyer and a broadminded jurist he gave them all the opportunity to marry and thereby avoid prosecu- tion.
 The foreman of the grand jury became active. He studied his code and he found in it a provision for bidding the marriages of white with ''colored" persons. Without consult ing the United States attorney or the court, he brought the matter ur before his grand jury and indicted the judge for being a party to the crime of aiding white and "colored'
  was brought into court and to the amazement of the judge, prosecutor and spectators, was read. Judge Dawson pondered for awhile. Ii probagly occurred to him that he was the only federal judge in Alas ka, that no other was available. He finally turned to the foreman of the grand jury and said: ''Yes, but who in hell is going to try the case %
 After some discussion it was de- cided that the grand jury go into session again to consider the mat ter further. The prosecutor went before the body, demanded that the foreman give up his prized code to avoid being cited for contempt The book was handed over and the grand jury killed the indictment which had been resubmitted. Incidentally, 1t was explained that "colored'' did not mean native Indians.
 Thus was the first federal judge treated in the first official session of the court in the Territory.
 This is but one of many interest ing anecdotes in the life of Judge Thomas in the north His book should be an interesting one.
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