The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-01-28
CHIRlKOF NEVER A PENAL COLONY SAYS AUTHORITY
Rev. A. P. Kashevarof Ex- plodes Story that Famous
 Island Criminal Abode

ies coming from all over the United States, Rev A. P. Kashe- varoff, curator of the Territorial Historical Library and Museum at Juneau and authority on early Alaskan history said today that Chirikcf Island had never in the history of Alaska. under the Rus sian regime or under the Ameri- can, been penal colony nor was it haunted island These let ters of inquiry were received by Rev Kashevaroff as a result of an article which appeared. with the heading, "To Roundup Wild Cattle on Chirikof," in recent issue of the Alaska Weekly.
 Rev. Kashevaroff said that this was not the first time that arti- cles had appeared in various newspapers stating that Chirikof Island had been penal colony and it was therefore his intention permanently to correct this error.
 "Chirikof Island" said Rev. Kashevaroff, lis known to the Russians as Ukamok. l doubt if many of the people of Kodiak would recognize the island by the name of Chirikef. It was discov- cred by Boring in TAI, who lealled it Tumnnoi. or Foggy fIsland In TITS, Capt. Cook also identified it by this name. Sari- chef, according to Sauer, called it Elkamok; but in 1794. Van eouver renamed it Chirikof in honor of Capt. Alexie Chirikof, who was Bering's companion.
 "The early settlement was made up Of Aleuts and a handful of Russians. The entire population numbered about 160 men and women. They came to Chirikof primarily for the purpose of hunting sea otter A fish stream on the island afforded enough fish for all concerned and large quantities Of red salmon, hump back, dog salmon, and silver sal mon were caught. The ground squirrel, whose skin is used ex- tensively for the making of par kas, was very plentiful.
 Penal Colony'
 Lately" continued Rev. Kash- evaroff, whenever anyone has occasion to speak of Chirikof Island, he will invariably bring in the so-called penal colony that was supposedly kept there by the Russians. As a matter of historical fact, Alaska had no penal colony in any part of the Territory. I wonder if the writ CTS who use the term penal colonies with such disregard to historical facts are aware that during the Russian regime we had no judicial courts here and
  that all matters pertaining to trial and punishment fer felonies were referred to such institutions in Siberia or even to Russia it. self. Whenever felony was com mitted, which was very rare, the prisoner was shipped to Siberia or Russia on the first ship leav- ing for the Territory. For small misdemeanors or infringements of the rules of public decency the culprit received a certain num- Der of lashes CT was sent to some out-of-the-way place for a year or two imposed by local repre- sentatives of the Russian Govern ment. In most cases he was not sent as pisoner but as an over4 seer or workman I know of many instances when men and women were sent to Lake Re- doubt. fifteen miles south of Sit. ka, where they worked in a flour mill or in the saltery which was located there. They lived there absoutely free and enjoyed all the freedom of their former homes with the exception that they could not return to Sitka until their time was up. Chiri- kof Island was tco important a post to be used as 'penal col~ ony,' and was situated near the best sea otter grounds in the central administrative section. All sub-administrative offices were at Kodiak.
 Spooky Apparitions
 As to the ghosts and other spooky apparitions the super natural changing of chains which were supposedly bound around the prisoners, and the appears ance of skulls and skeletons risA ing up through the ground af q moments notice during the snali