The Daily Alaska empire., 1939-11-09

permitted to view the hanging, which will be held behind locked doors.
 Charles, not notified of the date of the execution until this week afS ter every avenue of escape from the gallows was closed, received othe news stoically, saying he had sus- pected something of the sort was coming when the jailers started to serve him chicken and lamb chops to order a week, ago. 4a
 Discuss Funeral Arrangements Last night he, talked over calmly with officials the arrangements for his funeral. Today he was waited upon by the spiritual advisors.
 Six legal executions have been held in the entire history of Alaska it, was said here this year by Dr. Charles E5 Bunnell, President of the University of Alaska One was at three at Fairbanks, one at Nome, and one at Valdez.
 At Sitka, J. Homer Bird was hanged at a warehouse on the dock in the spring of 1902. Among those who witnessed the execution were the Rev. A. P. Kashevaroff, now Gu ratori of the Alaska Historical Mu- scum. to whom The Empire is in debted for much of the history re- search into Alaska hangings.
 Bird was tried in Juneau and found guilty of killing R. H. Patter- son and J. H Hurlin near Anvik on the Yukon September 26 or 27, 1898. He shot the two men in their backs while they were eating breakfast. Two others in the party Charles Sheffler and Norma Strong, were not harmed and lived to testify against Bird at his trial.
 Fairbanks Hanging
 Secretary of Alaska E. L. (Bob) Bartlett witnessed one of the Fair banks executions, that of Constan- tine Beaver, hanged 10 years ago in the last legal execution in the Ter- ritory. The Holitna Native had shot another Indian while drunk.
 Another hanged at Fairbanks was a man named Sigura, found guilty of shooting George Riley, Iditarod dredge operator The first man to be executed at Fairbanks was a Native. whose head was severed from the body when he fell through the trap.
 Lynchings Common
 Many lynchings have been held in Alaska, several in this region. In the sos severalrmen were hanged in Juneau by vigilantes.
 The Sitka newspaper tells of the lynching of Doc Tanner, a Montana cowboy, at Valdez Pass, Orca, Prince William Sound, for the murder of A. Lee and N. A. Call. Prospectors trial. The prisoner en- tered a plea of self defense.
 Says the old newspaper: The testimony was heard, the jury retired and brought in verdict of guilty and decide d that the prisoners death be by hanging, at g o'clock the following morning." H'
 When Tanner was taken to the tree. from which he was to hang, he the rope cooly and rel Don't you know you are stringing up the best man in all AL aska with a Six-shooter.A
 His last words, with the rope around his neck, were: Boys, what are you going to, do, pull me up straight andiarlets me stay? Pull away Twenty-four men pulled on the rope. Tanner was buried at the foot of the tree. ~ prf3l4 As
 The newspaper carried small item in 1900 telling of the arrival of a vessel in Sitka. It added : "The' Excelsior also reports lynching bee atLituya Bay Two men were mur- dered there last fall and it being to communicate with the authorities at Sitka and fearing to set the murderer at large in the community, being satisfied of his guilt, the Lituyans thought proper to take the law into their own hands, hence the elevation of the criminal"