The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 29, 1899, Page 22

22 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1899. FOUND AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE ONLY IDOL IN ALASKA. Worshiped by the Natives and Sacrifices Made to It Until Very Recently. remarkable trips Francisco just been NE of the ever T to Alaska by Arthur C. Pilisbury, to student. his absence Mr. Pills- % 1 tonishing feat to Alaska In He followed the sar k ocean steam- ers and covered the = kan wate The entire trip At Dixons Entrance, after a stretch a voyage in a craft was dashed on n in two. But he i continued his voy- f open g ag from which point he W ntry in all di- rections. He found the only idol on American soil that is worshiped to-day f shlight photograph nce in full bl s the onl C these myster fes that has also too ast. As photo- us In- ever been r of a, Mr. ors of adventures, s had to beat for violating some of leas of what ought to be But he escaped with and feels amply repaid rs of the tr he ac- eat deal ured a valuable rel the old > white men came room at Palo Alto Mr. Here he is all sorts of Alaskan cu- raphs. Of the latter he d, but the place of n to the one of the mon- which has a remarkable , because it is the only one in ska for the ng the get INH (< STU DY AMONgG RIO H1S ALASKAN @o‘ 5 A PHOT AL e satisfaction I could out of the aid . Pillsbury when s: ing me a long time to make up nd to go, but after I had done so ded to go in the best shape pos sible and to see as much of the un as I could. I also d rmined to ; photographs of unusual In thi b ble ve been ssful than I expected. But an exciting one. st spring 1 left an Fran- cisco, taking on the steamer with me BREEN% . sun% STRANGE W PRV, There is more than a touch of the grotesque, as well as of the solemn, in mod of administering oaths in ain countries, says Tit-Bits. When nan swears to tell the truth down and a china saucer is given to. him. This he proceeds to break- in pieces, and the following oath i3 then administered: “You shall tell the truth and the whole truth. The saucer is cracked, and if you do not tell {he truth your soul will be cracked like the saucer.” Other symbolic variations of the Chi- nese oath are the extinguishing of a candle or cutting off a cock’s head, the light of the candle representing the witness’ soul and the fate of the cock symbolizing the fate of a perjurer. In ceriain parts of India tigers’ and lizards’ skins ke the place. of the Bible of Christian countries, and the 1ty of br 1g the oath is that in the witness will become the a tiger, and in the other that will be covered with scales like a lizard, One of the most terrible of European oaths is that administered in Nor- vegian courts of law. The prelude to the oath proper is a long homily on the sanctity of the oath and the terri- consequences of not keeping it. Part of this lengthy sermon takes this form: “If you swear a faige oath the good- ness and mercy of God will not avail you, but you will be punished eternally in hell as a perverse and hardened sin- ner. If you swear falsely, all your pos- gessions will be cursed; your land and meadows, so that they will yield you no fruit; your cattle and sheep will be barren, and all that you enjoy in this world will becomie a curse to you." When the witness is duly crushed by the sense of his fearful responsibility tha oath is administered. while he holds S / a a 20-foot gasoline launch, the Madrone. At Seattle I left the big steamer and continued the journey to Alaska in the launch. In order to be supplied with line I sent quantities of it ahead and picked it up as I went along. “My launch was a comfortable one, with hardwood cabin and all sorts of conveniences, but it was none too com- fortable considering the rigors of the climate. My father was with me, but he didn’t enjoy the trip in the least, s he is not used to boats and certain inds of hardships. When we left Seattle the weather was simply beautiful and we went down the river at a lively rate, but in a few hours we were buried in fog and didn’t dare go forward or backward. I had never been in that part of the world before, and had not the least idea of where land was. There was nothing to do but to lle there in mo- mentary danger of being run down by some vessel. This was most trying and wearing to the nerves. All night long the fog lasted, but when morning came the sun burst through and a breeze came up. I then saw that we were not 200 yards from a jagged, rocky reef that would have cut our journey short right there if we had run into it. “Clear, weather followed for a week, and by this time we were up behind Vancouver, where the water was smooth and the air warm. I made no attempt to hurry along, but simply let the boat make such time as it could without crowding. When we came to a nice place we stopped until we got tired. I don’t think our rate of travel was more than, 100 miles a week. “The sight of such a small craft run- ning along through those lonely waters naturally attracted attention, and we were In considerable dan- ger of being robbed. When we tied up at night, unless we were near 3 A, N I some settlement, we kept far from Once a band of In- ed us in their canoes. ans ch But of course the launch was able to show a cle pair of heels, greatly to their sury A few shots were fired, but fortu none struck us. “Once we got the mouth of a tuck on a ndbar at ek and didn’t get off for two days. Another time we ran sidews on a log and almost upset. Our boat sprung a leak one night and, while we slept, almost filled with water. If we had slept an hour longer it would have sunk. To repair this At night, when we we could hear the king and howling. and were close ting in the hope took several days. were close to wild animals had a scent of water’s edge, wa that they might reach us. I killed several of th There are the skins over there. or most of the journey up behind the islands the weather was simply per- fection. There were a few rainy days, but nome of them very disagreeable. But just as we needed the fine weather we didn’t get it. “This was when we crossed from nRuRB _"UNRN AYS OF MAKING OATH aloft his thumb and fore and middle fingers, as an emblem of the Trinity. It is a little curious that the expres- sion, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,”. in very slightly varied forms, runs through almost all the oaths administered in European courts, The Mohammedan takes the oath with his forehead reverently resting on the open Koran. He takes his “bible” in his hands, and, stooping low, as if in the presence of a higher power, slowly bows his head until it touches the book, which to him is inspired. In the reverence of his acts and the un- swerving loyalty to an oath many Eu- ropeans have much to learn, from a follower of Mohammed. In certain parts of Spain the witness, when taking an oath, crosses the thumb of one hand over the forefinger of the other, and K| this symbolic, if primitive, cros vs, “By this cross 1 swear to the truth.” In the more usual form of administer- ing the oath in in, the witness kneels solemnly e the Bible and plas his right 1d reverently upon it. The Judge then asks him: “Will you swear, in the name of God and his holy book, to speak the truth in answer to all questions that may be asked you?” The witness answers: “I swear.” The Judge then concludes: “If you do this God will reward you; but if you fail he will require an account of you.” An Austrian takes his oath in front of a crucifix, flanked by lighted candles. With upraised right hand he says: “T swear by the all powerful and all wise God that 1 will speak the whole and clean truth, and nothing but the truth, in answer to any questions that may be asked in this court.” —e—————— “Papa,” sald Tommy Tredway. “Now, Tommy,” replied Mr. Tredway, “I shall answer only one more question to-day. So be careful what you ask.” “Yes, papa.” Well, go on. “Why don’t they bury the Dead Sea?"—Household Words. % GOW-SGHE-ETT-JEE. The Only Idol in Alaska and the Only One Worshiped in America Jo-Day. From a Photograph. This carven image of wood, buried in the depths of a forest at Kiukwan, stands nearly. seventeen f bu n stopped since 1880. man who has ssen the idol In times gone by slaves were sacrificed to it at regular Inter- As far as known, Mr. Pillsbury is the only white high. vals, this has b The Indians worship the idol in fear and tiembling, as the Chinese do their gods. le the weather did not look j for such a hazardous unde King' ttlement called for it to moderate. ning the sun rose on a per- and we at once made a start. was considerable of a swell on, possible and let ker go at her best. How that boat did roll and rock! The waves became larger and larger and the storm increased in fury. “Befor - were half way across to ixons Entrance I felt that we would never reach our destination. Our little cork of a boat w buried in the trough of the sea one moment and the next riding on the crest of a mountain wave. Then we plunged down and half of the Queen Charlotte Island to Dixons awfully squeamish when I realized trance. The di nce is bout fifty ‘l\b what a tiny shell we were in out in that miles. The w is open sea and un- 1 ocean of wild water. isually rough. On our arrival at this F\N LASKAN “So 1 opened the valves as wide as ToTEM PoLE, waited at a-s we There but that did not cut much of a figure beyond a slight discomfort. In less than an hour we were far from land and rolling along as neatly as could be desired. wave came tumbling on top of us. Our “Suddenly I noticed a whitecap on the little boat was buried in foam and water before us. Then I looked back water. But we plowed ahead every and saw the surface of the ocean cov- ered with foam. We had been run- ning before the wind and had not no- ticed that a high wind had sprung up. moment even though we had to tie our- selves in to keep from being injured by being bumped against the sides of the boat. I knew there was only one hope Land was miles away and could be for us and that was to reach land. If seen only dimly through a streak of the boat capsized or became disabled haze. we were doomed, as escape after that “Of course I was a little bit fright- i ble. ened when I saw the water boiling b st trouble came when we ran around us, but I instantly realized that into a er sea. Here the waves seemed there was no possibility of turning to jump and dash in all directions at back. To beat against the wind and once. Water came down our exhaust sea for ten miles would be a good deal worse than to run before it for thirty- five miles. But it did make me feel pipe and the heavy plate-glass windows in front were smashed in. It was all our pump could do to keep the boat s POJLATGH DANGE From a Photograph. IN FULL BLAST. This is the only photograph of a potlatch.dance ever made. It was taken by flashlight, and after making the exposure Mr. Pilisbury had to leave the locality with all speed for fear of viclence, as the Indians were incensed at having their ceremonie spictured. Arthur Pillsbury Heard of the Idol and Made a Per- ilous Journ ey to See It. dry. I was bruised and bumped and father was nearly exhausted. “When at last land did come in sight I had little idea that we could reach it. The sea was rougher than ever, and it was almost impossible to manage the boat. When we got near enough to see the houses on land I saw that there was no harbor or landing place. Only & bare, sandy beach, with mountain waves tumbling on it in wild confusion. “There was only one thing to do and that was to try and make our boat hit the beach as square as possible. I kept her head on and was almost congratu- lating myself that she was running in nicely when a crash came. The next instant the boat was broken in two and we were struggling in ‘the water. We reached land with difficulty, although forty orfifty people were down to help us. ‘“‘Fortunately our boat went ashore at high tide, and the next morning she was high and dry, but a total wreck. The engine, however, was not injured in the least. This I got out and put into an old boat I managed to find in town, and we continued our - trip to ‘Wrangel. This boat also served for my trips to all the Alaskan points. ““While in Wrangel an interpreter told me of a strange idol in an Indian vil- lage called Klukwan. The tales he told me of it were almost beyond belief, but I determined to go and see for myself. “Klukwan {s about fifty miles from Bkaguay, and the journey to it is a most hazardous one. There are no roads, and every ounce of provisions had to be carried in with me. White men don't go there because there are no mines in the section. Part of my journey was by river, and I had to pole a skiff twenty - seven miles up the Chil- kat. It was the hard- — est kind of work, but I was bound to see that idol and to make a photograph of it. “When I reached Klukwan the In- dians received me cordially and the gift of a few dollars to the head man se- cured me the best of treatment. After a few days I mentioned the idol, but met with a strong denial of its exist- ence. However, the denials were of such a nature as to convince me that the idol was somewhere about, and I commenced a search. or days I wandered about the in- hospitable forest, eaten by mosquitoes and scratched by all sorts of thorny plants, to say nothing of the soft coze and wet vegetation that I was com- pelled to wade through. “But my reward came at last, for I suddenly came upon the hideous idol in an almost impenetrable glade about two miles from the town. ‘““When I told the people of the tribe that I had found the idol they were horror stricken. But there were no more denials of its existence. When I said that I was going to photograph it they set up a howl. Photograph Gow- sche-ett-tee! All the evils of the in- nRRRLRRN 3 % ferno would be sure to befall me. My hands would shrivel when I pointed the camera. Sickness and disaster would camp on my trail. “It was impossible to get any of the Indians to go with me to make the pic- ture, so I could not convince the tribe that I had photographed the idol. They would not believe me when I sald so. The oldest and wisest simply smiled and shook their heads. “After this, though, they told me all about the idol. It seems that the Wwooden image was carved about 150 years ago and ever since then the tribe has worshiped it and made sacrifices to it. As late as 1830 human beings were sacrificed to it, and -would be to- day if the white People would allow it. In place of human beings, dogs and other animals are killed in front of the ldol_ln order to appease its wrath. The Indu‘.\nil worship this idol as the Chi- nese 0 their 0ds—i trembling. \\'hm“\;':'l35 w}:ntsreir r:‘;l’(lg has to make a crifice and ask Gow- sche-ett-tee. I also found. that in this town of Klukwan there are a number of slaves. The men were captured as prisoners of war long ago and would have been sacrificed to the huge wooden idol if such a thing had been by the United States aumomfg.m““d “This wooden image is about seven- teen feet high. The lower part of the legs have rotted off, but the face s in a good state of preservation. It is a most hideous object, and- it is no won- der that the Indians fear it and worship it in trembling terror. It appears to have been painted in bright colors at one time, as bits of pigment are still sticking to it in spots. “It so happened that at the time of my visit to Klukwan the potlatch sea- son was on. I determined to secure a photograph of a dance while it was at its height, but to do this.proved a most difficult matter. The head man positively refused to permit it and even kept me out of the hall while the * dance was in progress. DARING VOYAGE FROM SEATTLE TO ,;omA°“E°e° -ALAS “But I overcame all difficulties by carrying my camera to the outside of a window. Here I fixed everything and had the flashlight in my hand. When the dance was at its height I quickly raised the sash, exploded the flash powder and withdrew. Then I had to leave town. The Indians were. in a rage. Bodily Injury would have un- doubtedly been done me, but I man- aged to bribe one of the tribe and made my escape. “I have asked In all parts of Alaska for pictures of potlatches, but have been told they have never been taken, so I believe that mine is the first picture of the kind. A picture of the idol I am sure has never been taken before. In fact, one of the old men of the tribe told me that I was the only white man who had ever seen it.” nRRRWRYRY SRR LATEST SWINDLING GAME IN PARIS ARIS people are talking a great deal about the capture of a gang of clever swindlers, called “lz bande des aristos,” as it was composed of indtviduals of gentlemanly appear- ance, who kept to themselves, had no dealings with other and less pretentious groups of the same character and worked on a very ambitious scale. These men, who treated themselves without stint to titles, and who professed to be very wealthy, took note in their headquarters in this city of estates which were for sale in the provinces, and, after obtaining in- formation as to the idiosyncrasies of their intended victims, started boldly on thelr campaign. One of them called, as if by the merest chance, to look at the property in ques- tion, explaining that he thought it would just suit a friend, who might wish to run down there now and then. An appoint- ment was made, and in the course of a few days an accomplice appeared, in com- pany with the original visitor, and was introduced as the likely purchaser. The bargain was discussed over a good de- jeuner, and then it was suggested by one of the strangers that so many thousand francs should be put down as a guaranty in the event of the buyer eventually changing his mind, a like sum also being deposited by the seller, who would also forfeit it if he determined, after all, on retaining the house and grounds. In not a few s the proposition was gladly accepted; the money was placed by the owner of the estate in a cash box, which, in turn, was inclosed in a small portmanteau, which one of the visitors volunteered fo leave with him, and which was specially arranged for the trick. The strangers then bade their host fare- well with many protestations of friend- ship, but as they were leaving the house the owner of the portmanteau suddenly remembered that he needed some article of clothing which it contained. The key was handed to him by the proprietor, the object mentioned removed and at’last they were off for good and all. When the fortnight, which had been agreed upon as the interval during which the arrange- ment must be duly ratified had rolled by, the would-be seller opened the cash bax to find, to his horror, that it was full of worthless paper. It was not his own, but another like it, and he had been deceived by the resembiance. Extraordinary to relate, this ingenfous band had worked for months without be- ing once baffled, the mo: of which it had contrived to possess itself being esti- mated at upward of £80,000. The ring- leader, & man about 35 years of age, had provided himself with a rare show of French and foreign aliases, and with a m; elous array of titles to boot. He is accused of having appropriated through these nefarious transactions sums varying from 3000 to over 10,000 francs, and at his abode divers tools used for the manu- facture of the wonderful valises been discovered. Another, who is charg with having enriched himself under simi lar conditions, had a fair amount of ca. tal deposited in two banks. Six members of the gang and a woman who lived with one of them are now securely under lock and key, and the police officials are being warmly ' complimented on_their capture, which has béen effected after a long and patient investigation.—London Telegraph. ———————— Very few people realize at what tremen- dous heights birds sometimes traverse the air. Of course, most of our common Brit- ish songsters, the thrushes and warblers, do not as a rule rise higher than the tree tops, except when migrati then they fly at an average height of 200 feet of 300 feet—higher or lower, according to the prevailing air currents. Herons and wild ducks, geese and swans, when traveling long distances fly at greater heights, of as much as 2000 feet. But it is the hawk, and more particularly the vulture tribe, that constantly wing the air at far grea limits than these. The co; spies for carrion suspended a mile above the earth, and the great condor of Andes has been watched throus erful tele ape floating at the amazing height of 27, feet, over five miles above sea level. ‘What is called the Trelawny hat is the latest thing in millinery. It juts over the-face in a point or else it is as round and small almost as a teacup. It is pinned as low down on the fore- head as possible and has one tuft of plumes that waves from a Jeweled aigrette on ona sida A