Old Weather Forum

2:00 PM Str. "St. Michaels" came alongside & transferred to this vessel W. S. Farmer (insane) for transportation to the Marine Hospital at Dutch Harbor. Placed him in the brig for safety & issued a ration to him. Transportation furnished at request of Lieut. D. H. Jarvis R.C.S. to Comdg Officer, dated Aug. 4^th, 1901.

J.S. M^cGinn, Asst U.S. DIst. Atty, F. H Richards, Dep'y U.S. Marshal, Owen Jackson & Geo. Ashton, witnesses in murder cases of Sullivan Brothers & Pat'k Rooney, came on board for transportation to Unimak Island, at request of U.S. Marshal Richards and by authority of department letter March 15, 1901 (C.S.S.). Served rations to Ashton and Jackson.
0900: Underway.
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1745: Cape Lapin ExN, stood in for Shaw Bay.
1815: Came to in Coroner's Cove, Unimak Isl'd, C. Lapin WxN. Passengers landed to recover guns and other property stolen from prospectors.

7:40 AM Sent whaleboat ashore and brought passengers aboard.
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9:15 AM Boat with party to visit scene of murder left vessel.
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4:30 PM Whale boat returned.

03:20 AM Underway.
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4:40 PM Came to off Morzovoi Village. Deputy Marshal went ashore to subpoena witnesses for murder trial.
6:15 PM Cutter returned.
7:00 PM Brown Benson (store keeper) & Weselia (native) came on board & were questioned as to their knowledge of movements of Fred Hardy & Geo. Ashton while in vicinity of Morzovoi in June & July last.

Midnight to 4 AM. Lowered steam launch preparatory to sending officer after Chas Rosenberg witness in case of U.S. against Fred Hardy. Said witness reported to be to the Northward in Isanotski Pass. Owing to gale it was impossible to proceed with launch.(B. Benson came aboard to pilot launch up Pass)
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1:00 PM Hoisted steam launch. Vessel waiting opportunity to send for Charlie Rosenberg with subpoena.

7:25 AM B. Benson came on board to pilot steam launch up Pass to get C. Rosenberg, wanted as witness. Lowered steam launch.
8:30 AM Steam launch in charge of Lieut. Edmonds, & with B. Benson, Dep. Marshal Richards & G. Ashton left ship.
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1:00 PM Dinghy went ashore and at 3:10 returned with 300 lbs salmon.
3:15 PM Steam launch returned; hoisted it.
3:20 PM Small sloop came in and anchored.
7:00 PM C. Rosenberg came on board.

At 3:30 AM John Benson, Myseli & Chas Rosenberg came on board for transportation to Dutch Harbor. Vessel's sailing delayed on account of thick fog in Pass, and unfavorable tide.
1045 AM Sent cutter with fishing party to haul seine.
12:18 Cutter returned with good haul of salmon.
3:00 PM Got port anchor ready for letting go, anticipating heavy blow.

Midnight to 9 AM. Hoe up & secured port anchor. B. Benson came on board to pilot vessel down pass. Hoisted and secured his skiff.
8:30 AM. Hove up stb'd anchor & steamed slowly out of harbor.
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9:15 AM Out of pass, stopped. Benson left vessel.
9:18 AM Ahead.
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8:40 PM Came to in Dutch Harbor. Asst Dist Att'y M^cGinn, Deputy Marshal Richard, witnesses Jackson, Ashton, Rosenberg and Myseli left vessel.

Michael wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 9:20 pm Sunday, August 25^th, 1901
Dutch Harbor

J.S. M^cGinn, Asst U.S. DIst. Atty, F. H Richards, Dep'y U.S. Marshal, Gwen (or Owen ??) Jackson & Geo. Ashton, witnesses in murder cases of Sullivan Brothers & Pat'k Rooney, came on board for transportation to Unimak Island, at request of U.S. Marshal Richards and by authority of department letter March 15, 1901 (C.S.S.). Served rations to Ashton and Jackson.

10:15 AM Secured things for sea. Latter part of watch shipping occasional sea about port beam.
12:00 Slowed down, set fore stay sail & reefed main staysail; hove to on s'tb'd tack.
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1:45: Fore staysail carried away. Hauled it down, reefed and set it again.
3:00 Main staysail carried away. Hauled it down. Vessel hove to under reefed fore staysail.
8 PM to Mid. Overcast, heavy NE to NNE gale with violent squalls, rough sea. Hove to on st'b'd tack under reefed fore staysail. Steaming slow speed. Carried away st'b'd Franklin life-buoy.

One dramatic incidence in the trial occurred as prosecutor McGinn tried to determine an important date in the sequence of events, namely that Aston, the man Hardy accused of the murder had been at the fish camp of an old Aleut chief on the date of the murder, fifty or more miles from the scene of the massacre. The old Aleut, according to Wickersham, cut a pitiful figure, dressed in ragged skin clothing smelling like an Aleut fish camp on a summer day. His general facial expression was that "of a decrepid idiot. When asked a question he would smile in a senile way and gaze about the court room" until finally prompted to answer by the judge. He finally said that he knew Aston who had come to his camp in his fishing dory about June 2 and was there on June 7, the day of the murder. He knew because "me late (wrote) it in me log." McGinn then turned his pivotal witness over for cross-examination to two of Alaska's best lawyers. Apparently everyone in the court room thought that the man's testimony would be utterly discredited under cross-examination, especially on the matter of the crucial date. Sure enough, the defense attorneys asked the old man how he was so certain about the date. The chief repeated that "me lote (wrote) it in me log." Immediately, one of the defense lawyers gave the witness a piece of paper, a pen and ink and asked him to sit at a small desk in front of the jury and demonstrate his writing skills. It was a tense moment, Wickersham recalled, as the witness "shuffled his ill-smelling clothes for a moment, gave us all a childlike smile ... and wrote his name in a clear and legible script--in Russian!" The defense attorney took one look and said, "That will do." The cross-examination was over.

1050: Stood SSW parallel with shore.
1120: Stopped and lay to off bight and sent in whale boat in charge of Lt. Mead to exhume & bring aboard bodies of murdered prospectors; in obedience to Dept. telegraphic instructions rec'd Oct 23^rd.
1315: Whaleboat returned with bodies of three murdered prospectors. Hoisted and secured boat.
1422: Ahead 1/2 speed.