Historical Collections, PO Box 110571, Juneau AK 99811-0571 Diary of James Wickersham
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Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, PO Box 110571, Juneau AK 99811-0571 Diary of James Wickersham. Jan. 1, 1922 to May 16, 1923. MS 107 BOX 5 DIARY 34 Diary 34, 1922 [Front cover] Private Diary Of James Wickersham 1922. January 1, 1922 to May 16, 1923. Diary 34, 1922 [Inside front cover] [Card] Mr. WICKERSHAM ALASKA [reverse side of card] This card put up on the door of 167-169 H.O.R. Mch 4, 1909, and taken down Mch 4, 1921, by James Wickersham, H A Elliott, Dan Sutherland, Will R. Miller, O.P. Hubbard, Wm. Austin. [clipping] SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31 Bar Association Resolution Relative to Bootleg Trials Attorneys Go on Record As Showing Their Confidence in Commissioners LeFevre and Fox. Arriving yesterday in the mail from Juneau, the Chronicle received a copy of resolutions adopted by the Bar Association “of Southeastern Alaska,” regarding a recent liquor prosecution at Juneau. It reads as follows: BE IT RESOLVED, That the Bar Association of Southeastern Alaska hereby adopt and extend a vote of confidence in the honesty and integrity of Hon. H.B. Le Fevre, United States Commissioner at Juneau, Alaska; Hon. A.W. fox, United States Commissioner at Ketchikan, Alaska; and in the twelve American citizens who sat as jurors in the recent “Scataglini” case at Juneau, i.e., W.S. Pullen, Walter De Long, H.F. Dott, Wilfred Leivers, P.L. Coleman, Jack Laurie, John A. Davis, William Liebe, Hector McLean, James L. McCloskey, P.C. Delgard, and Robert A. Semple. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, That this Association firmly believes in the theory of American Government based upon the maintenance of three separate divisions of governmental functions i.e., Executive, Judicial, Legislative, and that each of said divisions is answerable only to the American Public for the proper performance of its duties. And that copies of this resolution be delivered to Hon. Scott C. Bone, Governor; Thomas M. Reed, United States District Judge; Hon. H.B. Le Fevre; Hon. A.W. Fox, and to the members of the said jury; W.S. Pullen, Walter De Long, H.F. Dott, Wilfred Leivers, P.L. Coleman, Jack Laurie, John J:\hist_docs\wickersham\ASL-MS0107-5-34.doc Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, PO Box 110571, Juneau AK 99811-0571 Diary of James Wickersham. Jan. 1, 1922 to May 16, 1923. MS 107 BOX 5 DIARY 34 A. Davis, William Liebe, Hector McLean, James L. McCloskey, P.C. Delgard, and Robert A. Semple. Dated this twenty-second day of December, 1921. JOHN R. WINN, Acting President. V.A. PAINE, Secretary. Diary 34, 1922 January 1st 1922. January 1 Juneau, Alaska. Sunday. We are occupying the corner rooms at the Zynda Hotel this winter. Lockie & Mrs. McKinnon keep the house - & do it in good shape. They are the parents of young McKinnon whom I appointed to Annapolis about 6 years ago, and who graduated two years ago as the President of his class. We sleep rather late on Sunday. They have an 11 oclock breakfast at Mrs. M.D. Berry’s boarding house and a 5 oclock dinner. We seldom go to Church or any- Diary 34, 1922 1 January 1 where else on Sunday, for I go to the office & read or work quietly while Debbie does her usual daily task of reading. Today I have worked on examining the law in the Sekenoff case, which I am appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals. It has been a pleasant holiday season. I am seriously considering taking Joe W. Kehoe into partnership and giving him one third of the net proceeds of the business. He is young, active, honest and a good material for a lawyer, and with experience and practice will be useful to me & to himself. Diary 34, 1922 January 2. January 2 Have spent most of the day advising with a group of Montenegro – or Serbian people who are greatly agitated about the objections of another group of enemies to prevent a Montenegro gallant from marrying a handsome Austrian girl. They are threatening him with arrest because he has a wife and son in the old country. He admits the former marriage and son, but claims there was a divorce. The scrap threatens to develop into another Balkan war. The prosecuting attorney has notified Commissioner LeFevre, & the Russian Priest not to marry the happy couple, Diary 34, 1922 2 January 2-3 but late this evening (having a legal license from LeFevre) they slipped off to the Methodist parsonage and were married – and now it is a case of bigamy, or “live happily forever afterwards” January 3d. Working today on Sekenoff brief. Business coming into our office good. A young Mr. Oswald and wife J:\hist_docs\wickersham\ASL-MS0107-5-34.doc Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, PO Box 110571, Juneau AK 99811-0571 Diary of James Wickersham. Jan. 1, 1922 to May 16, 1923. MS 107 BOX 5 DIARY 34 called me very secretly to come to the Gastineau Hotel. The young woman was in bed because in the sudden disruption in the hitherto pleasant relations between the elder Mr. & Mrs. Oswald, and the son and young wife this afternoon the young wife escaped from the Diary 34, 1922 3 January 3 family tornado with scant clothing. The old folks kept all their clothes & threw the young ‘uns out on the cold-cold world with curses to the wife and tears to the young husband to stay at home. He chose to follow his fleeing bride. Nature looks after a thing like that & I gave them as little advice as possible quite well aware that old Mother Nature would attend to the matter much better than I could. These young love cases are real interesting – but profitless. Bishop Crimont & Father Rocatti called and spent an hour with Mrs. W- & me this evening. The Bishop is one of our old Fairbanks friends. Diary 34, 1922 Jany. 4. January 4-5 I entered into a limited partnership for the practice of the legal profession today – with Mr. Joseph W. Kehoe. Joe is a young Irishman, formerly a resident of Portland, Oregon, - has a good war record, -is bright and intelligent, a good student & worker. His wife is agreeable to Mrs. Wickersham – a good industrious worker and not given to frivolity or social silliness. -Jany 5- Will A. Steele, Ed. Capital, is back in Juneau, and talks as if confident that Herron will be able to capitalize the paper on a substantial daily basis. Diary 34, 1922 -6th – January 6-7 Judge Holzheimer, recently District Judge at Nome, has returned to S.E. Alaska, and is here looking for a business opportunity. I advised him to go to Ketchikan. Am working on the brief in the Sekenoff case. -7th – Have finished the Sekenoff Brief. Will Steele, Ed. Capital tells me that he is received coldly by the Governor & other Republican Territorial officials. He thinks they have made some alliance with the Empire, the Democratic paper, and do not want to have their treaty disturbed by the entrance of his paper! Diary 34, 1922 January 8th January 8 U.S. Marshal Beaumont appointed A.B. Cole, city clerk of Juneau, his chief deputy yesterday. Cole belongs to the bunch of “Empire Republicans” – who are Republicans for revenue only, - and Democrats in practice at elections. Judge Reed & Atty. Genl. Rustgard returned to Juneau on the S.S. Spokane this evening. J:\hist_docs\wickersham\ASL-MS0107-5-34.doc Alaska State Library - Historical Collections, PO Box 110571, Juneau AK 99811-0571 Diary of James Wickersham. Jan. 1, 1922 to May 16, 1923. MS 107 BOX 5 DIARY 34 Surveyor Genl. Thiele and McKinnon, trustee of Pioneers Home at Sitka returned from that place today & report that the officers have most of the Democratic party at Sitka in Jail there for “bootlegging” – making & selling “hootch” in violation of law. Diary 34, 1922 -9th – January 9 Working on cases for Ketchikan terms. Trial in Annette Island Packing Co. case brought by Territory against Packing Co. to recover license tax – I represent Ter. Trial was formal & based on records. Will Steele, Ed. Capital, had dinner with us tonight – he is much disappointed that the Rep. officials will not give his paper printing instead of giving it to the Empire – Bone & other officials decline ot let him have any printing unless he can outbid the Empire in completion. Riggs gave everything to Empire, without bids or completion etc. Steele thinks there is a treaty of peace between Bone & Reps, & “Empire.” Diary 34, 1922 -10th – January 10-11 Had a long talk with Atty. Genl. John Rustgard, about political conditions in regard to Alaska in Washington. He is quite out of sorts with the Harding administration in respect to their Alaskan Policies and does not look for any constructive work from them for Alaska. Drew complaints today for damage suits from Chichagoff mines – damages by blowing down of bunk house. -11th – Getting office in shape to allow me to go to Ketchikan on “N.W.” to attend term of court there. Recd. telegram from E.W. Parks, of the Kuskokwim River, who is on Diary 34, 1922 11th continued. January 11-12 the “Northwestern,” asking to meet me on business on arrival at Juneau. Thiele tells me he is the owner of the Cinnabar or Quicksilver mines on the Kuskokwim & I assume that is the purpose of his visit. Debbie will remain here in Juneau while I attend the Ketchikan term & then go to Seattle for a week on business. -January 12.- Secretary Thiele today showed me an official letter from Acting Sec.