Klondike.

Manawatu Herald, 23 July 1898, Page 2

Klondike.

The " Chronicle " has published an interesting letter dated aoth May from Lake Bennett from Mr Willie Beaven. eldest son of the well-known Mr G, Beaven, of Wanganui, from which we >, take the following : — THE ROBBERY. The following ia a brief account of how the robbery occured : - On arriving at the wharf they were met by * very gentlemanly-looking fellow, di'e3sed up as though ready for a journey to the fields. He showed himself exceedingly kind and attentive, and in fact would put put him* -?elf to any trouble and inconvenience to give them information concerning the fields, and one particular fact he wished to impress upon them was the danger of drinking water on

the trail, as numbers of the spring* were poisonous, and if they would strata round with him to his office he would be only too pleased to point these places out on the map. Whilst in this cosey little office a friend stepped in to show a card trick that was in practice on the fields, for he had just returned from there, and had fallen a victim to some spellers on the c ; me. This trick he must of course show to the new comers, so as to prepare them for what they might meet, and at the same time proposes a few dollars on the game. The offer was accepted, the card from amongst the three chosen, and 200 dollars come to them for their win. But, " Ah, that little conjunction, what disappointments it brings to many in life;" how often, when the cup of joy and fortune appear to be within our reach, the little " but " both barricade the way. But, says our friend the Bharper, supposing we had won ; would you have had the money to pay us, for I think it is only fair that we should see your money before we hand over 200 dollars. The unsuspecting simpleminded New Zealanders here haul off their money belts and place them on the table to count out the beans, and at the same moment two raoro of the speiler gang come rushing in at the front door and demand an explanation from them for gambling in their office. For a moment they are thrown off their guard, and v/hen they turn again to the table their money and belts have gone. It is easy to realise the paralysed and stunned condition of both for awhile and when one regained consciounesa enough to run round to the back in eearcb of the thief, he was politely asked to retire, with a revolver pointed at his head. The police were informed of what had occurred, and, as half of them are in with the gang, any action on their part was out of question ; they bad the cheek to say that if these men where driven out of the town the place would be ruined. Might just ag well try to get blood from a stone as justice in Alaska. We heard on good authority that there is a gang of one hundred and fifty robbers in Skagway, commanded by one Soapy Smith by name, and they would think just a3 little of shooting a man ag of shooting a dog. . ALASKA. Perhaps as you already know, Alaska is a Btrictly prohibited country ; not a drop of liquor, excepting for private use, is supposed to enter .the country, and yet every other house in Wrangle and Skagway is an hotel or drinking saloon, and what's more they are never closed from one week's end to another. On the morning oi leaving town we were up about half-past three, attending to business, and the paloona were all full then of men and women gamb ling and drinkiug. The town itself is sitnated'in a large flat valley, surrounded by snow clad hills ; the streets are still a mass of mud and Stamps. In the main streets there in a pretence to a footpath, and. although creeksfl ow on either sicfa of and through the town, none of the water is fit for drinking purposes, owing to the hundreds of dead pack animals that lie rotting in the stream?. Water is now being laid on in the town from a large reservoir that is in course of construction on a neighbouring bill ; I should say there would be a fall of quite a thousand feet. The pipes, I noticed, were ot wood, cased in iron sheeting ; probably the wood is a protection against freezing in the winter time. Sanitary arrangements are very de ficient, but little more could be ex pected in a mushroom town. (To be continued.)