Fairbanks County AK Archives News.....MURDER COMMITTED IN THE KUSKOKWIM May 8, 1911 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ak/akfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sherri Bradley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000051 April 17, 2010, 12:38 am The Alaska Citizen May 8, 1911 GEORGETOWN, March 23 - About 2 o'clock on the afternoon of March 17, Joseph Plepln (pronounced Plout), aged 28, a French Canadian, was shot twice and killed with a rifle in the hands of George Tisdale, 45 years old, at the cabin where he and three other Frenchmen lived, 80 miles below Georgetown and about 12 miles away from Kalmakofsky/ After the shooting Tisdale started alone up the trail to Georgetown, arriving here two days later, and two days before the return of the officers who were up-river bringing down the body of Harry Jacobson. On the return of the officers Tisdale reported the matter and was locked up, the deputy marshal leaving this morning for the scene of the shooting. Tisdale says little and seems to be very nervous and on the verge of collapse. He did not know if he had wounded or killed Plepln. A messenger who arrived late tonight, and who had been sent for an officer, stated that Plepln died almost instantly, but he knew little else about the affair. Tisdale says the shooting was in self defense; that he believed his life was in danger, especially from poison, which would indicate that his mind is not quite right. No further facts leading up to the tragedy can be learned at this writing. Joseph F. Plepln was born at St. Mary's, near Montreal, Canada, where his parents reside, his father beige a wealthy banker. He was well educated, well liked and popular with everybody. He was at one time a bookkeeper in his father's bank, and then a bookkeeper at Dawson, then drifted over to Fairbanks, and had a lay on No. 11 Goldstream and afterwards on Cleary. He stampeded to Iditarod, where he prospected, then came on the stampede to the Kuskokwim arriving at Takotua, and went from there to Kolmakofsky on the Quickstep. After the free-up he came to Georgetown with his dog team, and made three round trips from here to Iditarod to assist a Frenchman named Pharro who was arrested and bound over to court charged with selling or giving whisky to natives. George Tisdale, who did the shooting, once had ground in Lovett gulch and Bonanza Creek, in the Dawson country, and on Ester Creek in Fairbanks district. He came to Georgetown with the rush and after working here a while drifted down the river and occupied the same cabin with four Frenchmen, one of whom was Pharro, is under a $2,000 bond as mentioned above. It is thought that not understanding French, Tisdale grew to believe that when they were talking in their own language that they were talking about him, and plotting to take his life, and that this so preyed upon his diseased mind that it was one of the causes that led up to the tragedy. The shooting was done inside the cabin with a 30-10 Winchester rifle, the body falling near the doorway. One of the men, the eldest, was cutting wood outside, but the others were inside at the time o the shooting, and all three ran away, and were afraid to follow Tisdale, which accounts for the messenger not reaching here until five days after Tisdale. Deputy Marshal Siebe is expected back on Monday with the body and the three partners, as witnesses. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ak/fairbanks/newspapers/murderco35gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/akfiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb