Helena Daily Independent, Helena, Mont., 29 March 1909
Historic Character Gone
Dead in an insane asylum after 20 years confinement, unwept and forgotten, is the fate of a man who years ago was one of the best known characters of the great northwest, then a wild, unsettled region.
On a small island off the coast of Alaska, John Travers, about 25 years ago, ruled absolute monarch of all he surveyed. After a prosperous career as an Indian trader along the coast from Seattle to Alaska, Travers located on his island home, which he purchased with his own earnings. He was well provided with the world's goods and soon became an object of suspicion and hatred upon the part of the Indians who frequented those shores. Travers was a loyal supporter of Uncle Sam and kept the stars and stripes floating conspicuously from his island home. This eventually led to open warfare with the Indians, and after a council of war they determined to tear down the flag. But the determined frontiersman was made of sterner stuff than they anticipated, and their attack was repulsed by a musket volley which laid low a number of the attacking party. This did not end the siege, however, and it was only after word had been sent to Seattle and a United States gunboat sent to the relief of the gallant white man that the Indians desisted. Travers remained unmolested for a long time thereafter, but the memory of the attack preyed upon his mind and he finally got the habit of "seeing things." His powers of reasoning had become so unbalanced that his island home was converted into a veritable arsenal and even his white neighbors became objects of suspicion. The gunboat was again summoned but this time for the purpose of furnishing protection for the whites, and Travers was conveyed in chains to Mount Hope Retreat in Maryland. That was 20 years ago and at the time the papers were full of accounts of his intrepid daring on the frontier, and pity for his unfortunate end.
His death a few days ago was unheralded, and the New York Telegram was one of the few papers to chronicle the passing of this historical character who risked life and fortune to defend the flag he loved.
---------------------------------------------------------
John was originally interred at Mount Hope Retreat Cemetery. That cemetery, however, was closed in 1971. The remains of 264 nuns in that cemetery were transferred to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg. The remains from the other 86 burials (non-nuns) were transferred to New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore into Section I, lot 1A. There is a central monument on that plot showing Mount Hope burials, but no individual names are on the monument or on any markers. Individual names in that plot are also not in the New Cathedral Cemetery records. Unfortunately, his name is not on a marker. (This research by Dan Phelan)
Historic Character Gone
Dead in an insane asylum after 20 years confinement, unwept and forgotten, is the fate of a man who years ago was one of the best known characters of the great northwest, then a wild, unsettled region.
On a small island off the coast of Alaska, John Travers, about 25 years ago, ruled absolute monarch of all he surveyed. After a prosperous career as an Indian trader along the coast from Seattle to Alaska, Travers located on his island home, which he purchased with his own earnings. He was well provided with the world's goods and soon became an object of suspicion and hatred upon the part of the Indians who frequented those shores. Travers was a loyal supporter of Uncle Sam and kept the stars and stripes floating conspicuously from his island home. This eventually led to open warfare with the Indians, and after a council of war they determined to tear down the flag. But the determined frontiersman was made of sterner stuff than they anticipated, and their attack was repulsed by a musket volley which laid low a number of the attacking party. This did not end the siege, however, and it was only after word had been sent to Seattle and a United States gunboat sent to the relief of the gallant white man that the Indians desisted. Travers remained unmolested for a long time thereafter, but the memory of the attack preyed upon his mind and he finally got the habit of "seeing things." His powers of reasoning had become so unbalanced that his island home was converted into a veritable arsenal and even his white neighbors became objects of suspicion. The gunboat was again summoned but this time for the purpose of furnishing protection for the whites, and Travers was conveyed in chains to Mount Hope Retreat in Maryland. That was 20 years ago and at the time the papers were full of accounts of his intrepid daring on the frontier, and pity for his unfortunate end.
His death a few days ago was unheralded, and the New York Telegram was one of the few papers to chronicle the passing of this historical character who risked life and fortune to defend the flag he loved.
---------------------------------------------------------
John was originally interred at Mount Hope Retreat Cemetery. That cemetery, however, was closed in 1971. The remains of 264 nuns in that cemetery were transferred to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg. The remains from the other 86 burials (non-nuns) were transferred to New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore into Section I, lot 1A. There is a central monument on that plot showing Mount Hope burials, but no individual names are on the monument or on any markers. Individual names in that plot are also not in the New Cathedral Cemetery records. Unfortunately, his name is not on a marker. (This research by Dan Phelan)
Helena Daily Independent, Helena, Mont., 29 March 1909
Historic Character Gone
Dead in an insane asylum after 20 years confinement, unwept and forgotten, is the fate of a man who years ago was one of the best known characters of the great northwest, then a wild, unsettled region.
On a small island off the coast of Alaska, John Travers, about 25 years ago, ruled absolute monarch of all he surveyed. After a prosperous career as an Indian trader along the coast from Seattle to Alaska, Travers located on his island home, which he purchased with his own earnings. He was well provided with the world's goods and soon became an object of suspicion and hatred upon the part of the Indians who frequented those shores. Travers was a loyal supporter of Uncle Sam and kept the stars and stripes floating conspicuously from his island home. This eventually led to open warfare with the Indians, and after a council of war they determined to tear down the flag. But the determined frontiersman was made of sterner stuff than they anticipated, and their attack was repulsed by a musket volley which laid low a number of the attacking party. This did not end the siege, however, and it was only after word had been sent to Seattle and a United States gunboat sent to the relief of the gallant white man that the Indians desisted. Travers remained unmolested for a long time thereafter, but the memory of the attack preyed upon his mind and he finally got the habit of "seeing things." His powers of reasoning had become so unbalanced that his island home was converted into a veritable arsenal and even his white neighbors became objects of suspicion. The gunboat was again summoned but this time for the purpose of furnishing protection for the whites, and Travers was conveyed in chains to Mount Hope Retreat in Maryland. That was 20 years ago and at the time the papers were full of accounts of his intrepid daring on the frontier, and pity for his unfortunate end.
His death a few days ago was unheralded, and the New York Telegram was one of the few papers to chronicle the passing of this historical character who risked life and fortune to defend the flag he loved.
---------------------------------------------------------
John was originally interred at Mount Hope Retreat Cemetery. That cemetery, however, was closed in 1971. The remains of 264 nuns in that cemetery were transferred to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg. The remains from the other 86 burials (non-nuns) were transferred to New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore into Section I, lot 1A. There is a central monument on that plot showing Mount Hope burials, but no individual names are on the monument or on any markers. Individual names in that plot are also not in the New Cathedral Cemetery records. Unfortunately, his name is not on a marker. (This research by Dan Phelan)
Historic Character Gone
Dead in an insane asylum after 20 years confinement, unwept and forgotten, is the fate of a man who years ago was one of the best known characters of the great northwest, then a wild, unsettled region.
On a small island off the coast of Alaska, John Travers, about 25 years ago, ruled absolute monarch of all he surveyed. After a prosperous career as an Indian trader along the coast from Seattle to Alaska, Travers located on his island home, which he purchased with his own earnings. He was well provided with the world's goods and soon became an object of suspicion and hatred upon the part of the Indians who frequented those shores. Travers was a loyal supporter of Uncle Sam and kept the stars and stripes floating conspicuously from his island home. This eventually led to open warfare with the Indians, and after a council of war they determined to tear down the flag. But the determined frontiersman was made of sterner stuff than they anticipated, and their attack was repulsed by a musket volley which laid low a number of the attacking party. This did not end the siege, however, and it was only after word had been sent to Seattle and a United States gunboat sent to the relief of the gallant white man that the Indians desisted. Travers remained unmolested for a long time thereafter, but the memory of the attack preyed upon his mind and he finally got the habit of "seeing things." His powers of reasoning had become so unbalanced that his island home was converted into a veritable arsenal and even his white neighbors became objects of suspicion. The gunboat was again summoned but this time for the purpose of furnishing protection for the whites, and Travers was conveyed in chains to Mount Hope Retreat in Maryland. That was 20 years ago and at the time the papers were full of accounts of his intrepid daring on the frontier, and pity for his unfortunate end.
His death a few days ago was unheralded, and the New York Telegram was one of the few papers to chronicle the passing of this historical character who risked life and fortune to defend the flag he loved.
---------------------------------------------------------
John was originally interred at Mount Hope Retreat Cemetery. That cemetery, however, was closed in 1971. The remains of 264 nuns in that cemetery were transferred to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg. The remains from the other 86 burials (non-nuns) were transferred to New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore into Section I, lot 1A. There is a central monument on that plot showing Mount Hope burials, but no individual names are on the monument or on any markers. Individual names in that plot are also not in the New Cathedral Cemetery records. Unfortunately, his name is not on a marker. (This research by Dan Phelan)
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