Mercy and Madness by Beverly Lionberger Hodgins

Author:Beverly Lionberger Hodgins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TwoDot
Published: 2021-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

What a wild—in every sense of the word—experience this must have been for the fifty-four-year-old physician and woman of conscience from the State of Washington. The nation—indeed, the world—was fascinated by what was happening in Alaska and the Yukon. The State Department in Washington, DC, received a communication in 1898 “from the United States Consul at Dawson City. In it he says that Dawson City is built upon a bog, and has a population of 20,000 . . . Lots on Main street cost $40,000 [more than $1,300,000 today].”

Money was important to Mary, but probably of more value while in the Klondike was her acquaintance with Swiftwater Bill. Mr. Gates, as the respectable Mary called him, had offered to build her a hospital in Dawson City in recognition of Mary saving his life. Would Mary accept his offer? Would Gates follow through?

And what kind of offer had Swiftwater Bill made to James, Mary’s son? According to a notice in the Spokane Chronicle in April 1898, titled “Called to Alaska”: “A telegram was received yesterday by Dr. Mary Latham from ‘Swiftwater Bill’ Gates notifying her that Gates’ steamer would sail from Seattle tomorrow.” Gates asked Mary to ask James to make haste to Seattle to catch the steamer. The article explained that while Gates was in Spokane, James had accepted “an excellent offer,” and that he would “proceed at once to Dawson City via the river route.” As a journeyman plumber, it’s feasible that James went to Alaska to ply his trade for Swiftwater Bill. But James was also invested in mines near home, so perhaps he went for the gold.

Plenty of records remain concerning Swiftwater Bill Gates, including several derogatory articles with headlines like “Gates Under Arrest,” “Women Demand Money,” “Swiftwater Tells Court He’s ‘Broke,’ ” “Bill Gates Declares He Is a Bankrupt,” “Swiftwater Asks for the Legal Beggars’ Allowance,” “Gates Asks for Son: Court Refuses Plea,” “Old Swiftwater Gets into More Hot Water,” and finally, “Swiftwater Bill Caused Trouble.”

Mary had read enough, and she said so in the September 17, 1898, issue of the Chronicle:

W. C. Gates, “Swiftwater Bill,” is making more money than ever and is going out soon on his way to London with Alex McDonald, the richest man in Klondike, whose partner he is. Just why the newspapers take such savage delight in printing all those ridiculous stories about Mr. Gates is hard to say, as he is one of the foremost business men in Dawson and well respected. A prominent business man said to me concerning him: “Almost all the stories printed about ‘Bill’ are outrageous falsehoods, the outcome of jealousy, and as for me I’d rather take Bill’s word than some of their notes. He is just the kind of a man we need in Dawson.”

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