The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: ”Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

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Many ex-Victorian seal hunters are on the Japanese sealing Schooner Matsu Maru, which recently put into Hesquoit and has proceeded on her sealing voyage off this coast on her way to Behring Sea, according to ProvincialConstable E McLeod of Clayoquot, who is in the city with an Indian woman, sentenced to one month’s imprisonment at Clayoquot for supplying liquor to other Indians. George Diehl, a well known local hunter, who has been hunting under the Japanese flag for 2 or 3 seasons, and 9 others, including a majority of Victorians. The Schooner has 9 hunting boats, on one white hunter is in charge of each boat, with 3 Japanese hunters. Captain Thompson is navigator of the vessel. 
The 2 Japanese who deserted from the Schooner at Hesquoit were captured at Clayoquot, after much trouble in reaching that village, and were returned on board when the Schooner was hove to off Lennard I lighthouse. She continued on her cruise after taking the deserters on board. 
The Japanese had watched their opportunity and swam ashore, taking to the bush beyond the spit at Hesquoit. When they were making their way ashore firearms were discharged by the watch on deck, evidently with the idea of frightening them into returning, but they didn’t return. They took to the woods and hid until nightfall when they found a small canoe belonging to an Indian and made their way 10 miles down the coast to Sydney Inlet. They landed there and met an Indian, by name Hesquoit Frank, with whom they arranged for the trip to Clayoquot. They had no money, but one of the deserters gave Hesquoit Frank his silver watch, and Frank took them to Clayoquot, where the local Justice of the Peace and a specialConstable sworn in for the purpose, Mr McLeod being away up the coast on business, arrested them on arrival. They were detained and a telegram sent to the Captain of the Schooner at Hesquoit, who came to Clayoquot and secured the men. They were taken out to Matsu Maru on a gasoline launch belonging to Mr Jensen. Matsu proceeded on her cruise after taking them on board. 
The sealing Schooner Jessie, which put into Ucluelet to land 83 sealskins taking on the southern coast, took her stores on board after the arrival of Tees, on which Richard Hall, owner of the vessel, was a passenger. Jessie is proceeding to the otter grounds. 
After waiting for 2 days for 1 man, sealing Schooner Vera has completed her crew and is proceeding to Kyuquot to ship her Indians and will thence proceed on an otter hunting cruse until the Behring Sea season starts in Aug when she will go into Behring sea. [Colonist, 1909-04-21]

 

While Captain Otto Buckholtz – a well-known mariner who hunted seals, took steamers through Arctic ice to land Argonauts first at Cape Nome and made many notable voyages, and of late has tended the new lighthouse at Estevan Point – is peacefully looking after his lanterns on the wreck-littered island coast, some of his neighbors at Hesquoit are seeking to have him pent in a dungeon deep, or at least ordered to pay unto HM, his heirs and assigns forever, a money fine in punishment for a dire offense. 
They charge the lightkeeper with having shot a cow. 
Mrs Antone Luckovitch, Wife of the storekeeper at Hesquoit, and her daughter, who arrived here on the last trip of Tees received a telegram yesterday from the West Coast storekeeper which stated laconically: 
‘The cow is shot.’ 
Forthwith the ladies hurried to the Superintendent of provincial police and asked that the law be brought into place at once and that the body and person of Captain Buckholtz be seized forthwith. 
‘But have you any evidence that he shot the cow’ asked the police. 
‘Sure,’ said the ladies in unison. ‘It must be him for he had threatened to do it.’ 
Meanwhile, the law waits while further investigation is made of the fate of the West Coast cow. [Colonist, 1909-08-08]

 

Tug William Jolliffe, Captain Stratford, has returned from Kyuquot and West Coast lighthouses, where she took stores and supplies. [Colonist, 1909-08-21]

 

The finding of a skeleton in a cave scantily covered by some boards, by the lighthouse builders at work at Triangle I, the body of a white man with only the boots left on the bony feet, the clothing having rotted away, is reported by Steamer Leebro, Captain Hunter, which returned yesterday after a rough voyage, nearly 1 week overdue. News was also brought of the finding of a lifebuoy marked ‘Maxwell’ at Lennard I by lightkeeper Pollock. 
…lighthousekeeper Pollock reported that a lifebuoy had drifted ashore near the lighthouse a short time before Leebro called. No other wreckage had been noticed. The lifebuoy was of the usual type and size, but part was broken away, the name of the port of registry being consequently obscured. 
Leebro is now blown down. Her next trip will be to carry stores and supplies to all the West Coast light stations and she will again visit Triangle I. [Colonist, 1909-10-12, p. 14]