Wilderness Search for War-time Deserter * By CONST. B. E. MUNKLEY * If You Are Wanted by the Law, Don’t Try to Disappear in B. C.’s Northland— At Least That's the Advice of Const. B. E. Munkley, Who for Many Years Policed - the Omineca District, Northwest of Prince George—To Make His Point He Describes the Wilderness Search for a Lone War-time Deserter. IF YOU are wanted by the law or wish to disappear, don’t try to hide in the North. While stationed at Fort St. James in Northern B. C., 1 saw that proven on more than one occasion. “The Fort” is an historical and picturesque village situ- ated on the southern end of Stuart Lake, forty-two miles north of Vanderhoof, and is connected to that town by the Mc- Kenzie Highway, which continues north from Fort St. James to the gold placer areas of Manson Creek and Germansen. During the second World War, several deserters believed that by heading into the more remote areas, they would escape detection. That belief was erroneous for many of them. I remember one particular occasion during the summer of 1944. I had re- turned from a long patrol of the placer operations to the north when I received a report from Lee Cochran, the Dominion constable stationed at Fort St. James, to the effect that an Indian named John Prince, a native big game guide, had loaned a Peterborough canoe to an army officer the previous day. The officer had paddled up Stuart Lake alone during the early afternoon. A sudden squall had blown up later in the day and some fear was felt for his safety. I might say that Stuart Lake is approximately 55 miles in length and at its widest point 12 miles in width, and like all lakes of that size, can be very treacherous. I checked the register of the Stuart Lake Hotel and found that a Lieutenant E. S. Smith had been registered there for the past few days. The necessity of an immediate search was obvious as Smith might have been thrown up on an island where he might starve to death. I ob- tained the help of Dominion Const. Coch- ran and started up Stuart Lake in the Police River Boat R14, a 33-foot craft powered with outboard motors; an excel- lent boat for fast running rivers but not exactly the craft for large exposed bodies of water. “LIEUTENANT” TAKES To BUSH About ten miles from the Fort, we saw a canoe on the shoreline, and with some difficulty managed to effect a landing. We examined the canoe and the surrounding shoreline, but failed to locate any sign of the lieutenant. However, before making arrangements to drag the lake, we ob- served that the paddles for the canoe were lying on the shore in such a position as to belie the possibility of their having drifted there. They seemed to have been placed on the shore. After a hurried con- sultation we decided to proceed to Pinchi Village, an Indian Reserve 14 miles up the lake, and question the inhabitants. On our arrival, we found that a half-breed was the only person at the village, and he told us that his-dogs had been noisy shortly before daybreak. Investigating the cause he had found a white man stranded on the opposite shore of Pinchi Creek. He had paddled the man across the creek in his dugout and given him some food. His description fitted Smith closely, and in addition, he said the man was clothed in light khaki clothing and wearing oxford shoes, also, that he was not carrying any supplies or suitable clothing. It was apparent to Const. Cochran and myself that the man was a greenhorn and had no conception of the difficulties of bush travel in that country. Obviously he was either a mental case or he was running away from something. We immediately took to the boat again and continued up the lake still further towards Tachie, another Indian Reserve 30 miles up Stuart Lake at the mouth of the Tachie River. At this time the wind started to rise, and had we not con- sidered it imperative that we carry on, we certainly would have gone scurrying for shelter. The waterway approach into Tachie village is strewn with sandbars built up by the river. These sandbars stretch far out into the lake, and even in calm weather the shallowest draft boat requires con- siderable handling to negotiate the chan- nel. With a wind blowing across the mouth of the river and mountainous waves breaking on the bars, it was in- SAFE, CLEAN AND ECONOMICAL 760 Beatty Street MA rine 1221 MOVING AND STORAGE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS CRONE STORAGE CO. LTD. Vancouver Seattle Official Manufacturers of LONG SERVICE MEDALS FOR B. C. PROVINCIAL POLICE PRESSED METAL PRODUCTS LIMITED Enamelled Badges Medals - Class Pins Light Metal Stamping Die Sinking, Engraving, Etc. 446 Railway Street VANCOUVER, B.C. EIGHTEENTH EDITION Page Fifty-three