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A member of a prominent Wrangell family is arrested for murder after an encounter on Cow Alley leaves one man dead. The year is 1921. The trial of Charles Lynch for the murder of Harry Nakamoto features some of Alaska's biggest names. It paints a picture of what life was like in a politically-charged time in Wrangell history, and it offers a glimpse into to lives of Asian immigrants to Alaska. (Publication Date: September 26, 2020)
Best Bread in Town
Harry Nakamoto’s name first appeared in the March 25, 1920 issue of The Wrangell Sentinel in an advertisement for the Wrangell Bakery. He assumed the business from the previous owner, George Kyota.
Petersburg Weekly Report, 1921-11-11, Page 6
Harry Nakamoto was the owner of The Wrangell Bakery and had not been in Wrangell very long. His accused murderer, Charles Lynch, was from a prominent Wrangell family that went back decades.
Charles Lynch secured one of Alaska’s most famous figures as his lawyer: James Wickersham. Alaska first knew Wickersham as a judge for the territory, then Alaska’s elected delegate to Congress. By 1922, Wickersham was out of politics and into private legal practice.
