A Most Wicked Conspiracy

March 15, 2020
A scandalous tale of rampant greed and criminal behavior amid a gold rush near Nome, Alaska, in 1900. Freelance journalist Starobin, a former Moscow bureau chief for Business Week, returns with a thoroughly researched account of a massive mining swindle in Nome. Thankfully, because the significant players are so abundant, he provides a cast of characters at the beginning of the book along with a simple but helpful map of the relevant area. But certain key figures quickly emerge and dominate, principally the master con man and powerful "boss" from North Dakota, Alexander McKenzie, who saw opportunity in Nome, headed north with some cronies (including lawyers), and abruptly took over mining claims from the less powerful. The author does an excellent job of moving readers around, teaching us about other figures who were there (including Wyatt Earp); providing some history of the region and of other gold rushes; giving deeper biographical information for some of the players; and describing the geography, weather, and modes of transportation and communication. Starobin begins with the discovery of gold before digging into the initial claims (some of the more surprising ones: on Nome's Bering Sea beaches). The author then discusses McKenzie before telling us about his decision to go to Nome--and what he did when he got there. Using his considerable political influence, McKenzie got friendly local judges appointed and was cruising along--conning and usurping--when a court case on the issues ended up, on appeal, in the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. Also appearing in the narrative are President William McKinley, Attorneys General John W. Griggs and Philander C. Knox, and the members of the 9th Circuit. Tacit analogies to today's political conditions abound, and while the occasional dense detail may be off-putting for some readers, the story is entertaining. Sturdy research and clear prose reveal some truly abominable snowmen wreaking havoc in Alaska.

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April 15, 2020
As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, gold fever gripped the world with the discovery of nuggets in streams and rivers flowing out of Alaskan mountains and into the Bering Sea. Scandinavian prospectors, accustomed to harsh Arctic conditions, flocked into Cape Nome and set up claims, only to find that others contested them by means fair and foul. Powerful interests enlisted the help of local and federal politicians to craft legislation to squeeze out anyone who stood in the way of their own grab for Alaska's gold. Starobin (Madness Rules the Hour, 2017) tells the story of these individuals, from local prospectors to greedy U.S. Senators who coveted the region's wealth. Central to the conspiracy, Alexander McKenzie ran the Dakota Territory's Republican machine, virtually selecting judges and even senators. Protracted court battles ensued till finally less corrupt judges ruled against McKenzie's illegalities and threw him into prison until President McKinley pardoned him. Both the geographical and governmental scope of this scandal complicate the narrative, but Starobin sorts out characters and keeps the drama flowing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)