, 1857-04-10

Sens they shulld have done 10 their rnrr rrlItons
With the Indians for security. and wishing o. reWan,
a. il we're. neutral, while the fighting went ~ aIornd
;hem In ding 80, they exposed them elves T. hagt
c0ntFhuti rs levied upnn them u the tr,my, but i
may te remarked that had they tied at ID, outset the
lndians would have p> esscd thou-eye- oi lhe sane
and even more. supplies, besides dntroyfg then
arms completely. A. 1t is. they were IiiiIc,d oi cat
tie and horses, even he:nrc they were of3er,d in
Such is the amount of guilt, 80 FAR al tast. as there
i any proof and, as we bCl.rve 30 ier ns most ni
them were guilty at all That they have supplied
arms or ammunitiun We DO not lelIeve. Governor
Stevens has simply assumed tlcir guilt and prptcot,u
IN iadge them accord ncly. Had Acting Governor
Mason ~ Governor Stevens mpeiled These Iersgi'-
with all others similarly situated tgleave Their claims
early in the winter when theT presence there a-tn'
ally was dangerous, whatever Knight have lcrn thtir
al % stion no one could hayf H. med him. Such af
order co ID have been chlo',ed' ] Is presumed "
legal means, and as MEASURE Of general policy II
not OF Leges>.ir.
Cootei Casey has been cited as having called Il
attention Of the Governor to these men. and stating
that an Indian prisoner had inlolmGd HIM that the
movement, Of tie troops bad lcca co mmuncated 70
Leschi (an indiln chid) iy aue # the~e ptr-ons.
We have made inquiry ol Colonel Casey rcspe, ting
this assertion and find the truth 10 lc, that Doctor
: icklev ui mtd him that NellsWt, an Indian in gov
ernment employ. said that one II Les,hi's men had
stated that leshi told him that he had the Informal
tnn frnm another Indian Who had formerly lived with
ne Edwards, not one Of the persons arIc ted, nor
even citizen Of Perce equity, but Of lhHeton
county. in VIII. h the Goyemur, himself, rtsidss.
The murders ~ White and Norih,rafi. il aprcar-.
fr5t taught the Governor bis duty in tie premises
Nn,c men were baTb4Iuu ly murdered, i Is true. Lut
thc murders were committed IN Tho ton county, ly
Marty % Indians who had harb0rcd there, and not in
P,crce county. This party, IN leaving the re,ghtOr-
hood, however, came mt Pierce county aud passed.
the houses OF some OF the suspected persons, stop
led and addressed them, informing them what they
lad done. They were not greeted 10 iIiend hip, lat
received with fear and ore OF the worst Suspected
L. A. Smith the next day came into Stella snOm re-
tkaN al In nd at In
The measure Of ordering the whole from tECir
,llus was now tardily executed. How dangerous
thee men were considered, aud how much proof
tXi.ted against them. may lie imagined irom The
treatment which, by the Governors own account,
they received They were offered their choice Of frs.
lcucc we're not confined, guarded nor even disarned
Yet Governor Stevens states that such was the public
indignation against them that Il was indispensable
measure Of precaution in order 10 protect tie lives Of
these persons from the justice of an outraged cummu
nifty.
short time after, de-irous Of looking AFTER their
claims and property, aud suppusing the affair blown
over. they went home again some Of them at lea t.
having taken the precauton % obtain permit lrum
Governor Stevens local Indian agent and they were
there seized by volunteer force, who, 1t is under
TODD. had orders to take them, Hliyc or dead and
having been irs carried before Governor Stevens, at
Olympia, five of them were sent TO Col Casey, at
Fort Scilacopm, with request that he would cnIpe
them. Il was not intended by the committee Of tie
bar To Us ert that Col Caey Refused to receive them.
but simply that he would not hold them in defiance Of
civil authority. The correspondence between him ard
the Governor this subject will be found In the War
Department, Colonel Ca ey having transmitted pies.
That officer has since stated his opinion orerly tlat
even had the procamatun been legal theie has been
time since the r,t Of March when 1t necessary.
During the interview between the Governor and his
prisoners as they state and we believe truly, be
treated them with the greatest usoerce, cursng aud
abusing them.
There are various missiatements Of the Conmi,tecs
epnrt rs cted by Govenar Stevens. which iii hardly
VIII In "a lie mai nc arr IA
conirOvcftod.
The proclamation os martial law was made and per
haps q wTittcn copy was posted in Still Ico"m. 1t
was made, not on preteIce O desperate peril TO the
Territory from thee six or seven men, hut to prevent
their obtaining right which the Constitution of
their county had secured to them, against precisely
uch cases. 1t was without law Precedent, or pallia
ton, and intended 10 subject them to the despotie
will and pleasure Of officer whoe Tase excited
not by their crimes, but by their dsobedence to his
orders. ItS effects not confined to them. II
len IN force through tic county, when those crsonS
were carried to Olympia, ogt OF the judicial district.
II has since hung over IT, ralyzng all civil authority,
all customary Judicial business, and finally exert
ed in the most harrant act Of executive outrage
known Ia the records cf the United States.
That the utter falsehood Of the precxts set up by
Governor Stevens for his conduct may he understood
Il is only necessary to stie that these same persons
although awaiting their trials by military commss-
sion on charge of treGsoR, are at this moment on
parse, and quietly walking about the town without
guard with their usual arms passing at large be-
tween steilacpom ard the volunteer b0ckhouse
That extrawdnary court, is publicly stated. Is to
consist Of thrCe volunteer ui ers. appointed y Gov
crnOr Stevens and holding their commissions at his
viii. and is to sit az blockhouse twelve miles
from the town Of StelcOom, the military road Ia
Walllwalld and at some distance from any inhali.-
ants Six weeks have TINS elapsed since the first
arrest Of these men for imputed crimes Of enormaus
magnitude, and they have not yet been aIraigned
even, before such court this. We avow it with
out qualification, that Governor Stevens has bccn
afaid n bring them to trial because be had proofs
against them. The other matters In the vindicaton
may lie passed with hut brief nctce. The asser.
tOn that since the declaration Of martial law great
change for the tettcr ha taken place II true but the
operations Of the troops net the proclamation or H.
consequences, effected this. The chnnee was visible
before even the arrest Of Smith and the othpFs II
foil wed from the fight Of March 1t on White river,
from the sah equent rcpusc Of the Indians by the vol
rntecrs at Frrt liays. and the various scouts that
have been made.
The position in which the war stands at this time
and Stood at the time of the Governors proclamation.
in the view Of the commanding officer Of this district
may he seen nom the accompanying extract Of q let
ter from Col. Ca.cy IN Gen. Wool. The Governor
states indeed. that within the last fortnight. houses
and harms have been burned in the county Of Thurs
ton. We have heard Of only one Larn being burnt
hut granting that many had been, VIC see no reason
in this for keeping Pierce county under martial law.
Ilo says. as II II were new and astonishing thing
Just come tn his krowicdre that "the lrdians have
announced their determination to lay waste the set
dement's How this announcement was aade. and
Ia date, does iot appear possibly 1t WIS published
after the Of his proclamation. l. such gas
conade the part of Indians supeIintCndents Of
Indian af!irs to Justify steps IKE the assumption Of
s5soute poWerl
We deny absolutely that any crisis existed thea OF
has since In the affairs OF the Tcrritnry. What may
happen hereafter will in great MEASURE, depend
upon the movements Of the troops the lire oi the
Columbia river, hut cannot in any way, UGett the
past. The sole object Of the proclamation was to get
half dozen obscure individuals into his ab1olute con.
troll. and to demonstrate that he, l-aac l. Stevens
could, on the field offered by small Territory enact
at second hand, the part OF Napoleon
The arrest Of Chief Justice Lauder, anu the break
ing up Of his court was bpt STy sequence to
the proclamation Of martial Ian. Governor Stevens
has brought forward the testimony Of Lieut.. Col, mel
shaw as to the Leccssi;y OF enforcing the procamS.
ton at that time. Col. Shaw expressed tn Mr.. Gibbs.
and it is believed to Others very different views
the day Of the occurrence. BIT. Setting this aside
the opinion Of an o.fyer oF Governor Stevens own
creation can hardly he taken .>jicatiya for hi
assuming 50 Tremendous a responsibility.
With regard 10 the propdciy Of Judce Landcr's
trying the referred e., say nothing The only
information We have the sutjec. is derived from
the g Ncrnor's statements. Admitting theu, they
concern mcUlv his htneg- as a iudge and not Gov