, 1861-08-29

is the expression used by the friends Of Jim
Riley, In extenuaton Of one Of his last crimes
Because it was only an Indian, instead of recciv
ing the punishment which the law awards for
the crime Of murder, Riley should at once be
liberated with marks Of appreciation, and en-.
couragement to repeat the same crime upon In.
dian and white alike.
1t is matter Of sincere regret to US that we
have in our midst any so heartless or so thought.
less as to give utterance to such an expression,
knowing, as they must, the inevitable conse-
quence Of q murder IKE this which Riley has
just perpetrated The highest law Of the Indian
is blood for blood and life for life This is the
inexorable LA Of the savage everywhere, and
in enforcing it he does not discriminate between
the innocent and the guilty. II the murderer
escapes, not so will the people to whom be BE-.
longs. victim must be sacrificed to atone for
the crime, and not unfrequenty the lot falls to
the most innocent and unsuspecting. Already
have some Of our citizens been reminded Of this
law by the natives, who declare that il Riley is
not killed by the whites, for his unprovoked
life Of white man in return. This with them
is simple justice and, while they exact it Of the
whites, they as freely accord 1t to the whites.
Witness their earnest efforts, q few months
since, to capture and deliver up the Indians who
murdered Carter, on the Snohomish river
More recently similar case occurred near Col
vile, (pnblished in this paper within tho past
month"; where the tribe to which the murderer
belonged cheerfully delivered him up to the
whites, and remained to witness his summary
execution. Does it become US, claiming supe-
riOrity, as we do, to be behind the untutored
savage in matters Of simple justice like thisP
But "it was only an Indian that be killed"
So far as we have yet been able to learn, the
Indian killed was one Of most inofens;ve and in-
dustriOus Of his race. He had been employed at
various times by different farmers, all Of whom
speak well Of him. He earned his livelihood in
an honest and praiseworthy manner, and was
not burden either to the whites or to his kim
dred. Jim Riley, on the contrary, has been q
burden to the people Of this county ever since
he came here from the Columbia River, whence
he was driven for bis misdeeds We question
whether he has performed single days labor
during his residence in the county. The bread
that be was too vicious and indolent to honestly
earn, he extorted by brute force, threats, and
violence, from the weak and tim.d, or obtained
BY Preying upon his nsighbOrs' stock. The In.
dian was a useful member Of the community /;
Riley was pest and curse. Which life was
most va!uablel The Indian was never brought
before the Courts on criminal charge Riley
was arfaigned at every term on criminal charge.
Of greater or less degree. "a late County Com
missioner Of this county assured US, the other
day, that he believed Riley had cost the county
five hundred dollars year for criminal prOsecu.
tons, during the time be has lived bere.) II
the two, We should prefer the Indian as q neigh.
Dor and citizen.
II is such creatures as this Riley who usually
provoke our Indian wars His like are found in
all thin settlements, where they generally thriv,
until their presence becomes intolerable, when
Judge Lynch suddenly cuts short their career
Riley has made himself especially obnoxious To-
the Indians Of this and adjoining counties, b,
ais worse than Indian cruelties toward them
He has seized every opportunity to beat and
,naim them, without the slightest PEOvOeatiOn,
as though they were created for no other pur
pOse than the qualification Of his brutal and
bloody passions. Nothing short Of his life viii
now satisfy them. Dissppoint them in this rea.
sonable and just expectation, and no one can
answer for the consequence 1t may result in
a general Indian war, or il may end in the secret
murder Of one or more Of our best citizens
Though il was only an Indian that he killed, ;
justice and the peace and good order Of Our
community demand that Riley's life should b,
forfeited.