The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-06-02
Indian Justice.

SAAAA~A W. -
San bernadtpo Times reporter. looking
up from his morning paper. II see they
have sent officers out to Fort Yuma to
arrest an Indian there for killing one
of his companions. That reminds me
of q case that happened here way back
in the COS, In those days the white
people didn't care much about how the
Indians acted. and we let them fight
their own battles. One day party of
Coahuilas came in with one of their
number named Coche Che was not fat
like pig, and that was the way he
got his name). They took him to the
courthouse and wanted him tried and
punished for killing another Indian.
But as no white man had seen or knew
anything about the matter the officers
refused to take charge of Mr.. Coche.
and told the Indians they would have
to settle the affair the best way they
could. Well. they took Coche down to
Squaw fat. near Warm creek, and had
q big powwow over him. He was
found guilty of murder and sentenced
to be hanged. The sentence was to be
carried out at once. They didn't be-
heve In giving Coche any chance to get
of or to appeal to the supreme court.
The court had been held under the
shade of some cottonwood trees, and
when the trial was over the Indians
took rawhide RATA and proceeded to
hang Mr.. Coche in not the most ap-
proved fashion. They hauled him up
to a cottonwood limb, held him few
moments, and then let him down again.
A lot of boys (for was onlya boy
then) gathered around to see the fun
and great sight it was, too. Coche
really seemed to rather like the thing.
They would haul away on the RATA and
hang him up and then let him down.
Between times Coche asked for cigar
cites, and he smoked them with as
much relish as if he was at a fiesta in
stead of taking part in his own execu-
uon.
"Well, don't you know. those con.
founded Indians kept this up the whole
forenoon, first hanging and then letting
Coche down. He. would grin and
chaff his companions, and on the whole
didn't seem to have q bad sort of a
time. But along toward noon the In.
dams got little tired of the fun, and
reckon Coche did. too, so they gave a
final haul on the riata, and then made
the end fast to tree and let the poor
devil strangle to death.
II tell you what, | just wish that wo.
man that wrote Ramona could have
seen that hanging. / reckon she
wouldn't have thought quite so much
of her Indian pets after that And
there was another thing l wish she
could have seen, too. Why, come to
think, it isn't more than about dozen
years since these nice, peaceable, inof'
fensive, copper-colored sons of guns
tried to cut squaw all to pieces down
there ON the fat. They drove fou,
stakes in the ground, stripped the
souaw, and tied her hands and feet,
one to each stake, spread-eagle fashion
Then they took their knives and began
to mark out gridirons and such-llke
things on her back. Hollers You
Just bet she hollered! Why, the people
up in town heard it, and they ran down
and found the squaw bleeding like q
pig; and what do you suppose the mat.
ter was? Well, the woman had earned
four bits somehow or other, and didn't
give the money to her buck. That was
All. How she earned it the buck
didn't care. All that he was mad
about was that she didn'tgive it to him
to buy whisky. Oh, l could 60 on and
tell YOU lot more about those miser
able, worthless ours. But I just wish
that woman writer could have seer
come of the things have. that's all.