The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-28
Correspondence.
HoOD's CANAL MAR 25th, 80.

HOOPS CANAL MAR 25th, go.
Rev. Joseph E. Roy d. d.. and wife, of
Chicago, visited the Skokomish reserva-
ton last Tuesday and Wednesday. He is
western Secretary of the American Mis-
sionary Association which sustains the
work on the reservation, and
although it has done so for fifteen years.
yet this is the first time it has sent out
any of its officers to look after its inter
ests here. 1t carries on work among the
Negroes, and Chinese in America, and the
mountain whites OF Tennessee. 1t has
under it about four hundred and fifty
workers and ninety three schools, six OF
which are colleges. aud eighteen more &C.
ademcal institutions. 1t has nearly six
hundred Indian scholars in its schools,
and over eleven hundred Chinese pupils
enrolled in the United States. Its work
is both educational and religious, as
among these races the religious cannot
we'll be carried on without the education
al. 1t has annual income OF from three
hundred to three hundred and fifty thOus-
and dollars.
MARRIED:-At Skokomish, March 10Th,
by Rev. NJ Eels. Mowitch man and
SkOkOmish Mary. No cards or cake.
Thus this case which has been on the
docket Tor about three years, has been IL
the papers, and talked about, and lawed
about, has come to an end. For many
years MOwitch man had two wives, Sis
tiers, who lived together very harmoni-
ously, but in 1886 there came an order
from Government that plural marriages
should no longer exist, but that each man
should haye only one wife; a good order
in general, but if an exception could have
been made in this case it would probably
have been better. 1t was limited in the
order that each man had better choose
his first wife as his legal one, but Now
itch man, afraid that he would have to do
so, and contrary to the advice of his
friends, slipped away from the reservation
procured license and was legally mar
ried to the younger sister. When the
older sister found this out, she was very
angry, and pestercd him all she could,
and tried to get him back. He was in
such hot water, that he thought the only
way to get out of it. was to procure di-
vorce from the younger. But she had
given him no cause for a divorce. How
ever be attempted it early in 1888, but
when the time set for the trial came, he
was Ill IllC lCSCINdtlOu JAN SON'N NV
go. After this the younger one never
could learn what efforts he was likely
to make although she tried, both from
him, and from his lawyers, but through
deal of crOOkedness she could learn moth
ing, and last fall without her knowing
anything more about it, the divorce was
granted But he was divorced from Sally
dbl, and not from Mary Christmas the
name by which she was married, and al
though this was another name of hers, it
was so much of flaw that he could not
procure new marriage license, till the
court should remedy it. In the mean
time Judge Allyn was informed of the
crookedness, by means OF which the le-
gal wife was kept in ignorance of the
suit, whereupon he wrote that there was a
provision in.such circumstances, the di-
vOrce could be set aside and a new trial
granted. Agent Eells was consulted in
the matter, VINO offered the legal wife her
choice, either to haye the divorce set aside
then employ lawyer, oppose the divorce
and take her chances, or allow the dl-
vOrce 10 be remedied and to stand, and &C,
cept an alimOny of one hundred dollars.
She chose the latter. Mowitch mans
lawyer consented to the same, it was or
dered by the court at Olympia, and has
been paid by Mowitch man. and so after
three years and cost to him of nearly
two hundred and twenty five dollars, he
has been allowed to return to his first
love. This is the first legal divorce which
has been procured by any of the Sk0ko-
mish Indians, although sixty two couple
IF them have been legally married dur
ing the past seventeen years.
There recently died an old man on the
who has gone by the name
Of Big Sam, was sormerly from the Sat.
sop, who has often said that he remem.
bercd quite distinctly when Astoria was
built. This must have made him about
ninety years old, as that place was founded
In 1911
In October 1890 very full census was
taken of the Skokomish tribe and they
numbered two hundred and forty three.
In the nine and a half years since that
time one hundred and ten have died. and
pet the increase has been such that two
hundred and seven are left. A large
share of these deaths have been among
the children so that there are now but
few children on the reser-
walton. Out of sixty six SkOk omish fa
miles, few of whom are off the reser-
vation, twenty four have not child. some
having lost ten or twelve, and seventeen
more have only one each. Among the
Puyallup Indians more of the older In
dams have died. In the fall of 1886, one
hundred and sixty seven heads of t'am.
lies there received patents to their lands.
Since that time thirty eight OF those re-
ceiving patents have died. About the
same time forty six patents mere granted
to heads of families On the SkokOmish
reservation, but among all the deaths only
three have been those who received those
patents.
Miss Molly Hegaas left last week for
Olympia, where she expects u stay dur
ing the summer, and Miss Mary Hegaas
left at the same time tor Shelton.
Mr.. Thomas McCullagh of Tahooya,
who took his family last fall to Olympia,
for the benefit of school, returned home
last week. The friends and patrons of
Miss Minnie A. McCullagh will be
glad to learn thgt she has secured "a stu.
alton in one of the schools Olympia.
Such a teacher deserves, and will surely
win promotion.
Mr.. f. Church. who has been killing
ducks hereabOuts, and shipping them by
steamer to Seattle, fin is the seas IN about
ended. He has been quite successful,
having sometimes sent as many as fifty at
Once.--S.
PICKERING's PASSAGE.
The Railroad surveyors were here last