The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-18
INDIAN LAND SUIT.
Joseph Teabo Accused of a Deep
Conspiracy.
STORY BROUGHT OUT
An Old Illiterate Indian Makes Start
ling Charges OF Fraud and False
imprisonment.

The hearing OF peculiarly interesting con-
test was begun in the land Office yesterday
before the register and the receiver. The parties
in the case are Indians and the claim ut stake is
a tract OF 100 acres of valuable water front on
Port Orchard, near the site of the new navy
yard. The contestant is Charles Jackson, an old
Indian, who formerly belonged to tribe sta
toned at Olympia, and the claimant is Joseph
Teabo, young half breed Indian, of good educa-
ton, while Jackson is an old man, who was
charged with murder by Teabo last summer, but
was discharged for lack of evidence.
Jackson is bringing the present action to re-
gain possession OF homestead which he claims
Teabo fraudulently took from him. He has
lived at Port Washington for twenty years or
more and long since severed his tribal relations
and become citizen Some years ago he ac-
CURED some land by purchase from Jack Sim
mons, an Indian, aud also homesteaded 100
acres near the present site of the navy yard, now
estimated to be worth at least $50 per acre.
Teabo is dstantly related to Jackson and has
lived around Port Washington for q long tins,
Jackson's story as brought out by his testi-
mony and tina. of his principal witness, Sim
mons, is as follows
On July L., 1890, Jack Simmons a relative, got
Charles jackson and several other Indians,
among them John Kinnim, to help him to move
his cattle from one point to another IL a scow.
Jackson at first refused to go with Simmons be-
cause he had promised Tcabo to come to Seattle
on Monday July IA, to see him aboutsa law suit
in which Teabo had been helping him.
Simmons told him that he would
have plenty of time and so
Jackson agreed to help. On Saturday night and
Sunday they moved the cattle and on Sunday
night Jackson and the rest of the Indians, ex
cept Simmons, got very drunk and Jackson lay
on the beach all night and was very sick on
Monday. He went back to simmons homestead
mr. 1nfH Tnoe dov In ha
meantime he had heard that Kinnim's dead
body had been found in the water.
On the Tuesday morning he came to Seattle
and met Teabo, who asked him If he knew that
Kinnim was dead, and he replied that he had
heard it. Then Teabo told him that he, Jack
son, was charged with the killing OF Kinnim
and advised him to go with him to Fred Page
Tustin's office and that he and Tustin would
take care of him. Teabo had on a previous oc-
casion advised him to employ Tustin his
attorney. They went there and Tustin and
Teabo told him that they would look after him
and take care of him. Teabo told him that he
had better put his homestead papers in Tustin's
hands, and Tustin would look out for them
and the land and give the papers back when the
trouble was over.
The REIMBURSEMENT filed by Teabo in the
land Office purports to have been signed by
Jackson with his mark on July Is in the pres
ence of Fred Page Tustin and another attesting
witness. This REIMBURSEMENT was shown to
Jackson on the stand yesterday, and he swore
that he had never signed 1t.
Jackson further testified that on Wednesday,
July l6, he went with Teabo and Tustn to the
church at Chico, where the funeral OF the dead
Indian was held On the way to the church
Teabo told Jackson that he must go and get his
homestead papers and give them to Tustin to
keep until the trouble was over When they got
to the church they met Jack Simmons, and
III IL
homestead papers. Jackson and Simmons went
several miles to the house, and Jackson took
from his trunk the receivers receipt for
his land and, upon returning to the church,
gave it to Teabo, who Immediately gave it TO
Tustin. After the funeral Tustin, Teabo, jack
son and Charley Kelly went TO Chico to the
coroner's inquest held by DR.. Morgan, coroner
of Kitsap county. jackson says that he did not
know what was being done Teabo was a special
constable or officer. After the inquest Tustin
and Teabo took Jackson and Kelly before Justice
of the Peace Dickey, but did not tell them what
they were there for. Then they all came to
Seattle and the next morning Teabo and Jack
son and Kelly went to Port Madison. There
Teabo gave sheriff Comstock paper and wanted
him to put the two Indians in Jail.
The sheriff was familiar with the state of
affairs and, besides regarding the men as in
nocent, he found that the commitment papers
were not drawn up correctly and refused to
lock the Indians up. They came back to Seat
tie and on the following sunday morning Jack
son and Kelly were on the wharf and were
about TO start for home when Teabo came down
and took them up to the county Jail and had
them locked up.
Jackson was in Jail for long time, then got
sick and was taken to the hospital and came
very near dying. After he recovered he was in
Jail for while and then was set free. He went
over to Kitsap county and stayed at Jack SIM
mons house for a week, being in bed nearly all
the time. Then he went to his home