The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-03-28

The Mission Land Contest
OlpnpidR: A band Of Yakima Indians
has attracted considerable interest at
Olympia. They are at the state capital
as witnesses in legal controversy over
certain lands near Yakima, after the
manner OF their white bretheren, and the
gentlemen with them are attorneys and
witnesses.
The contest involves the right of the
Roman Catholic mission to 447 acres of
land in Yakima county, adjoining the
Yakima Indian reservation, which the
mission claims by virtue of having mis-
sion established on the land March .,
| 1858, the date of the act Of congress orga-
nizing the territory OF Washington, said
act containing proviso that title to lands
not exceeding GAO acres occupied at that
dated for mission should he confirmed
to the religious society to which said
missionary station respectively belonged
The mission was established in the
spring of 1852, by Fathers Chiornse and
Herlomez, upon small tract given them
by Yallup, an Indian who was occupying
the land, and was occupied by them until
the fall Of 1855, when the white people
began to settle the country and the Indian
war OF lS55-56 took place.
The government troops burned the mis-
sion in the fall OF 'j5 and the missionary
station was abandoned from that time
until 1865, at which time it was again re-
built, the Indians then claiming the full
447 acres.
In 1888 Bishop Junger of the diocese of
Nisqually applied for patent for the whole
tract, Willis Smith and Charles Kinney
who were occupying the land protested
and a hearing was rendered by the COM
missioner OF the general land Office to es-
tablish the rights of the respective parties
to the land. The local land office and
commissioner OF the government land
office decided in favor of the mission, but
the secretary reversed the decisions, hold
ing that they were only entitled to the
land actually occupied at the date of the
passage of the act directing the surveyor
the amount so occupied and report it to
the secretary, whereupon patent would
issue to the mission. The case is now
being heard before the surveyor general
NJ. q. Wills, one of the witnesses in
the case, was in Yakima during the In
dian war of 80 and SO when the mission
was burned, and tells some interesting
stories of those troublous times.
1t is reported that unless the kinder
garten, which holds sessions in the Pres
byterian church, is better patronized
Immediately 1t will be closed. Something
should be done to arouse the public to
sense of the benefits derived from kin
dergarten training for the little ones. 1t
seems strange that with very compe-
tent teacher the movement should utter
ly fail here, through lack of interest,
while in other towns and cities, not only
in this state but all over the country, the
system of teaching shows increasing
strength, and in Tacoma free kndergar-
ten has been established as an auxiliary
to the public schools.
Mayor Charles Adams and Councilman
Gus Lindstrom, of Roslyn, are in the
city today inspecting the water works for
the purpose OF posting themselves on the
question with view to making report
and framing recommendations to the
council of that city. On a direct line
Roslyn is l1s miles from the Yakima
river, where pumping plant could be es-
tablished, but if the gravity system is
adopted pipes will have to be laid for
distance of fifteen miles. Mayor Adams
is an old friend OF Thomas Lund whose
guest he is during his Yakima visit.
John Walsh, of sunnyside, was in the
city this week and added his name to the
rapidly growing list of HERALD subscrib-
ers. Mr.. Walsh is practical cannery
man and has large number of endorse
ments as to bis skill and ability, having
had much experience in this business,
the last being as manager of the Iowa
Canning Co., OF Dubuque
To fatten growing chic ks, coop them up
in close quarters and feed corn heavily for
week. The work must be done quickly
for they will not stand long confinement
and they are hard to fatten in any other
way because the feed will 20 into growth.
If milk is given them they may be con.
fineds few days longer than a week.
W. N. Granger returned from trip to
Tacoma on Wednesday.
The u. S. Govt Reports