The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1896-02-01
The Indians Dying From Exposure
While Drunk.
THE CASE OF LOUIS lOA
A Proclamation to the lily Marshals a"u
Peace Officers of Eastern
Washington.

Andrew Seltice, in company with re
| ter Wildshoe, paid visit to the Iekoa
Times the other day to call attention TO
| the amount of liquor that is being con-
sumed by his people. During the past
year three Occur d. Alene Indians have
died from exposure while under the III
f1uence of liquor One Indian boy ID
years old died from the effects of whis-
ky on the reservat ton, on the 4th day OF
January of this year.
Chief Seltice says that he has grown
old, and that in his declining years he
wants to do good, and help his people
to do good, and it grieves him to see his
race becoming the victims Of whisky
and strong drink. He fears that if
some stringent efforts are not made to
keep his people from getting hold of in
toxicating liquors, the Occur d'Alenes
will soon have succumbed to the newt
able.
LOUIS LAO.
In speaking of the death of Louis Lao
the chiefs wish it to be known that they
have made every effort to ferret out the
facts in the case, and they find that
from the report of the four consuls who
have been investigating the case, the
following facts are learned:
That Louis Lao, Louis Camille and
Indian Abel went to Tekoa on the 4th
day OF January and purchased from
some white men five bottles of whisky,
Louis Lao buying two and Camille and
Abel three bottles. That night they met
nf
company with Peter Joseph, Thomas,
Bill Phillip, Inostah and Casper, they
drank the liquor Some time during
the night Louis Lao got unruly, and Pc
ter Joseph kicked him out of the house
The wound on Laos head proved, upon
lnVeStlga ton, to be a mere scalp wound
where Joseph had struck him The doc
tor found, upon examination, that the
wound could not have caused death,
Ihls and scratch on the hand from the
parD Wire fence, which it is presumed
ne tried to climb, are all the wounds
tnat could be found on his person.
From these facts the decision was
reached that Louis Lao came to his
death from exposure while overcome
with alcoholic spirits, and that in his
drunken condition he could not climb
the renee, and consequently he laid
down and froze to death.
IN the crowd at Joseph's house two
OF the Indians were sober, Gasper and
Ihostah; the others present were drunk
Chlef Seltlce now has four men lock-
ed up at the mission as a punishment
for drunkenness.
NOTICE TO MARSHAT,S
l, Andrew Seltice, first chief and Pc
ter Wildshoe, second chief, of the c,oe,,r
q Alene tribe of Indians, ask as q favor
u all city marshals of eastern Washine-
ton, commencing with Tekoa. to arreS+
ana lmprison, for time sufficient for
punishment, any Occur dAlenes found
intoxicated In your respective die
trlcts. Chief Seltice and Chief wi1d
shoe 90 sincerely ask the said marsh.1s
ana any peace officers of eastern wash
lngton, to cooperate with them in thair
eHorts TO stop the Indians from getting
WHISKY They further request saloon
Keepers and bartenders IN ooraf,,,,-
guard against selling whisky to w..
men VINO are liable in any wav RI g;,,e
the same to Indians. (Signedl
ANDREW SELTICE
First Chief.
PETER WILDSHOE
d. p,,,. Second Chief.
BY Philip Wildshoe, Interpreter