The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-09-26
THE QUlNAULT INpIANS
DWELL IN VILLAGE WITH A
POPULATION OF 100.
They Have "a Horror of Jail and VIII
DO Most Anything to Escape
Serving Sentence.

The Quinault Indian agency is To-
Gated at the junction of the Quinault
river with the ocean, on the south side
of the river. 1t is a well-built little vii
lage with a population Of about 100 Ia
dams and a dozen white people, says
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. There
is considerable evidence of civilization
among this tribe, although it's past his
tory has been that of extreme degra-
dalton and brutality. The Qunault
Indians at one time were a large tribe
numbering several thousand souls, but
war and pestilences have diminisbes
their numbers to a mere handful anat
they are decreasing every year the
mortality being greater than the ia
crease. AS a rule they are cleanly and
orderly, except when whisky or alcohol
can be procured. They are not natural
ly so, however. 1t has been through
the efforts Of Uncle Sam ard the ex-
penditure of great deal OF money
that they have been brought to any
thing like fair degree of decency. The
government has had for over % years
a good school among them, and ii W.
compulsory for the young to attend
For years these Indians were supplied
with all the necessaries of living by
the government, but of late years emily
those decrepit and aged or sick have
been the recipient of any bounty An
OF the able-bodied have to work for
their living. Considerable Of this work
is furnished by the government. in
hauling goods, building houses, chop
ping wood and raising hay and other
farm products. There is a system Of
police regulations in force, the indians
serving as police and the chief being
selected from among them. The CHIEF
and his subordinates are not elected by
the Indians, but are appointed by thf
Indian agent. These appointments arb
made because Of qualifications possess
ed by the appointee, good behavior be
ing the paramount one Generally
speaking, these Indians are as moral as
any other Indians of the northwest,
though in some instances they have
been addicted to the practice OF trad
ing wives, marrying near relatives, etc
The good work of the governments
agents, however, has been instrumental
in almost entirely putting a stop to
such Objectionable proceedings. The
children are bright, learn fast and
show great promise of amounting to
something until about 16 years of aga
when they appear to become apathet1e
and dull, and from that age instead OF
advancing they retrograde The old
Indian nature comes back to them. and
they demonstrate that they are only
siwashes after all. The Indians are
experts at fishing, hunting and canoe
nd tn ha a,~fxr
home in the water as the salmon that
inhabit the rivers. They are courage
GUS excepting where their supersti-
tions prevail, and then they are abjeSt
towards.
They have a horror of the Jail, or.
"skookum house." as it is designated
by them, and will do most anything to
keep from serving sentence inside
of its walls. Court is held among them
once a month. The agent is the Judge.
and jury is impaneled from among
the Indians and. as near as can be,
the forms of the state court are fol-
lowed The jury brings in a verdict
after hearing all of the testimony anS
| the judge prOnounces the sentence.
Some of their verdicts are amusing aud
absurd. But at times they get very
close to the rights in the case One
verdict rendered some years ago was
very good. One of the popular Indians
of the tribe had been so fortunate as to
secure enough whiskey with which to
! get drunk, and he speedily utilized II
for that purpose. At the first term Of
court he YVES arraigned and tried. but
rot convicted. The evidence was cOR-
elusive and absolute, several OF the
| jurymen having seen him drunk The
verdict was that he was innocent, and
that the white man who furnished the
liquor was the guilty party. This was
the most popular verdict ever rendered
at the agency.
Very few Of these Indians at the pres
ent time are known by their Indian
names. The majority of them have rs
sumed American names. They select
their names from the list of noted men,
the presidents of the United States be
ing the favorites, and then come the
clergy. Such names as Grant, Garfield,
johnson, Jackson, Webster, CollyeE,
Spurgeon and Beecher are found fire.
quently among them.