The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-09-11
KILLING OF SAC ARLEE.
Got Too Fresh With a Squaw and Re-
ceived His Deserts.


The recent killing of Sac Arlee. a
Flathead indian brave, on the reserva-
| ton week or two ago was the sub
Jet of an investigation before
United States commissioner at Mis-
sou!a a few days since. rhe Nilsson
d correspondent OF the Anaconda
Standard has he following account of
G proceedings:
The :ie cCur. room OF United
> a.es Commissioner Wallace f.
~, i VAS crowded today with In
iians ara sp9Cit., ors WHO look some
part in he preliminary nearing OF the
indians .i,ous Il OF laundering Sac Ar
Ice. a Fla Head Indian. on he reser
vation about a month ago. AS was
stated in the y andard. Agnes. the
squaw in the case, acknowledged the
,.,.alr # he nGian aid was held to
| ''2 federal cot,rj. The o'hcr Indians
Ave be- discharged and will return
| IL !. .seI,at CT al once.
| Tne story As told by .he wi nesscs
| is about as follows: On the night OF
| he murder Sac Arlec Agnes and other
Indians had been drinking. 1t was
a,t tnat night When it was reported
that whiskey had been brought to a
cent and was being sold and that also
\ game of cards was going to open
up There were several Indians
around The pace, which is Nnown on
lie reservation as the Kootenai camp.
and bonfire had been started. Sac
Arlee was under the influence of
liquor when he started in pursuit of
.snrs. whom he saw pass the place
where the gambling was to have been
| carried He clnviot II with hnr
and insulted her, wanting to go to her
en- wi;h her. which insult Agnes re-
sented. The squaw continued to keep
.A, ron Sac Atlec and in trying to
| = - .tCm I'm was al one time
knocked down by HIM. She then wen
=. Il ,v.:t Ui JHH ii the koO, enaiS
-; 81, A,lec fo.lowsd hcr. AS ;hey
n.1r,d The ,cnt Sac Arlee again
knocked Agnes down. and in failing
size Til on to he cooking utensils and
nor hand found knife. She got up
and in defending herself against the
~sh,lns ~ Sac Ariee struck him will
the knife. Two blows were struck,
-. ~ IA i deep cash on the back
of the head and the second cutting his
throat. Sac Arlce started TO go out of
the cent and commenced to sway as
" hecam" weak from the wounds.
Oyuse Finley, halfbreed. who was
IN lie tent and heard the noise, got up
as Sac Arlee came from behind cur
ain, where the cutting took place.
ard caught the indian as lie was fall
ing. He carried him outside of the
tent and laid am on the ground. Two
other Indians. defendants in the case.
were al hand and picking Sac Arlce
Up fio... the ground. laid him up along
side the tent. where he gave few
@ls;s and, dicd. Sac Arce being a
',ln ION Of Mrs Oyouse Finley, the
lattcr's husband had the remains ear
ried to his home, where they were
paced in coffin and the day follow
ing the murder were buried.
The prosecution was conducted by
United ~ates Assistant Prosecuting
Attorney Carl Rasch of Helena, who
for the first time in his life conducted
case Of this kind. The gentleman
lid exceedingly we'll in examining al
Of The Witnesses and questioned then
cry closely.
Agent Smaad testified to being mott
led Of the murder, of sending the res
erva,iOn police TO arrest those con
acctcd with the affair and to what he
heard about the manner in which tn,
deed was committed
j. NJ. Dixon appeared for Finley ant
introduced evidence to show that his
client was not guilty of the crime ant
ha, he pears d good reputation on the
reservation. and tnat he conducts z
'a"1e farm, employing number OF
. indian hands
ID. Dowd, the cattle man, was a wit
ness, but could throw very little ligh
III .he murder. He stated that he hat
heard of the murder ant went up Il
the camp, and found Sac Arlee in tn,
coffin. He was accompanied by sol
young ladies. and as is the custom
, with the Indians on occasions like tina
one. he stepped up to the dead InilaI
and shook his hand goodbye.
Albert Vincent acted as interpreter
!, and did well. He understands both
: ianpTaGes and answered the question
} fluently. He had some trouble will
3 Agnes, owing to ner being a kootenai
! One of the important witnesses il
5 he case was lIichel. who saw almos
e he whole affair. He stated that tn,
Y deed was committed after midni /.
5 and shortly before daylight. He di,
: not. however. see Agnes hit Sac Arle,
+ with the knife.
e Joseph. another Inalan, when ties
!, tifying, produced a picture drawn b,
: himself on a common piece of wrap
r ping paper, of the direction of tn
y tents in which the murder took place
from the house owned ny OyOuse Fir
ley, and the direc ion the fleeing Az
:. mes took when Sac Arlee started afte
S her. One peculiar feature of the pic
d 'nre, and characteristic of the Ir
+. dians. is that all their drawings of hr
l. man beings paon them with thei
e heads town. The picture was pro
r ducnd in evidence and was looked a
n with much merriment by the witness.
= eS
n A. mes told that she did not mea
% kin Sac Arlee. but struck him i
self-defense. hoping TO stop am fror
2ssanIfing her. When she did strik
t him sh" cot on, of the tent withol
any one knowing it. and had she nc
d Old of her own accord that she di
e he kim" it would have been impo'