December 9, 2004
P.ige 7
Spilyqy Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Washington court
considers Chief
Leschi's legacy
Will he be known as hero or murderer?
YELM, Wash. (AP) - Chief
Leschi fought to preserve his
tribe's way of life and died a
hero to his people.
But in the official records of
Washington state, Leschi is a
convicted murderer, hanged for
the death of a militia soldier in
the 1855 Indian War.
Everyone from Leschi's ex
ecutioner to respected historians
have questioned his guilt. This
week, the chief justice of Wash
ington state's Supreme Court is
convening a historical trial to
seek justice, at long last, for
Chief Leschi.
"It's a search for the truth,"
Chief Justice Gerry Alexander
said.
The search began generations
ago, among Nisqually Indians
who kept Leschi's legacy alive
through stories they told their
children and grandchildren.
Cynthia Iyall, a descendant
of Leschi's sister, remembers
visiting her grandfather's home
on a bluff whe're Leschi (pro
nounced LESH-eye) and his
brother Quiemuth (KWAY
muth) used to camp.
"It was just fantastic. He
would tell us how they used to
burn the prairies for grazing, and
about their horses," Iyall said.
"They had a view for miles. , I
could imagine way back when,
Leschi and Quiemuth sitting up
there watching the militia men."
Iyall grew up knowing
Leschi's life by heart. She didn't
dwell much on his death until
she had a child and started
thinking about the stories she
would pass down to him.
"It really makes a big differ
ence tolcnow who your ances
tors are and where they came
from, and pass that on to your
kids," Iyall said. "To know our
historical icon, the person who
is why we are here today, is con
sidered a murderer - the people
of Washington state need to
know the true history."
Legend says a bright star rose
over the Nisqually plains the
night Leschi was born in 1808.
Wealthy in horses, Leschi was
also known for his wisdom and
eloquence.
The Nisqually Indians did not
have formal chiefs, though.
That distinction was conferred
upon Leschi by Isaac Stevens,
Washington's first territorial gov
ernor, who needed someone to
sign treaties for the tribe.
The Medicine Creek Treaty
of 1854 defined reservations
for the Nisqually and several
other Puget Sound tribes. An X
appears next to Leschi's name,
though some historians say he
refused to sign. The treaty con
signed the Nisqually - whose
original name, Squally-absch,
meant "people of the river and
people of the grass country" -to
a high forest, cut off from
their homes on the prairie and
the river.
War between the Indians and
the territorial militia broke out
in 1855, and in 1856 Leschi was
captured on Stevens' orders.
The government charged
Leschi with the murder of Col.
A. Benton Moses, a militia sol
dier killed in battle. The trial
ended with a hung jury. At the
second trial, the court refused
to instruct the jury that killing
an enemy solider in war is not
considered murder. Leschi was
convicted and sentenced to
death.
On appeal, the territorial Su
preme Court declined to con
sider new evidence showing
Leschi was miles away when
Moses was killed.
The U.S. Army refused to
execute Leschi, as military lead
ers believed the rules of war
should have prevented him
from being charged with mur
der. Then as now, debate raged
about the distinction between
prisoners of war, "enemy com
batants" and terrorists.
Pierce County authorities
oversaw Leschi's execution on
Feb. 19, 1858.
Indian drums sounded in the
distance as Leschi stood on the
gallows. His hangman, Charles
Grainger, later said, "I felt then
I was hanging an innocent man,
and I believe it yet."
Leschi did win one battle in
the end: after his death, the gov
ernment moved the Nisqually
reservation to a more suitable
spot on the river, about 50 miles
south of Seattle, where his de
scendants still live. When Iyall
was hired as the Nisqually tribe's
economic development planner,
she also became chairwoman of
the Committee to Exonerate
Chief Leschi.
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