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Monday, September 15, 2003

Descendants of Nisqually Chief Leschi are trying to exonerate their ancestor, who was convicted of murdering a militia soldier and sentenced to death in the 1850s.

The descendants say the evidence against Leschi, who refused to sign a treaty that would have forced the tribe to leave its traditional lands, is flimsy. The government only had one witness -- whom one juror described as someone whose "guilt of perjury showed so plainly reflected in his eyes that no one really believed he was telling the truth."

The jury failed to reach a verdict. A retrial was held, but this time, the jury was not told it could acquit Leschi because the killing could have been an act of war. He was found guilty, sentenced to die and was hung by a posse on February 19, 1858.

The Committee to Exonerate Chief Leschi has gathered new evidence and is gaining the support of historians and legal scholars. They want the state of Washington to clear Leschi and apologize to the tribe for the treatment of their ancestor.

Get the Story:
Leschi wasn't a murderer, tribe says (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/15)

Relevant Links:
Chief Leschi information - http://www.leschi.bia.edu/leschiinfo.htm

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