A Father's Vengeance: The Killing of the Muckleshoot Medicine Man

The discovery of the body of Jim Bouchitt, the medicine man of the Muckleshoot Indian tribe, concealed under a log on a side hill, three miles from the mouth of Suise creek and about [several] miles north from Auburn, with two bullet holes in his body, brings to light a cold-blooded murder in which the Indian's 'medicine man' played a prominent part.

The murderer was Jerry Domnick, an Indian, whose children had been treated by Bouchitt with the result that all three died within a few days. Two of the deaths occurred during the past two months and led directly to the murder, and the concealing of the body. When Bouchitt was handed over by Agent E. R. Ase, of the Muckleshoot reservation, to Deputy Sheriff McCory he made a full confession through an interpreter, saying that he killed the medicine man because he had killed his children. The guilty party now lies in a cell at the county jail, and the history of the case reflects credit on all those who took part in the discovery of the murderer.

Jim Bouchitt, the medicine man, was [an elderly] years old and lived in a cabin on Green river, four miles from Auburn, with his father-in-law, Big John, while Jerry Domnick lived on the Muckleshoot reservation with his family, which consisted of a wife and three children. Domnick has had six or seven children, of whom only one is alive.

The History.

Several years ago his daughter was taken ill and 'Medicine Man' Jim Bouchitt was called in. His powers were of no avail, however, and the girl died. About two months ago Domnick's little 5-year-old son Ertle fell ill. Again the redoubtable medicine man was summoned, but despite his efforts to drive out the evil spirits the child died within three days. A few days later Jones Domnick, aged 3 years, passed away and was buried.

This signal failure of the doctor's powers brought him into disrepute with Domnick and brought forcibly to mind the old saying of how an Indian doctor, more properly, perhaps, conjurer, was very powerful one day, but the next in danger of being assisted summarily to the 'happy hunting grounds.'

The Doctor Is Missing.

The ill-feeling that the father of the dead Indian children had toward Bouchitt was well known, and when the latter disappeared a week ago last Tuesday suspicion immediately fell on him. Bouchitt had left his cabin and proceeded along the banks of Suise creek on a fishing expedition. Hunting parties were sent out from the reservation and also from Auburn, but day after day passed and no tidings came of the body. Through some mistake, which eventually turned out the best thing possible, a message was sent to Coroner Askam yesterday morning from Auburn, stating that the body had been found. The coroner and Deputy Sheriff McCory took the first train for Auburn, and in the meantime the misinformation was proving true.

The Body Is Found.

Early in the morning William Nason and John King George, young Indians from the reservation, while hunting along a densely wooded and steep side hill that skirts the banks of Suise creek, three miles from its mouth, discovered the body of the missing medicine man concealed under a log. Only one shoulder and an elbow stuck out, the remainder of his body being well hidden from view by old leaves and dead wood.

They pulled the body from its lodging place and found that the generally accepted theory of murder was assuredly true. A more bloody and gory sight could not be well imagined. The Indian was covered with coagulated blood from head to foot and the bullet holes in his abdomen and under both shoulders could be easily seen. Insects had made havoc with the face and the beard had grown on his chin until it looked like unknown stubble.

The two Indians rigged up a rude litter and carried the corpse on it to the cabin of Big John. On their way they met Harry Pauley and Patrick McMahon, two well-known young men of Auburn who had been out searching for the body also.

The latter two immediately started back to Auburn to notify Coroner Askam of the discovery, and much to their surprise met the coroner and Deputy Sheriff McCory coming along the Green river road on horseback. The party returned to the cabin where the body lay and there learned from Indians that Agent E. R. Ase, of the Muckleshoot reservation, had Jerry Domnick, the supposed murderer, under arrest. The coroner and Harry Pauley started for the reservation to get the prisoner, while McCory went to Domnick's cabin to search for the gun with which the shooting was done. The coroner, however, had not gone far when he met the agent and 'Tenas Johnnie,' the Indian policeman, bringing Jerry Domnick over to the vicinity of the cabin where the body lay.

McCory then took charge of Domnick and, accompanied by Agent Ase and Interpreter Anthony James, went back to the prisoner's cabin, while Coroner Askam went back to Auburn with the dead Indian's body.

The Murderer Confesses.

The four men were on horseback, and as they rode along McCory told Anthony James to ask Domnick if he and the dead man had had a row.

'No,' replied the prisoner promptly.

'Did you have trouble of any kind?'

Domnick was silent for fully four minutes.

'He killed three of my children by the way he doctored them.'

'Did you kill Jim?'

'Yes.'

'What did you kill him with?'

After a while the prisoner replied:

'I killed him with a gun.'

'Where is the gun?'

'At my house.'

The party then proceeded direct to the house where Domnick directed James to go upstairs and look in a certain place under the rafters for the gun. The search brought to light a 44-caliber repeating Colt's rifle. Two bullets had been fired from it.

On the way to Auburn over the Muckleshoot road Domnick was asked if he had reloaded the rifle. He replied that he did not, but after a while said that he had had only two.

'Did you shoot them at the man you killed?' was asked.

'Yes,' he replied.

Wild Attempt to Escape.

The horsemen were making their way along the road, and to all appearances the prisoner was without thoughts of escape. Suddenly Domnick gave the horse a kick in the ribs and as the animal sprang forward Domnick made his first great effort to escape. He did not make a very good calculation, and instead of landing on his feet struck squarely on his back in the middle of the road. Quick as a flash, however, he was on his feet and like a lizard shot at the left side of the road.

'After him!' yelled McCory, as he slipped off his horse and plunged into the woods. Anthony James was not behind a particle, and both plunged into the underbrush in wild haste to capture the fugitive.

Six hundred yards or so had been covered in this sort of chase, when the pursuers drew close on him and, before he could get over some obstacle, had grabbed him. It was a great ending, and it would be hard to say which of the pursuers took hold of Domnick first.

The recaptured prisoner was searched and at first showed signs of resistance, which subsided at the command of the deputy sheriff. From that time on until Auburn was reached the journey was marked by an ominous silence.

How the Doctor Was Killed.

Coroner Askam was waiting for the party, in the meantime having, with the assistance of Dr. Hoyt, held an autopsy on the dead Indian. The examination showed that one shot entered under the right arm several inches down, and out through the abdomen on the right side, while the line of the other shot was from the abdomen close to the scar of the first bullet, diagonally upward through the heart to a point on the left side. The coroner, basing his opinion on the supposition that Bouchitt was sitting on the bank of Suise creek fishing when Domnick fired from behind, thinks that the second bullet pierced the heart and was fired after the Indian lay struggling on the ground from the effects of the first shot. The discolorations on the face he attributes to the work of insects, instead of a blow from the murderer as he dragged his victim's corpse through the brush to its hiding place on the hillside.

The coroner and his party, including corpse and prisoner, arrived in the city on the 7:30 o'clock train last evening.

The Talk of the Crime.

The dead Indian was immediately removed to Butterworth's rooms, where the inquest will be held this noon. Deputy Sheriff McCory took his prisoner to the county jail, but before so doing allowed a Post-Intelligencer reporter the opportunity of talking to him through an interpreter. Patrick McMahon, who talks the Siwash language fluently, performed the latter task. Domnick answered the questions readily and repeated fully nine-tenths of what he said to Anthony James. In telling of the result of Medicine Man Bouchitt's work on his children he used the expressive term, 'All same as a mad dog.' He did not seem to have any idea that in killing the man he had done anything wrong, and it is evident from his very limited knowledge of 'Boston wawa' English that he has no adequate idea of the laws he has transgressed. He is a good-sized man with piercing black eyes, Roman nose and sallow complexion.

After the corpse was put on the slab at the undertaker's it was discovered that the left shoulder was broken and that the fingers of the right hand were well skinned. The dead man was a heavy, thick-set man, with large flat head and smooth face.