Vigilantism and Alcohol Sales in Old Town
Authorities and local citizens move to apprehend men selling liquor to Indigenous people in Yakima.
On Thursday of last week, the authorities of Yakima City had much difficulty with drunken Indians, who pulled guns on a young lad named Shane. Charley Campbell and others went after the lawbreakers and took them into custody. In a separate incident, Tom Staton and others furnished evidence on Friday last that resulted in the arrest of Samuel Hays for selling liquor to Indians. Two complaints were filed and evidence was brought out showing that he had been selling liquor to Indians at the old town. The authorities have been after Hays for the past fifteen days, as it has been known that he was doing a wholesale business in this line. His examination was held before U. S. Commissioner Henton, and he was bound over on each complaint in the sum of $250.
“The authorities have been after Hays for the past fifteen days, as it has been known that he was doing a wholesale business in this line.”
The newspaper's framing of these incidents reflects the era's racially charged law enforcement dynamics, where 'Old Town' often served as a flashpoint for social tensions. Today, these reports serve as an artifact of how settler colonial legal systems criminalized specific populations while simultaneously highlighting the local struggle against illegal liquor distribution.
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