Legal Landmark on Colville Reservation
A federal judge rules that the north half of the Colville Indian Reservation has been restored to the public domain, shifting jurisdiction to Stevens County.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Seattle, Feb. 1.—The doubt hitherto existing as to whether criminal cases arising in what is known as the north half of the Colville Indian reservation, in this state, came under federal or state jurisdiction, has been settled by United States District Judge Hanford, who ordered Autone Mishel, an Indian accused of assaulting another Indian, released on a writ of habeas corpus and turned over to the sheriff of Stevens county. The decision is of great importance to Stevens county. The department of the interior recently notified the county officials that the north half of the reservation was still a reservation, notwithstanding the fact that it was open to mineral entry, and that they had no control over it. Judge Hanford holds that the land involved has been restored to the public domain, and the federal authorities have no jurisdiction over it. Mishel is now in jail at Spokane for assault with intent to commit murder. The judge ordered that the accused be held five days, that the authorities of Stevens county might, if desired, proceed against the prisoner.
“Judge Hanford holds that the land involved has been restored to the public domain, and the federal authorities have no jurisdiction over it.”
This 1898 case highlights the persistent tension between federal, state, and tribal authority over land status and legal jurisdiction in Washington. The debate over who manages 'public domain' versus reservation land remains a complex and defining feature of Washington's civic and legal geography.
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