Extrajudicial Execution in Seattle
Two Snoqualmie men are hanged by members of their own tribe following the death of a white man at Lake Union.
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.
On Wednesday night last, two Indians, of the Snoqualmie tribe, were executed at Seattle, by being hung by members of that tribe, for the murder of a white man last July, at Lake Union, a mile and a half from Seattle, for the commission of which offence, the chief of the above tribe caused them to be apprehended and executed. Everything in that direction between the whites and Indians is quiet, and nothing of a serious character is apprehended from the procedure.
“Every thing in that direction between the whites and Indians is quiet, and nothing of a serious character is apprehended from the procedure.”
This brief, detached report reflects the volatile justice systems of the 1850s, where tribal leaders often executed members to appease white settlers and prevent larger-scale violence. It serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics and colonial oversight in the pre-statehood period.
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