Chief Leschi’s 146-year wait for justice in Washington Territory

Chief Leschi’s Wrongful Execution for Washington Territory Murder

Chief Leschi helped white settlers find land for twenty years before his world fell apart. In 1854, Washington’s governor forced the Nisqually tribe to sign away 2.

5 million acres for rocky bluffs they couldn’t farm. Leschi tore up his chief’s certificate in rage.

War broke out when militia tried to arrest him. Soon after, a soldier died in battle, and officials blamed Leschi despite proof he was miles away.

His trial blocked key evidence, and in 1858, he was hanged as 300 people watched. Justice came late—146 years late.

The historic Fort Nisqually still stands where this tragic story began.

Nisqually Leader Built Trust Before Treaty Betrayal

Chief Leschi was born around 1808 near where the Mashel and Nisqually Rivers meet. He was part of the Mishalpam band of the Nisqually tribe.

From 1833, Leschi worked with the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Nisqually for over 20 years. He built good relationships with settlers and company staff.

He helped American settlers find good farming land, including his friend James McAllister. Dr. William Tolmie, who ran Fort Nisqually, thought Leschi was smart and fair.

Governor Stevens Forced Tribes to Sign Away Millions of Acres

Trouble began on December 26, 1854, when Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens gathered tribal leaders in what’s now Thurston County.

He made them sign the Medicine Creek Treaty, taking 2.5 million acres from local tribes. They got three tiny reservations of just 1,280 acres each and $32,500 spread over 13 years.

The Nisqually land sat on rocky, forested bluffs far from the river. Leschi tore up his chief’s certificate and stomped it into the mud.

His Name Appeared on a Treaty He Never Signed

Someone put an “X” next to Leschi’s name on the treaty, but Native accounts say he never signed it. The talks used Chinook trade jargon, a simple 500-word language without words for complex land ownership ideas.

The tribes couldn’t fully understand what they were giving up. Leschi warned nearby tribes not to trust Stevens’s empty promises.

He tried to rally support against the treaty while still hoping for a peaceful solution.

Leschi Tried Talking Before Fighting

In early 1855, Leschi went to Olympia to protest the treaty terms. No one listened.

By October 1855, he met with acting governor Charles Mason, clearly stating he wanted peace and to keep living in the Nisqually delta. Mason gave him no answers.

Leschi went back to his farm where he and his brother Quiemuth finished their fall plowing. Meanwhile, James McAllister wrote a letter claiming Leschi was stirring up trouble among the tribes.

A Deadly Attempt to Arrest the Chief

Acting Governor Mason told Captain Charles Eaton’s militia to arrest Leschi and his brother on October 24, 1855.

Three days later, Captain Eaton sent Lieutenant James McAllister and Michael Connell to find Leschi at his farm. They found it empty, and as they looked around Muck Creek, both men were shot and killed from hiding.

Word spread that Leschi ordered the killings.

Some accounts claim Leschi told fellow Nisqually members he killed McAllister, though many historians doubt this.

War Drums Echoed Through Puget Sound

The day after McAllister and Connell died, warriors from the Muckleshoot and Klickitat tribes attacked White River settlements on October 28, 1855, killing nine settlers.

Indian drums sounded throughout the foothills as tribes fought back against American attacks. Leschi led warriors from several tribes, including Nisqually, Puyallup, Muckleshoot, and Duwamish fighters.

His forces had fewer than 200 men against much stronger American firepower and numbers.

The Killing That Sealed Leschi’s Fate

Six territorial volunteer militiamen carrying messages were ambushed at Connell’s Prairie on October 31, 1855. During the fight, Colonel A. Benton Moses and Joseph Miles were shot dead by Nisqually warriors.

Antonio Rabbeson, once Thurston County sheriff, lived through the attack and later spoke against Leschi. Though Leschi always denied killing Moses, territorial authorities blamed him for the murder.

This charge became the reason for his later trial, despite evidence showing he wasn’t there.

Betrayed by Blood for Fifty Blankets

By spring 1856, Leschi and his fighters ran out of options. They retreated to Kittitas Valley where Leschi’s mother’s relatives lived.

In November 1856, Leschi’s nephew Sluggia turned him in for 50 blankets and reward money.

Just days after Leschi’s capture, his brother Quiemuth gave himself up but was killed inside Governor Stevens’s office on November 18, 1856. The killer was never caught or charged.

Leschi faced murder charges for Colonel Moses’s death.

Fort Nisqually Leader Gathered Evidence to Save Him

William Tolmie from Fort Nisqually believed Leschi was innocent and worked to prove it.

He visited the murder sites, took measurements, and found it was physically impossible for Leschi to have been at the scene.

Army officer August Kautz backed Tolmie’s findings and even made a newspaper called the “Truth Teller” showing survey evidence that Leschi was miles away when Moses died.

Tolmie asked the new governor, LaFayette McMullen, for a pardon, but he refused.

Courts Blocked Evidence That Would Free Him

Leschi’s first trial in November 1856 ended with a hung jury. Two jurors refused to convict him, saying that killing soldiers during wartime wasn’t murder.

His second trial in March 1857 was unfair. The court stopped defense lawyers from showing key evidence, including an Army map proving Leschi was miles away when Moses died.

The judge wouldn’t allow testimony about where Leschi really was during the fighting. Antonio Rabbeson’s shaky testimony led to Leschi’s guilty verdict.

Justice Came 146 Years Too Late

On February 19, 1858, Leschi was hanged in front of 300 people at Steilacoom. He maintained his innocence until the end, saying that fighting soldiers during war wasn’t murder.

Charles Grainger, the man who hanged him, later admitted, “I felt then I was hanging an innocent man, and I believe it yet.”

The injustice stood for nearly a century and a half until December 10, 2004, when a Historical Court of Inquiry unanimously exonerated Chief Leschi.

Seven Washington State Supreme Court justices ruled he should never have been tried for murder for actions during wartime, finally clearing his name 146 years after his death.

Visiting Fort Nisqually, Washington

Fort Nisqually at 5519 Five Mile Drive in Point Defiance Park tells Chief Leschi’s tragic story through nine historic 1850s buildings.

You can explore the trade store, blacksmith shop, and other structures where costumed interpreters demonstrate period crafts. Admission costs $15 for adults, with family passes available for $40.

The fort is open daily 11am-5pm in summer and Wednesday-Sunday 11am-4pm in winter, with self-guided tour brochures in multiple languages.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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