iv] EFFECT OF LAND -SEVERALTY LAW 757 



abandoned the old Indian religion and all its vices and forms, includ- 

 ing the power of the doctors or medicine-men. These medicine-men 



had a great hold on the Indian mind, and they joined the minister and 

 the agent in their fight on the Shakers, because the Shakers fought 

 them ; so that there was seen the unique spectacle of the savage sham- 

 anism of the American Indian and the supposed orthodox religion of 

 civilization hand in hand fighting the followers of Jesus Christ. 



"Imprisonment, banishment, threats, chains, and the general ill will 

 of the agent and all his employees were visited on these Shakers who 

 continued to practice their forms of worship, and yet they did continue 

 it. In spite of the fact that they occupied a place only half-way 

 between slaves and freemen, and were under the orders of the agent 

 and subject to be harassed and annoyed all the time by him. yet they 

 continued nobly and fearlessly to practice their religion and to worship 

 God and Jesus Christ as they saw lit. To do it, however, they were 

 forced to stay away from the reservations, where the greater number of 

 employees were located, and their churches were built on Mud bay and 

 Oyster bay, far away from the reservations. 



"But a brighter day came for these people, a day when they could 

 stand up and defy every form or force of persecution. In 188<> Con- 

 gress passed the Indian land severalty bill, an act providing for divid- 

 ing lands in severalty to Indians, and providing that those who took 

 lands and adopted the habits of civilized life should be American citi- 

 zens, with all the rights, privileges, and immunities of any other citizen. 

 In 1892 I was appointed by Judge Hauford to defend a prisoner in 

 the United States district court at Tacoma. The prisoner was accused 

 of selling liquor to a Puyallup Indian, but it appeared on cross-exami- 

 nation that this Indian owned land in severalty, voted, paid taxes, and 

 exercised other rights of citizenship. The question was then raised by 

 me ou motion to dismiss, that these land-holding, tax-paying Indians 

 were citizens of the United States, free and independent. The United 

 States prosecuting attorney appeared to contest the claim, but after 

 an extended argument Judge Hanford held with me, and the prisoner 

 was discharged. 



"The effect of this decision was far-reaching. It meant that all 

 land-holding Indians were no longer wards of the government, but free 

 citizens and not under the control of the Indian agent. The Shaker 

 people, hearing this, sent a deputation to see me, and I held a long con- 

 sultation with them, assuring them that they were as free as the agent, 

 and could establish their own church, own and build houses of worship, 

 and do both in religious and worldly matters as other citizens of the 

 United States could. This was glorious news to them. It meant free- 

 dom, it meant the cessation of persecution and annoyance by the 

 agency employees, and they were jubilant. 



"Accordingly they met on June G, 1892, at Mud bay, at Louis Yowa- 

 luch's house, and organized their church ou a regular business basis. 



