66 WYANDOT GOVERNMENT: 
CRIMES. 
The violations of right are crimes. Some of the crimes recognized by 
the Wyandots are as follows: 
1. Adultery. 4. Murder. 
2. Theft. 5. Treason. 
3. Maiming. 6. Witchcraft. 
A maiden guilty of fornication may be punished by her mother or 
female guardian, but if the crime is flagrant and repeated, so as to be- 
come a matter of general gossip, and the mother fails to correct it, the 
matter may be taken up by the council women of the gens. 
A woman guilty of adultery, for the first offense is punished by hav- 
ing her hair cropped; for repeated offenses her left ear is cut off. 
THEFT. 
The punishment for theft is twofold restitution. When the prosecu- 
tor and prosecuted belong to the same gens, the trial is before the coun- 
cil of the gens, and from it there is no appeal. Ifthe parties involved 
are of different gentes, the prosecutor, through the head of his house- 
hold, lays the matter before the council of his own gens; by it the mat- 
ter is laid before the gentile council of the accused in a formal manner. 
Thereupon it becomes the duty of the council of the accused to investi- 
gate the facts for themselves, and to settle the matter with the council 
of the plaintiff. Failure thus to do is followed by retaliation in the seiz- 
ing of any property of the gens which may be found. 
MAIMING. 
Maiming is compounded, and the method of procedure in prosecution 
is essentially the same as for theft. 
MURDER. 
In the case of murder, if both parties are members of the same gens, 
the matter is tried by the gentile council on complaint of the head of 
the household, but there may be an appeal to the council of the tribe. 
Where the parties belong to different gentes, complaint is formally 
made by the injured party, through the chief of his gens, in the follow- 
ing manner: 
A wooden tablet is prepared, upon which is inscribed the totem or 
heraldic emblem of the injured man’s gens, and a picture-writing set- 
ting forth the offense follows. 
The gentile chief appears before the chief of the council of the 
offender, and formally states the offense, explaining the picture-writing, 
which is then delivered. 
A council of the offender’s gens is thereupon called and a trial is held. 
It is the duty of this council to examine the evidence for themselves and 
