The Burial Canoe by Michael Schein is page-turning historical fiction that brings to life the true story of the battle of wills between Chief Leschi and Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens that resulted in war. Stevens demanded that the Nisquallies surrender their traditional land along the Nisqually River, in exchange for a small wooded parcel located on a steep bluff away from the river. Chief Leschi tore up his commission at the treaty council and walked out in protest, but an “X” mysteriously appeared by his name. Tensions erupted into open warfare in October, 1855.
Read the first chapter of The Burial Canoe by Michael Schein.
Countermanding Leschi’s orders, young warriors massacred non-combatants, including women and children, settled on the White River. Fear gripped the entire Puget Sound region, as hundreds of settlers abandoned their homesteads. Out-of-control Volunteer forces perpetrated their own atrocities, and Governor Stevens issued a declaration of martial law to permit him to try “half-breeds” accused of treason before a military tribunal. Stevens went too far, however, by arresting a Federal judge, and an outraged citizenry defended their civil liberties at gunpoint.
After the surrender of the starving, outgunned Nisquallies, Leschi was tried for murder – twice – and ultimately hung based on perjured testimony. But Leschi’s stand was not in vain. Stevens’ excesses resulted in an order from the President to grant the Nisquallies a much larger reservation along the banks of their beloved river, most of which they occupy to this day.
This tale of the terrible wages of fear resonates powerfully today. Leschi was posthumously cleared by an Historical Court of Inquiry in 2004. His gravestone reads: “LESCHI – Judicially Murdered Feb. 19, 1858 . . . A Martyr To Liberty, Honor and the Rights of People and His Native Land.” This is not just a native story. It is the story of all Americans who live on this beautiful land – a story for all who are passionate about tolerance, dignity and liberty.
Read the first chapter of The Burial Canoe by Michael Schein.
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Michael Schein is a published poet, and the recipient of several writing awards. He is also a trial lawyer and former Professor of American Legal History at Seattle University Law School. Agents or publishers are invited to inquire.