Page 5 - Early Winter 2022 SWHS Newsletter.indd

• for not warring with other tribes; The noted pioneer, historical chroni- ley used to say that he came from the
• for freeing slaves and not taking cler and author James Gilchrest Shaw, second families of Virginia, although
more of them; who later became a lawyer and judge at he could recollect his ancestors
• for not allowing liquor onto the res- Port Townsend, wrote an account of this claimed to have some of the royal
ervation; trip which was published in the Nov. 10, Pocahontas blood in their veins.”...
• and for not trading with Canada... 1895 Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
...the tribes were promised: We have no picture or painting of The prior year, in 1858, Bailey had
• payment for their lands; Robert S. Bailey, though we do have a accompanied Simmons and Fay to the
• a reservation with land allotted to description of him in this article. Lummi Reservation where they asked
each family moving there; The Cruise of the Potter the Chief to hand over tribe members
• farm implements and tools; by James G. Swan suspected of murdering Deputy Sur-
• agricultural and trade schools and veyor Dominick Hunt and others at
education for their children; During the spring and summer of Swinomish Slough.
• a physician to provide medical care 1859, I accompanied M.T Simmons, After delivering them to Fort Belling-
and vaccinations; United States Indian Agent and gen- ham for trial, they returned by way of
• and they could retain hunting and eral superintendent of the Indians of Scadget (sic) Head where they found
fishing rights on their ancestral lands. Puget Sound and Western Washing- that liquor had led fighting with injuries
Though signed in 1855, the treaty was ton, on a visit to various tribes on the and deaths of several Snohomish Indi-
not ratified by Congress until four years Sound. ans by visiting Snoqualmie Indians.
later in March 1859... and like other Colonel Simmons had chartered the Simmons immediately dispatched
treaties made with indigenous tribes, schooner Potter of Port Townsend... agents Armstrong, Bailey and Page to
many promises were either delayed, not commanded by Captain Enoch S. the scene of the trouble, with orders to
kept, or outright broken. Fowler, who went in the schooner to arrest the ‘refractory and threatening
Olympia where she took on board a
Duties as an Indian Sub-agent part consisting of Col. Simmons and Snoqualmies.’
During the Indian Wars of 1855/1856, his secretary, Mr. Armstrong, Capt. They went by canoe to have a talk
when most male settlers on the Island Robert C. Fay and R. S. Bailey, local with the Indians, but the Snoqalmie re-
joined militias, Bailey oversaw about Indian agents... fused to let them come near and fired
1,700 Snohomish and allied tribes In- Col. Simmons was a general agent upon them. After exchanging 10 or 12
dians who were required to reside at under the late governor, Gen. Isaac shots onshore (the landing party had
Cultus Bay. I. Stevens, and had in charge a body nothing but revolvers with them) the
1,500 members of the Skagit Tribe of 12,000 Indians of various tribes. agents were obliged to retire to their ca-
were ordered to come to Penn’s Cove The object of this visit to the Sound noe and shove off, but were fired upon
under Indian Agent Capt. Robert C. Fay. Indians was to inform the principal as long as they were within range.
1,200 Snoqualmie Indians, includ- chief that Congress had ratified their Simmons had contacted Major Haller
ing Chief Patkanim, from the mainland treaties, to make them a few presents, at Port Townsend, and a garrison was
rivers came to Holmes Harbor under and to ascertain if they wished any sent on the revenue cutter Jeff. Davis as
the supervision of Indian sub-agent Dr. changes made relative to the location well as a steamer from Fort Steilacoom
Nathan Hill of Port Townsend. of their respective reservations... with ten men from the fort. Of the Sno-
Even though these tribes were [Shaw went on to recount how loud qualmie who fired upon the agents, one
friendly to the settlers, it was thought the snoring of Capt. Fay was, so he was killed, one escaped, and three were
they would be less likely to join with was asked to sleep forward on the later brought in by the chiefs.
hostile tribes if they were monitored. schooner on sacks of flour, but to little A Second Wife and More Children
After the war, the Snoqualmies and effect.] Bailey took another Snohomish Indi-
mainland Snohomish moved back to ...When awake he (Fay) was full an wife, first according to tribal custom,
their villages. Their time on Whidbey of fun and most excellent company and then on July 5, 1878 in a civil cere-
was marred by influenza, whooping ...never allowing anyone to get the mony conducted at Mukilteo.
cough, fevers and other illnesses. windward of him in telling a yarn. She was Charlotte LaDue and was
Three years later, in 1859, when the Bailey, the assistant agent, was an- born between 1850 and 1855 depend-
Point Elliott Treaty had finally been rat- other oddity, and a universal favor- ing upon three different census records.
ified by Congress, Bailey joined with ite among all his acquaintances, by Her Snohomish name may have been
Indian Bureau officials on a trip to visit whom he was known as “Black Bai- E-bo-leet-sa according to a descendant.
chiefs at several of the reservations with ley,” from his dark complexion and She was only slightly older than
news of the ratification. long ringlets of coal black hair. Bai-
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