Opinion
Column: Exoneration of Chief Leschi rights a wrong


"On a wet and blustery December day, in a windowless auditorium at the Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma, the bailiff slammed the wooden gavel down with a startlingly loud bang, bang!

"All rise!" he demanded. "The Washington Historical Court of Justice is in session!"

The overflow crowd, many of whom were members of the region's Indian tribes, rose and quieted as the panel of seven judges strode in and took their seats at a long dais on the stage. The gavel slammed again. The murmuring crowd sank into the seats and a nearly 150-year-old story of injustice was just four hours from a dramatic, if not surprising, historical revision."

Get the Story:
Thomas Shapley: Historical revision rights a wrong (The Seattle Post Intelligencer 12/19)

Relevant Links:
Chief Leschi information - http://www.leschi.bia.edu/leschiinfo.htm

Related Stories:
Editorial: Court was right to exonerate Chief Leschi (12/17)
Nisqually Chief Leschi cleared 150 years later (12/13)
Nisqually Chief Leschi gets rehearing on murder (12/06)
Editorial: Court must exonerate Nisqually Chief Leschi (03/16)
Editorial: Lawmakers right to clear Chief Leschi (3/8)
Nisqually chief's execution called 'black mark' (2/19)
Bill to clear Nisqually chief gets hearing in Wash. (2/18)
Leschi descendants work to clear chief's name (09/15)