Chief Moses - Trial and Acquittal

Trial and Acquittal

In 1878, a white couple was murdered near Rattlesnake Springs by renegade Bannock and Paiute Indians. The military, however, blamed the incident on Chief Moses. He was captured near present day O'Sullivan Dam and stood trial in Yakima, where he was acquitted. The next year Chief Moses made his first trip to Washington, D.C., and met with President Rutherford B. Hayes. He was quoted as telling the president, "you want this god forsaken land, fine."

According to Tribal records, Chief Moses was ordered to Washington on Feb 12, 1879. The charges against him for the murders of Mr. & Mrs. Perkins were dismissed on August 1879, after his trip to Washington D.C. It probably was an interesting meeting. Chief Moses probably thought that the verdict in his upcoming murder trial would depend upon whether he agreed to give up his land.