mainstay of their diets and culture. On June 11, 1855, Governor Isaac I. Stevens forced representatives from the Yakima, Nez Perce, Walla Walla, Umatilla and Cayuse tribes to sign a treaty in which the various tribes signed away vast amounts of land in return for money, reservations, and other provisions. Although the treaty stated that white miners would not be allowed on reservation lands, miners frequently passed through these lands, stealing horses from the tribes and abusing Native American women. The Yakima killed some miners in retaliation. When Indian sub-agent, Andrew J. Bolon, tried to investigate the murders, he was killed. Fighting broke out between Major Haller's troops and the Yakima. This conflict marked the start of the Yakima War (1855–56). Leschi was charged for these murders, in part because of his participation in the Yakima War of 1855–1858. He also was charged for his role in the "Battle in Seattle," which took place in January 1856. This battle was of little consequence for the whites, since the natives were held off by the cannons of the Decatur, a naval warship with a crew of about 30. They inflicted little damage on Americans. But Chief Leschi had reportedly been seen commanding the native troops, and was credited with the native attack as a whole. His standing deteriorated among white settlers. Despite this, Stevens was convinced that white settlers were cooperating with Leschi. Stevens declared martial law over Pierce County on April 2, 1856. (Stevens was later charged with contempt of court in relation to this declaration; as governor; however, he pardoned himself.) On October 30, 1855, seven Washington Territorial Volunteers were attacked by Indians at Connell's Prairie, or Tenalcut Prairie, located between Buckley and Lake Tapps along the White River (in present-day Pierce County). Two were killed, Colonel A. Benton Moses and Joseph Miles. A year later, when hostilities had quieted somewhat, Governor Isaac I. Stevens of Washington Territory, requested that federal troops deliver five Indians for trial. One was Chief Leschi, charged with the murder of Moses. But the federal troops had concluded a peace with Leschi, who had fled east of the Cascades when his war failed. Stevens remained adamant, and the federal troops agreed to find Leschi. They offered fifty blankets for information leading to the arrest and capture of Leschi. Sluggia, a nephew of Leschi, and Eli-ku-kah, a Nisqually, delivered Leschi to the whites. Sluggia had