印弟安人首领绞死后150年终得平反

150 Years after His Execution,

Justice for an Indian Chief

印弟安人首领绞死后150年终得平反

 

A special Historical Court in Tacoma, Washington, has exonerated¹ a prominent Nisqually Indian chief in a unanimous decision that came a century and a half after he was hanged for the murder of a U.S. soldier. The descendents of Chief Leschi have long mourned the execution, calling it a miscarriage³ of justice. The soldier was shot in 1855 during the era of the so-called "Indian Wars" in what are now the states of Washington and Oregon.

 

Washington's first-ever Historical Court of Inquiry⁴ and Justice into session at the State History Museum. On the bench were seven judges in black robes. Before them were a panel of attorneys and an audience of nearly 200 -- mostly tribal⁵ representatives from across the state, some in colorful shawls and traditional beaded headdresses. In opening statement, lead defense⁶ counsel and Nisqually Tribal Attorney Bill Tobin said this was a case about riding a historical round.

 

Bill Tobin: Leschi is not here to enjoy the fruits of the acquittal he deserved, but the court can take a step toward providing justice, by entering a judgment⁷ of exoneration⁸ and removing the burden of guilt⁹ from Leschi's name.

 

On the stand, Nisqually tribal member and prominent Northwest Indian leader Bill Frank Junior spoke¹⁰ passionately¹¹ about why clearing Chief Leschi's name remained so important.

 

Bill Frank Junior: We teach our young people about this hanging and it's not a very good story. So we could tell the truth about this hanging and get to our young people and tell them the truth is now being told after 150 years, then we'll have a new beginning.

 

In the mid1850s, Chief Leschi was tried and convicted of shooting to death territorial¹² militia¹³ member A.B. Moses. It’s the state's first recorded murder. He is sentenced death by hanging. Questions linger as to whether Chief Leschi was even at the scene of the shooting. But that was not the argument in court on the state. The chief's modern-day defenders¹⁴ say, even if he did pull the trigger, he never should have been charged with murder because the killing¹⁵ occurred during a time of war.

 

Not so, responded lead prosecutor¹⁶ Carl Hultman of the Pierce County Prosecuting¹⁷ Attorney's office, suggesting that it was the shooting itself that started the Indian War.

 

Carl Hultman: The war began after the A.B. Moses killing, that's the beginning of the war. I don't think you could come in and have done whatever sets off the war and then claim that I did it at a time of war, perhaps.

 

During the four-hour trial, Chief Leschi was described as someone who simply wanted to stop the relocation of his people from the banks of the Nisqually River to the prairie. Historical experts suggested that he was the victim of discriminatory justice by hands of an all-white jury. In closing arguments for the defense, John Ladenburg, a former prosecutor, said the trial was about "the future, not the past…about humanity, not history."

                       

John Ladenburg: This case is a rare opportunity for the people of Washington, both Indian and non-Indian, to come together to heal old wounds and create a road towards understanding and respect.

 

After a short deliberation, the court returned its verdict. The death of A.B. Moses happened during a time of war announced Gary Alexander, Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme¹⁸ Court.

 

Jennifer Mansfield, a direct descendent² of Chief Leschi, said she was relieved.

 

Jennifer Mansfield: It's like the injustice¹⁹ is finally done, it's over, everything's clear, his name's good. We can start a new beginning.

 

The exoneration does not have the force of law. But members of the Nisqually tribe say the new verdict will allow them to correct their history…and that is what matters.

 

For VOA news now I’m Austin Jenkins in Tacoma, Washington.

 

注释：

robe [rEub] n. 长袍，罩衣

attorney [E5tE:ni] n. <美>律师

shawl [FC:l] n. 披肩，围巾

beaded [5bi:did] adj. 饰以珠的

headdress [5heddres] n. 头巾，头饰

acquittal [E5kwit(E)l] n. 宣判无罪

exoneration [i^5zCnEreiFE n] n. 免罪，免除

prosecutor [5prRsikju:tE(r)] n. 原告，起诉人

deliberation [di7libE5reiFE n] n. 商议

verdict [5vE:dikt] n.（陪审团的）裁决，判决

1 exonerated   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption. 警方的报告免除了对刘易斯贪污的所有指控。
• An investigation exonerated the school from any blame. 一项调查证明该学校没有任何过失。 来自辞典例句

2 descendent   

adj. 下降的, 降落的, 世袭的 n. 后代，子孙 =descendant

参考例句：

• With no direct descendent, who will succeed to the title? 没有直系后裔，谁来继承爵位呢？
• He is a descendent of Queen Victoria. 他是维多利亚女王的后代。

3 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

4 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 exoneration   

n.免罪，免除

参考例句：

• Empathy for the criminal's childhood misery does not imply exoneration of the crimes he committed as an adult. 对罪犯悲惨的童年表示怜悯不等于可以免除他长大成人后所犯的罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Exoneration or rehabilitation should be made known as widely as were the original wrong decisions. 原来在什么范围内弄错的，也应该在什么范围内宣布平反。 来自互联网

9 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

12 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

13 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

14 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

17 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

18 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

19 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。