The trial and execution of Slumach, an Indigenous man from British Columbia, remains one of the most controversial cases of the late 19th century. His arrest, trial, and ultimate execution for the murder of Louis Bee, a half-breed man, are shrouded in mystery, conflicting testimonies, and a sense of unease that permeated both the Indigenous and settler communities.
The Murder of Louis Bee
On September 9, 1890, Louis Bee was shot and killed by Slumach at Lillooet Slough, a remote area near the Lower Pitt River in British Columbia. Accounts of the murder describe it as both sudden and brutal. According to witness testimony, Bee approached Slumach while he was hunting and asked him a casual question about his activities. Without warning, Slumach raised his double-barreled shotgun and fired a fatal shot into Bee’s body.
The description of the crime scene is chilling. The bullet entered just under Bee’s right armpit, behind the shoulder blade, killing him instantly. Eyewitnesses, including an Indigenous man named Charlie Seymour, later testified that Bee had raised his hands in a plea for his life just before the shot was fired. Slumach’s demeanour after the killing was described as cold and calculating—he allegedly reloaded his shotgun while standing over Bee’s body, seemingly unperturbed by the violence he had just committed.
One eyewitness described Slumach’s expression as “resembling that of an incarnate demon,” fueling rumours that the killer was not only dangerous but perhaps deranged. This idea of Slumach’s insanity was further propagated by local reports, which described him as a man driven to madness by isolation and a harsh life in the wilderness. Yet, while some painted him as a lunatic, others believed he was a ruthless and calculating murderer who had no regard for human life.
The Aftermath and Slumach’s Escape
Immediately following the murder, Slumach disappeared into the dense forests surrounding Lillooet Slough. Despite attempts to track him down, he remained at large for weeks, evading law enforcement and search parties. His ability to survive in the wilderness, despite the region’s harsh conditions, only added to his reputation as a fearsome and elusive figure.
Local Indigenous communities expressed fear of Slumach, with many believing he was capable of further violence. This fear was not unfounded—rumours circulated that Slumach had killed others in the past, though no official records of these supposed crimes existed. Nonetheless, the Indigenous community’s reluctance to assist in his capture suggested that they either feared retaliation from Slumach or had their own reasons for not trusting the authorities.
By mid-September, the search for Slumach had intensified. Authorities, led by Captain George Pittendrigh, organised a series of expeditions to recover Bee’s body and bring Slumach to justice. At one point, it was reported that Slumach had taken Bee’s body and attempted to dispose of it by placing it in a canoe and paddling toward the deeper waters of Pitt Lake. Search teams eventually recovered Bee’s remains, but Slumach remained at large, moving deeper into the forest to evade capture.
Public Perception and Media Coverage
The murder of Louis Bee captured the attention of both local residents and the press. Newspapers were quick to label Slumach as a savage, a man driven by the “wild and passionate feeling of his race.” This racially charged language reflects the prejudices of the time, with many commentators portraying Slumach’s actions as an inevitable result of his Indigenous heritage.
In one particularly damning article published in The Truth on November 18, 1890, after Slumach’s sentencing, the author wrote that Slumach “grew up, as he has since remained, a man of savage instincts.” The article suggested that his actions were not entirely his fault, as his nature made him prone to violence. Such rhetoric dehumanised Slumach and framed his crime within a broader narrative of Indigenous inferiority and inherent criminality.
Despite this overwhelmingly negative portrayal, there were some who believed Slumach’s crime was motivated by more than simple savagery. It was suggested that Louis Bee had been taunting Slumach, calling him a witch—a grave insult in Indigenous culture. This slur, it was argued, may have provoked Slumach’s violent response. Whether or not this theory holds any truth, it introduces the possibility that the murder was not entirely unprovoked, but rather the culmination of escalating tension between the two men.
The Arrest of Slumach
After evading capture for several weeks, Slumach was finally brought to justice in late October 1890. Starved, exhausted, and without ammunition, he was forced to surrender to authorities. It was said that his nephew, acting on behalf of the police, convinced him to give himself up. The arrest was a relief to both the local population and law enforcement, as Slumach’s continued freedom had cast a shadow of fear over the region.
When Slumach was finally apprehended, he was in a dire physical state. He had not eaten for days and was described as being severely emaciated, his clothes in tatters. He was transported to the city and placed in the care of physicians at the Provincial Jail, where his condition slowly improved.
The Trial: Fact vs. Fiction
Slumach’s trial began in November 1890, presided over by Justice Montague William Tyrwhitt Drake. The trial quickly became a spectacle, with numerous witnesses called to testify, including key figures like Charlie Seymour and other Indigenous witnesses who were present at the time of the murder. Much of the testimony had to be translated, as many of the witnesses spoke in their native languages.
One of the central questions at the trial was whether Slumach had acted in self-defence. Slumach himself maintained that he had only shot Bee out of fear for his own life. According to an account passed down by Peter Pierre’s daughter, Amanda Charnley, Slumach claimed that Bee had raised an axe, threatening him before he fired the fatal shot. Peter Pierre, who was with Slumach in his final hours, reportedly persuaded him to surrender and may have believed his account of self-defence.
However, this version of events was contradicted by Charlie Seymour’s testimony. Seymour claimed there was no threat to Slumach’s life at the time of the shooting, and that Bee had not raised any weapon. Whether Seymour was lying to obstruct a self-defence plea or whether Slumach was attempting to avoid the hangman’s noose remains an open question. What is clear is that the jury did not believe Slumach’s version of events.
On November 15, 1890, after a brief deliberation, the jury returned with a guilty verdict. Slumach was sentenced to be hanged on January 16, 1891. Throughout the trial, Slumach showed little emotion, his face described as displaying a combination of apathy and ferocity.
Execution and Legacy
In the weeks leading up to his execution, Slumach’s health deteriorated rapidly. There were doubts as to whether he would survive long enough to face the gallows. Some speculated that his poor health was a result of the psychological toll of imprisonment, with the belief that Indigenous people did not fare well under long-term confinement.
Despite these concerns, Slumach was hanged on January 16, 1891, in the yard of the Provincial Jail. His execution was conducted in the presence of a small group of officials and witnesses. In the days leading up to his death, Slumach had been visited by Father Morgan, a Catholic priest, and a medicine man named Pierre. Slumach converted to Christianity before his death, expressing a belief in salvation.
The hanging of Slumach marked the end of a dark chapter in British Columbia’s history, but it did little to quell the rumours and legends that would grow in the years following his death. Over time, the story of Slumach became entwined with myths about a hidden treasure—Slumach’s Gold—that he was said to have discovered in the wilderness. These legends, while almost certainly fictional, have added a layer of mystique to Slumach’s already complex legacy.
The trial and execution of Slumach offer a glimpse into the fraught relations between Indigenous communities and colonial authorities in late 19th-century British Columbia. Slumach was a man caught between two worlds—viewed by some as a cold-blooded murderer and by others as a victim of circumstances, provoked by taunts and driven to violence by his environment.
The media coverage of his case was steeped in racial prejudice, and the legal proceedings raised more questions than answers. Was Slumach truly guilty of premeditated murder, or was there more to the story than the courts were willing to consider? Did witnesses like Charlie Seymour tell the full truth, or was there a hidden motive behind their testimonies?
In the end, Slumach’s death did not bring closure to those questions. Instead, it cemented his place in the annals of Canadian folklore, a figure both feared and misunderstood. His life, his trial, and his execution remain a haunting reminder of the complexities of justice and the power of storytelling in shaping history.
To listen to the full episode : https://www.podpage.com/haunted-history-chronicles/slumachs-gold-in-search-of-a-legend-and-a-curse-with-brian-antonson/
