Lhatŝ’aŝʔin (also known as Klatsassan or Klattasine; died 1864), was a chief of the Chilcotin ( Tsilhqot'in) people. He led a small group of warriors in attacks on road-building crews near

Bute Inlet Bute Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It is long from the estuaries of the Homathko and Southgate Rivers at the head of the inlet, to the mouth, where it is nearly blocked by Stuart Island, and it averages a ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, in April and May 1864. The road crews had been starving and underpaying Tsilhqot'in workers, which provoked Lhatŝ’aŝʔin to declare war. On 29 April 1864, Lhatŝ’aŝʔin arrived at a ferry site up the

Homathko River The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the interior Chilcotin Country to the coastal inlets of the P ...

. He and his warriors killed ferry-keeper Tim Smith, plundering the food and stores kept there. The next day, Lhatŝ’aŝʔin attacked the unsuspecting and unarmed road workers at the main camp, killing 9. Further up the trail, the band came upon foreman William Brewster and three of his men. All were killed, Brewster's body being mutilated and left while the other three were thrown in the river. The band also killed William Manning, a settler at Puntzi Lake. Proceeding into the interior to escape justice, Lhatŝ’aŝʔin and his followers ambushed a pack-train led by Alexander McDonald; three more white workers were killed. In all, 19 white settlers were killed by Lhatŝ’aŝʔin and followers. Lhatŝ’aŝʔin and his followers were captured on August 11, 1864, under false pretenses of peace parley to end the

Chilcotin War The Chilcotin War, the Chilcotin Uprising or the Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) people in British Columbia and white road construction workers. Fourteen men employed by Alfred Wadd ...

. They were shackled and tried as murderers, and were hanged at Quesnellemouth (

Quesnel Quesnel or Quesnell means "little oak" in the Picard language, Picard dialect of French language, French. It is used as a proper name and may refer to: Places * Le Quesnel, a commune the Somme department in France * Quesnel, British Columbia, a c ...

, B.C.) on October 26, 1864. Lhatŝ’aŝʔin and his fellow war chiefs were exonerated for any crime or wrongdoing on October 23, 2014, by British Columbia Premier

Christy Clark Christina Joan Clark (born October 29, 1965) is a Canadian politician who served as the 35th premier of British Columbia from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC, after Rita Johnston in 1991, and the first female premi ...

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We Do Not Know His Name - Klatsassin & The Chilcotin War - Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History
Year of birth missing 1864 deaths 19th-century First Nations people 19th-century Canadian criminals Canadian people convicted of war crimes Chilcotin Country Executed Canadian mass murderers Indigenous leaders in British Columbia People executed in British North America by hanging People executed by the Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) Pre-Confederation British Columbia people Tsilhqot'in People executed for war crimes {{FirstNations-stub

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