In early 1853, Douglas took action to apprehend Siamsit, the Native man accused of murdering Peter Brown. Several pieces of text accounting this event are available. Some include more information than others, and vary from primary accounts to secondary retellings. I believe that what actually happened is what Douglas stated, but that there was obviously also the Native’s entire side of the story. The allusions to the Native’s unimpressed reactions and their unfortunate treatment in the second document I believe to be accurate and that more was felt that day than we are told. The first document, “Douglas attempts to apprehend Siamsit”, is a primary source written by James Douglas himself. This would make it very credible, provided he tells …show more content…
This makes it a secondary source and therefore more susceptible to incorrect information. As this is a small document, I believe only the information that he encountered to be the same from numerous sources is included here. It aligns well with Douglas’ firsthand account, but also includes supplemental information (mostly regarding the Natives since Douglas can’t report thoughts that aren’t his). This document paints it as though Douglas blew things out of proportion, first stating that he felt the Nanaimo were not a threat (since they weren’t as bad as the Cowichan), and later stating that if they didn’t turn the man over then the whole village would be considered the opposition and attacked. This may simply be the wording of the text, but both instances include apparent quotes from Douglas. This author does not have a conflict of interest as these issues have already long since come and gone, outside of his lifetime, and in writing a non-fiction book, is likely reporting the very best information he can find. I believe this account to be credible and true to the event, just sharing other elements of what transpired that day as