John Thompson
Named in 12 stories. Back to all names
- Feb 1, 1877The Strange Case of the County's Vanished PropertyA legal battle over the former Collins claim reveals a messy history of county mismanagement, secret land deals, and invalid property sales.Seattle, WA
- Feb 13, 1877A Deadly Saloon Fight Ends in a Public Execution-Style KillingAn altercation over a game of cards in the mining settlement of Kent leads to a gruesome death and a cold-blooded confession on the tracks.Kent, WA
- Feb 16, 1877Blood on the Tracks: The Renton Saloon Brawl of 1877A card game, a wrestling match, and a concealed knife turned a quiet evening into a deadly tragedy in Renton.Renton, WA
- Feb 19, 1877The Hanging Sentence of John ThompsonA condemned man stands in a crowded Seattle courtroom, maintaining his innocence while awaiting the gallows for a fatal brawl in Renton.Seattle, WA
- Feb 24, 1877The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in SnohomishA trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.Snohomish Jail, Snohomish, WA
- Oct 6, 1877Hanged on a Doubt: Washington Territory's First White ExecutionWhen John Thompson was hanged in Seattle in 1877, many believed he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder. The Dispatch made the case that the law had taken a life it should have spared.Seattle, WA
- Oct 6, 1877Convicted in Five Days: The 1877 Murder Case That Shocked a Seattle EditorAfter Solomon Baxter was killed, John Thompson went from arrest to a first-degree murder conviction in less than a week. The local paper called it a 'summary proceeding' with no parallel in American law.Seattle, WA
- Oct 6, 1877The Swift and Terrible Justice of the GallowsA condemned man is rushed to the gallows in just five days, sparking outrage over the speed of the judicial process in Snohomish.Snohomish, WA
- Oct 6, 1877A Tale of Two Trials: Inequality in the CourtroomA commentary on how disparate legal outcomes for two accused men—John Thompson and a man named Sutton—reveal the systemic influence of wealth, counsel, and community perception on justice in the Washington Territory.Port Townsend, WA
- Oct 27, 1877The Futility of the GallowsOne month after Seattle's first judicial execution of a white man, the local press questions whether state-sanctioned violence actually deters crime or simply breeds contempt for the law.Seattle, WA
- Mar 26, 1893Shanghaied in TacomaA waterfront boarding house keeper is caught in the act of kidnapping a sailor in Tacoma.South Yakima Avenue, Tacoma, WA
- Sep 5, 1893The Diamond Thief’s IndignationAfter being returned from Portland to face larceny charges, Elmer Mayberry takes issue with the press for linking him to a notorious saloon crowd.Seattle, WA