The Cow War of Duwamish Valley
A petty dispute over a farm animal escalated into a year of false accusations, forgery claims, and midnight police raids in pioneer Seattle.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The case of the state against L. F. Hicklin and Arthur Hicklin, charged with grand larceny, resulted in a verdict of not guilty yesterday. The trouble between George W. Dornbach and the Hicklin brothers is well known. Dornbach and the Hicklins lived on adjoining ranches in the Duwamish Valley. The dispute began over a cow Dornbach agreed to purchase for $50. After taking possession, Dornbach allegedly mistreated the animal, leading the Hicklins to reclaim it.
Dornbach, a former Seattle architect, initiated a series of legal actions, including an arrest warrant for the brothers which was dismissed. Undeterred, Dornbach went to the White House (a local landmark), swore out another warrant, and telephoned the sheriff’s office with the sensational claim that L. F. Hicklin was murdering his own wife and children. When police arrived at midnight, they found the Hicklins peacefully sleeping. During the trial, Dornbach produced a receipt for the cow, which the Hicklins and their witnesses claimed was a blatant forgery. Judge Humes instructed the jury that a lack of 'felonious intent' voided the larceny charge, and the jury acquitted the brothers after minimal deliberation.
“My life is not safe while they are at large. My wife and I are both afraid of them, and I will not be responsible for what may happen if they are allowed to go free.”
This 1892 property dispute in the Duwamish Valley highlights an early chapter of Seattle's long history of neighbor-versus-neighbor conflict over land and assets. Just as then, the valley remains a contested space where private property and personal vendettas often pull the local courts into the fray.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.