The Shadowy Death of Charles Smith
A suspected opium smuggler dies by his own hand in the Puyallup reservation jail, leaving behind a cryptic note that hints at corruption and a hidden fortune in contraband.
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.
Charles Smith, a native of Saxony, committed suicide this morning in the Puyallup reservation jail by twisting two dozen small cords into a rope, tying it to an iron bar in front of the window. He had 70 cents in his possession and a message written on a piece of fir board found in his pocket, suggesting he was connected to opium smugglers. The note, addressed to the reservation superintendent, claimed the official was responsible for the suicide, stating: 'I know the opium is saved now. It is funny a big, armed crowd pickt me up and the man going away with $7,500 worth of smuggled goods.' For months, Smith had been camping with a party of drifters on the reservation. Last week, Indian police arrested Smith and another man; Gus Kautz, the reservation justice of the peace, sentenced Charles to thirty days in jail. Smith, believed to be a confirmed opium eater, was found dead by his keeper this morning. Inspector Mulkey is currently searching the reservation for the reported cache of opium.
“It is funny a big, armed crowd pickt me up and the man going away with $7,500 worth of smuggled goods.”
The tensions around jurisdictional control and law enforcement on reservation lands in 1892 echo modern, complex legal battles regarding tribal sovereignty and land use in Washington. The story also highlights the enduring, often tragic history of the Pacific Northwest’s illicit trade routes.
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