Sheriff Solves 1892 Mercer Island Cabin Murder
After the mutilated body of George Richards washed ashore, a confession from an accomplice revealed a desperate struggle and a grisly disposal in Lake Washington.
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 mystery of the murder of George Richards on Mercer Island has been cleared up and the guilt fixed on Antonio, the Italian who worked for him. Through the detective work of Sheriff Woolery, suspicion was fastened upon Joe Puccia, a friend of Antonio. He was quietly arrested and, in mortal terror, confessed to helping conceal Richards' body. Puccia lived in a cabin near the water works. He had not seen Antonio for some time until one morning when the latter came over from the island, appearing as if he had just had a desperate struggle. He told of his final quarrel with Richards in the lonely cabin, which ended in murder. According to Antonio, he was cutting bacon when Richards shouted a foul epithet at him. When Antonio prepared to leave, Richards grabbed him by the throat. Both reached for a knife, and in the ensuing death struggle, Antonio stabbed his antagonist again and again. He then took a shotgun and fired into the man's face. He rowed across the lake to Puccia's cabin, told him the story, and secured his help. That night, they rowed to the island, tied a rope to the body, and sank it in the lake with a rock. The rope eventually rotted, and the currents of the lake brought the body to the surface. Puccia was apprehended at the Columbus House saloon in Seattle and has since led authorities to the scene of the crime.
“The condition of the cabin showed what a struggle had preceded the murder. The scanty furniture was knocked over, crockery, cooking utensils and clothes were scattered around, all was confusion.”
While Mercer Island is now an affluent residential community, in 1892 it was a site of isolation and labor-camp style dwellings. The story highlights the rough, precarious nature of life for transient laborers in the early Seattle area, a stark contrast to the modern geography of the island.
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