The Deadly Cost of a Logging Contract
A rancher kills a man he claims attacked him after a long-standing dispute over pay.
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.
Richard Sea was shot and killed by J. E. Hendrick at the cabin of the latter, on the east side of the Yakima River, opposite Easton, at 1 o'clock this evening. It is claimed that the killing was done in self-defense. No one witnessed the shooting. Hendrick has been locked up and is guarded by a citizens' committee awaiting the arrival of the sheriff. The murderer is a single man and has a small permanent claim near Easton. He and the deceased had been engaged on a wood-chopping contract, and trouble had been experienced in making a settlement in the matter. Sea visited Hendrick's cabin to insist upon a settlement, and the latter claims that the former made an assault on him, and, to preserve his own life, he shot Sea.
“Sea visited Hendrick's cabin to insist upon a settlement, and the latter claims that the former made an assault on him.”
Conflicts over unpaid wages and labor contracts remain a volatile reality in industry. While today we utilize labor boards to arbitrate, this story reflects a time when disputes between contractors often ended in the gun-toting 'justice' of the frontier.
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