The Doctor, the Real Estate Agent, and the Horsewhip
A sensational courtroom drama unfolds after a woman attempts to cowhide a doctor in his office, leading to a sprawling conspiracy suit.
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 sequel to a sensational episode which occurred last October was begun in Judge Osborn's court yesterday. At the time mentioned, Miss Carrie Shears attempted to cowhide Dr. John E. Plouf in his office in the Olympic block, for the reason given at the time that he had insulted her in some way or other. The affair created a sensation at the time, and the sequel promises to be equally interesting. Dr. Plouf instituted an action against T. H. Dempsey, a real estate agent, and his wife, charging them with being the instigators of the assault, claiming his reputation and business suffered to the extent of $25,000. In court, Plouf claimed his business had netted $45 a day prior to the assault, but cross-examination sought to expose him as a quack who had been arrested by the medical board. Miss Carrie Shears testified that the Dempseys had told her the doctor made derogatory remarks about her, though she admitted she had been under their influence when she first denied their involvement.
“When confronted by the fact that on the day following the attempted horsewhipping she made the statement that the Dempseys had nothing to do with the affair, she admitted having made such a statement and declared that when she made that statement she was under the influence of the Dempseys and was lying.”
This case highlights the volatile intersection of private reputation and public commercial legitimacy in a rapidly growing Seattle. Today’s disputes over 'influencers' and viral internet reputations echo the way 1890s Seattleites used local newspapers to destroy or defend professional standing.
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